History & Traditions

Bell Ringing Ceremony

The Bell Ringing Ceremony has been a tradition as ISI since August 1998. It borrows from a Russian tradition in which students greet teachers at the start of each school year, giving them flowers and then ringing a bell held by the principal of the school. Each student has an opportunity to ring the bell to start the school year, beginning with the oldest student at ISI and ending with the youngest. This event is held on the main track and field and kicks off the start of the school year for all students, families, and employees. 

International Week - Homecoming, International Parade and Festival

International Week began at ISI in 2019, and is a time to recognize and celebrate all of the cultures that make up the ISI community. Throughout the week, one day is dedicated to each language track (French, Mandarin, and Spanish), and the week culminates with an International Parade and Festival. Carrying flags representing their nation and in attire that represents their home country, students, faculty and staff walk together in a beautiful display of pride for their culture.  The parade is followed by a festival for the full school community. Athletic events throughout the week serve as homecoming games for both boys and girls sports, and Upper School students have a homecoming dance that weekend.

Field Day and Slide-A-Thon

Field day is a fun-filled, springtime event held in many schools throughout the United States. It is a day of sports and athletic competition for students of all ages, and it also includes Slide-A-Thon a student fundraising event that began in 2021.

ONE ISI End of Year Celebration (formerly Kermesse) 

One of ISI’s earliest traditions was the Lower School end-of-year celebration, Kermesse. The celebratory fair marked the school year's successful close, and more than two decades of families and employees have fond memories of the tradition. In 2022 the event was expanded to include all members of the ISI community. Though the name is now changed, one of the school's early traditions continues on the unified campus with all Gryphons enjoying games, music, prizes, treats, and much more. 

Language Track Celebrations

Each language track has a celebration once a year where the entire track, three-year-old through Grade 5, hosts a celebration of the culture, history, and achievements of their language track. These events allow the entire language track to come together for a performance and invite their family and friends to celebrate and view what the students have been working on. 

French Track: International Francophonie Day
Mandarin Track: Lunar New Years
Spanish Track: Hispanic Heritage Month

Lower School Class Assemblies

Since 2012, weekly class assemblies have been an important part of the ISI calendar at the Lower School. Class assemblies are the most individual celebrations, where just one classroom presents what they have been learning to their friends, families, and other classes in the same grade. These assemblies provide Lower School students with an opportunity to share their learning with a broader school community.

The End of Unit Celebrations bring together     all three language tracks of an individual grade, and focus on highlighting what the grade learned about in their most recent unit. The celebrations include presentations, skits, and songs as well as hands-on activities for students to complete with their guests to showcase their learning. Classes also display different projects and models they may have created throughout the unit. 

Upper School Timmy Club

The Timmy Club (established 2004) and Timmy Junior (established 2018) are two of the most popular clubs at the Upper School, and are both some of the largest Timmy Club chapters in the country. Timmy Club hosts a variety of events yearly to raise money for Timmy Global Health. 

Penny Wars: Students compete against other Upper School houses to see which house can raise the most money in coins. 

Timmy Week: Timmy Week happens both in the fall and the spring. Students donate money to support Timmy Club and are able to dress up for different spirit days throughout the week. 

Timmy Game: Timmy Week ends with a high-energy Student vs Staff sporting event to raise money, showcase student talent, and have fun! Depending on the season, the Student vs Staff game will be volleyball, soccer, or basketball. 

Timmy Fun Run: End of the year event where students fundraise and participate in a color run to wrap up the end of year Field Day.

Upper School House System

ISI established houses at the Upper School during the 2010 school year. All Upper School students, faculty, and staff members are sorted into one of four houses; Bison, Limestone, Cardinal, and Pioneer. Students participate in community building activities with their houses, as well as compete for the yearly house cup. Houses earn points for a variety of accomplishments, including athletics and arts participation and academic achievement. 

Grade 12 Traditions

Besides graduation, Grade 12 students participate in many celebrations throughout their senior year to celebrate their hard work. First, students celebrate The 100 Days Dinner at the beginning of February to celebrate the remaining 100 days of their time left at ISI. Grade 12 students also celebrate Senior Send Off in April to celebrate their final day of formal classes before their IB exams.