ROAR Spring 2013 - St. John's International School

ROARSpring2013The Greene Gallery InaugurationEconomics Team wins ECB AwardISST Winter Sports

Another year hasrapidly come andnearly gone, but weare fully enjoying thespring weather inWaterloo now that ithas arrived.Greetings and welcome to our extendedSt. John’s family around the world. Theend-of-year rituals have begun with ourseniors off on study leave and preparationsfor graduation well underway. The 5thgraders are preparing their PYP Exhibitionsto be shared soon, and many of ourclasses are preparing for their class tripsaround Europe. We are excited to seeannouncements about former students’weddings and alumni reunions filling thesocial networks, and we are delighted tobe hosting more new families interested inattending St. John’s than we have in years.The past, present and future of St. John’sseems to be converging at this time of year,and we are proud to connect you all withthis edition of Roar.Please enjoy the magazine, stay connected,and stay well in the coming summermonths. And remember, if you are inEurope, please stop by St. John’s for a visit!Sincere best wishes for a wonderful spring.Tom Hawkins, Head of SchoolJoin the almost 2,500St. John’s alumni already onwww.facebook.com/stjohnsSt. John’s videos available onwww.youtube.com/mystjohnsALUMNIPlease make sure wehave your correct mailingand e-mail addresses.Go to the alumni webpage atwww.stjohns.be/alumniand fill in the contact updateform or send your contactinformation to Marcia De Wolfat mdewolf@stjohns.beROAR appears three times a year.To submit articles, please e-mail theunformatted text in a Microsoft Worddocument to the editor.Editor:Marcia De Wolf - mdewolf@stjohns.beLayout & design:Spargo Communications - www.spargo.euSt. John’s International SchoolDrève Richelle 146, 1410 Waterloo, BelgiumTel. +32 (0) 2 352 06 10©2013 a.s.b.l. St. John’s International School F.C.J.

ROAR Spring 2013Greene Gallery Inauguration...................................................................1What is PSPE?........................................................................................3International Minded. Are We?..............................................................3St. John’s Economics Team ECB’s “Euro Student’s Award”.................4The New Core Committees...................................................................5Colorful Pop Expressions by 6th Grade..................................................6Community Art Show.............................................................................7African Safari 3D.....................................................................................9Wonderful News for Sam!................................................................... 11Alumnus Wins Wheaton Composition Contest.................................... 12Korean Illustrator Inspires Students on Visit to St. John’s ................... 12Factors Affecting Learning Another Language..................................... 13Andrew & the “Mothers at Risk”......................................................... 13Elementary Students Become Chefs for a Day.................................... 14Spring Concert..................................................................................... 15ISST Winter 2013 Reports.................................................................... 17The Tom O’Donnell Tournament..........................................................19What Else has Been Happening?.........................................................20We invite you to check out our blogat blog.stjohns.bekids!Don’t forget to checkout my Web site:www.stjohns.be/luckyRelay for Lifefor the International CommunityJune 15-16 at St. John’sJoin a team, volunteer orcome and support!www.relayforlife.be

Greene Gallery Inaugurationby Marjan Block, Deputy Head of Schooland at last arrived in Belgiumwhere she taught Art Historyat the University of Marylandin Brussels. In 1973 St. John’sinvited Rita to set up the Artdepartment. Rita worked at St.John’s International School till herretirement in 1991.1On Friday April 26, the GreeneGallery was inaugurated. Pleasefind the speech below:Good evening ladies andgentlemen, parents, students,faculty, member of theadministration, friends, andvisitors. Welcome to the officialinauguration of the Rita GreeneGallery. We extend a specialwelcome tonight to Mr JohnGreene, husband of Rita, Mr IanGreene, her son, and Ms SavanaGreene, her granddaughter. Weare honoured by your presencethis evening.Many years ago when I firstarrived at St. John’s, I was takenon a little tour of the campus andthe very first place introduced tome was the Art studio, at thattime downstairs on A-level wherethe MS/HS Library is presentlylocated. Amidst a most interestingenvironment of paintings,sculptures, bright colours anda buzz of activity of studentsdiscussing and working onprojects, I met the Rita Greene.I will never forget what my tourguide said proudly: This is RitaGreene, one of our best teachers.She brought Art to our school!Rita was born in New York in1933, her parents being from TheNetherlands. The family returnedto The Netherlands when Ritawas just a toddler and she livedthere for some time. Beforethe war the family returned toNew York and Rita began herimpressive academic career:- A Catholic Elementary School- A prestigious High Schoolwhich included times workingand studying at The BrooklynMuseum- Hofstra University where shefinished her BA in Fine Arts, cumlaude.- Rita completed her MA inEducation at New York University.- She was selected by theFulbright Commission to studythe history of Fine Arts in Utrecht,in The Netherlands again, whichgave her the opportunity to doresearch in France and Italy aswell.Rita then began her teachingcareer travelling and working invarious places: the US, Mexico,Japan, Germany, France,I will come back to her amazingcareer here at St. John’s but weneed to mention that despiteher many family, social, andschool responsibilities, Rita wasa professional artist in her ownright. Rita won prizes with herpaintings in the US, Italy, andFrance. In September 2010 oneof Rita’s paintings was presentedto our school, entitled “JapaneseSpring” and can be visited in theAdmissions Foyer in the PACbuilding. This wonderful pieceof art, which was selected to beshown at the museum of ModernArt in Paris, reminds us every dayof the quality of vocation that Ritademonstrated throughout her life.Let me seek to address theunforgettable career of RitaGreene here at St. John’s. Alreadyimpressed by what I knew ofRita, I nevertheless read letters,talked to colleagues, and to JohnGreene, to gain further insight. Itis amazing to hear consistentlyhow Rita inspired others. Many ofher students went on to becomeartists, fashion designers,architects, or found professionsrelated to film making. Our ownMiddle School and Art buildingshave been designed by Rita’sstudents. Rita stayed in contactwith her students long aftergraduation and they in turn wroteletters to her. Clearly many alumnisaw her as a reference point fortheir own progress. There is,for example, the children’s bookillustrated by alumna VanessaCabban, a book dedicated to Rita

