June 2010 - Copenhagen International School

June 2010
Captured moments from the NECIS
Track Tournament
Inside this issue
please click below to go directly
to each page.
From the Director
Primary School News
Goodbye to Peter Wellby
Faculty Farewells
Development News
Alumni Reunion
A Visit with Andy Mogensen ’95
Greening News
Profile: Charlotte Daman Willems
Charity Club News
Summer School
School Board Tribute
Community News
Athletics
PTA News
Spring Fair 2010
Thanking Volunteers
Pam Winthrop
Development Director
+45 39 46 33 03
[email protected]
A highlight of the 2009-2010
school year: The CIS Green Team
posed with John Liu, founder of
Earth’s Hope, on the opening night
of the CIS Climate Conference in
December 2009.
School’s Director, “Au revoir, CIS!”
Peter Wellby
Director
On the wall calendar in my office,
I have written opposite 30 June
2010 a quotation from Hamlet’s
father’s ghost: ‘Adieu! Adieu!
Remember me.’ It may outlast my
presence in this office a month
and then will be surely spirited
into the dustbin of history.
Wishing Joëlle Dines, our very
French diploma teacher, a good
holiday in my first year at CIS
seven years ago, I ended ‘Adieu’.
She responded : ‘Don’t say that
Peteurre!’ and explained that if
you wished someone adieu you
were commending them to God,
with the implication that you
never expected to see them
again as mortals. So I will wish
you ‘Au revoir !’ Perhaps we shall
meet again in 2012, when the
school will be celebrating its
50th Anniversary, I hope with an
appropriately large and public
flourish.
it in terms of fulfillment. You
nurture what is already growing
and plant what you can, hoping
it has not all fallen on stony
ground. Then, often before it
sprouts and always before it
bears fruit, the world spins and a
new field is before you. Just occasionally you get word of a
wonderful plant that has grown
in the fields over the horizon and
wonder if you had any hand in its
growth.
I have enjoyed my time at CIS
more than at any other school at
which I have worked. As much as
my first experience as a pupil at a
boarding school when I was aged
eight. That was the first school of
which I still feel very firmly an
alumnus, just as I will graduate
with the class of 2010 and become an alumnus of CIS for life
with them too.
It is in terms of relationships and
values that I will remember CIS
and because of these that it is
the engaging and delightful
school it is.
It is a curious life being in education, but surely only being a doctor or priest could compare with
It will feel like a friend for life,
just as you have all seemed over
the last seven years. Thank you.
Endings in the Primary School
Heikki Soini
Primary School Principal
It is somewhat hard to believe
that the school year 2009 - 2010
has come to an end. Simultaneously my start as the new Primary School Principal at the beginning of this school year feels
distant, yet the ten eventful
months seem to have gone by
very quickly. The time has come
to briefly reflect back on this
school year and look ahead towards the school year 20102011.
This year at CIS welcomed a new
Principal, Deputy Principal/PYP
coordinator, new Resource Coordinator, Head of Student Services, a number of Pre K teachers,
AISS assistants and most importantly many new students and
families. As always, new people
bring different perspectives to
our school community. They can
change the group dynamics making the school community both
stronger but also vulnerable.
Some of the personal highlights
and moments of inspiration I experienced, as a newcomer to the
community, were during the PYP
information evenings and round
table discussion sessions where
we had the opportunities to meet
new families and discuss what
good education entails.
I am also very happy and impressed about the student learning I have witnessed. Children
have demonstrated in-depth
conceptual understanding, lifelong learning skills and acquisition of critical knowledge
through their daily learning
situations, portfolios, openhouses, student-led conferences
and excellent results in the ACER
internationally standardized
tests.
Primary School teachers have
demonstrated the highest level
of professionalism towards the
learners and the PYP programme
in such a colorful jungle of expectations and pressure typical
of an international school community. Parents again have
trusted our expertise and supported the school through being
present and available for their
children and with all the amazing
voluntary work led by the PTA. Ra
Chel Moran and Kerry Carswell
are leaving a wonderful legacy to
the new PTA leaders Sharon Mann
Oryan and Natalie Biello.
Director Peter Wellby leaving at
the end of this school year exposes the school community to
yet another change and transition. Peter’s strong people leadership skills seasoned with a
great sense of humor and his
passion for making the arts visible in our school will be greatly
missed. However, I feel confident
about the future and I am really
looking forward to the coming
years under the leadership of
Walter Plotkin. He will be inher-
iting a school with immense potential and talent. I would like to
take the opportunity to thank
Peter Wellby for the tremendous
support he has provided to the
students and staff this year and
wish him all the best for his future and exciting new times on
his return to England.
At the end of this year we are sad
to say goodbye to a number of
highly regarded colleagues who
will be facing new adventures
and exciting turns in their lives.
To read more about them, please
click here.
On the other hand we will be welcoming back classroom teachers
Christy Lee Andersen, Kristi
Walker, and Kimberley Guillet.
