VOLUME 19 – SPRING 2011
the tribune The Journal of the International School of Paris
Japan Day at the Secondary School to raise funds for disaster relief.
A commitment to service and a dedica-
Whether supporting work in Namibia,
tion to action are long-standing traditions
Haiti or Japan; working with the homeless
at the International School of Paris and
and elderly; fighting for universal human
form an integral part of the lives of our
rights; reducing, recycling, and reusing;
staff, students and parents.
or teaching one another new skills or lan-
Inside and outside the classroom we
guages; our students, staff and parents
work together to make a difference within
demonstrate a daily commitment to help-
our school as well as in the world beyond.
ing each other and the outside world.
summary
A Commitment to Community & Service From the Head of School.............................. 2 Think Big, Act Small in the PYP.................. 2 Eco-Ecole in the Primary School............... 3 Primary School Student Council............... 3 ISP Parents’ Lifelong Service....................... 4 C&S and CAS in the Curriculum................ 6 Community & Service in the IB................. 7 Secondary School Student Council.......... 7 Sharing a Norwegian Tradition................... 8
Through our IB programmes and extra-
This issue of the Tribune honors the
curricular activities, we call on one another
members of our community for their gen-
ISP’s Amnesty International Club...10
to act on both a local and global scale.
erosity and dedication to others.
ISP in Namibia / Helping Japan.......11
Helping the Homeless...............................9
An Alumnus Speaks Out....................12
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
1
From the Head of School Audrey Peverelli As a child, growing up in Argentina and Venezuela, I was aware of those who had less than we did. As a Girl Scout for 10 years, I was involved in many service activities. Later, I established a program in Uruguay mentoring adolescent girls. Later still, I launched a scholarship fund in
Think Big, Act Small: Global Thinking for Local Action in the PYP
Yoshinobu, presents to his fellow students the dangers of deforestation.
Sean Walker, PYP Coordinator In the PYP, there are five “Essential Elements”. In addition to the knowl-
Brazil to send underserved
edge and skills that most of us are familiar with from our own education, the
women to university.
PYP also develops a set of attitudes and has students explore concepts to
At ISP, we put service into action on a daily basis, in the
ensure they understand big ideas. The final element is that of action! Action is based on the idea that students are not simply asked to be pas-
classroom as well as in our
sive learners, but instead, once they have learned something, students can
extra-curricular activities:
then act on it or take action. This action may be to improve their own well-
• Raising funds for Haiti
being (brushing teeth more often because of learning about hygiene); it
• Combating hunger with Action
may affect others (being more caring to new students who arrive in class
Contre la Faim
after doing a unit of inquiry on relationships); or it may affect the environ-
• Contributing to infant vaccina-
ment (reducing the amount of paper wasted through the school day after
tion programs by making
learning about the management of resources).
Frimousse dolls for UNICEF
The PYP emphasizes action on a personal level and encourages students
• Sponsoring Eco-Ecole projects
to think “big” but act “small” or “locally” so they can see the results of their
to protect our environment
action while positively impacting their surrounding community. At Ranelagh,
• Using International Day to
we try to model action through our own behavior and the resources we use
collect money for charities
at school. A large part of our curriculum is based on our program of inquiry.
• Distributing meals to the
Each of these units is based on a big idea such as migration, conflict or fair-
homeless
ness. The students then take these big ideas and translate them into local
• Working for five years on the
action that has a direct and visible impact on their lives.
Humanitarian Project (Namibia)
This year, for example, Grade 5 studied how artists can make a difference
• Supporting Japan with disaster
in the lives of others through their work. The students then had to create
relief funds
their own pieces of art to take action on an issue that they felt strongly
It takes a village, they say, to
about. Grade 3 learned about organizations like ISP, the Student Council
raise a child. ISP is such a
and “Pennies for Peace”. Students then formed their own organizations to
village, a close community that
take action on issues of their choice to improve the local ISP community.
works to eradicate problems on
Examples include students working in the garden and improving the cleanli-
both a local and global level.
ness and organization of the cloakrooms.