Rita “always extended their warmhearts, hospitality and most of all[their] friendship…”“with much affection” and 10years after graduating Vanessawrites to Rita: “Thank you forbeing such a wonderful teacher –never to be forgotten!”Rita inspired her students,pushing them to greaterheights with thought provokingquestions and critical dialogue.She organized IB exhibitions inWaterloo and brought artists toour campus. And for Rita nothingseemed too bizarre. Someonerecalled a story of how a studentwanted to paint a jar of dead ratsbut nonetheless Rita offeredencouragement and challenge,and a stunning painting resulted.Rita honoured student workby displaying it throughout theschool, a practice still honouredtoday. She organized art eventsat St. John’s and in the widercommunity.The vernissages broughtstudents, parents, neighbours,and distinguished visitorstogether to celebrate the artsand especially student work.Rita organized art trips locallyand abroad. She took studentsannually to Paris and Florence andarranged trips to the cathedralof Chartres. She introducedIB Art and AP Art History toour curriculum. At graduationstudent art was exhibited andcelebrated. She worked closelywith the Drama departmentcreating outstanding setswith her students. All theseprofessional accomplishmentswere accompanied by warmth ofspirit. As a colleague wrote: “Ourenthusiasm with Rita was closeknit, full of eagerness and warmthtowards our students and the St.John’s Community…” Someoneelse says of Rita “…those in hercourses found an everlasting soulwithin that supports them for therest of their lives. Many of herstudents are fulfilled, creative, andcomplete because they passedthrough Rita’s life…”When Rita retired the studentsdedicated the yearbook to her.In reality, however, retirementdid not mean an end to Rita’sinvolvement with the St. John’sfamily and the Art department.Her deep sense of vocationextended far beyond the idea ofa paid career. Ever concernedand eager to serve, she remainedinvolved, inspiring new membersof the department and being amentor to those who followedher. Words that frequently comeup when colleagues or friendsspeak of her: great passion for theFine Arts, friendship, hospitalityand good food (I believe Johnhad a lot to do with the latterone as well), gracious, intelligent;and writes a former colleague:she “never really retired and wasalways part of the visual artsat St. John’s”. Rita shared herwealth of knowledge, themes,books, techniques, and materials.She would offer strategies andgenerous encouragement to thesuccessive members of our Artdepartment. The Greene’s home,right next door to our school,became an extension of St. John’son many occasions. John andRita passed away in 2009 – far tooearly and a shock to us all. TheRita Greene Memorial Scholarshipwas instituted at that time by herfamily. The Rita Greene Memorialscholarship awards a student whoexcels in and plans to pursue adegree in the visual or performingArts.We cannot possibly do justiceto the life and work of RitaGreene in this short exposé. RitaGreene understood the dignityof the teaching vocation, sheachieved true pedagogy whichseeks to form the whole person,she integrated the Arts into ourCurriculum. She understood thecrucial role of the Arts in thedevelopment of our humanity.Rita embodied the St. John’sspirit and ethos, and in manyways she is still here with us. Inthis noble institution we standon the shoulders of giants. It isonly befitting that we name ourArt Gallery, which plays such avital role in our curriculum, theRita Greene Gallery in honour ofthis fine founder of the Arts at St.John’s. The Rita Greene Gallerywill serve as a constant inspirationto our community and stands as atestimony to her legacy.A grand total of 2350 euros wasraised, 1800 euros for The RahulaTrust from the IB art auction and 550euros for The Rita Greene Awardfrom the auction of Rita's painting.2

WHAT IS PSPE?3by Coaches Linda Erol & Marc VansteenbeeckPSPE stands for personal, socialand physical education.PSPE is concerned with thestudent’s well-being through thepromotion and development ofconcepts, knowledge, attitudesand skills that contribute tothis well-being. Well-being isintrinsically linked to all aspectsof a student’s experience atschool and beyond. It contributesto an understanding of self todeveloping and maintainingrelationships with others and toparticipation in an active, healthylifestyle.A good example of PSPE inaction was recently highlightedby a fifth grade parent in aconversation during the recentOur PSPE ‘ Stars of the Tom O’Donnell TournamentElementary Student LedConferences. The parent thenwent on to send an e-mail toMrs Bambridge expressing herobservations of the behaviourof the 5th grade students duringthe Tom O’Donnell indoor soccerTournament on the 16th March2013.I would like to give some directquotes from her e-mail relating tothe students behaviour during thesoccer tournament.‘I was impressed by the senseof responsibility and behaviourthe young boys and girls showedthroughout that day’‘I had the feeling the wholegroup rose to the challenge, andthat they, without guidance andhelp from the grown-ups, wereorganising themselves in a veryprofessional manner and behavingextremely well. They took careof each other, were cautious offollowing the rules and also madesure to create a good atmosphereat the same time’.‘Hard work creates results,and you should know that youhad a whole corps of goodambassadors for Saint John’spresenting themselves that day’The comments and observationswere a great reflection ofachieving our learning outcomesof our PSPE program inElementary School.Physical education in a PYPschool should be more than juststudent participation in sportsand games. Its purpose shouldbe to develop a combination oftransferable skills and promotingphysical, intellectual, emotionaland social development toencourage present and futurechoices that contribute tolong term healthy living, andto understand the culturalsignificance of physical activitiesfor individuals and communities.International Minded. Are We?by Dawn Rutland, ES librarianI am intrigued by the idea of beinginternationally minded. I work atan international school. I live ina foreign country. I speak threelanguages. I have visited fourcontinents. I have a third-culturekid. But am I internationallyminded and if I am, what impactdoes this have on my teaching atSt. John’s? These are questionsthat I had after reading currenteducational journals, attendingconferences and listening totopical ‘edu-speak’ discussions.Being internationally minded isthe new ‘it’ within internationaleducation. Being a lifelongstudent, I wanted to know more!So began the breakfast LearningCommunity at St. John’s toexplore the idea of internationallymindedness. A committed groupof 12 educators from all threeschools meet approximatelyevery three weeks from 7:30-8:15 to inquire and exploreinternational mindedness. Ourcommunity of learners representdiverse nationalities, personalbackgrounds and teachingexperiences as well as roles at St.John’s.What are we hoping todiscover? How does SJIS defineinternational mindedness?Whether internationalmindedness is alive at St. John’s?If not, how can we get it andif yes, how can we improve it?

