Inspiration Magazine March 2020 by International School of Prague

Welcome From the Director Hello and welcome to Inspiration Magazine! As usual, the school year is passing by as quickly as a flash! Looking back over the year so far, my personal highlight was the week-long visit of my friends, former colleagues and educators, NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold and his wife Eloise, who we were honoured to host at our school. Ricky’s visit presented our students and the wider community with so many memorable learning opportunities. It was obviously great to welcome someone who had the experience of being on the Shuttle as well as the International Space Station. However, it was especially wonderful to have an astronaut with us who understands international schools and who was so at ease and connected with students of all ages. As Ricky put it: “You always want students who are global thinkers, global citizens who are prepared to help our global community meet the challenges of the next generation. That is kind of how the International Space Station works too. Global leaders came together and agreed that the high ground of space was something that is worth exploration and worth doing it together, collaboratively.” The visit was obviously a memorable one for the school, but for me it was extra special to reconnect with Ricky and Eloise. Having hired Ricky as a science teacher during my time as Director at the American International School of Bucharest, it has been fascinating to me to watch from afar (literally!) as Ricky lived his dream. Typically self-effacingly, Ricky told me back then in Bucharest that there was no chance that he would become an astronaut after applying to NASA, but he

did it anyway. He is living proof that we can all achieve our dreams if we have a positive mindset and put in the hard work. This school year has also been a unique one for me because, at the outset of the year, after more than 12 years as Director at ISP, I announced my intention to step down at the end of the 2020-21 school year. This was primarily a family decision I made with my wife Marianne. With our two children, Joshua (Class of ‘15) and Emma (Class of ‘18), now living in my native New York, these family ties have in a sense created their own “gravitational pull” and we look forward to being closer to them in June 2021. It is with enormous pride and affection that I reflect on my time at ISP (so far!) but there is still much to accomplish for the remainder of my tenure. I am delighted, but not surprised, that the recruitment process for my successor progressed very quickly, and culminated in the appointment of an accomplished educator and administrator of the highest calibre, and for whom I have enormous respect, Dr. Chip Kimball. I will work closely with Chip and across the community to ensure a very smooth transition come next summer. With Chip’s impressive achievements so far and his belief in the ISP mission, I am extremely confident that ISP will continue to be a leader in international education. Looking to the near future, I am particularly excited that more campus enhancements will take place this summer. A complete transformation to our library will be a major step towards making our campus more futurefocused and will provide a space where real innovation in learning can take place.

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Arnie and the science teacher he once hired, NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold

The library redesign will ensure that it remains a dynamic and innovative learning commons for years to come. The creation of more informal learning spaces, as well as more quiet spaces above the library will provide a richer environment for our students to work together and study. But what I am really excited about is the doubling in size of the Idea Lab which will be a central feature of our new library. The transformation of the Idea Lab will provide students with the space and equipment to make, create, design and follow their passions.

Arnie and Ricky listen to Elementary students explaining their science experiments

As ever, this edition of Inspiration Magazine showcases the ISP Community. As you will see in the interview with Dr. Chip Kimball, the strength of our Community is one of the many reasons that he decided to join our school. It is also the principal reason why I have remained in my post for longer than any Director in the history of our school and why I am as excited to be here during my twelfth year as ISP Director as I was in my first. Warmly,

Dr. Arnie Bieber ISP Director

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The ISP Library

Dr. Chip Kimball

- The Next ISP Director ISP’s next Director talks to Inspiration Magazine about his excitement of coming to Prague.

Dr. Chip Kimball will be the next Director of the International School of Prague replacing Dr. Arnie Bieber beginning in July 2021. While Arnie remains focused on continuing the great work at ISP for the next eighteen months, everyone at the school is delighted that a progressive, experienced and impactful leader like Chip will succeed Arnie. Chip is a deeply experienced educator and administrator and has held educational roles from science teacher and chief technology officer early in his career, to his most recent experiences as Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore American School (SAS) and Lake Washington School District in the United States. Chip holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, a masters degree in science education, and a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of Southern California. He also completed a LEAD certificate in corporate innovation from Stanford University as part of his work in Singapore. Inspiration Magazine caught up with Chip to speak to him about his hopes and aspirations for when he arrives in Prague.

Chip traveling with Cheryl and daughters Alexis and Emilie

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As I spoke with staff, students, and parents I was particularly struck by the appetite to help the school be even better than it is today.

Chip pursuing one on his passions, water skiing on Lake Cavanaugh

about helping ISP accomplish its goals and realize its full potential.