Without this daily commitment
2
Grade 5 student,
By showing students at a young age how they can make a difference in
to service, none of the above
their immediate community, we hope that they will then take action in the
would have been possible.
world around them as they grow up.
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
Eco-Ecole students
Eco-Ecole in the Primary School: Learning to Help the Environment from an Early Age
in the Primary School
of recycled paper.
watering, etc. • setting up and using a composter
dents about problems facing the environment, both
• learning about plastic and waste in the environment
locally and globally, and to explore ways, both big and
• discussing the environmental impact of locally grown
around them.
used tee-shirts, work
party decorations out
for Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5, which aims to educate stu-
small, in which they can positively impact the world
have made out of
garden and create
Marianne Freire, Eco-Ecole Coordinator in the Primary School Eco-Ecole is a voluntary club in the Primary School
model a rug they
versus imported food • re-using plastic: making strings from plastic bags;
The club discusses issues like pollution, waste, recycling, re-using, and natural disasters. It also takes advantage of the Primary School garden to talk about plant life, gardening and how to use a composter. The students also work on projects to assist people around the world, particularly those affected by natural disasters. Some of this year’s projects have included: • managing the garden: cleaning, weeding, planting,
using plastic bottles to create a holiday tree, invent a bowling game and build a shelter • learning to knit scarves and necklaces made from secondhand yarn • making and selling popcorn in order to send funds to flood victims in Pakistan • organizing a used-items sale for the victims of the Japanese natural disaster
“Eco-Ecole helps the environment. It’s a great activity for a better world.” —Oskar, Grade 3
Student Council: Making ISP a Better Place Marianne Freire, Advisor to the Student Council issues with “high level” individuals,
A sampling of the projects the
Primary School is composed of
such as the Primary School
Council has worked on includes:
elected representatives from
Principal, the PYP Coordinator, the
• Assisting with the exchange of
Grades 1-5. The Council gath-
After-School Activities Coordinator,
mother tongue language books
ers once a week to discuss issues
the PTA Vice-Presidents, and
in the library
important to the students at the
several teachers.
The Student Council in the
• Finding eco-friendly games for
school. Their mission, in their own
Throughout, the Student Council
words, is to “make the school bet-
students have shown themselves to
ter for the kids.”
be caring, principled and respect-
daily lives of students at school
ful communicators—all important
• Love in a Box (providing gifts for
Making the school better is just
use during indoor playtimes • Discussing issues related to the
one of the purposes of the Council.
components of the IB Learner
children in orphanages)
The students have learned to work
Profile. The dedicated and consci-
• Giving school tours to Primary
together, discuss issues, report to
entious students who make up the
School Principal candidates
and from their classmates and
Council remind us that a commit-
• Organizing end-of-term disco
make things happen. They have
ment to service also means being
also learned how to prepare for
an active and responsible member
meetings and discuss “sensitive”
of one’s own community.
parties for all students • Making ASA proposals, such as science activities
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
3
ISP Parents’ Lifelong Service to Others Denis and Valerie Metzger are no ordinary couple. Long-time parents at ISP, they have distinguished themselves by living a life of giving to others. They serve as inspiration to us all and demonstrate to others how to incorporate service as a lifelong activity. Denis: Feeding the World’s Hungry
Denis on a field trip
Seated in his office on the ele-
studying malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh
gant
Avenue
Montaigne,
Denis
India.
Metzger currently heads Chequers Capital, a mid-market money management fund. Educated at some of the best schools in France (Henri IV, Sciences Po, INSEAD), he was introduced as a young teenager to the idea of doing good for others. At an after-school community center led by a Catholic priest, Denis worked with his classmates to raise money to buy a tractor for an impoverished farming village in China. Later, as an economist and trade attaché at the French Embassy in India, he was struck by the “unnecessary hunger in a country so rich in resources.” Since then, he has not
Students Help Fight Hunger The Primary School embarked on a project last November to raise money for Action Contre la Faim. Each student and several staff members decorated plates, which were then displayed on the Primary School playground. All members of the ISP community were invited to visit the display, leave a message and bid on any of the 300 plates. Many families gave generously and in total, more than 2,000 Euros were collected and given to Action Contre la Faim. This event was held after Action Contre la Faim displayed 10,000 plates under the Eiffel Tower last fall, inspiring many students and teachers in the Primary School to undertake a similar initiative. This symbolic gesture demonstrated how, through a small action taken locally, students could have an impact on a global problem.