The Team: Helen, Jackson, Jack, Kristoffer, Naomi and their teacher Victoire D’AgostinoSt. John’s economics teamWinner of the ECB’s “Euro Student’s Award”by Victoire D’Agostino, High School Economics teacherSt. John’s International School’seconomics team, consisting ofNaomi Crombie, Helene Seegert,Jackson Pilkington, KristofferEngkilde and Jack Kleinjan,took first place in the EuropeanCentral Bank’s “Generation EuroStudent’s Award” on March 20,2013 in Frankfurt at the ECB’sheadquarters.This was the third and final roundof a competition that the studentsentered in September. For thisfinal round, in front of a panelof four senior ECB economists,the students gave a 25 minutepresentation on what theythought should be the ECB’smonetary policy stance at thenext meeting of the GoverningCouncil on April 4th and justifiedit using both economic andmonetary analysis. They thenwithstood a rigorous 25 minutesquestioning from the panel. Mr.Mario Draghi, president of theECB, presented the St. John’steam with their first placecertificates and prizes.4,500 euro-area high schoolstudents participated in thiscompetition this year.As the winner of the euro-areaInternational and Europeanschools pool, the St. John’s teamhas been invited to attend a twodayevent in April in Frankfurt.They will be joined by the nationalfirst place winners of the nationalcompetitions organized by thenational central banks in the 17countries of the euro area.With Mario Draghi, President of the ECB38th floor in the room where the GoverningCouncil of the European Central Bank meets4And whether St. John’s can evencultivate an internationally mindedstudent body when our vision,mission and values statementsare inherently western in theirconcept and design? Heavystuff for a breakfast meeting!Our readings come from varioussources and our discussions andactivities concern these readingsand our personal reflectionson international mindedness.We are at the halfway point inour journey and I am proud ofthe commitment, honesty andintegrity shown by our group. Theconcepts we are grappling withare not easy, but we persevere.Where will this journey end forus? I’m not sure. We would likethe results of our inquiry to beused to guide further learningat St. John’s. We hope it willimprove our relations within thecommunity of St. John’s andassist us in becoming bettereducators and administrators.Perhaps, we are simply openingour mind’s eye to a new door ofhigher understanding of ourselvesas internationally minded people.Not really so simple in the grandscheme of things.

The New Core Committees5Recently, the St. John’s Board ofDirector’s has reconstituted itselfand formed three advisory CoreCommittees to include parents,staff, administration and boardmembers to work cooperatively toaddress the areas of Community,Ethos & Education, and Businessat St. John’s.The Community CoreCommitteeThe Community Core Committeediscusses topics that affector benefit the larger St.John’s community and bringsrecommendations to the ASBLBoard. The Committee does notinterfere with the day-to-dayoperations of the PTP, ASP orBoosters or other communitygroups. The group looks atthe main issues and prioritiesand will be asked to presentrecommendations and requestsdirectly to the ASBL Board.The group has met several timessince its inception in Novemberand has come up with severalfocal points, including:• Strengthen the community –internal and external• Increase awareness of St.John’s in the larger community• Ensure inclusion of allnationalities, specifically the nonnativeEnglish speakersThe Committee will start an“ambassador program”, wherebyone person per nationality/language can relay informationto people in their own language.When an appreciation luncheonwas held in January for allwelcome committee membersfor their efforts in welcomingthe many new families to St.John’s each year, attendees werealso asked for feedback on thisCommunity Core Committee idea.The first Community CoreCommittee event will be anevening event on June 13 witha presentation by guest speakerAlison Cornford-Matheson(CheeseWeb), followed by a socialevening with beer and cheese.Another event planned is a “backto school barbecue” for the entirecommunity on August 31, Green& White day. The Committeewill also play an essential role inplanning the 50th anniversarywhich will be celebrated inSeptember 2014.The Ethos & Education CoreCommitteeThe Ethos & Education CoreCommittee supports the Boardin the area of ethos, education,student care, and studentachievement. The committeeseeks to ensure that oureducational project is embeddedin the school’s mission, vision,and values. Our rootedness inour FCJ heritage inspires oureducational project. We look toour texts such as our guidingstatements, the St. John’sparadigm, and the educationaloutline, to guide us in our questfor finding ever new ways ofexpressing and living our identityand ethos. However, beyondexpressing our objectives inphilosophical textual terms, theEthos and Education Committeeseeks to guard and promote thelived and practical reality of ourethos and educational objectives.The charter of the Board ofDirectors outlines the tasks ofthe Ethos and Education CoreCommittee, for example:• St. John’s International SchoolBoard Policy Manual review• Participation in the audit andadjustment of the Strategic Planand Operational Plan• Emphasis on the integrationof ethos within the educationalframework and structure• Reflection on the historyand values held in St. John’sInternational School• Guidance concerning anydocumentation regarding ethosRecommendations andbest advice comes from avaried membership: parents,administration, the board ofdirectors, and faculty from eachof the three schools. Togetherwe have begun reflecting on theessential identity of our schooland what it would look like inpractice. The way we interactand respond to our vocationsas members of the board ofdirectors, administrators, parents,and teachers, will make all thedifference to our children.What does it mean for a schoolto have a Christian foundation, toseek the formation of the wholeperson, to encourage personalexcellence, to be an internationalschool? These fundamental