Alison Gregersen will be continuing with us as the Visual Arts
teacher after her brief cross-artsvisit to the music department.
We will have new additions such
as Mr. Andy Coddington from the
International School of Berne,
Switzerland (PYP Classroom
teacher); Mrs. Jeff Phillips as the
new Resource Coordinator from
the American Overseas School of
Rome, Italy; and finally Ms. Anna
Kiuttu from the International
School of Luxembourg, covering
the maternity leave position in
music.
I would like to say thank you to
everyone who contributed to this
school year making it both
memorable and very successful;
and wish you all the most wonderful summer break wherever
you happen to spend it.
Peter Wellby participates in the
Trashion Show this spring.
A Tribute to Peter Wellby
friends for those of you off to
new shores.
Simon Watson
Secondary School Principal
As I write my newsletter article
for the final time this academic
year, I am pleased to note that
only a few strands of paper remain in the tree outside my office
window – waving goodbye to the
DP 2 students as they head towards new adventures. The paper
in the tree started a few years
ago, as part of the DP 2 end of
school celebrations at a ‘throwaway’ comment from Peter
Wellby!
The end of the school year brings
mixed feelings; happiness at
finishing school and the thought
of the long summer vacation
ahead and sadness at leaving
The end of this school year marks
an important turning point in
the school’s history, with the
departure of Peter Wellby as
CIS’s sixth Director. Peter joined
the school seven years ago as
Senior School Principal and immediately played a significant
role, together with Claes Göran
Widlund and Elisabeth Stanners.
In his time at CIS Peter has been
a strong supporter of staff, carefully and successfully managed
several new initiatives and will
leave CIS heading into a bright
future. His sense of humour and
the ease with which he interacts
with all members of the school
community has provided fillips to
many.
Whether writing his ‘Friday Fillets’ or his ‘Fillet Mignons’ Peter
has enjoyed the nuances of the
written word and is without
doubt an English, English
teacher.
Peter’s Englishness prevented
him from proclaiming the nu-
merous successes he orchestrated during his tenure, but we
have all benefited from his contributions to CIS over the past
seven years, and will continue to
do so for the coming years. I will
miss Peter’s guidance and support, his mischievous sense of
humour and above all, his
friendship.
Faculty Farewells
Josee Band, MYP Coordinator,
is moving to Palo Alto, California
to become Dean of Teaching and
Learning at Castilleja School, an
independent girls’ school.
Josée’s best memories are the
trust and respect that exists between students and teachers, the
enthusiasm and professionalism
of the teachers and the support
of the parents.
Lizzy Hollands, Playground
Arti Gupta, PYP 3 teacher, will
will take over as Primary School
Principal at Pathways World IB
School, New Delhi. “I am excited
and looking forward to go home,
closer to family and friends and a
new position. I will miss the spirited professional discussions
with colleagues at CIS, the last
two years has been a huge learning experience in this wonderful
community.”
Supervisor and After School Club
Leader, moving back to her University city in the UK where she
will be working and studying to
get her teacher status. Lizzy will
miss the interactions with the
many different cultures and traditions, children, staff and parents!
Pete Butler, MYP Physical
Education, is returning to Newcastle in Australia. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my 3 years as
part of the CIS community. I’ll
especially miss my students who
provide inspiration and enthusiasm each day. My colleagues who
are friendly and supportive will
also be greatly missed. Most of
all though, I’ll miss the Danish
weather (sarcasm).”
Audrey Quinn, EAL and Modi-
Ella Gordon, PYP Visual Arts
teacher, will be back in Israel,
working as an art teacher. Ella
will miss the wonderful people in
CIS – Students, faculty and parents!
fied Language Arts Teacher, will
be moving to another international school in Copenhagen.
Audrey will miss the fantastic
students she had the honour of
teaching. She will also miss the
wonderful colleagues who
helped her feel part of a supportive and collaborative team. Slán
go fóill!
Rochelle Tearse, PYP 4
teacher, will be joining the faculty of Magellan International
School in Austin, Texas. She will
remember her students. Rochelle
will miss “the students I have
met and had the opportunity to
work with - I will take fond
memories of them with me for a
long time to come; and the colleagues I have worked with and
become friends with from around
the world. I am grateful for the
opportunities I have been given
in regards to my professional development as a PYP educator.
Best wishes to all our departing faculty
members as they begin
new adventures!
Jasmine Tham, PreK teacher,
will be heading to China to teach
in a PYP International School.
Jasmine will miss the wonderful
friends she has made in her short
time at CIS and in Denmark and
the excitement and unpredictability of the Pre K classroom!
Anna Weston, IB Diploma Coordinator, will become DP Coordinator at the Royal High School,
Bath, England. Anna came to CIS
intending to stay for two years,
and will have stayed for six!
Pam Winthrop, Development
Ben Ward, Dean of Students
MYP 1-3, Mathematics Teacher
and Team Peru Project Leader,
will be following his dream by
establishing an educational organization to inspire youth to
take positive action toward real,
sustainable change in the world.