4
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
You get a high out of helping people. When you give something, you always get something in return. stopped working on behalf of the
the fact that she “led a privileged
poor and hungry.
life,” so, when her children were
In 1979, he co-founded Action Contre la Faim, now the second lar-
older, she looked for volunteer opportunities.
gest NGO in France, whose mission
She started as an auxiliaire
is to save the lives of malnourished
d’aveugle, assisting blind people
Valerie holds one of
children, while providing families
with their daily tasks, but soon was
her Frimousse dolls
with access to safe water and sus-
asked to volunteer at UNICEF, a life-
tainable solutions to hunger. He is
changing decision for her.
currently chairman of the organi-
She has since become passion-
zation, which has grown to 6,000
ate
about
UNICEF’s
Frimousse
field staff and 600 volunteers in 40
dolls, which she has brought into
countries worldwide.
French schools. These rag dolls are
There is something unique about
“dressed” by children in schools
a man who, on a daily basis, man-
throughout France. A donation can
ages close to one billion Euros in
then be made to “adopt the dolls”.
funds, while spending so much of
Every 20 Euros raised per doll repre-
his time devoted to helping the
sents the amount needed to finance
world’s disadvantaged. His advice
a complete round of vaccinations
to students today? “Find a passion
against some of the most serious
in your life and act on it. Your suc-
childhood diseases, including polio,
cess in today’s world will be more
diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough,
determined by your social intel-
and tuberculosis.
ligence than your academic intel-
As Valerie explains, “Each year,
ligence. And, finally, be consistent,
two million children die simply
determined, and patient; don’t let
because they do not have access to
life discourage you. Choose a bal-
these vaccinations. Each doll comes
anced life, give to others, and you
with a “carte d’identité” represent-
will succeed.”
ing the 50 million children in the world who are not registered at
Valerie: Making Dolls to Help Save
birth. In essence, these dolls give
Children’s Lives
life, both figuratively and in reality,
Valerie Metzger initially wanted
to those children.”
to be a social worker and then became an advertising executive. When she had children, however, she decided to stop working and
For more information:
devote herself to raising them full-
www.actioncontrelafaim.org
time. She soon began to appreciate
www.unicef.fr
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
5
Integrating C & S / CAS into the Curriculum Monica Devos, French teacher at ISP, describes two community-based projects that she initiated in her Grades 7 and 9 French classes which creatively integrate community and service into the students’ learning experience. Intercultural Exchange in the Local Community
Poverty and the Homeless in Paris
with Grade 7 Students
with Grade 9 Students
In 2006, I began leading groups of Grade 7 students
In my Grade 9 French class, I organized a learning unit
to an old persons’ home in Paris. In the past, residents
about the problem of poverty and the homeless in Paris.
of the home have come to ISP to play scrabble with the
My goal was to show my students that Paris is not
students and to teach them French. This year, a group
only the ”City of Lights” but also a city of poverty, with
of students went to the home to teach them about their
one of the highest percentages of homeless people in
national traditions.
Europe. Students studied the problem of poverty in
The students presented, in French, the traditional dress, customs and food of their home country to the
their home country and then compared it to the situation in France.
residents who, in turn, made a presentation about the
At the end of the unit, with the help of the Red Cross,
different regional food and customs in France. The
we organized a day trip to visit Marcos, an elderly man
activity has helped the students both to develop confi-
who has been living under a bridge in Paris for the last
dence in their French language abilities and to develop
22 years. Not just seeing, but actually meeting a home-
ties to the local community.
less person made a big impression on my students and
“With the other Indian students, we made a poster in
made them aware of this global issue.
