On Wednesday, 24th May, we said our official goodbyes to Year 13 in our annual IBDP Graduation ceremony. Liam Cullinan welcomed guests to the school, and everyone stood to applaud the graduates as they proceeded down the stairs to take their seats in the new auditorium.
After the Principal’s heartfelt opening address, Rachel Batty, Head of Senior School, introduced each of the graduating students, and invited them on stage one by one to receive their certificates and academic prizes. In amongst the formalities, we enjoyed a look back at childhood photos of our graduating students and a moving musical performance by Simran, Year 13 Graduate.
Head of Year, Gaynor Lowe and IB Diploma Coordinator, Victoria Collinson presented the BISAD Values and Learner Profile awards to Malak and Tamsin respectively; Tamsin remained on stage to speak on behalf of the students, reminiscing on her time at the school and thanking teachers, families, and fellow classmates for their support during the challenging IB Diploma Programme years. Head of Secondary, Christopher Lowe, gave a powerful closing speech about the importance of looking back and yet living forward.
The ceremony finished with students making the significant move of their tassel from left to right and the traditional throwing of caps into the air. Celebrations continued in The Hub, where students, parents and teachers gathered to chat over refreshments and take more photos with family and friends. Congratulations to our Graduating Class of 2023!
The end of the year is a time for reflection and celebration, as well as an opportunity to look ahead.
During the last weeks, we have celebrated students at the Sports Award Assembly, welcomed fathers sharing time with students in the Early Years team, enjoyed end-of-term showcases across many year groups, attended IB presentations, participated in a Science Fair hosted by the Science CCA, and watched the Dance Production, BISAD’s Got Talent Show and the Music Open Mic event, to name but a few.
In 2014 Mrs. Lowe arrived to teach at the British International School Abu Dhabi, excited to work with the Physical Education Department to implement and embed Dance within both the curriculum and the CCA programme. Schemes of work were created for FS1 to Year 9 and all PE teachers received professional development training to understand the fundamentals of Dance, to discover the importance of Dance and how movement can be creative and powerful.
Earlier in June, a group of our IB students jetted off to Iceland for an unforgettable adventure. Damian Toader from 12A shares his experience of this incredible trip, capturing the essence of Iceland's breathtaking landscapes and unique natural phenomena through his lens as the group's photographer.
The British International School Abu Dhabi
