Dear Parents and Guardians,
The Governing Board recently held its last board meeting of the 2020/21 school year. We are grateful to the entire school community for your support as we all navigated this challenging and extraordinary year. We would like to share our thoughts as we reflected on some of the highlights of the last year as well as looking towards the next academic year.
Diploma graduating class 2021
On 21st and 22nd May 2021, we graduated 110 final year students from our Arusha and Moshi campuses. We are proud to have both diploma students that completed their entire school career at ISM/UWCEA as well as students that joined us from nearby and far away for the final 2 years of their schooling. Many of our students already know where they are headed for university and, in addition, many have received significant scholarship funding. University offers have been received from 14 universities in Canada, 24 universities in Europe (UK and the Netherlands) and 55 in USA. Scholarship money for university places for our 2021 graduates now stands at over $11 million.
Capital projects
As governing board, we are conscious of the importance to advance the school’s infrastructure. The capital works on Arusha campus are almost complete with just the dining hall to complete. It was designed to be a focal point of the school and the striking building will certainly provoke conversation. In Moshi the new labs and art room being built between Karibu Hall and the classroom blocks are coming along and will be complete for the new year. Less exciting, but vitally important, are the ongoing upgrades to the school’s water and sewage systems. Both campuses have a new 44-seater bus, the beginning of updating the school’s vehicle fleet.
Looking forward, upgrades are planned for both the student and staff residences. In Moshi, including reconfiguring the MYP and PYP residences, upgrading the health centre and extending the student social centre. In Arusha, plans have been drawn up to convert the existing canteen area into classrooms and continuing to look at sports facilities on the campus. Future plans include introducing MYP boarding and increasing DP boarding in Arusha, increasing boarding in Moshi and renovating Karibu Hall.
CIS/MSA/IB Evaluation visit
The school is accredited by the Council of International Schools, www.cois.org/, the Middle States Association, www.msa-cess.org/, and it is authorised by the International Baccalaureate, www.ibo.org/. In the week beginning 13th February 2022, the school will be evaluated by these three organisations. Preparation for this visit already started in this schoolyear.
Student awards outside the classroom
Our students remain very active outside the classroom involving them in many service projects both within and outside Tanzania. Projects that have been recognized outside the school include The Beehive Divide – winner Global Young Aurora Prize, Stepping up for Kiryandongo refugee settlement – winner Go Make A Difference, Coral reef regeneration – second place Association for International Schools in Africa and PPE for Arusha nurses – AISA service leader awards.
Congratulations to both students and teachers!
We wish you all a pleasant ending of the school year,
Tine Hemelings and Anna Marsden