French class, prepared an Indian dessert at home with
“Our French project was about raising awareness of
our parents and then presented our traditional cos-
poverty around the world, and in particular, in Paris,
tumes…. The retired people then explained to
the city we live in. We first investigated poverty in dif-
us how French traditional food differs from
ferent countries and presented our findings. Next, we
region to region…. I think that this activity
visited Marcos, a Parisian homeless man. While visit-
was fun and informative; it was a pleasure
ing Marcos and seeing the house he had built for him-
meeting them.” —Evangel, Grade 7 from India
self under a bridge, I couldn’t help but notice all the effort he had put into it…. Despite the unfortunate events that had happened to him which caused him to become homeless, he had not given up hope and had created a home, even with pets to accompany him. His dedication and passion towards life was inspiring and it gave me a lot of courage and belief in myself. I hope this project continues on in future generations, for it is crucial to understanding reality and the necessity to help the less fortunate.” —Dyne, Grade 9 from the United States and Korea
A student presents her home country’s cultural traditions to elderly members of the local community. 6
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
Secondary School Student Council Ayushi Gupta, Grade 11
Community & Service in the IB
The service component in CAS (Creativity, Action &
In the Secondary School, the MYP and IB DP Programmes encourage students to think about life beyond the classroom and to get involved in their surrounding community.
Service) encourages all ISP students to be aware of the needs of others and to address these needs. In the Secondary
Community & Service (C&S) in the MYP
School, the Student Council
C&S is an integral part of the MYP (Grades 6 – 10), and students must
fulfills this mission by address-
complete two community activities and one service activity in each grade
ing the needs of the student
to graduate.
community.
These tasks can be part of the extra-curricular activities offered by
Recently, the Council
the School or can be student-initiated—such as raising money for the
authored a constitution which
Humanitarian Project or other charities; helping out in the local commu-
recognizes its authority and
nity (volunteering at the soup kitchen, for example); teaching other stu-
mission. The purpose of such a
dents and teachers skills or languages; or serving as language assistants
Constitution was dual in nature:
in the classroom.
not only to demonstrate to
For each of these activities, students are asked to fill in a reflection
students that their Council is
sheet, in which they give details of their achievements and reflect upon
a legitimate body capable of
what they and their community have gained. Students in Grades 9 and 10
voicing and addressing their
are also interviewed.
concerns, but also to provide a framework and structure to the
Creativity, Action & Service (CAS) in the IB Diploma
Council’s activities.
CAS, a core requirement of the IB Diploma, expands upon the C&S of
As a Student Council repre-
the MYP and aims to enhance students’ personal and interpersonal devel-
sentative, I am honored that
opment through experiential learning.
I was chosen to represent my
All three elements can be incorporated into one task or can be spread
grade’s interests and concerns.
out across a variety of activities, but cumulatively, students are required
As a CAS student, I am pleased
to spend the equivalent of a half-day per school week (3–4 hours per
that I also had the opportunity
week) on their CAS efforts, with a reasonable balance between all three
to acquire many skills such as
elements. Students set up blogs to record their reflections and must show
collaboration, teamwork, plan-
documentation of activities undertaken.
ning and organizing events,
Creativity encompasses a range of arts and creative activities and can
commitment and dedication. I
include the creativity of students who are developing and carrying out a
have also learned how to cope
service project.
with new challenges. These
Action can mean physical exertion but is not limited to sport. It can be
skills are the essentials of CAS,
considered when carrying out a service project or can involve the arts, as
and I am glad I was able to
in ballet or other types of dance.
acquire so many while doing
Service encourages students to go beyond the limits of self-interest and
just one activity.
personal gain to spend time helping others. This can involve giving service
In the end, the ISP Secondary
to the School or to local, national and global communities.
School Student Council remains
These activities outside the classroom provide an important equi-
a representative body made by
librium for students dealing with the academic rigors of the rest of the
the students, for the students.