questions deserve careful thoughtand real commitment. Sucha project requires a listeningear in order to hear the voiceof the community. It asks fordistinguishing the differentaspects of the educationalcovenant and understanding theimportance of the collaborationbetween home and school. Suchis the challenge and focus forour Ethos and Education CoreCommittee.The Business Core CommitteeThe Business Core Committeewas constituted of 11 members,made up of current Boardmembers, former advisory boardparents, business office staff,Head of School, and teachersfrom across the school. Thisgroup of qualified and interestedpersonnel came togetherstarting in February to constituteitself and learn more about itsrole with the new charter andhow the BCC can add valueto the work of the Board. Inparticular, this committee ischarged with advisory capacityon matters that need to bemonitored during the fiscal year,and matters regarding the longtermvitality and sustainabilityof SJIS. Operational mattersthat need advice or oversightfrom the BCC are: finance,facilities, human resources, andinformation technology. It is goodgovernance practice to ensurefiduciary oversight of financesof the school, and this will be animportant role of the BCC for theBusiness Office. Of course, theBoard will also have an audit andmanagement report from theexternal auditors annually, but therole of the BCC is much morestrategic rather than complianceoriented.Recently, several presentationshave been made about thefinances and IT at the school byVirginie Leveque (AccountingManager) and Jean-Louis Cornez(IT Manager). In addition, theBCC was able to provide adviceand feedback to the Head ofSchool on several proposals forspecial facilities projects, includingaccess control, renovationsof sports locker rooms, andinstallation of roller blinds onwindows at the school. Thesepresentations and discussionslead to better understanding ofthe operations of the school by allinvolved, and provide necessaryadvice and oversight for effectivebusiness operations. In thecoming month, the BCC will beasked to examine the proposedbudget for 2013-2014, andexamine some of the HR policiesand work regulations necessaryfor effective functioning of theschool.6Colorful pop expressions by 6thgradeby Stephanie Wintjes, MS Art teacherGrade 6 art students have workeddiligently to enlarge their selfportraitsusing the grid method,then today demonstrated theircreativity when they colored theirportraits in soft- and/or oil pastels.By creating four different colorfulversions of each student’sportrait, we will be able tocreate an enormous installationreminiscent of the MarilynMonroe series by Andy Warhol.Come and view the final pieceson show at the All-School Artshow on Family Day on Sunday,May 26 in the Art Studios.

7Community Art Show

African Safari 3Dby Ben Stassen, film maker and St. John’s parent9I was born inAubel, a smallvillage nearthe Dutch andGerman borderin Belgium.I spent mychildhood thereuntil I turned18. It was a lotof fun. I come from a very largefamily. I have 48 first cousins andat one point 38 of us lived in thevillage. My father was the coownerof the “Cidrerie Stassen”,the maker of cider and “Kidibul”, asparkling apple juice for kids.After I graduated from highschool, I spent a year in Coloradoas a foreign exchange student.It was a fantastic experience.When I returned to Belgium, I wassupposed to go to the university,but I had no clear idea as to what Iwanted to major in. Most friendsI went to high school with hadgone to the university while I washaving fun in Colorado. But as itturned out, most of them did notmake the grades in the first year.So in a way, I felt I was better offthan them. I had spent a yeardoing my 12th grade over again inthe US, but at least I was bilingual(French/English). So beinguncertain as to what direction totake, I decided to go to KUL (theFlemish University of Louvain)and study political sciences inFlemish. That way, I figured thateven if I did make the grades, or ifI decided I did not like that major,at least I would be trilingual by theage of 20.That decision was to have a majorimpact on my future. As a Frenchspeaking student with only verybasic knowledge of Flemish, I hadan impossible time during the firstyear to complete the essays andpapers I was supposed to writefor the different courses. So Iasked the dean of the school ofpolitical and social sciences, if Icould make video presentationson the assigned topics, ratherthan writing papers. The KULhad a great audiovisual centerwith all the tools required to makeprofessional looking videos. Iwas granted permission to do thatand this is how I got hooked onfilmmaking, as analternative to thewritten language.I was not a greatstudent in highschool. I neverfailed any classbut my gradeswere in the C- toC+ range. Butat the universityI became one ofthe top studentsin the class, I evencompleted myfour-year degree injust 3 years. I wasin a hurry to moveon and go back tothe US to go tofilm school as agraduate student. Iwas very fortunateto be admittedat USC School ofcinema, the bestfilm school in theworld. At that time,it was really hardto get in. Theyaccepted only 30students in thegraduate program,out of more than 1000 applicants.The film school at Universityof Southern California in LosAngeles takes great advantage ofits proximity to Hollywood. In justa few months I met more top filmtalents than I thought I would evermeet in a lifetime (Orson Welles,Sydney Pollack, George Lucas,Paul Newman etc.), film-makerswho came regularly to our classesto discuss their latest work.The Master in Fine Arts was athree-year graduate program.After I left USC, I got a reallyfun first job, directing traveldocumentaries. I spent about1 year in Mexico visiting all themajor resort towns in the country.I also did a couple of shows inFrance and in Italy. After that,I decided it was time to get areal job and I produced my firstfeature film, titled “My Uncle’sLegacy” with a Croatian filmdirector. Things turned out quite