Ben would like to thank the CIS
community for their continual
support and will miss the daily
contact with the amazing students.
Director, will assume the post of
Executive Director of Alumni Relations and Development at the
University of Chicago Laboratory
Schools in the US. Pam will miss
many things about her European
adventure - the excitement of
building a new program, the joy
of reconnecting with alumni, and
her colleagues and friends.
The three components to a school
budget - when a school develops a
steady fundraising stream, there is
less pressure on tuition and fees.
Development News
Pam Winthrop
Development Director
June in an international school is
especially busy - not only do we
have end of year ceremonies, concerts, and graduations but, in addition, some families are packing
up their homes and preparing to
move great distances to their next
post.
The transient nature of our community makes it unique in another
way - the friendships you make
here will last you regardless of the
years and distance between you. I
recently witnessed an event that
reinforced this truth.
The Road to a Friends
House is Never Long Danish Proverb
At the beginning of May, I had the
pleasure of staffing the Fourth
Annual International Schools
Alumni Reunion in New York City.
This was the second time CIS has
participated in this event, and we
are so glad we did. On the next
page, you will see some photos
from the event, which I think convey the excitement and energy in
the room. I was struck by the distances our alumni travelled to attend the reunion together. It is
clear that CIS alumni have a
strong connection with each other
and our school.
This marks the last time I will be
writing to you as I am leaving CIS
this summer to return to the
States to be the Executive Director
of Alumni Relations and Development at the University of Chicago
Laboratory Schools. With this in
mind, I offer some parting
thoughts on the alumni and development program at CIS.
Does CIS need development?
Yes! At present, our school is supported by tuition and fees and
government subsidies. At one
time, international schools did
exist on tuition income alone. Tuition revenues and government
subsidies took care of the current
school year, but did not plan for
the future, any increase in the
cost of providing that education,
expansion of educational, athletic
or co-curricular program, or
emergencies. During the Strategic
Planning process, it became clear
to the participants that CIS needs
additional funds to fulfill the
goals of the Plan. With that in
mind, in 2008, the School Board
and Director hired me as the first
Development Director.
The more success the school experiences in fundraising, the less
reliant the school is on tuition and
fees (see figure above) This is especially meaningful when faced
with an economic crunch and expatriate packages are being cut
which could mean fewer students.
Long-term investment
Development is a long-term investment and fundraising won’t
be successful until a school’s constituents (parents, alumni,
friends) feel invested in the success of the institution. Giving
money to a cause is relationship
based which is the reason that the
focus of the Development program
over the last two years has been
on assembling the first pieces of a
program including improved
communications and an alumni
program. Thank you for your support of CIS.
Alumni Reunion
On 6 May, nearly 200 alumni and
friends of eight international
schools met at a Cuban themed
bar on the Upper East Side of
New York City for the Fourth Annual International Schools
Alumni Reunion. The majority of
the attendees were from CIS
(40+) and included alumni from
London, Denmark and all over
the US.
Dr. Mogensen and Ben Van Domelen listen to an Astronaut Trainer
discuss the Neutral Buoyancy
Facility.
A visit with Andy Mogensen ’95
that alumni are happy, prosperous, or have reached a noteworthy goal or position. But when
Dr. Andreas Mogensen was announced on 20 May 2009 by the
Dan Palomares
Communications Manager
Today is Ascension Day holiday giving me time to reflect back on
the visit Physics Teacher Eric
Haase, fifteen engaged and lucky
Copenhagen International
School Diploma students and I
have just come home from. Without a doubt, in my 15 or so years
in education (as a teacher), this
was by far the most amazing
school trip I have ever been on.
As a result of the Development
Office’s excellent outreach efforts to CIS Alumni, and by promising to document the event, I
secured passage to be among the
CIS crew going to Köln, Germany
on 11 May to visit a very special
CIS alumnus.
Maintaining contact with our
school's alumni is important to
CIS' spirit and mission; and it is
exciting to get reports informing
“The most amazing
school trip I have ever
been on.”
to the ESA website) is "to shape
the development of Europe’s
space capability and ensure that
investment in space continues to
deliver benefits to the citizens of
Europe and the world". The EAC
space program consists of 18
member nations. European Space Agency to be the
first ever Danish astronaut, CIS
gained an alumnus of what many
(myself included) consider the
highest calibre.
Dr. Andreas Mogensen graduated
from CIS in 1995 after completing the IB Diploma Program. His
was the first graduating class at
our Hellerupvej campus.
The destination of the field trip
was the The European Astronaut
Center (EAC) located on the outskirts of Köln Germany. The EAC
in Köln is one of the primary
training centers of the European
Space Agency (ESA). The ESA is
an intergovernmental organization dedicated to the exploration
of space. Its mission (according
The primary operations of the
ESA at this time center around
developing, maintaining and
conducting experiments at
the International Space Station which is in low orbit around
the earth. ESA integrates its
training for missions and use of
the International Space Station
with the US space program
(NASA), the Russian Federal
Space Agency (RKA), the Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA) as well as the Canadian
Space Agency (CSA). Visit with Dr. Mogensen cont.