Diploma Programme. Because of the self-tailored nature of the program,
For more information:
students frequently get heavily invested in their CAS efforts, which can be
council@isparis.edu
life-changing journeys of self-discovery.
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
7
Students Teaching Students: Sharing a Norwegian Tradition
CAS and C & S are designed, not only to encourage students to give back to the outside community (both national and global), but also to give back to members of their local community, including other students, teachers and parents at ISP. For this reason, students sometimes form clubs to teach other students certain skills, such as knitting, guitar, ultimate Frisbee, a traditional Japanese fisherman’s dance or yoga, and offer weekly lunchtime language classes to teachers or serve as language assistants in the classroom. Louisa, a Grade 12 student from Norway, talked to us about the lunchtime knitting club she formed for her CAS hours. At the beginning, a group of 10 students came for these informal, hour-long knitting classes, providing them a chance to socialize and take a break from homework while at the same time learning a new skill which had been passed on to Louisa from her grandmother in Norway. Why did you start a knitting club? I started the knitting club because knitting is something I really like to do. It is a really old and useful Norwegian tradition, and I wanted others to get the chance to learn something useful that is fun and relaxing as well. Knitting for half an hour is a perfect break from homework and spreads a lot of joy when people give their products away as Christmas and birthday presents. When did you begin knitting? How did you learn to knit? I have been knitting since I was six years old; it was my Norwegian grandmother who originally taught me. Also, in Norway, both girls and boys learn how to knit at primary school, and it is a nice activity to do among friends. When my grandmother eventually stopped providing the family with socks and gloves, I took over as the family knitter and made sure the family stayed warm through the Norwegian winter. Also, I prefer giving away products that I have made myself, and most people appreciate a scarf or a hat as a present. What is a typical knitting session like? During the knitting sessions, everybody works on individual projects. In the first sessions, most of them had to learn how to knit, and since some students progressed faster than others, I believed individual projects would be the best way for each student to challenge herself. Most started
Moe, Grade 12 student from Japan, works on her knitting project, a mini black coat with fur (above).
by knitting scarves and then continued with hats and similar items. What has this experience meant to you? Will you continue in the future? I learned how to supervise a bigger group of students and how to find methods to teach each of them according to their abilities. Furthermore, I had a lot of fun, and I might start up a knitting club among friends at university too.
8
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
Grade 9 clay models of the homeless for their street art project.
Helping the Homeless: Up Close and Personal A world away from the broad, tree-lined avenues surrounding ISP, the Salvation-Army-run soup
“We don’t know how hard it is to survive each day when homeless. Don’t ignore these people when you see them; they are human beings
kitchen takes place in one of the
who have fallen upon hard times. What they need is human contact;
quartier populaire in northeast
it is more precious to them than any money you might give them.”
Paris. Every night, 365 days a year, come rain or shine, a group of volunteers arrive to distribute food
in our local community who are in
explained. “I wanted to do some-
and drink to Paris’ homeless and
great need… I am a firm believer in
thing in my home country, some-
destitute.
helping the local community; there
thing that would make a difference
is so much hardship here.” As for
to people I can see and help more
Chedburn, art teacher at ISP since
For the past four years, James
the students’ reaction? “It can be a
directly…. Once you start speaking
2004, has successfully organized
harrowing and difficult experience,
to homeless people on the street
weekly trips to this soup kitchen
but so far our students have coped
or in the metro, you understand
with small groups of Grade 10 and
very well with the situation and
that there are real stories behind
11 students, teachers and staff
found it very rewarding.”
each person, and that there are
over the course of the winter term.
reasons for their homelessness.”