well, as we earned a GoldenGlobe nomination for best foreignfilm.In 1990, almost by accident, I gotinvolved in computer animation.I was really blown away bythe potential of the new digitaltechnology. I saw the computergraphics workstation as a mini-Hollywood studio on a desktop.That’s when I decided to tryand build a digital studio here inBrussels. At first we specializedin short 4 to 5 minute ride filmsfor theme parks. Thanks to ourfirst film (“Devil’s Mine Ride”)which became a huge successworldwide, we quickly becamethe largest supplier of ride filmsto theme parks around the globe.In the mid 1990’s, we embarkedon the production of Imax 3Dfilms. We also had some earlysuccesses with films like “ThrillRide”, “Encounter in The ThirdDimension”, “Alien Adventure”and “Haunted Castle”.In 2004, I wascontacted bythe governmentof South Africato make a 3DImax film tocelebrate the 10thanniversary of theend of apartheid.That’s how I gotto produce anddirect the veryfirst 3D wildlifefilm ever made. Ihad no experiencewith wildlifefilmmaking, but Iwas a leading 3Dexpert, so I gotthe job.Around that timewe started toproduce 4D filmsfor theme parksand musea. A 4Dfilm is typically a10 to 15 minute3D film withphysical effects inthe theater (water,smoke, wind,smell etc...).In 2005, we embarked onthe production of much moreambitious feature film projects.Our first computer animatedfeature was “Fly Me To TheMoon”, the story of 3 flieshitching a ride on the Apollo 11mission to the moon. It was afun project, we even got BuzzAldrin (the second man on themoon) to appear at the end of thefilm. Next we produced SammyI and Sammy II. Currently weare finishing a feature titled “TheHouse of Magic” and we arestarting an new project aboutRobinson Crusoe.Three years ago, when StudioCanal (our production anddistribution partners) saw myImax film “Wild Safari 3D”, theyasked me to develop a featurelength African wildlife project andthat’s how “African Safari 3D”came about. The film will bereleased in the fall.If anyone is interested infilmmaking, my advice is to goto film school. The best filmschools are definitely in the US(USC, UCLA, NYU), but there aresome good schools in Europeas well. Computer animation isalso a very good field with lots ofgreat job opportunities worldwide.Whether you are interested inanimated films or in creatingvisuals and special effects forlive action feature films, thereis a huge demand for talentedcraftsmen. There are a lot ofgood schools both in Europe andin the US to learn the differentspecialties associated with thecreation of digital image.In writing these few notes, I wasasked why I chose St. John’s forour son Sam. Considering mybackground, I think the answeris pretty obvious. Globalizationis having a major impact on ourlives and the opportunity to getan education in a multiculturalinternational school like St. John’sshould be a great asset for hisfuture. So Sam, you better notdisappoint us.10

Wonderful News for Sam!by Debbie Brook, HS Principal1111th grader Sam Rayner-Adamsfound out during our Easterholiday that she has beenaccepted into the National YouthTheatre in the UK. Sam makesschool history with her success.This is a fantastic achievement,which Sam believes has comeabout due to her involvementin Drama and Theatre at St.John’s. She has been a performersince she was in Pre-K whenshe played the lead role inthe school’s production of,‘Baboushcka’ Although shesays she can barely rememberthe experience and probablydid not, at that time, realise thesignificance of gaining a lead role,her love of acting began.Sam has continued to take part invirtually every school productionsince, sometimes taking leadroles and at others playing smallerparts, which she has alwaysmanaged to make her own.Her resume includes; ‘Fame’,‘Into the Woods’, Grease’, ‘AMidsummer Night’s Dream’ and‘All’s Well that Ends Well’ toname but a few. She is a veryvaried and flexible actor winningtwo very diverse roles just thisyear. She played Jack’s Mother in‘Into the Woods’ a rather poignantand sometimes tragic role, whichcalled for demanding voice workand later the role of ‘Columbina’in the IB Theatre showcase.Here she showed her talentfor comedy with immaculatetiming and character in a piecewhich seemed to be inspired by‘Eastenders’ as much as 16thCentury Italian Comedia dell Arte!It was Helena’s confession fromShakespeare’s, ‘All’s Well thatEnds Well’ which she was tochoose for her National YouthTheatre’s solo audition piece.She travelled to the UK duringFebruary break for the two dayaudition joining 4,200 other youngpeople aged 14-21 this yearwho will take up the 500 placesoffered by the NYT.Would-be NYT members arerequired to participate in a groupaudition to begin with where fortyother actors are put through theirpaces in a variety of activitiessuch as improvisation and closecontact work, some of whichinvolved playing the part ofanimals in unusual situations! Avery exacting interview followsduring which hopefuls arequestioned about their ambitionsand backgrounds in theatre. Iasked Sam why she thoughtshe had been so successfuland how she had managed toimpress the adjudicators somuch. She said that she wasconvinced it was because shelent a spare pair of trousers toanother actress who had suffereda ‘wardrobe malfunction’ as aresult of a very demanding pieceof physical work. I think Sam isbeing very modest here as thosewho have seen her performwill undoubtedly agree but whoknows, perhaps the St John’svalue of, ‘Companionship’ reallycan take you a very long way!The National Youth Theatre ofGreat Britain is a world-leadingyouth arts organisation. It wasestablished in 1956 as the firstyouth theatre in the world andover the past 56 years hasnurtured the talent of hundreds ofthousands of young people.NYT alumni include: Dame HelenMirren, Daniel Craig, Colin Firth,Rosamund Pike, Daniel Day-Lewis, Orlando Bloom, CatherineTate, Sir Ben Kingsley, AshleyJensen, Sir Derek Jacobi to namebut a few.

