IS Belgrade Experience – Nini and Nina
Recently, two of our Grade 12 students were asked to write an article for our Alumni Newsletter. We were so proud of them when they came back to us with this beautiful reflection of their time at the International School of Belgrade.
We have called ISB our home for the past nearly 13 years, growing from pre-kindergarten all the way to graduation in Grade 12. Growing up from childhood to young adulthood in this inclusive community was an immense privilege and an invaluable experience that has moulded us into the open-minded, caring, knowledgeable, and reflective individuals we are today. Growing up and being educated for our entire lives at ISB has granted us a ton to appreciate and to reflect on.
Arriving early to school being greeted by the principal and teachers every morning gives us the vibrant energy and positivity that fuels us for the rest of the day filled with academic fulfilment and bonding with friends.
Every staff and member of the faculty contributes to the all-inclusive and homely environment of ISB that has nurtured our intellectual and social growth. Outside academic endeavors, we have very fond memories of spirit weeks, particularly pajama days where we arrived at school with our brightly-coloured pajamas, filled with joy and excitement. Those days were immensely rewarding and fulfilling for a young mind and even today, where spirit weeks are incorporated to raise school spirit and encourage student involvement in school pursuits.
Entering middle school provided us with an entirely new environment to learn in and opened up more opportunities to pursue our athletic ambitions.
Both of us have the penchant for sports, which was fostered for many years beginning in Grade 6 when we joined our first football team, followed by the basketball and volleyball teams. Although we were shy rookie players competing with seniors for places on the final competition team, we were committed and dedicated. Alongside consistent assistance and guidance from our coaches, we were able to secure a spot on the final teams as the only students from Grade 6. We received massive praise and encouragement whilst traveling to foreign countries and proudly representing ISB at CEESA competitions, which further fostered our passion for team sports. When returning to school with our trophies, the school always ensured to acknowledge our achievements in and outside of academics by conducting pep rallies that celebrated us. One prominent celebration of the school’s diverse community is the annual Spring Fair that epitomizes ISB’s multinational and multicultural inclusion with delicious food from international cuisine, live entertainment, and a wide variety of activities and prizes that genuinely serves as the glue holding the ISB community together. As we grew older and entered high school, we came to appreciate the abundant resources, such as the laboratory and a myriad of scientific equipment that enhances our practical skills as well as allowing us to pursue our academic ambitions. Additionally, living during the outbreak of COVID-19 has dramatically changed our lives and rendered many of us vulnerable to the situation, especially switching from the traditional face to face learning to the unusual virtual learning environment (VLE) for a prolonged period of time. However, we have seen an incredibly smooth transition in switching modes of learning accompanied by considerable support from each of our teachers. For instance, one of us spent an extended period of time online in Grade 11, which was frustrating and stressful. In spite of being one of the only ones online, every teacher ensured that I received all the support required academically as well as emotionally during that time, along with extensive online resources that maintained the effectiveness of learning even when learning in front of a laptop screen.
Most importantly, our time at ISB gave us two a friendship of a lifetime.
Watching each other grow, learning together, and graduating together is truly a blessing that will leave a lifelong impact on the both of us. Our irreplaceable experience at ISB leading up to our graduation has rendered us well-rounded knowledgeable inquirers, risk-takers, and critical thinkers who are thoroughly prepared for all of our future vocations and aspirations. Nina and Nini, Grade 12 Students
The International School of Belgrade