Inspiration: So why ISP and why Prague? What was the draw of the school and the city? Chip: In my search I was looking for a school that is aspirational in direction, one that can be agile in its programming as we better understand how to prepare students for the future, and one that has an interesting and diverse cultural context. It became clear that ISP has a desire and commitment to continually improve, and I found deep core capabilities alongside unrealized potential that will keep ISP as a choice school in Prague and in Europe. I am excited

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The commitment to student and family diversity was an important factor in deciding to come to ISP. One of the strengths of the school and is deeply valued. I am also looking forward to a more intimate environment where I can get to know faculty, students, and families more deeply. This was challenging in a large school like SAS with nearly 4000 students. Relationships are at the core of great schools and I look forward to getting to know the ISP community in the days ahead. Prague is a fascinating city. This coupled with the history of the Czech Republic makes it one of the most interesting cities in all of Europe. It is a tremendous opportunity to watch first hand the transformation of the Czech Republic as it continues to evolve following

This is an incredibly exciting time to be in international education and to be an education leader.

Chip with his wife Cheryl

the revolution in 1989. The country’s geographical location as a gateway between Western and Eastern Europe reminds me a bit of Singapore where it served as the epicenter of economic activity in South East Asia. Prague is an important city economically and culturally and it will be an honor to lead in this context. Inspiration: Was there a moment or theme that sticks out on your visit that made you think ‘ISP is the place for me’? Chip: ISP has a deep sense of community, palpable from virtually every interaction I had on campus. As I spoke with staff, students, and parents I was particularly struck by the appetite to help the school be even better than it is today. The entire community came across as immensely proud of the school, but it was the appetite for improvement and hope for the future that struck me the most. I was also struck by how much people LOVE living in Prague. There is a deep pride in the ISP community about their school and the city that they call home.

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I often gauge a group not only by what they share but by the nature of the questions they ask. Each group at ISP focused their compelling questions oriented toward the future of ISP. This told me a lot about the ethos of inquiry at ISP. Inspiration: What will your key priorities be when you arrive at ISP? Chip: When I arrive during the summer of 2021 it will be most important to first take time to listen and learn. While I have experience with a lot of schools, I know that no two schools are alike and it is therefore important to understand the specific strengths and weaknesses of ISP, alongside the educational context in central Europe. ISP has done tremendous work over the past decade. I need to understand what the staff and community are most proud of, and where concerns lie. I want to understand the spoken and unspoken values, culture, and priorities for the school. I hope to talk to lots of people from all parts of the community, setting in motion a clear and compelling path for the future. Our students are faced with great challenges requiring new skills and aptitudes alongside great opportunities they will have to solve some of our most complicated and important problems. It will be a key priority to consider what students need most, alongside ISP challenges and aspirations so that we can plan and execute on priorities that are most beneficial for our students. This will need to be done in the context of new school competition, changing economics, and shifting needs of today’s student. This is an incredibly exciting time to be in international education and to be an education leader. Lastly, it will be a key priority to learn about the ISP team capability and culture. Healthy organizational culture is paramount for the most successful organizations, regardless of industry or size. Ensuring that the ISP team is high functioning will be a priority from day one.

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Inspiration: It’s obviously exciting times for you with your impending move but what are you doing now and what will you be doing until you arrive in Prague? Chip: I am deeply grateful that I have the opportunity for a self imposed sabbatical between now and July of 2021. Our top priority is to reconnect with family, support aging parents, do a few “epic” adventures, travel, and rest. In more traditional sabbatical form, I also hope to tackle the pile of books I want to read, write about educational leadership, and do some light consulting. Our top priority is family time before moving to Europe for our next professional season. Cheryl and I look forward to spending time with our adult daughters, Emilie (31) and Alexis (26). Emilie is a paediatric intensive care nurse, loves adventure and to travel, and predictably given her chosen career, loves kids. Alexis is in graduate school pursuing a Master’s degree in counselling, which will be done by the time Cheryl and I move to Prague. Alexis, who is adopted, has a particular interest in helping adoptive families. We are very much a ‘water family’ and we love spending time at Lake Cavanaugh in Washington State. We love to pull our friends behind the boat and participate in just about every form of water sports. But even more fun is great conversations, laughter, and great food whether on the dock, at the dinner table, or around the campfire. In addition to lake time, we love cycling and scuba diving which we were able to pursue during our time in South East Asia. We hope to spend time on a long-anticipated trip to New Zealand and will likely get in some scuba diving and motorcycling in the months ahead. And of course, part of our time will be spent getting ready for our move to Prague. I look forward to conversations with Arnie about the school and Cheryl is looking forward to learning more about the culture and community and how she can plug in. She is a nurse by training and loves to do volunteer work with the local community whenever possible especially helping those that are needy, vulnerable, or medically fragile. We are incredibly excited about moving to Prague and becoming a part of the ISP community in July 2021!

From the International Space Station to the International School of Prague!

In October 2019, NASA Astronaut and Educator Ricky Arnold touched down in the Czech Republic to inspire the ISP Community.

Ricky leads a session for ISP mathematics students .

NASA Astronaut and educator Ricky Arnold and his wife Eloise, who is also an educator, spent an entire week at ISP last October, sharing their fascinating experiences with the ISP Community and beyond. Fittingly, the visit coincided with the first anniversary of Ricky’s return to Earth after his last mission to the International Space Station, and the couple received a rapturous reception from the ISP Community. Not everyday you take a spacemen selfie

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Ricky and a ‘rocket’ brought to ISP by students from local Czech schools

Upper School students Barbara and Lily interview Ricky and Eloise

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Ricky makes a presentation to ISP documenting his time in space - complete with Czech flag which had travelled on the International Space Station!

