Dear Families,
Two months after the 22-23 school year started, I would like to resume from the most recent considerations that were made at the start of the new school year.
That was a wish that, despite all the ordinary day-to-day concerns, I believe has indeed been realized. I can grasp it in many small aspects that, however, when summed are returning us a multiplying result of our school’s value. A school intended not only as an educational space for our students, but also as a growing community.
One of these episodes, and perhaps the most significant one, is very recent and it occurred during the visit of Marco Landi, former president of Apple, who visited us on Wednesday.
During the several moments of meeting and discussion with our students, I was thrilled to see Giovanni, taking courage and interviewing that gentleman with a truly extraordinary awareness, composure and clarity. For the record, he asked him, “Can AI be dangerous?”
Our adventure began in September 2016, with 187 students. 6 years later we have reached the number of 625, registering a growth rate of 234%. Many of you are well aware of how many things have happened and how many difficulties we had to face, but at the same time also how great a sense of accomplishment we have experienced together. These years led us towards an increase in the number of the Diploma Programme students, starting with 9 students, and now reaching a number of 126 students, recording an increase of 1190%.
As of today, our school has successfully graduated 109 students, who are now attending prestigious universities such as Toronto University Canada, American Academy of Dramatic Arts NY, King’s College London, ESCP Business School London, University of Bristol, University of Groningen, HULT Business School, University of Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, ESADE Business School, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Bocconi, Cattolica, LUISS.
Currently, our H-IS community consists of 384 families who together with us every day contribute in creating a healthy, stimulating and international growing environment for our students, helping them to become richer people in terms of experiences and cultural background every day. I am delighted to see an increase in the cultural diversity of our students: 152 international students, coming from all 6 continents, currently attend our school, with a 20 percent increase in internationality from the 21-22 school year. The school’s faculty and staff have also increased its number of valuable teachers and experienced professionals, reaching a total of 105 H-employees from 29 different countries, with 60% coming from non-EU nations and new “representatives” from Poland, New Zealand, Chile, Mexico, Brazil and Kenya.
Altogether, our faculty, teachers and professionals collect over 1,350 years of teaching experience. This experience is compounded with professional development and continuous improvement efforts that in the past 8 weeks have seen 60 hours invested in training and continuous improvement during inset days in late August and this Friday. During the last 6 weeks, following our cycle of continuous improvement of academic programs we have also been revising and further improving some Academic Curricula, to make the learning experience even more effective and challenging.
As of September to date, we have already hosted 10 universities and organized 16 hours of career counselling to enable families and students to make informed choices for their future. PYP students have successfully completed a Unit of Inquiry exploring places like the Venice Ghetto and its history, admiring the artistic works of the Biennale.
The community of students who reside in Boarding has also grown significantly from last year, recording a total of 104 students who have been entrusted to the care and attention of the team headed by Mr Serafin. Given the growing trend, 65 percent more than in Year 21-22, for the coming school year, we expect to welcome more than 150 students to Boarding.
In addition, as from this October onwards, our boarding school has been officially accredited by the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA). BSA represents a globally recognized institution, promoting boarding schools and offering the largest training program to boarding staff worldwide with seminars and workshops with institutions, such as the Safeguarding and Child Protection Association, the Heath In Education Association, and the British Association of Independent Schools with International Students. Being part of this association is another achievement, adding to the other important ones reconfirmed in the 2021-2022 school year such as the IB authorization and the Apple Distinguished School certification.
I am also very pleased to highlight a donation that came from a family of the school. It is a supply of the highest quality Tuscan olive oil that has gained many international awards in the past two years. We are going to use part of it to flavour the meals in our Canteen, making lunch and dinner time even more special. The remaining will be sold to raise funds to support scholarships for worthy students who wish to study at our school. In the next few weeks we will let you know how this charity sale will work.
Ultimately, our most proud goals are related to our students and their achievements: 109 graduates, 23 social impact projects, 55 projects born in the start-up labs, 112 trips made to discover a world that should have no limits, 15 sports tournaments played, 35 Big-H awarded in 2022 to our students for their extra academic merits… and more than 8220 life-long friendships built on the desks and in the hallways of our school, bonds that will endure a lifetime.
Not only I wanted to share these reflections with you, but I also would like to thank you all for being an active part of this community that together creates a healthy and positive environment where our children can be “better than their previous best.”