I was happily surprised to learn
about the level of cooperation
and transparency between the
participating national entities of
the International Space Station.
They share facilities, resources,
technology, information and
even friendship in space. Virtually all operational efforts are
coordinated between the agencies - even meals are shared between the international crew deployed at the Space Station. This
is no small matter - especially
considering the intensely political "space race" NASA and the
Soviet Space Program engaged in
less than only a half a century
ago. Over dinner, Dr. Mogensen
remarked to me that some people
have discussed giving the Nobel
peace prize to the International
Space Station as it is a somewhat
unprecedented success of peaceful international cooperation,
but there would be no specific
person or group of people to give
that award to. The European Astronaut Center in
Germany is one of many places
Dr. Mogensen spends his time as
he trains for his mission to space.
To be prepared for deployment in
space trainees undergo intensive
training with specialized equipment and competencies developed in many countries, working
with a vast mix of international
people. Even learning to speak
and read Russian (which is best
done in Russia) is a requirement
of being a modern day astronaut.
In preparing for the trip I did a
bit of research about Dr. Mogensen, so when I arrived, I knew
that besides being a CIS alumnus, he had received a masters
degree in aeronautical engineering at the Imperial College, London, 1999, and that he has a
Ph.D in aerospace engineering
from the University of Texas,
Austin 2007. I also knew that he
worked at Vestas Wind Systems in
Denmark in their research and
development department. Apart
from these general facts, I had
no idea of what kind of a person
Denmark's first astronaut would
be like. Would he be friendly or
reserved? Would he remind me of
Buzz Lightyear? Would he speak
freely of his days as a teen going
to Copenhagen International
School? And what about this
European Astronaut Center? Do
they have an anti-gravity room?
Would I be given permission to
take pictures and film? I realize
now that I knew humorously lit-
tle about the person and place
we were to visit.
On pretty much all school trips I
have ever been on, one is
greeted by a tour guide. The
guide then delivers a preordained set of facts while referencing the subject matter. This
trip was not like that.
Visit with Dr. Mogensen cont.
We were greeted by Dr. Mogensen
himself and although he proceeded with us most of the time,
the group of students were received, instructed and guided by
professional astronaut trainers.
Astronaut trainers are intense
people who are passionate about
their line of work. They were
friendly with our students and
showed respect for their intellect. Not only did the instructors
show how advanced simulators
are used, we also got to see how
the ESA monitors video and
audio transmissions from the
International Space Station. For
me, discussions with the instructors regarding technology and
work procedures in space was
especially fascinating. Throughout the visit, it was clear that
our CIS students knew this was a
highly unique learning experience.
This visit to the European Astronaut Center satisfied reservoirs
of curiosity that I frankly didn't
even know I had about aerospace
development, but it also gave me
a chance to meet our esteemed
alumnus who has become an icon
for his country by being himself
and following his own unique
intellectual and professional inclinations with determination.
When talking about how he was
selected out of a field of almost
9000 qualified applicants to be
an ESA astronaut, Dr. Mogensen
disarmingly talks about the first
part of the selection process
which was test that lasted a full
day. The test covered lots of various subject content to assess the
knowledge, logical reasoning
and endurance of the applicants,
and would be used to make a big
cut into the selection field of applicants. Dr. Mogensen told me
"after that test I was sure I
didn't make the cut, but I must
have done a bit better than average on most of the parts of it". I
have the strong feeling he aced
that test.
This is typical of Dr. Mogensen.
He is surely clear on the fact that
he is exceptionally intelligent
person, a role model, a tall
handsome guy, and even an
icon/celebrity in the eyes of
many, but truthfully he is such a
pleasant, friendly guy that one
feels very at ease in his presence.
In fact, although I refer to him
as Dr. Mogensen in this article,
he goes by Andy (the name Andreas Mogensen is difficult to
pronounce by most non Danes).
Although he naturally commands
respect with his presence, he
smiles easily and spoke earnestly
at one point about how not taking oneself too seriously is a
critical attribute for an
astronaut. Dr. Mogensen had set time aside
and even ate meals with us. He
joked with the kids about the fast
food joints around our school,
and answered our multitude of
questions that ranged from
highly specialized physics related queries, to silly questions
about living in space. I enjoyed
Dr. Mogensen's easy laughter
and how he knew which space
facts we would think were interesting or funny... Like telling us
how when you sleep in space
your arms often stick out like
zombie arms (due to zero gravity) or about how some astronauts actually tightly strap pillows to the sides of their heads
to give them the feeling that
there is some pressure on their
heads so they can sleep. Apparently sleep in space can be elusive.