As a science teacher with experience of teaching in international schools in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Romania, Ricky was ideally placed to inform ISP students, faculty, staff and parents that their environment is a lot like his experience of living and working at the International Space Station. As Ricky put it to the ISP community: “You always want students who are global thinkers, global citizens who are prepared to help our global community meet the challenges of the next generation. That is kind of how the International Space Station works too. Global leaders came together and agreed that the high ground of space was something that is worth exploration and worth doing it together collaboratively.” Ricky had a packed schedule at ISP, with the entire extended community having the opportunity to hear about his experiences. In a series of fascinating presentations Ricky recalled his two journeys into space, and focused on working in partnership with colleagues in the International Space Station from other countries. Ricky directly addressed and interacted with students and faculty from all sections of the school, from Early Childhood to Upper School and gave students an unforgettable learning opportunity by taking part in classes ranging all the way from IB Biology and Mathematics to Elementary School Science.

Ricky gets directly involved in Elementary School classes

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Ricky’s ‘rock star’ welcome in the ISP courtyard

Ricky and Eloise also headlined two events aimed at adults, primarily ISP parents and other invited guests, presented by aspiring senior year female scientists. To huge excitement, Ricky also presented to over 300 young students who were invited from local Czech schools. At one event, Eloise spoke passionately about her husband following his dream. She said: “Try to find things that you are passionate about, and don’t put limits on yourself because something is hard. It’s a phrase we overuse, but just follow your dreams”.

Ricky presents to Upper School students

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The Art Specialist

Middle ur in the Chip on to u G e lf War during th

East

Germany, his Tank Platoon

“My mom was told by my kindergarten teacher ‘whatever that boy wants to do with his hands let him do it.’” Mr. William “Chip” Doehring reflects on his 20 year tenure at ISP. Mr. Chip is now in his 21st school year at ISP and has lived something of an extraordinary life, from his origins in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, to winning a prestigious art scholarship, to active service as a Captain in the US Army in the Gulf War. This is all before he even got to the Czech Republic and began his two-decades long love affair with the International School of Prague. Mr. Chip’s art story started in Baltimore drawing and painting extensively under the tutelage of his art teacher Victor Janishefski at Calvert Hall College High School. This interest led to Chip receiving a Fanny B. Thalheimer Scholarship Award for Talent to the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore City, where he received a BFA in Visual Communication in 1986.

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Chip in his natural habitat, inspiring Elementary School in the Art Room

orm Chip in unif

While being simultaneously obsessed by art and interested in pursuing a military career from a young age might not seem like the most natural combination to some, this made perfect sense for Chip. “For me art was the only thing in my life that came easy but I was also drawn to the military. My dad was a Marine and others older than me in the neighborhood had served in the military. I always felt there was something prestigious about military service and the uniform.” Chip combined these two interests by enrolling in the The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which is a university-based officer training program for training cadets to become commissioned officers in the US Military. Chip combined his art studies with one day a week studying Military Science at the John Hopkins University in his native Baltimore. This was something that came very naturally: “Art is a very disciplined endeavour because if you want to be productive, be the best and produce paintings and artworks you have to have inner discipline. The military is about personal discipline too but combined with external discipline.”

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lis, Fall 199

in Indianapo

Chip formally entered the US Army in 1986 and spent three years in Germany before being sent to the Persian Gulf almost immediately upon his return to America in 1990. Chip recalls that it was “a pretty hardcore thing to find out that I was going off to a war and might not see home again.” He also feels very lucky when recalling his Gulf War experiences as a Captain in the 1st Infantry Division. “I was a lucky one as a planner, although I was in a combat zone, I didn’t see the ugliness that comes with it. I’m pretty emotional, and I can fill up with tears of joy for what I didn’t have to experience.” Chip left the Military in 1995, and described this process as something of a “bittersweet” one. He had spent ten years on tanks and left the Army as an Armor Officer in charge of fourteen tanks and sixty-four soldiers. “I know that as an Art Teacher, when anyone finds out I served on M1A1 tanks with the US Army for nearly 10 years and was in the ‘91 Gulf War, it’s hard to believe. How does one go from the military to Elementary Art Education and