Alumnus wins Wheatoncomposition contestA St. John’s graduate of 2004, Ileft the school equipped with awealth of general tools, as wellas a wealth of diverse goals anddesires, some more practical thanothers.After touring as my parent’sdrummer for a couple years(yes, they have a band), I movedto Virginia (U.S.) and pursuedthe all-too-practical notion ofengineering. In time, I did finallyrealize that, despite being agood deal less practical, I shouldactually study music full-time.In 2010 I enrolled in WheatonCollege’s Conservatory of Musicin Illinois, to study ContemporaryClassical Music Composition.Now, if you’re not sure whatprecisely that entails, that’salright. There’s an outside chanceyou might be better off, but forme, this has been the journeyof a lifetime! I’ll never forget Mr.Ritman’s music class, and fallingin love with Impressionism andMinimalism. Over time, thesefostered in me a fascination withthe type of music that has comeout of academia, “Serious music”or “Art music” as it is called.But just as Cage raised hisquestions about music, so allcomposers must continue toask questions about the value,place and role music has, and canhave in our lives. For my part, myexperiences at Wheaton havenurtured in me the exciting desireto see music as a bridge, a meansof connection. From the sacredto the profane, the complex tothe simple, high culture to low to“no culture,” music can bring ustogether if we allow it to. It canconnect different socio-culturalcircles, and it can connect us toour all-too-estranged and achinghearts.Most recently I was privilegedto win our yearly CompositionContest for my piece “It isa Poverty”, a work for twofemale vocalists, percussionand piano. It calls attention tohow we experience need, andhopefully provides a space for thelistener to better understand theopportunities we have to changeour world for the better.12You can listen to David’s music here:http://www.wheaton.edu/WETN/All-Media/Musical-Performances/130301ConcertoComp1?lightbox=trueKorean illustrator inspiresstudents on visit to St. John’sWe had the honor and pleasure ofhosting Yangsook Choi recently,an illustrator from South Korea.Ms. Choi was welcomed witha reception for the Koreancommunity in the ElementaryLibrary. Ms. Choi worked withfirst graders in the morning and6th graders in the afternoon.Yangsook Choi grew up inKorea and moved to New Yorkto study art. She was selectedas one of the most prominentnew children’s book artists byPublishers Weekly, and haswritten and illustrated manybooks for young readers. Herbooks have been acclaimed as“Best of the Best” by the ChicagoPublic Library, included on theAmerican Library AssociationNotable Book list, selected byPBS Reading Rainbow, and havereceived the International ReadingAssociation’s Children’s BookAward.The students had a wonderfultime with Yangsook Choi!

Factors AffectingLearning AnotherLanguageby Melita Dawson, ES EAL teacher13“I can’t believe you’ve been livingin France for six months and youstill can’t speak French!” Whenmy husband’s cousin said thisto me as a young bride livingin a small Alsatian town, I wasdevastated. Now with yearsunder my belt as a wife, Frenchspeaker and language educator,I have a clearer understanding ofthe challenges facing an additionallanguage learner.First of all, learning a newlanguage takes time! Currentresearch recognizes that it cantake anywhere from two to threeyears to accomplish fluency atan everyday conversational leveland up to 7 years for academicfluency! Secondly, language isacquired in a series of phases:silent/receptive, early production,speech emergence, intermediatefluency and finally advancedfluency and within these phases,you must allow for individualprogress rates. Just as we don’tall learn to speak at the sametime, neither will we all learn tospeak another language at thesame rate.Another important, but oftenoverlooked, factor is the emotionalconnection or affective filter oflearning an additional language.People who are extrovert, selfconfident,able to accept criticismand laugh at their mistakes willbe more successful than thosepeople who experience anxiety,embarrassment or ridicule whenlearning the language. This ‘brickwall’ experience is exaggeratedin adolescent language learnerswhere peer pressure and a needto belong are often greater.The EAL (English as an AdditionalLanguage) and classroomteachers at St. John’s havea wealth of strategies andexperience for helping our newstudents learn English. Workingclosely with the classroomteachers, the EAL teachers are ineffect, personal ‘cheer leaders’or language coaches to help buildconfidence and knowledge inbeginning English learners.Parents also play an importantrole by recognizing the progresstheir children are making and theeffort they are applying. Everyaccomplishment, no matter howsmall, should be celebrated.Positive experiences andacknowledged successes lead toincreased classroom participationand a greater willingness to takerisks when communicating.Despite my negative introduction,I did learn French. How mucheasier it would have been if I hadbeen in a nurturing, encouragingenvironment? Nevertheless,my experience has provided meinsight into what our children faceand the empathy to assist them inreaching their goals.Andrew & the “Mothers at Risk”by Debbie Corcoran, Grade 3 teacherThe Elementary School hostedan assembly in March for the“Mothers at Risk” non-profitorganization to help raiseawareness for women andmothers living in poverty aroundthe world.Andrew Sage, a third grader,heard the presentation and wasinspired to initiate a fund raisingproject in the elementary school.Together with his family heproposed the idea to raise fundsfor two weeks to see how muchmoney he could raise for thisworthy cause. Each class wasgiven a box to collect moneyfrom home. At the end of twoweeks 1,068 Euros was raisedfor this cause. The enthusiasmwas so high that two classeswon the prize: a pajama party andcupcakes!Andrew and his mother presentedthe donations to Mothers at Riskfounder, Diana Perez-Buck, on 12April. Diana had an opportunityto interview Andrew about hisproject. This is an excerpt fromthe interview.