It wasn't until toward the end of
our visit to the EAC that I started
to realize the thing that perhaps
now endears me to Dr. Mogensen
most of all. Our visit for him
wasn't just to go through the
motions of public service or
community relations. He is genuinely interested in who CIS is
now, and to talk to our students
about what CIS was like back in
his times at the school as well as
his days at Rygaards School. It
was clear that he enjoyed chatting about memories of his old
neighborhood as well as sharing
recollections of teachers (some
of whom he shared in common
with today's students). I slowly
became aware that we were also
meaningful to him and that being in contact with the youth of
CIS was rewarding for him. Cool.
This was a trip that was educational to its core, but had its
heart in a personal contact.
Learn more about our visit by
watching the film in the student
life section of the website, or
click here.
PYP students work with Leslie
Nogaret to prepare the plastic bottles for the Greenhouse.
Greening News
A Green Flag for CIS
After a successful visit by Jannik
Olssen from ‘Grønt Flag’ Denmark,
he announced that we have been
awarded the Green Flag. We eagerly await news from the Mayor
of Gentofte regarding when he will
make the flag presentation.
Mr. Olssen doesn’t normally come
out and visit schools, so we were
especially grateful that he found
the time to visit us and learn
about our program.
He was shown around the school
by a number of the Greenies and
the parent Leslie Nogaret. He was
most impressed with the greenhouse that we have been building,
and the fact that everything is
embedded in our curriculum.
The Greenies escorted Mr. Olssen
around the school and inspected a
number of the classrooms with
regard to resource use and waste
and finally handed over the ‘Grønt
Flag’ report for Mr. Olssen’s review.
On 4 June, some of the PYP faculty
will work on building the roof of
the Greenhouse. Let’s hope that
the sun shines on them and we
can get the project finished before
the end of term.
EMAS
In late May, Secondary School
Principal, Deputy Principal for
MYP and Fintan Keenan, MYP Design Technology teacher attended
a final evaluation of the EMASeasy
concept in Denmark at the Danish
Technological Institute in Taastrup. At the meeting, our team
presented the actions taken and
the progress made by the school
during the 2009-2010 academic
year in regards to EMASeasy on
campus. Present were members of
the Environmental Protection
Agency in Denmark, consultants
from Rambøll, and DTI environmental consultants.
We hope to achieve certification of
our environmental management
system by the end of this academic year. This Certification is
especially exciting as CIS will be
the first international school in
Scandinavia to achieve this certification. Achieving this certification will
mean that CIS is one of the
schools at the forefront of environmental educational management systems incorporating
ISO:14001.
Our long-term goal is to become a
hub of environmental education
in the Nordic Region, which is being strongly supported by Ecocounselling, who are based in
Brussels.
Heartfelt Thanks
Based on the findings, it was recommended that CIS continue with
the implementation of EMAS and
apply for certification through The
Danish Accreditation and Metrology Fund (DANAK).
The CIS Green Team wishes to
thank Leslie Nogaret, PYP 2 mom,
for her extraordinary commitment
to Greening at our school. Leslie
has devoted countless hours (in
all types of weather) to many aspects of the school’s greening efforts. She will be sorely missed.
Pam Winthrop
Development Director
Student Council President
Charlotte Daman Willems
On a recent afternoon, the Development Director visited with
Charlotte Daman Willems, Class
of 2010 Student Council President. Like most students her age,
Charlotte is taking full advantage
of having finished her IB exams
by catching up on sleep and
celebrating her graduation with
some classmates in Turkey. Good
thing she is relaxing now because Charlotte has a very busy
summer ahead of her.
In early July, Charlotte and 17
other CIS students, accompanied
by Kristjan Jespersen, DP Economics teacher, and Faye MacAuley, MYP Science teacher, will
fly to Thailand to assist Burmese
refugees living in the northern
part of the country. They will fly
into Bangkok, and from there to
Chang Mai, where they will be
driven two hours to work with
Burmese villagers. For three students (Will Allen, Henrik Hagemann, and Charlotte), this will
be their second trip with BRAP,
having traveled with Mr. Jespersen in 2009. When he suggested
the trip to his economics class,
Charlotte was excited by the opportunity to apply what she had
learned in class to help the Burmese people improve their lives.
Last summer, Charlotte said they
filled their days performing
physical labour - carrying cinder
blocks up a mountain to build a
water reserve, fire clearing a
path up the mountain, and building a community center for the
villagers. The Burmese refugees
live in two tribes, Lisu (Christian) and Karen (Buddhist),
which are located two kilometers
apart and separated by land
owned by the Thai government.
Because the Burmese are not
recognized by the Thai government, they have no property
rights and are forced to farm on
rented land. This summer, BRAP
will help the refugees establish
economic stability by purchasing
land for the Burmese to manage
and farm for themselves. They
also hope to purchase a shop in
Chang Mai for the Burmese to
sell their handicrafts. ´
When asked how BRAP has raised
the funds necessary to make this
happen, Charlotte proudly explained that the students used
their contacts to secure corporate sponsorship from Roche A/S,
Greenstone Realty and Thai Airways. Charlotte is especially excited to return to Thailand to see
developments that have occurred
since last summer. BRAP is the
perfect marriage of servicelearning trip and educational
opportunity as its birth was in
the classroom.
