To our valued parents and ISBe community members,
In our secondary school, an enthusiastic wave of student leadership has emerged alongside academic pursuits among middle and senior schools. Students actively sought roles as house captains and vice captains, student council representatives, and presidential candidates, demonstrating their commitment to leadership. The election processes were marked by creativity and passion, with candidates showcasing their visions and dedication to school improvement. This surge in student leadership has brought enlightenment, fostering a sense of responsibility and community involvement among the student body. The school is poised for positive growth under the guidance of these emerging leaders.
House Captains and Vice Captains
At the start of a new academic year, excitement is always evident when students put themselves forward for leadership positions. This year was no different, and on the 12 September, House rooms were buzzing with House elections where many students from the different classes across Middle and Senior School set about delivering speeches advocating why they should be considered for the elite position of House leader. Voting by students produced top students from each House eligible for the next stage of the election – the interview. Following interviews with this year´s enthusiastic House Committee consisting of Mrs Smilkstein, Ms Kristein, Ms Georgiana and Ms Janine, the difficult decision was made. We want to congratulate this year´s chosen House leaders:
Unicorn Captain – Aahil Shaik
Unicorn Vice-Captain – Michael Debu
Dragon Captain – Hari Malarkodi
Dragon Vice-Captain – Aditi Deshpande
Phoenix Captain – Shrey Van
Phoenix Vice-Captain – Nivaan Joshi
We look forward to you leading your School House with passion and pride! Read more here.
Student Council Members
The ISBe student council has been reformed! With nearly 50 students putting themselves forward to take up a leadership role within their class, this was our biggest round of interviews yet! The students who were elected will represent their peers throughout this academic year. All student council members will be involved in improving our school, creating events, organising the parties and school dances, and making sure that all students’ voices are heard!
Here are the elected student council members for the year:
Class 5: Avaan Soni, Satvik Sharma
Class 6: Nabhya Arugonda, Anish Peram
Class 7: Suhaani Sharma, Lien Al-Husseini, Mila Boceska
Class 8: Nathan Debu, Shashwati Madho, Aadya Shukla, Jasmine Johnson, Yan Lopez
Class 9: Aarushi Sharma, Bhavya Sheth, Rashi Shah
Class 10: Amogh Gothal, Aditi Karyotakalam, Shivaai Mitra, Kadi Al-Husseini
Class 11: Meghna Vijay, Rahul Nagisetty, Ahana Javeri, Mahi Khambete
Class 12: Jordan Classen, Joshua Classen, Isabelle Noye, Joshua Smilkstein
President and Vice President Campaign
ISBe are very proud to announce Jordan Classen and Meghna Vijay as president and vice president respectively! During September, a campaign took place with presidential speeches, election posters, debates and lots of promises!
The roles of Jordan and Meghna have been bestowed by the democratic voices of each of our senior school students. Each student was encouraged to vote during our polling day arranged by younger members of the student council. The title of president and vice president isn’t just to show off, however; there is a lot to expect from Jordan and Meghna this year and it seems as though they have truly earned their position. Both of whom are diligent, mature, and confident leaders.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and came for an interview. Your enthusiasm and dedication to leadership are truly commendable. Congratulations to the ones who were elected; your roles carry the promise of a brighter future for our school community.
Duke of Edinburgh
On another note and before summer’s end, teams of ISBe senior students embarked on a journey to the Kasterlee region as part of the Duke of Edinburgh International Awards Programme – a 30 km hiking expedition spread over two days. The highlight of their trip, naturally for these urban-dwellers, was the interactions they had with the wildlife of Antwerp region, those of the equine and bovine variety that is.
The teams each had a unique purpose that must be met before they qualify for this section of the awards. Thus, beyond the neighs and moos of the domesticated few, above the din of teenage chatters, one team found plenty of inspiration, and just enough peace, to pen a few haikus. Here is an excerpt – so, read on, you poetic lot.
Never-ending trail,
Yet no fear through these thick woods,
Got friends, left and right
Iron and asphalt,
Is for civilisation,
All we need is green
We saw old men bike,
Then we started playing catch,
And we ate nice food.
Sat down for an hour,
Ate a lot of food with friends,
Massaged our own feet.
We saw many cows,
Large domesticated ones,
And maybe one horse.
We were almost there,
Everyone’s legs were hurting,
We were so happy.
Cross Country
Our Class 6 students gave it their all in this year’s Cross Country competition. After three weeks of dedicated preparation, they represented ISBe admirably. Our Class 6 athletes excelled, and all 100+ students from our school completed their races. You can read more about this event here.
MUN Update
On another note, just wanted to share that our ISBe students are currently making a significant impact in the realm of governance. C11 students collaborated closely with university students in Brussels for a mini-MUN event simulating the European Council. The university students were highly impressed by our students, and our students made outstanding contributions. Hari even received an award as the top high school delegate!
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to welcoming the students back on Monday.
Warm regards,
Tala Issa
Head of Secondary
secondaryhead@isbedu.be
+32 (0)3 271 09 43
www.isbedu.be