The 2023-2024 IGS Global Exchange Program is underway with 50 students on language exchange around the world. This long standing program is an important strategic point of difference for our school.
In 2017, Principal Shauna Colnan visited our six European exchange partner schools, sat down with the Principals and together they signed memoranda of understanding, to formalise and strengthen these important intercultural relationships that benefit students and create life long friendships between school communities across the globe.
During the pandemic, Ms Colnan and the Principal of Lycée Aristide Briand in Évreux, Jean Michel Diot, planned a new exchange between IGS and this large school in Normandy. This partnership is now in its second year.
A memorandum of understanding has now also been signed with our partner school in Japan and we seek to reconnect with a partner school in China in the coming year.
We are also looking to reconnect in 2024 and 2025 with The British International School in New York where Ms Colnan established a teacher exchange program in 2017, the Oxford University Summer Program for senior students and the NASA space camp.
Mrs Duma Deputy Principal Wellbeing is currently travelling on exchange with our students as part of our reinvigorated Global Exchange Program. On this Exchange trip, we have 19 senior students representing our school abroad, immersing themselves in the rich cultures of France, Germany, Italy, and Japan. These invaluable experiences foster personal growth, intercultural understanding, and language proficiency.
During the trip, Mrs Duma has visited our sister schools in Spain—Colegio CEU San Pablo Monteprincipe and Colegio Estudio. Her interactions with students and faculty emphasised the cultural and linguistic benefits that these exchanges bring to our students.
In Montpellier, France, Mrs Duma and our students spent time at Lycée Jean Monnet, with students undertaking six weeks of immersion in the French language. Meetings with the school’s Principal, M Noël Cabrera and leadership team, Mme Christelle Comeau Deputy Principal and M. Philip Webber Deputy Principal reaffirmed the enduring positive impacts of our program and opened doors to exciting future possibilities.
We are thrilled to announce a new connection with St Mary’s Ukrainian School in London. This school serves as a sanctuary for 1700 displaced Ukrainian children with Ukrainian heritage, providing them with hope and inspiration as they pursue their dreams amid the challenges of war-torn Ukraine.
Our Global Exchange program not only broadens academic horizons but also nurtures empathy, resilience, and global citizenship. We also had 27 junior students participate in the Spain and Japan trips in October 2023 and, in January 2024, seven senior students will study in Japan.
We are immensely proud of our students and grateful for the enduring connections forged through these international experiences.
As we celebrate the holiday season, let us take pride in the global community we are building together. Wishing everyone a joyful and restful holiday break!