Charlotte Daman Willems
continued
At the end of BRAP's trip, Charlotte's brother and parents will
meet her and they will enjoy a
family vacation in Bangkok,
Chang Mai and Cambodia before
returning to their new home in
Aberdeen, Scotland.
With just weeks to go before
graduation, I asked Charlotte
what makes CIS special. Having
attended CIS for seven years,
Charlotte is almost a “lifer.” With
a smile, she explained that in
comparison to a previous school
she attended where the majority
of the students were locals, CIS
is truly an international school,
with small class sizes and teachers who are always available to
their students. "Teachers e-mail
me back at any time of night. CIS
has a community feeling, it's my
school and I have a sense of
pride in it."
In addition to serving as Student
Council President, Charlotte has
played sports since MYP 1, attended School Board meetings as
Student Council representative,
and has participated in Model
United Nations. Having only
know Charlotte for two years, I
have a strong sense that she has
much to do with making CIS feel
like a community.
As Charlotte and her classmates
graduate from CIS, they join the
global family of CIS/CIJS alumni,
parents of alumni, former faculty
and staff. We take great pride in
their accomplishments and wish
the Class of 2010 all the best.
Charity Club News
Thanks to the work of the CIS
Charity Club, the Talented
Women’s Club in Ghana is thriving. There are now two groups of
women who are receiving microcredit loans and the Charity Club
hopes to start a new group next
year. That is good news for these
many families living in poverty
and who, with just a small loan
can move toward a more sustainable future. They pay back their
loans with interest but all funds
remain in a collectively owned
account. The Charity Club is now collaborating with the College of Public
Health Administration. Two students spent 6 weeks with the Talented Women collecting data on
their general health and nutritional patterns. They will use this
as a basis for their bachelor degrees and as a baseline study for
the next groups of students.
The Charity Club is giving these
women and their families a
chance to develop their way out
of poverty and also catering to
their health. We are very excited
about these new developments.
The Charity Club continues to
support their original project, a
school in Swaziland. Since 1989,
donations have been used to create "The Copenhagen Room", a
science lab built by parents
and students. Equipment is continually purchased and school
fees and teaching materials are
paid for needy students.
Since the founder of The Charity
Club Mr. Hern retired he has continued the connection to CIS via
postage stamp collection to support the St. Margaret´s Hospice.
Please bring your postage
stamps to the Main office, Secondary School office or Primary
School office.
http://www.somerset-hospice.or
g.uk
The Charity Club has two goals:
to fundraise for their projects
and educate the community
about the projects they are supporting.
Copenhagen International School Summer School
28 JUNE – 9 JULY 2010
Looking for a fun and challenging summer for your children? The summer school at CIS
is available for children aged 5 to 15. Programmes will be taught by qualified teachers,
all of whom possess the high level of expertise expected of CIS staff. Early registration is
advisable since places are limited.
For the 5 to 8 age range there is a choice of activities selected from:
t English Language Instruction
t Art
t Drama
t Irish Dancing
t Sport
t Computers
For the age range 9 to 15 there is a choice of activities selected from:
t English & Danish Language Instruction t Forensic Science
t GeoCaching
t Mountain Biking
t Sailing & Kayaking
t Computers
t Art
The Summer School is also suitable for Danish children who would like to upgrade their
English language skills.
Please contact the school to receive further information and a registration form, or visit
our website www.cis-edu.dk where you will find Summer School information under
Student Life.
Contact Person: Kristjan Jespersen - email: [email protected]
Hellerupvej 22-26, 2900 Hellerup
T +45 3946 3300 F +45 3961 2230
[email protected]
www.cis-edu.dk
and families as a profoundly skilled
educator.
As Principal, through his professionalism and deep understanding
of the IB programme, Peter successfully established the highest standards for academic excellence and
improved the workplace and classroom experience for faculty and
students. He led the way in establishing the School’s current Scholarship Programme. Johannah Townsend
Board Chair
The end of the school year inevitably brings with it a flurry of activity,
but it also provides time to reflect
on transitions. The transition of
students graduating or moving from
one programme to the next, the
Faculty moving on to embrace new
challenges, the CIS families leaving
Denmark, and those stepping in to
fill their void. This year the Board experienced the
lowest Board attrition in years. We
are especially grateful to Jens Alder, the lone departing Board
member, for his outstanding leadership as Chair of our Finance and
Director Search Committees. We
will miss him for his natural ability
to keep us on-point, on-time and
always on budget. Thank you Jens!