Anna (Class of ‘16), Liam (Class of ‘20), Šárka and Chip in Old Town Square in December 2019

being a practicing artist? That’s where the relationship of internal discipline makes the two extremes so similar to me. First there was Art College and the art life that lead up to it, then the military, then back to the art world as an Art Director in advertising...now in this job, I’m satisfied feeling I married them all up together to give to kids artistically and grow myself as a practicing artist and musician.” He decided to move to what had been described to him (maybe slightly geographically wrongly) as “the Paris of the East”. Chip spent his 4 years as an Art Director in two advertising agencies and some time doing some freelance work. This time was very important personally as he met Šárka who would ultimately become his wife. As with a lot of teachers, Chip’s journey to being a long-serving ISP teacher began almost by accident. As he puts it, “I suppose I’m an example of “you don’t find teaching it finds you.” Taking up the story, Chip recalled “I piped at an event in the city (more on piping below!) and a German teacher from ISP mentioned to me that it would be great if I could come to ISP for an International Culture week and represent Scotland.” Chip never said if he explained that he wasn’t actually Scottish, but his visit to ISP, resplendent in his kilt, was to be something of a life changing experience. “Walking around I kind of fell in love with the place. I was talking

with Matt Hayes and he suggested that I leave my resume. Later, I took a call from the then Principal, Anne Ross, regarding a 4th and 5th Grade School Aide post.” And the rest, as they say, is history. Chip took up the Aide post and within two weeks he knew that he wanted to be in education. He enrolled in a distance learning Postgraduate teaching qualification program at the University of New Jersey. For the next four summers he attended summer school in Mallorca to help gain his qualification to be an Elementary Teacher. During his time as an Aide wasn’t slow in getting involved in teaching art, offering an after-school activity in drawing. He ultimately got a chance to become a fully fledged ISP Art teacher when the then Elementary teacher, Holly Spruck, decided to take a year’s sabbatical. Chip covered for Holly on her year away, co-teaching with a colleague and then later with Holly herself. In 2002, Chip was hired on a permanent basis, and has held the position ever since. Chip credits working with kids to him rediscovering to some extent his love of art and painting of rediscovering himself as an artist. “Around 2003 I finally began to groom myself to draw and paint for my own personal satisfaction. In 2008 I acquired a large slab of marble from Carrara, Italy to use as my palette which I pilgrimaged to get with Šárka. Knowing that Michelangelo travelled to Carrara personally to choose and get his marble, gives an added

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“I suppose I’m an example of ‘you don’t find teaching it finds you. ’”

Mr. Chip launches a balloon with Grade 4 students, May 2017 .

mystic, spiritual feeling to my passion every time I paint. Getting that marble was a dream – it was my grail quest.” This ‘pilgrimage’ tied in with Chip’s art interests, which lie in the Italian Renaissance and Flemish Masters. The other big passion in Chip’s life is music. The aforementioned bagpipes were something that is closely related to his mother’s IrishAmerican heritage. “There was always Irish dancing, singing and fiddles in our family. I suppose my love of the pipes comes from the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Baltimore City. My dad took me to the pipe major at the age of ten and after practicing on the ‘chanter’ I got my first pipes aged fifteen. The funny thing is, after getting on the pipes, they took a back seat in my life for 15 years.” Chip’s rediscovery of the pipes probably played a part in Šárka and him getting together as she comes from Strakonice, which can be described as the Czech epicentre of piping and hosts a biannual piping festival.

“Prague and teaching kids art has never stopped being euphoric - never is it not euphoric”.

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Chip’s other musical project is his band ‘Chip & Co.’ They describe themselves as “a US/CZ pop/rock band with Irish Soul, including some pipes and whistles.” The band has recently celebrated their 3rd anniversary, and have become something of a fixture on the Czech live Celtic music scene. Chip is very proud that his daughter Anna (Class of ‘16) and son Liam (Class of ‘20) are both, to some degree, following in the footsteps of their dad’s passions. Anna is currently studying Graphic Design at the University of the West of England in Bristol. Liam, meanwhile is passionate about music making and looks to do something musically related when he finishes at ISP later this year. Šárka is also a familiar face at ISP, and is often seen on campus leading Czech language lessons for other parents. As for the future, Chip’s love of Prague, his Czech family, and of ISP endures, despite more than two decades at the school and a quarter of a century living in the Czech Republic in all. As Chip puts it, “Prague and teaching kids art has never stopped being euphoric - never is it not euphoric.” The Chip and ISP love affair looks like one which looks like it has plenty of mileage in it yet!

How a year of trying to buy nothing made me a smarter shopper and a better teacher Ellen Heyting (Class of ‘03) has certainly continued on her educational journey after leaving

ISP! Ellen is a teacher, educational researcher, trainer, peace educator, instructional coach and curriculum development consultant. She is from sunny Melbourne, Australia but graduated from ISP. She has since taught in Melbourne, Beijing, Singapore and is currently a teacher at

the International School of Helsinki and is currently working on her PhD in education. Ellen loves

everything about learning and believes that education can be a force to unite people for peace and a sustainable future! Below she writes of her experience of a year without consumerism!

You can follow Ellen on twitter: https://twitter.com/EHeyting

It started as a New Year’s resolution driven by guilt and a touch of sibling rivalry – but by the end of the year, it taught me valuable lessons as a teacher, including about the benefits of failure.

Given this research, I thought modelling sustainable and ethical decision-making while teaching could prompt some interesting discussions, without needing to preach to my students.

At Christmas dinner 2018, my sister declared she would buy nothing for a year. After living in Bangladesh for two years, she had seen how the world’s fashion industry was wreaking havoc on the country’s people and environment.

