ISA – INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF ATHENS
Over the course of its 36-year history, ISA has constituted a world of education. This is reflected through its comprehensive international curriculum, the pluralistic complexion of its faculty and student body, its ethos of tolerance and respect for cultural diversity, and how it views the role of education in the context of its students’ lives. These are the main elements that have gone into shaping minds without restrictions – culturally, cognitively, academically and socially. Drawing from the best curricula worldwide, ISA’s comprehensive program of studies, with virtually universal application, features both the College Preparatory Program and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Tailored to the needs of its student body, the curriculum’s built-in flexibility is designed to facilitate a seamless transition to and from different educational levels and systems. The breadth and flexibility of ISA’s curriculum is matched by a commensurate cross-cultural sensibility and enhanced by a faculty and student population of over 40 nationalities in any given year. To be a contender in today’s world, one has to be willing to cross borders – both literally and figuratively. The tremendous cultural diversity within the student body and faculty is capital upon which the school draws in order to teach its students both to see past borders and cultural differences and to apply those selfsame differences and viewpoints to everyday problem-solving. Many institutions preach about internationalism; at ISA it is a way of life. Regardless of race, gender or creed, students find common ground in every aspect of their school life experience and learn not only to tolerate diversity, but to embrace it. The Primary School Talent Show and Mother Tongue Day as well as International Day are three annual manifestations of the daily tribute paid to the tremendous cultural diversity within the school. In a letter inviting parents to two end-of-year events in May 2007, ISA Director Constantine Dardoufas wrote: «The effort and cooperation on the part of students, faculty and parents alike in preparing for both of these events has been truly moving. Forty nationalities have found common ground though working together, and this is an accomplishment of which everyone in the school should be proud,» demonstrating the supreme value placed on internationalism. The multicultural environment which students navigate fosters cultural, cognitive, academic and social growth. Part of this enrichment takes place through formal classroom instruction; the rest of an ISA education takes place beyond – from the corridors to the cafeteria, from the playground to the athletic courts: in every human interaction. ISA regards education as a life tool, requiring practical application. Ensuring students’ mastery of essential knowledge coupled with their acquisition of languages and exposure to multiple cultures and viewpoints – all of which enhance understanding and communication skills – is the hands-on, mind-expanding formula ISA uses to create enlightened individuals and independent thinkers who can remove the boundaries that divide people and build bridges to unite them. No student has left ISA untouched by the tolerance, kindness and high moral standards that are the hallmark of the school; no student has passed through ISA without having left their individual and cultural mark, thus enriching the entire community in the process; no student has graduated from the school without having grasped the importance of critical and independent thinking and its application to real-life situations. An education without restrictions develops minds without restrictions. It empowers its students in every aspect of their lives. By encouraging cross-cultural understanding and multidimensional perspective, ISA consciously equips its students for a global future.