The project has been so successful
Students’ Perspective: Going
that there are always more volun-
Above and Beyond
teers than there is space available. James chose to organize visits
Two IB Diploma students,
Victoria, Camille’s classmate in Grade 11, spent a good part of last year organizing a collection
Camille and Victoria, are extraordi-
of clothes and other useful items
to the soup kitchen, which can be
nary young women. When speaking
from her fellow classmates. Each
used to fulfill a student’s C&S/CAS
about their work with the home-
week, she would take what she
requirements, to “get students to
less in Paris, it becomes clear that
had collected and distribute it to
work firsthand on a problem and
caring for disadvantaged people in
homeless people around Paris.
get involved in something real.”
their own country is not a pastime;
“To beg for money is such a hit
It was also for a more practical
it is a passion.
to the dignity of these people…
reason: the Salvation Army soup
Camille has given many hours to
it’s easier to provide clothes,
kitchen is one of the only organiza-
helping the homeless by recruit-
toothbrushes and blankets
tions that accepts volunteers under
ing other students to attend these
without them having to ask,” she
the age of 18.
weekly trips to the soup kitchen.
explained. “Once I started organiz-
“Once you start working with the
ing these drives, I couldn’t stop.
ect since it puts our students into
homeless, you begin to notice
There is an adrenaline rush that
direct contact with those people
them more and more,” Camille
comes from helping others.”
“The soup kitchen is a good proj-
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
9
Amnesty International: ISP Students Lobby against Sexual Violence in Nicaragua Jonathan James, Leader of ISP’s Amnesty International Club Are human rights universal or do they only matter
violence against Nicaraguan girls. The students were
to Western liberals? How should human rights be guar-
shocked to learn that in a country where 14,000 cases
anteed and whose job is it to guarantee them? What
of sexual abuse were reported between 1998 and
role can a group of nine ISP students play in promoting
2008 and where two thirds of the victims are the same
human rights across the world? And, most importantly,
age or younger than our students, victims receive little
what are human rights anyway? As revolution ferments
to no support following their attacks. Far from receiv-
in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya, and governments are mak-
ing the retribution they deserve, many find themselves
ing difficult decisions about their own involvement,
blamed. Those unfortunate enough to become preg-
these kinds of questions are more important than ever.
nant afterwards face imprisonment if they decide not to continue with the pregnancy. The students have drafted a letter to the Nicaraguan
Amnesty International’s campaign to stop sexual
ambassador to France expressing their concerns, and they have joined Amnesty International in calling on
Survivors of sexual
the government to launch a wide-ranging program of
violence with their
education, support and justice for girls and women in
caretakers and
Nicaragua. To raise awareness among their peers, they
support staff at a
planned to visit Grades 8 to 12 assemblies to educate
women’s center in
them about this issue and to encourage their class-
Granada, Nicaragua.
mates to show support for the campaign by putting their signatures on the letter.
“We would sit and talk about problems going on in the world and how we, as an international community can do something about it. I now realize how often human rights are being ignored in the world…I also feel empathy for the people who have had their rights abused…and it makes me feel better to at least try and do something about this.” — Elke, Grade 12
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 3 million Members of
supporters, members and activ-
ISP’s Amnesty
ists in over 150 countries and
International club at
territories who campaign to end
one of their weekly
grave abuses of human rights.
lunchtime meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.amnesty.org
10
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
© Amnesty International (photo: Grace Gonzalez)
This year, the members of ISP’s Amnesty International club have unanimously agreed to support
Humanitarian Team Makes Final Trip to Omuhaturua Primary School in Namibia Elizabeth Rozeboom, External Affairs For the past four years, groups
year that ISP will work in this
to global service is deepened by
of about 20 ISP students have
school. In previous years, students
the people they meet and the
travelled with teachers from Paris
have retiled floors, painted walls
culture they discover in Namibia.
to the Omuhaturua Primary School
and provided beds. Last year, the
Participating students can count
in the rural Namibian village of
team painted four classrooms and
it towards CAS or C&S credit.
Otjimanangombe to work, learn
provided trunks, blankets, pillows
and serve in a global environment.
and sheets for the children. The
that students will work at the
The idea originated in Ms. Pierre’s
aim of the final year is to finish
Omuhaturua Primary School, the
geography class. Her students sug-
renovating the classrooms and to
Humanitarian Project will con-
gested that rather than read about
repair and refurbish the library.
tinue. ISP is already looking for the
developing countries in a book, ISP
This trip is a life-changing
While this is the last year
school’s next global learning and
students should travel to one to
experience for the students,
service opportunity and the chance
learn first-hand about life there.
whose international perspective is
to broaden students’ horizons in a
broadened and whose commitment
new and exciting environment.