This is known as education for sustainable development 1 (ESD1), where the goal is to raise awareness and change students’ behaviours. ESD1 has also been called instrumental ESD. It’s widely used in teacher training courses and school curricula around the world. It involves encouraging students to learn how their behaviours impact the environment, and what behaviours they could substitute or modify to reduce their ecological footprint.

I decided to follow her lead. As an Australian living in Finland, I still can’t imagine going a year without a flight home to see family. So buying nothing (apart from groceries) would do something to offset all those carbon-costly air miles. I’m also a high school humanities teacher, and realised what I was learning while trying to buy nothing could prove useful in a classroom.

Modelling behaviour The effectiveness of “modelling” – demonstrating a behaviour, which is then observed and imitated by someone else – as a teaching strategy has long been known in education literature. There is recent evidence to suggest modelling is an effective strategy in education for sustainable development too.

However, some researchers argue this type of education for sustainable development is not enough, and advocate also including emancipatory education for sustainable development, or ESD2. Its goal is to build students’ capacity in more innovative, critical thinking about sustainable development.

How I applied modelling in my classroom As I began my year of buying nothing, I was about to start teaching Year 7 students a unit called “Progress: At What Cost?”. It examines the parallels between the first industrial revolution – a time of extraordinary change, but also labour exploitation, colonisation

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Ellen at the International School of Helsinki

Prom night, complete with cake, 2003

and huge increases in pollution – and the challenges from progress today, including from climate change, structural inequalities and the technological revolution. A combination of humanities, English, science and design, the unit culminates with an innovation fair. The students choose one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals to solve, and at the fair, students, teachers and parents walk around with $1000 in pretend “seed money” to “invest” with the students whose solutions they like best.

My failures produced the best lessons If I think about what improved in my classroom because of my new year’s resolution, the biggest gains in my students’ and my own thinking came from discussing my failures. I didn’t make it the whole year without buying anything. I bought four things: food containers so I could avoid plastic wrap, new running shoes when my old ones began falling apart, a secondhand bike after mine was stolen and a secondhand phone when mine died in a storm. I went about a week without a phone. It turned out I was as addicted to it as the teenagers in my class. This sparked a conversation about smart phones, screen-time and social media addiction as added costs of progress, and a class challenge to go tech-free for 24 hours. Two students out of the 36 in my class made it. I didn’t.

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Ellen at ISP in the Seniors’ Lounge, 2003

I decided to buy a secondhand “new” phone. I talked to my students about my checklist of sustainable consumption questions, which helped me buy almost nothing all year: 1. Could I go without it? (No, as it turned out with my phone: I am an addict.) 2. Could I repair what I had? (I tried drying my old phone out in a bag of rice for two days, but it didn’t work.) 3. Could I buy a secondhand one? (Yes! I got one from Swappie.)

What I saved and learned As my year of buying almost nothing in 2019 came to a close, I had no motivation to hit the postholiday sales. I’d also saved at least a few thousand dollars, which instead went towards paying off my mortgage and more meals out with friends. At the beginning of this new school year, I don’t pretend to have all the answers about living sustainably. But as a consumer and as a teacher, there’s a lot I can do. I can support my students’ activism, including if they choose to join a Fridays for future school strike for the climate. I can support – and challenge – their critical reasoning capacity in our classrooms the rest of the week. Each of us can make a difference – and we can all start by practising what we preach.

Change Someone’s World! - Community Service at ISP

Pavlína with friends in Uganda resplendent in ISP basketball uniforms

Inspiration Magazine speaks to Pavlína

Koukalová, HR and Payroll Specialist at ISP

about her Community Service Coordinator role

Inspiration: What does Community Service mean to you? Pavlína: It means making life better by doing things, however small, usually at a local level. I can’t change the world but I can change someone’s world. A small thing can mean the world to another person. Inspiration: What Community Service actions have you taken part in this year? Pavlína: We had a few main goals when I took up this role. One of the main ones was to involve more people in Community Service because we wanted to get beyond a few students, faculty and staff and parents being involved, to get more people from across the ISP community involved. It should not be a mainly Upper School project thing, all sections of the school should be involved.

Medard from the Bwindi Orphans project visits ISP

World Clean-up Day near the beginning of the school year was a good example of the whole community getting involved in Community Service in the way we would like to see often. The Giving Tree just before the Winter Break was great too as it involved the wider community through parents led by Sheridan Barnett, the CSC Coordinators, and Elementary students. This group

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I can’t change the world but I can change someone’s world. A small thing can mean the world to another person.