The most important transition that
will effect our entire school community is the departure of our Director, Mr. Peter Wellby, at the end
of June. Peter has dedicated seven
years of service to CIS, as Principal
and then Director, and the Board
would like to take this opportunity
to reflect on the many strengths
and contributions he has brought
as the leader of our school. Peter
has always received praise from Board members, faculty, students
Mention of Peter’s contributions
would not be complete without the
mention of his infectious passion
for the Arts and communication. Over the past seven years there has
been a steady increase in the quantity and quality of the performing
arts at CIS, including theater, music
and the visual arts. However, it is
through his own performances that
the most lasting memories have
been created! Peter is a master
orator. Most of us have had the
pleasure to experience his telling of
School Board
As Director, Peter has been at the
core of the articulation and implementation of the CIS Strategic
Plan. He has diligently used the
Strategic Plan as a steady guide for
daily operations, performance
measurement and decision-making
in support of the school's main priorities. Of particular note, was his
focus on structural changes that
enhanced the student services and
pastoral care across the School. The
Board notes the restructuring of
the administration for the primary
and senior schools and the important introduction of the Student
Deans and greater emphasis on college and career counselling. During Peter's tenure there has
been a strong external dialogue on
the future demand for international
education in Denmark. Simultaneously, there has been a large focus
on the physical demands and financial requirements to deliver the full
mission of our school in our existing location. The Board is especially grateful to Peter for his visionary and enthusiastic focus on
the possibilities for increased international school capacity in Denmark. He has worked tirelessly, and
with conviction, on this import
strategic topic.
a story, recitation of a poem or recounting of a meaningful moment. He is able to turn a phrase with intelligence, warmth and wit to make
any audience feel that they are exactly where they want to be.
“You (Peter Wellby) have
led and delighted us all.”
We remember fondly, those times
when Peter donned furry shorts and
a gas mask to partake in the DP1 /
DP2 water fights; suited up to play
Santa to a host of gleeful children
at Holiday Fairs; and as Swan in the
primary years' pantomime--wowing
everyone with his agility both in
and out of the kettle! There was his
role as a “Fashionista” trend-setter
in the Trashion-Show 2010. It was
his mesmerizing recital of the
“Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner”
that will stay with us forever, and
will surely inspire students to challenge their personal limits with
similar passion and dedication. On behalf of the Board, thank you
Peter, for sharing your many talents
with all of us. You have led and delighted all of us. We are grateful to
you for your leadership and service
We wish you the very best!
Community
News
Yale Alley Cats
On 25 May, CIS welcomed the Yale
Alley Cats, the all-male a cappella
group founded in 1943 at Yale
University. As part of their Summer Tour through Scandinavia and
Northern Europe, fifteen Alley
Cats stopped in Hellerup to perform for our community. During
the school-day, the Alley Cats performed a concert for the Middle
Years students and offered a
master-class for the MYP Choir. In
the evening, over 150 parents,
faculty, students and local Yale
alumni packed the PAC for a concert.
Golden Girl
Congratulations to Rebecca Curti
for winning two gold medals for
the 1 meter and 3 meter at the
Danish National Diving Championship.
The rugby team celebrates their
victory!
CIS Takes the Gold Again!
moment for CIS Athletics Department!
Robert Reynolds
Athletics Director
CIS = Gold
Champions in Sport remains our
calling as our U19 Boys Rugby
team came home with the gold!
Encountering fierce competition
from Stavanger, the hosting
school, it all came down to the
number of tries scored to determine the final champion. I heard
that it was a nail biter as our athletes, coaches and Senior School
Principal Dr. Watson had to wait
until the awards ceremony to find
out which team achieved victory.
Our U15 Girls Soccer encountered
stiff competition from the other
teams. In spite of their team work
and intensity on the pitch, our
girls placed 6th. If they scored
just one more goal, they would
have taken 3rd.
With rugby and girls soccer in
Norway, our tennis team traveled
to Hamburg, expectant of success. At the end of the tournament, their coach and next year’s
athletics director Jakeh Wearne
stated that he was “super proud
of them all.” The most notable
achievement was in the singles
tournament where in their respective levels Gregory Lyubchenko earned 1st, Christine
Wilhelmsen earned 2nd , Sybille
Dyvig earned 3rd and Stephanie
Edelmann Christensen earned
4th.
NECIS Track and Field
What makes this accomplishment
even more impressive is that our
CIS rugby boys have now earned
three gold medals in three consecutive years. Another historic
CIS is proud to have hosted this
year’s NECIS Track and Field
Championship. After weeks of
intensive training, our athletes
and coaches took to the track and
field, determined to run, throw
and jump their way to victory. At
the end CIS walked away with 44
medals of which 14 were gold.
Many met and even exceeded
their and personal best times and
distances.
Amidst the many excellent performances, one was truly stellar
as Chris Goldsworthy took 1st in
the 1500m U14 level and set a
new NECIS record of 4:39.05 unbroken since 1993. His strategy
for winning the race was text
book, executed flawlessly!
I wish to take a moment and
thank the MYP 1-3 students who
attended the track and field meet
on Friday. As a culmination to
Spirit Week, our students
chanted and cheered their hearts
out for all athletes whether coming in 1st or last. Clearly, our
students’ attendance and support of all athletes added greatly
to the competitive and fun atmosphere of the meet. Ben
Ward’s leadership in making this
happen is deeply appreciated.