2011 marks the fifth and final
In Support of Japan ISP is a caring community, and at no time is this dedication and commitment to helping others more
of the tsunami via the Japanese embassy. In the Primary School, some
evident than in an emergency.
grades observed a moment’s
When the earthquake and tsunami
silence in the classroom follow-
hit Japan in early March, the entire
ing the disaster, and teachers took
organized a used books and items
According to ancient
community came together to work
the opportunity to discuss with
sale during the Secondary School
Japanese legend,
on projects to raise awareness and
young students ways they could
three-way conferences.
whoever folds 1,000
funds for disaster relief.
take action. As a result, some of the
The Japanese students in the
The mobilization of the com-
children proposed writing letters
munity after the disaster in Japan
Secondary School organized and
to victims and discussed creative
is but one of many examples of
hosted “Japan Day”, an entire day
ways to raise money. They also
the ways in which ISP has come
devoted to raising money for disas-
asked that the proceeds of a recent
together to help others in need.
ter relief, that included the sale of
used items sale be sent to Japan.
Whether it is in response to an
The PTA joined the effort by
immediate crisis or addressing
traditional Japanese snacks, games and yoyos, a charity concert and
hosting popcorn sales in the
long-term humanitarian chal-
Japanese-themed activities such
Primary School and weekly
lenges, the students, staff and par-
as calligraphy, origami, nail art and
Thursday bake sales in the
ents of this community will always
Misanga. Over 8,000 Euros were
Secondary School, each sponsored
be committed to serving those in
collected and sent to help victims
by a different grade. They also
need around the globe.
origami cranes will be granted a wish.
Volume 19 – Spring 2011
11
Equipped to Serve: An ISP Alumnus Speaks Out Paul Giacomini, Class of ‘94
After graduating from ISP in 1994, I resolved to use
justice, wealthy individuals and corporations are
Paul visits with the
my multilingual, multicultural education to help make
spending billions of dollars on social programs, and
Mahle community
the world a better place. Since then, I have lived in
international development initiatives have announced
in Bangladesh.
eight different countries on three different continents
that we have the tools to eradicate absolute poverty in
to try to improve life for the underprivileged. My time
this generation.
at ISP helped prepare me for the unique experiences I have had living and working in different cultures.
The foundations for meaningful change have been laid at many different levels and in many different
Since leaving ISP, I have sat in classrooms and offices
ways. Now, an open question is what part each of us
to study, do research, help corporations expand and
will play, within our own countries and communities,
governments govern. More recently, I have spent time
to ensure a just and equitable future for everyone
documenting unwritten languages, building schools
everywhere.
and helping minority communities organize their way
ISP is a special place. Every day its students and staff
out of poverty with an NGO called LEAD (Language,
see a microcosm of what a harmonious multicultural,
Education and Development).
multilingual world might one day be like. That privilege
There have been huge improvements in terms of
comes with special responsibilities. The question stu-
development since I entered the field. Governments
dents and alumni must ask themselves is: how will we
are coordinating their work for development and
use our backgrounds and experiences in order to serve?
For more information: www.leadimpact.org
ISP - Secondary School - 6, rue Beethoven, 75016 Paris - Tel: 01 42 24 09 54 - Fax: 01 45 27 15 93 ISP - Primary School - 96 bis, rue du Ranelagh, 75016 Paris - Tel: 01 42 24 43 40 - Fax: 01 42 24 69 14 www.isparis.edu - reception@isparis.edu - admissions@isparis.edu
12
the tribune — The Journal of the International School of Paris — www.isparis.edu
Head of School: Audrey Peverelli Editors: Carrie Levenson-Wahl, Elizabeth Farabee, Elizabeth Rozeboom Design: A. Tunick (www.atunick.com) Printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Paper