Elementary Students at the bake sale they organised to raise funds for p and wildlife suffering from the Australian bushfires

of very involved people and great leadership from two students, galvanised support from students from all sections of the school, which combined to make the project a success. The community gave a lot of gifts which made the festive season a little brighter for the people at the St. Vincent de Paul home in North Bohemia, and disabled employees of coffee Ad Astra with whom volunteers at ISP have built a real relationship with over the last few years. There has also been growing involvement from Support Staff and Faculty in homeless walks and students coming forward with their own projects, such as ones to help assist people and wildlife affected by the bushfires and events aimed at raising “Nocleženka” vouchers for homeless people. Inspiration: So in a year when student empowerment is key to learning at ISP, do students feel empowered to take the lead on their own Community Service initiatives? Pavlína: Lots of Upper School students are doing Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects or are attaining their Duke of Edinburgh Award and might come to Community Service that way. However, in the last six

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months or so I’ve had instances of students coming to me with their own ideas for Community Service projects, which is really fantastic. In my role as Community Service Coordinator, this has probably most value. A good example of this was that a group of students who were interested in planting trees on campus and took it upon themselves to arrange a place on campus with the agreement of ISP facilities staff. The event raised the money to buy the trees and these will be planted this spring. There is another group who are looking to take leadership on actions to help homeless people. I am working with another group to help purchase medical equipment for a senior home in North Moravia, which will greatly improve the people’s lives there, so there is certainly a lot going on. Inspiration: Since taking up this role, what has been your favourite Community Service moment or moments? Pavlína: It was great to see the faces of Ad Astra employees when they posted us photos from their Christmas party with our gifts. While it was a relatively small thing, you could see how happy they were, and it made us sure that we had done a good thing. We helped a local dog shelter too, which was rewarding but also a

Pavlína and ISP Parent Sheridan Barnett with festive gifts and representatives of St. Vincent de Paul women’s shelter in North Bohemia

I think we should be raising awareness about issues in the world around us.

little sad to see how the conditions some of the dogs were living in, but the students involved and my colleagues, particularly in the Activities Office did such a great job delivering food and other dog treats to the shelter. On a personal level though, I visited Uganda in 2015 and 2016 and did voluntary work for the Bwindi Orphans project (www.bwo.cz). The ISP Community was subsequently very generous in supporting my fundraising efforts for the project, with Activities Director Joe Monks, PE teacher Michal Šilhavý and Upper School Art teacher Christine Robson supplying sports and arts equipment, and lots of individual donations. With this in mind, the recent visit of my friend Medard, one of the orphans who benefitted from the projects work, was a lovely moment. It was really nice for me to hear Medard tell his powerful story to grade 6 students. Inspiration: So what does the future hold for Community Service at ISP? Pavlína: I feel like we’ve made a lot of progress this year, and I think everyone involved wants to build on this. However, I think that as much as doing community and charity-focused work is of course important, I think we should be raising awareness about issues in the world around us. I travel a lot and see the ecological changes and issues and it worries me about the future. From spring we would like to cooperate with Trash Heroes https://trashhero.org/, who do great ecological work around the world. We also would like to get out of Prague, not necessarily to go abroad, but around the Czech Republic. Overall, we would like to continue to build service at ISP and get more people from all sections of the community involved.

To find out more about Community Service at ISP contact Pavlína pkoukalova@isp.cz

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Capturing Space in the Most Familiar Setting ISP Alumnus and filmmaker Lukas Borovicka (Class of ‘13) returned to his old stomping ground to document the visit of Ricky Arnold on ISP’s behalf. You can view the wonderful videos Lukas created on the ISP Youtube channel. Inspiration caught up with Lukas to reflect on his time back in Nebušice.

NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold and his ‘shadow’ Lukas, who documented the visit to ISP

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Lukas on set in Prague, 2019

Inspiration: How did it feel to be back at your old school? Lukas: It felt like coming home to some degree, as many of the teachers and the staff recognized me from when I was a student. When trying to figure out the logistics of filming it really helped that we already had a relationship and I was not asking them for favors as a stranger. I was able to catch up with a few of my teachers after the filming, and it was great to just engage in conversation without having to worry about homework. Interacting with the students whose questions and answers were really thoughtful made me realize how formative were the 4 years I spent at ISP. Inspiration: What were (if any) the similarities/ differences from your return as a filmmaker from your student days? Lukas: The main difference I noticed in the time of my visit were the physical improvements to the facilities. There are so many new spaces for learning, but the building still keeps its warm and welcoming feel. My colleagues were surprised that the kids are directly involved in the events and so responsive to the opportunities they get. I remember those things being the same when I was a student. It was very easy

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Interacting with the students whose questions and answers were really thoughtful made me realize how formative were the 4 years I spent at ISP.