Elementary students becomechefs for a dayby Johanna Bambridge, ES PrincipalNorway is approximately 1080kilometers away from Belgium,but on Wednesday, Norway wasclose to our hearts!Twenty students from St.John’s Elementary School hadthe opportunity to participatein “Project Fiskesprell“ acooperation between theNorwegian Ministry of Health andCare Services, the NorwegianMinistry of Fisheries and CoastalAffairs and the NorwegianSeafood Council. Set in theBelgian landmark of the Atomium,on a beautiful spring afternoon,our 6 to 11 year old studentsdonned their special “Fiskesprell “apron and followed the guidanceof two star Chef Lionel Rigolet,the lead chef of three whogreeted our students.Our younger chefs learned howto cook with shrimp and cod andmore importantly, experiencedthe artistic element to preparingmeals. A visit by both theNorwegian Minister to the EUand the Minister of Fisheriesand Coastal Affairs added to theexcitement – just in time to savorthe delicious results!Journalists and staff from thecooperative agencies interviewedand chatted with our studentsenjoying the delightful andpositive attitude towards eatingseafood! Our multilingualstudents told of their ideas andopinions about cooking, in manylanguages – from Norwegian,German, French, Korean, Swedishand English – making a buzz offun for all to hear.So far, a total of 100,000 pupils inprimary schools have participatedin “Project Fiskesprell”. We werehonored to be included in thisspecial celebration of Norway’snatural resources. It is exactlyhow we love to learn – hands on–and then enjoying the results.We left with full bellies and happymemories! Tusen Takk!14Diana: Why did you decide to dothis project Andrew?Andrew: When you came to talkto us, I was sad for the motherswho were dying. We should helppeople in need. I wanted to savelives.Diana: We have different areasof the organization that you canchoose to put the funds towards.Which area do you wish it shouldcover?Andrew: I don’t know. I just don’twant another mother to die beforethe money can get to her. I wantthe money to change lives.Diana: You are an inspiration tome. It’s amazing that a nine yearold raised so much money. Asadults we organize fund raisersand at best we have raised 600-800 Euros with putting a lot oftime into a dinner event. You wereable to raise over 1000 Euros withyour school.Andrew: We should help otherpeople because it is right andJesus said you are supposed tolove and care for everyone. I amtrying to get money to poor partsof the world so they can survive.I was excited to see the otherstudents participate in savinglives. They are life savers. Theelementary school as a team didan amazing job. I am proud to bea lion!

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ISST Winter 2013 Reports17Swimmingby Helene SeegertAfter a successful season, theSt. John’s swim team finishedoff their season with a blast, asrecords and medals fell at theswimmers feet. On the first dayof ISSTs, Josefine Seegert wasthe swimmer to watch as shejumped in the water for the 100mbreastroke event, an event thatshe dominated and eventuallywon gold with a few hundredthsto spare. She improved herpersonal best by almost fourseconds and beat her first schoolrecord. Soraya Kezelmann wasalso motivated by the gold andwith a determined attitude set outto win her two individual eventswith school recordsto match the gold. Ifthat wasn’t enough,the girls then wenton to finish the dayby leading the JVgirls to a secondplace finish in thefinals and a newschool record!Claudia Barnett alsomade it to finals inthe 100m breastrokeevent and Helene Seegert seta new school record with herfourth-place finish in the 100mbutterfly finals. The boys, facingtough competition, also did welland set many personal records.The JV boys relay team made itto finals, as did varsity swimmersMiguel Cohnen who placed 7thoverall, and Ryan Moore whoplaced 5th overall. Amazing!Day two brought more metalof the finest color, as SorayaKezelman set out to dominate inher last individual events after atight race with competition fromBSB, setting her medal count atthree individual gold medals anda relay silver, conquering a total offive school records. The girls JVteam once again went out strongand were hungry for metal in theirlast relay event. However theywere beaten by tough competitionand had to satisfy themselveswith a fourth place finish in finalsand a new school record. HeleneSeegert also set two new schoolrecords during her two individualevents with corresponding 4thand 6th place finishes in finals.The last day of ISSTs brought abit of manpower onto the sceneas Varsity swimmer, AlexanderHyldmar beat his long-termgoal of going below one minuteand placed 7th in the finals. JVswimmer Kristoffer Seegert alsomanaged to take everyone bysurprise when he made finals andfinished with an overall 6th placedespite his young age.All in all, the ISSTs reflected on asuccessful swim season, both inspirit and in its results.Girls Varsity Basketballby Charlotte ScottThe 2012-2013 Girls VarsityBasketball season was muchanticipated by all of the 4 returningvarsity players and from thefirst day of tryouts, we knewthat we were going to be ableto fill the 10 spots on varsitywith players that we could seeimprovement from, even in thefirst few days. We had one quiteexciting win against ASP beforeChristmas beating them 43-42,which gave us the confidencethat the rest of the season mightturn out the same. Returningfrom the Christmas break, ourwinning streak continued until wefaced ASH, where we sufferedtwo tough losses. Despite thisloss, the next week we provedourselves again by beating ISBby 10 points, and then beatingASL 38-26. Throughout the restof the season, pre-ISSTs, we won