Finally, I wish to thank the PTA
volunteers, organized by Priscilla
Goldsworthy and Heather
McCullough, and our dedicated
staff from school who officiated
the events. Their hard work resulted in one of the smoothest
run NECIS events. As the Antwerp
team’s coaches said, “This was
the best run NECIS tournament
ever”.
Most importantly, I wish to thank
Toni Heisterberg and Paul
Mitchell. As members of the inner circle, their knowledge and
commitment to making our track
meet the best was invaluable to
the success of the games.
NECIS Awards Evening,
All athletes are invited to celebrate this year’s NECIS Athletics
Program on 15 June from
17:30-20:30. After a successful
awards evening from last year, we
will be barbecuing hamburgers
and chicken, have salads and
drinks and serving ice cream for
dessert. The cost is 100 Dkr and
all those interested must sign up
and pay Leena Raassina, our canteen supervisor and swimming
coach. Please note that the date
has been changed from 17 June
due to conflict with another
event.
As my last contribution to the CIS
Newsletter for this year, I want to
send out a general thanks to all
parents and staff who have given
their time to make our program a
great success. And of course accolades to all of the athletes who
have participated in the NECIS
program. The superb year is a
result of your determination,
dedication and love of sport! As I
pass on the stewardship of the
NECIS program to Jakeh Wearne,
I feel confident that the program
will continue to develop and
grow, resulting in another excellent year of competition and fun.
Time to Return Track Suits and
Team Kits!
All students must sign out with
Robert Reynolds in order to receive their yearbook or to graduate. Please remind your child to
return their track suits and kit.
The Athletics Department is
grateful for your assistance.
The homemade sushi sells out
quickly at the Spring Fair!
PTA Happenings
times for all and a nice time to
reflect on the past year.
Ra Chel Moran and Kerry Carswell
PTA Co-Presidents
The 2009-2010 school year is
coming to an end. Some friends
will be leaving, some will be
staying. Some of our kids will be
graduating from senior school,
while others will graduate from
kindergarten. These are exciting
It has been an amazing year for
the PTA. The commitment parents have shown and their extraordinary dedication has been
the key to the success of the
many events that the PTA has
hosted this year.
However, it’s not just the events
that make up the year, but the
friendly faces and smiles that are
willing to help out. Thank you to
the Newcomers Committee for
welcoming new family members
to the CIS community, and for
the 20-30 volunteers that regularly attend the monthly PTA
meetings. The year wouldn’t
have been the same without the
support and energy of all those
who have helped make CIS such a
unique school. We couldn’t have
done it without you!
The PTA continues to be an important component of CIS life.
Our main goal is to bring together parents, teachers, students, and staff, to make our
time at CIS, whether it be short
or long, a memorable experience. We hope that all of you,
especially those who will be leaving, will look back at your time at
CIS with fond memories and joy.
It has been a pleasure for us to
co-chair the PTA this year. We
send our thanks and gratitude to
all of you who have helped make
this year one to remember. To
those who are leaving, best
wishes and safe travels, and to
those who are staying, see you in
August!
To see more photos from Spring
Fair, please go to the next page.
The childrens’ tombola table was
constantly busy as kids and parents tried to win the Lego sets!
Parent volunteers enjoying breakfast and conversation
Thank you Volunteers!
On 18 May, Director Peter Wellby
enjoyed breakfast with 60 parents. His guests responded to his
invitation to a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast.
Peter thanked those assembled
for their commitment to CIS and
recognized all parents who have
given of themselves during the
school year.
From the parent who chaperoned
a class field trip to the School
Board Chair and PTA CoPresidents, who have been rumored to have beds at the
school, the School is grateful for
the many ways our parent community supports the school.
This event marked the final time
that Chef Rose Johnson will cater
for CIS, as she and her family are
returning to the United States.
Johnson says that catering to
the CIS community “is like catering to my family because I know
everyone. It never felt like work
and was always very pleasurable.”
She explained that so many people have asked for her recipes for
the Egg and Cheese Strata and
Banana Muffins following the
event, that she has decided to
share them with the community
here. Bon Appetit!
Egg and Cheese Strata
Ingredients
10-12 slices of bread
6 ounces of swiss cheese
2 cups of cheddar
8 eggs
3 ½ cups Half & Half
Salt and Pepper
Paprika
Directions
Pre-heat oven to 185 degrees Celsius.
Butter dish
Butter one side of each piece of bread
Alternately layer bread, cheese, bread
Beat eggs and cream and pour over
bread and cheese in dish
Cover and refrigerate overnight
Bake, uncovered until golden and
puffy, for approximately 30 minutes.
Banana Muffins
Ingredients
1½ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoon flour
1 Tablespoon butter
Directions
Preheat oven to 190 degrees Celsius.
Grease muffin tin or line with muffin
papers.
Mix together first 4 ingredients and
set aside.
Beat together second 4 ingredients
and combine with previously mixed
ingredients.
Mix together last three ingredients
and sprinkle on top of other ingredients.
Check after 20 minutes in the oven.