A fresh-faced Lukas in his Class of ‘03 class photo

to be actively engaged and the people around you, including the teachers, were there to support you in your efforts. Inspiration: Did you manage to catch up with any familiar faces? Lukas: The shooting days were too hectic to catch up on the spot, but I scheduled a meeting with several teachers to catch up later in the week. I was pleasantly surprised that the ladies in the cafeteria still remembered me - it’s been seven years since I left, but they have not aged at all! It was also great to talk to some of the people from the school leadership, who you really do not get the chance to know them as much while attending as a student. Inspiration: What are you doing now career-wise? Obviously you’re back based in Prague for the time being but are your plans to be around the city longterm? Lukas: I returned to Prague after spending five years in U.S. (including one year working in LA) and one year on a job in Zlin, and for the time being I think Prague is a great base from which I can build my life and career in multiple directions. There are many opportunities for filmmakers in Prague

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ranging from American shows filming in the Czech Republic to high end commercials, as well as a lot of local content. I am currently working as an Assistant Director on a prime time TV show and developing several projects on the side, including a feature film, hopefully to be shot in the next few years. While Prague is a great base city, I feel it is important not restricting myself geographically when it comes to collaborators and inspiration. If the right project comes around I’d be happy to follow it around the world. ISP will probably keep influencing me like this for the rest of my life. Inspiration: Finally, what influence has being an Alumnus of ISP had on you as a person and on your career path? Lukas: On the personal level, ISP introduced me to many people who I am friends with to this day and who I can look up to and learn from. It has given me the confidence and skills needed to keep connecting with new people and new materials/topics. On the professional level, being an Alumnus of ISP has allowed me to think big, global in fact, which is extremely important in film, given the immense amount of content fighting for our attention. A significant part of my work has been a collaboration with people from all around the world, and the results are that much better and more unique because of that.

Alumni Reunions

- Start Spreading the News... The Manhattan Skyline

If you can make it there be at the April New York City Reunion and others this year! New York City All Years Reunion

Friday 17th April · 7 PM New York City

After the success of the inaugural New York City All Years Reunion, what should be an even bigger event comes to Manhattan on Friday 17 April. The event will take place under the watch of Member of the ISP Alumni Council, and native New Yorker, Gwyther Bultman (Class of ‘98) and he hopes to see a great turnout of ISP Alumni from across the classes. Last year’s event saw attendees representing classes from over two decades. This is a great chance to catch up and network with old and new friends and share some time with those who had that unique ISP experience. The venue for this year’s event is the same as last year’s, the Flatiron Beer Hall and Restaurant, West 26th Street in Manhattan - A Gwyther favorite! We had originally scheduled this event for February but by popular demand we moved it back to April.

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The Nebušice Skyline

Also happening this year is the Class of 2000 will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their graduation on Saturday 27 June, and will take place on the ISP Campus here in Nebušice. Also in motion are the Class of 2011’s plans, over an late May or early June weekend in 2021. Full details will follow! We are also in the process of organising an all-years reunion in London this October - watch this space!

For more information about any of these events email the ISP Advancement Office advancement@isp.cz

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The inaugural ISP New York reunion last year

Night at the Monastery Announcing our 10th Annual Fundraiser for Scholarships!

ISP’s Annual Fundraiser for Scholarships supports the school’s scholarship program. Every year, we have between four and six scholarship recipients in our Upper School, all of whom are residents of the Czech Republic.

Venue Co-chaired by ISP parents Klara Chadzivasilis and Hilda Leahy, the event will be held on Saturday, April 25th at the Břevnovský klášter (Břevnov Monastery), from 18:30 until 02:00. The monastery was founded in the early 990s and has the oldest tradition of beer brewing in the Czech Republic.

Entertainment! One of the top Queen tribute bands in Europe, Prague Queen (www.praguequeen.cz) will open for DJ JAVO. https://www.facebook.com/Javo.official/ From the Netherlands, a perfectionist with a raw edge. Using state-of-the-art pioneer systems to perfect his sets, Javo is currently the resident DJ at Duplex Prague (taking the night off for us!).

Catering Catering is provided by the incomparable Zatisi Catering (https://www.zatisicatering.cz/en/) - by far the most exciting and innovative catering company in the region (and beyond!), they are providing their services at a large discount to help with fundraising for the Scholarship Program. In 1842, at his brewery in Plzeň, brewer Josef Groll introduced the world to the first golden ‘pilsner’ lager, and changed beer forever. His invention soon became the most popular style of beer on the planet, and Pilsner Urquell is sponsoring Night at the Monastery!

THANKS TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS

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TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW https://www.isp.cz/night-at-the-monastery

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Class Notes Get in touch! Almost every graduating class has a class

correspondent who collects stories of what ISP Alumni are up to around the world. Please contact the ISP Advancement Office advancement@isp.cz for more information.

Class of 2013 The class of 2013 is still all over the world achieving great things! Many of us have started our careers, while others are continuing to pursue various degrees. Emma Beer-Beauchamp has just finished her courses for her Master’s requirements at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. She is handing in her Thesis in the New Year and will be looking for a job in the public sector in Ottawa. This summer, she completed a stimulating internship at the US Embassy in Ottawa, which gave her a great glimpse into what it is like to work for the foreign service. Sebastian Winkler is currently working as an executive support analyst (with French) at Accenture and is also studying Humanities at Charles University’s Faculty of Philosophy. Balazs Kuti is living in Hungary and completing the Management Trainee Program at Coca-Cola Hungary. Xena Kyryk has obtained a First in Management with Marketing from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. She then moved with her boyfriend Till to Netherlands, where she worked for a year in Finance at IDEXX (pet healthcare innovation), realizing this is not what she wanted to do, so she got a new job at Under Armour in Amsterdam, where she has been working for the past 6 months in the product launch team (supply chain department). She finally feels like she is in the right place again, as she has done a placement year in a sportswear distributor company and loved it, so going