against several teams we thoughtwe might lose to and also lost tosome that we thought we wouldbeat, all eventually preparing usfor what we would face at ISSTs.All of us were extremely excitedand hopeful for our potentialsuccess at ISSTs so when on thefirst day we encountered severalunexpected results, both ourown games and the other teams’in our pool, this excitement,to say the least, was crushedbecause we knew that we werein contention for relegation. CoachCarla did an incredible job beforeour next 3 games in motivating usto get 1st place in the relegationpool, which is why after facingCAC first on the second day, wewere able to pull it together asa team and defeat ZIS and BSN,securing us a spot in Division 1for the next season. Though ourdisappointing results at ISSTs mayappear to define us as a team,we truly deserved to place higherat the tournament based on ourresults throughout the season.An incredible team both on andoff the court, the 2012-2103Basketball season will always beone to remember because of theamazing coaching by Coach Carlaand Coach Romi and all the hardwork and commitment on theteam’s part.Boys Varsity Basketballby Cameron BlackThis ISSTs was a challenging oneto say the least. The boys varsitybasketball team walked into ourfirst day of ISSTs fairly confidentin ourselves, our first game wasagainst TASIS (a team we hadlost to earlier in the year howeverwithout 3 of our starters), whowe knew we could beat. Thisgame did not go as planned, andit was obvious nerves got thebetter of our team as we wereriddled with turnovers and badshooting from beyond the arc.Ultimately we ended up losingthe game progressing to a 0-1record. We had to put this lossbehind us and focus on Israel, ateam we hadn’t played before,but from watching them playwe were confident in our abilityagain. It was more of the same,nerves causing turnovers andbad shooting hindering us fromplaying to our full potential. Thisgame we were determined notto lose however and we foughtforcing an overtime period wherethe game would be decided bya final bucket. We were now ina 0-2 with ideas of relegationfloating above our heads.The team had an even biggertask to overcome now. On daytwo though, it was a differentteam that showed up. We had thechallenge of battling the FrankfurtWarriors, the home team whohad the arena filled up with fansscreaming their lungs out, andwho were also in a 0-2 hole. Theteam as a whole stepped uptremendously, honing in on ourdefensive principles and takingmuch more care of the ball. Andnow the first day nerves weregone and the threes were finallystarting to drop. When the finalbuzzer rang, we had our firstvictory of the tournament and hadthe American School in Londonto deal with next. We knew thisteam was evenly matched withus as earlier in the season theytook us to overtime at home. Weeventually won on a last secondtip in by Jaime Calle. We kept thestrong momentum going from thelast game and followed up thestrong defense, complimented bylimited turnovers and improvedshooting. We ended up winningthat game after a tough foughtgame, fighting down to the finalminutes of the fourth. We hadnow improved our record to 2-2and with a win against ZurichInternational School the next daywe would have secured our placein Division 1 until next season.The next day came around quickerthan expected and the team wasstruggling physically. Howeverthe team kept its momentum anddriven mentality from the previousday and fought through the last32 minutes of the 2013 ISSTtournament and came out witha win securing our Lions to be inDivision I next season.18

The Tom O’Donnell TournamentThe Tom O’Donnell tournamentbrings students, parents, teachersand alumni together for a day ofindoor soccer, in memory of aformer student, while raising wellover 1200 Euro for two cancercharities.The first Tom O’Donnell indoorfootball tournament took place atSt. John’s in 1998 in memory ofTom O’Donnell, a student fromour school who lost his battlewith cancer. While Tom was ill,it was brought to the attention ofhis family and friends that therewere no hospital wards adaptedto teenagers – the wards wereeither for adults or children. Afterhis death, the Tom O’Donnellfootball tournament began to raisemoney in his memory for the‘Teenage Cancer Trust’ in the U.K.(www.teencancer.org) and theBelgian charity ‘Jour Après Jour’which aims to save and improvethe lives of children with cancer.Thank you to everyone whoparticipated, volunteered or wassomehow involved in making thetournament a success! See younext year.19

What else has beenhappening?Staff honors former colleague at St. Patrick’s Day eventTeachers and staff at St. John’s many former teachers and staffhonored their friend and former members who enjoyed catchingcolleague Mary McGowan today up. Guests of honor were Mary’sat a St. Patrick’s Day event. Mary husband Denis and children Lisapassed away in January 2012. and David. As much as we allIrish staff members tended the wish Mary could have been therebar and provided everyone with with us today, we take comfortdelicious Irish coffee.in the thought that she was likelyenjoying the view and smilingBesides current staff, thedown on us today. We miss youevent was also attended by Mary!"In memory of Mary"The Mc Gowan family much appreciated the St Patrick's day invite to shareIrish coffees with all the staff of St. John's in memory of Mary. It was one ofthe many annual events Mary enjoyed in her 28 years in St. John's althoughshe did not like Irish coffee because it contained whiskey. The event was agreat success and she would certainly have had her bottle of "vin blanc" underthe counter. - Denis Mc GowanThe top 10 “I wish I had known before my first expatposting”5. It will be so much better thanyou can imagine. Dive in whenyou get there and fear not.6. That the school you choose canimpact your whole life.Mane EventsMay 20131 Labor Day— No school2-23 IB exams7 PYP exhibition9-12 Ascension break—No school20 Whit Monday - No school22-25 ISSTs baseball, softball, tennisand track & field26 Family DayJune 20138 Graduation15-16 Relay for Life25 Last day of school for students27 Last day of school for teachersSchool Year 2013-14August 201329 First day of school for grades1-1330 First day of school for grades PKand KOctober 201328-Nov 1 Fall breakDecember 201323-Jan 3 Christmas HolidayFebruary 201424-28 Fall breakApril 20147-21 Easter HolidayJune 201425 Last ½ day of school forstudentsSt. John’s conducted a surveyamong expats to uncover whatpeople wish they had knownbefore going on their first expatposting. Here is the top 10:1. These can be the best years ofyour life - for you and your family.Enjoy!2. It is harder to adjust when youcome back than it is when youarrive.3. The people in an expatcommunity are more welcomingthan any other you willexperience!4. Make sure to negotiate thecircumstances and details ofrepatriation with your companybefore you sign and leave for theassignment.7. Organize your paperwork.Have copies of all medical andschool reports.8. Focus on the children, if theyare happy then you will be happy.9. The language differences willbe a barrier at times but it’s nota big deal. Do your best to learnthe basics and you will get by.10. What your children will learnfrom being part of an InternationalSchool is priceless, not only inthe classroom but learning aboutdiversity, differences, caring, andwhat it’s like to be different andtry new things.We hope these tips are usefulfor those planning to become anexpat and those who are about togo on their first posting!

John, Ian and Savana Greene at the inauguration of the Greene Gallery