back to the sportswear industry felt like a good decision for her. She also looks forward to next year when she finally gets to do her yoga teacher license, and aims to bring it to Under Armour as a side hobby! Daniella Smith has been living in Las Vegas working for the Oakland Raiders Football Club in Corporate Partnerships as the team makes their transition to Las Vegas with a new stadium completed in summer of 2020. Sara Hadzic graduated from Oxford University with a Master’s in Law and Finance in 2018. She currently works at Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division in Frankfurt. Rudan Balay is currently doing my MA at the George Washington school of international affairs in D.C. She also started a new position earlier this year at a Washingtonbased news publication as a Communications Specialist, and attended United Nations human rights conferences throughout the year in NY as a UN youth member. She also recently became the ambassador to a non-profit (the Lotus Flower) that helps empower women in conflict areas. Filippo Cartoni moved away from broadcast PR in December 2018 and moved into a product marketing role at Ariston Thermo UK following an internship he had done with them at university. Currently a year into the role, he is taking on a leadership role in product marketing, traveling monthly, training internally and externally, and supporting the team with his Italian language skills as well.

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Xena, William and Till reuniting in Prague

Marie Stehlíková has finished her Master’s in Psychology. Aydin Shahidi continues to live in Boulder, Colorado, enjoying the mountains, playing soccer, and exploring various creative pursuits. Aydin currently works at the One Earth Future Foundation, an incubator of peacebuilding programs that works to de-risk potentially scalable models to address the root causes of armed conflict in fragile states. Aydin is also pursuing the publication of a paper on the effects of thought transaction on crop yield. Aydin still plans to return to Europe within the coming years to earn his Master’s Degree and be closer to his friends and family from ISP. Denis Bravenec graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations in 2018. Since September 2018, he joined the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris as a Junior Policy Analyst (Young Associate Programme). Deni Čermojev started studying Information Management in Business at Loughborough University

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in 2015. After 2 years, he did a year in the industry, by completing an Industrial Placement Program at Xerox in London. After finishing the program in June of 2018, he completed an Internship at Walmark, a Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals company based in Prague, CZ, before heading off for his final year of University. After graduating from Loughborough University in June of 2019, he immediately started working as a Digital Content Manager at Lobkowicz Events Management, in Prague. Bo Hitzert, I moved to London in January 2019 and started working as an Associate Partner Manager at Amazon. I work with European-based companies selling on Amazon by account managing them and consulting these businesses on growth strategies for their North American Amazon accounts. I’m loving the London life but often miss Prague as well. In fact, I’m writing this article from the Prague office right now! It has been an extremely eventful and successful year for all of the ISP ’13 graduates and we are as excited as ever to start this new decade! Thank you to the Class of 2013 for your updates. We look forward to hearing more.

Your Annual Fund Donation Makes a Difference! The Annual Fund touches every part of the school’s budget including all programs, Professional Development, Digital Learning & Technology, Fine Arts, Sports, Financial Aid or Areas of Greatest Opportunity. It provides the school with the flexibility to respond quickly to areas of greatest opportunity and to meet unexpected challenges.

Throughout the entire school year, Annual Fund donations allow ISP to provide an education for all of our students that tuition alone cannot provide. As a non-profit school all income, be it from tuition or Annual Fund donations, is invested directly into our educational programmes.

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There are so many examples of how the Annual Fund can help provide wonderful learning opportunities for students at ISP. One such example was the visit of NASA Astronaut Ricky Arnold, documented in this magazine, which gave our students a lifelong memory. Another is the Robotics program, which thanks to the ISP Community’s generosity, is established in all sections of the school. Middle and Upper School students have taken part in numerous competitions including the latter travelling to prestigious First Robotics Tournaments in Mexico City and Dubai in recent times. Also, mountain biking is now an established part of physical education in Middle School, making full use of the beautiful natural playground of Divoká Šárka nature reserve on our doorstep. Please join other parents and donors by making your donation, of any amount, today. This generosity makes the above learning opportunities possible!

For Czech Crown Donations please make your transfer to: Bank Account: 2112216446/2700 Account Name: Friends of ISP z.s. Bank name: UniCredit Bank Czech Republic, a.s.

US$: For US Dollar Donations please mail your check to: The International School of Prague Foundation, inc. C/O Nebušická 700, 164 00 Prague 6 Czech Republic

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The Tax ID of the US foundation is 51-0380009 When making your donation, in the message area, please write, “AF” and (if you’d like) “Arts”, “Technology”, “Sports”, “Financial Aid”, “Pro. Dev.”, or “AGO” (Areas of Greatest Opportunity). All donations will receive in return the appropriate paperwork for your taxes.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PRAGUE Nebušická 700, 164 00 Prague 6 - Czech Republic PHONE +420 220 384 111 E-MAIL info@isp.cz