campus news

In a sport based off of constant self-improvement, the Varsity and Middle School Cross Country teams spent the season chasing down their personal records and improving their times with each practice and race.

With a clear focus on strengthening and building community, and as part of its commitment to making the International School of Indiana accessible and affordable to more families, tuition will remain frozen at current rates through the 2023-2024 academic year

Balancing a mixture of new and returning players, the Girls Varsity Volleyball Team started the season with goals to further develop returning players, teach the fundamentals to new players, and improve the team’s record from last year. 

Middle School athletics is a great time for students to try out new sports, or to improve on skills they already have. As the coach of the Middle School Tennis Team, Félix Medina had goals to nurture a sense of community among the team, foster respectful communication, and create a love for the sport. 

Coming into the fall season, Head Coach Ken McDaniels wanted to focus on a shift in culture and improvement of individual players’ skills throughout the season. Led by four returning seniors as captains, players focused on quality of play instead of outcomes, and on building personal responsibility.

With many returning players, the Grade 7 & 8 Volleyball Team was able to spend the season building on skills from last season, while also welcoming new players and helping them learn the basics of playing volleyball. 

“The Lady Gryphons faced many difficult opponents where they had to adjust and overcome challenges,” Coach Linda Weiss said. “Having returning players allowed the team to be comfortable working together and improving their passing.”

The ISI Middle School Soccer Team had a very successful season, with an expanded team allowing students Grades 4 through 8 to compete. 

“Our goals as a team for the season were to continue building important skills and soccer IQ, as well as being competitive in our division,” Coach Nathan Gardiner said. “We focused on growing together in a team setting, developing or strengthening friendships, and to enjoy the experience”

For the first time in three years, Grade 5 students participated in school athletics again with the easing of COVID restrictions. As a result, the entire Grade 5 and 6 volleyball team was made up of entirely new athletes.

After graduating five seniors last year, the Boys Varsity Tennis Team was prepared for a challenging season with many new players working on improving their skills. 

“Our biggest challenge coming into the season was bouncing back after graduating five seniors last season,” Head Coach Haley Bougher said. “Most of our varsity spots were filled by freshmen this season which can be daunting going up against schools that often have JV and Varsity. We play the best of each team and have a very competitive schedule. Our young team held its own this season.”

Our Annual Fundraising Series events are designed to offer a wide array of options for ISI families and supporters to participate in annual fundraising - and to spend time together as a community. 

There are many ways to get involved - from purchasing tickets to sponsoring events. For more information on how to get involved, or to view our full Multi-Event Sponsorship Guide, click here.

Margaret Schnabel began her time at the International School of Indiana (ISI) as a Grade 6 student, graduating in 2017. 

After her time at ISI, Margaret went on to attend Indiana University as a Herman B Wells scholar, pursuing degrees in English and Cognitive Science. Afterward, she obtained her Master’s degree in World Literatures in English from the University of Oxford. Margaret is currently pursuing her PhD in English at Harvard University. 

Margaret credits the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum taught at ISI for helping her gain skills in independent thinking and reflection, which she continues to use every day. 

International Week is back! This year, the International School of Indiana (ISI) hosted International Week for the first time since 2019. With the newly unified Michigan Road campus, the event was able to be bigger than ever with new opportunities for the ISI community to connect and celebrate the diversity among the students, families, faculty, and staff. 

Madelyn Neal came to the International School of Indiana (ISI) in 2002 as a 3 year old in the French language track, staying until she graduated in 2017. 

After her time at ISI, Madelyn was prepared to continue her academic career first at Miami University of Ohio for her undergraduate degree and accelerated Master’s degree, and is currently attending New York University for her Ph.D. in French. Madelyn credits the language learning programs at ISI for guiding the course of her life and future career, with future goals to become a French professor for university and graduate students.

With a team of players who have never participated in competitive golf before, the ISI Boys Golf Team spent the season working on learning the rules to compete, improving their scores, and having fun to create a strong team culture to carry on to future seasons.

The Middle School Track & Field team completed a season filled with a focus on achieving their personal goals, growing as a community, and trying new things. Throughout the course of the season, all athletes on the team improved and reached new personal bests in their events. As athletes grew and figured out their new frames, they wanted to mainly focus on the form of each event. This allowed them to understand the mechanics of the events they participated in and, ultimately, grow into stronger competitors. 

For the first time in school history, ISI offered Boys Club Volleyball to high school students, all thanks to a student-led initiative to get the team off the ground. Players spent the season building skills, learning positions, and developing strategies behind playing each ball.

With a competitive schedule, the Girls Varsity Tennis Team spent the season working to improve upon their record from last season and develop the individual skills of not only returning players but also players brand new to the sport. The team finished the season with a 6-3 record, with Kreutz being recognized as an All-Conference player for her second-place finish at the PAAC tournament. 

On the last day of school, Upper School students, family, and friends participated in the Upper School Awards Assembly to celebrate the success and achievements of our students. Congratulations to our students for their achievements throughout the 2021-2022 school year - and congratulations to Pioneer House for winning the House Cup

The High School Varsity Track & Field Team had a lot to overcome this season with a late start to the season and player injuries affecting the team. Luckily, the team came together to work through the hardships to complete a very successful season!

Primary Years Programme (PYP) students at the Lower School are finishing up their final unit of the school year! The PYP units are built around transdisciplinary themes that are relevant to all students and cultures. The units are supported by knowledge, concepts, and skills from traditional subject areas such as math, social studies, science, and language arts, but utilize them in a transdisciplinary model.

Last week, Grade 8 students wrapped up their Interdisciplinary Unit - Global Issues Global Solutions, which combined their learning and skills from Individuals and Societies classes and Science classes. The International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum is built to help students connect their learnings between subjects and develop problem-solving skills, and the Global Issues Global Solutions Unit is a great example of interdisciplinary learning at ISI.

Happy Staff Appreciation Week! This week, our entire faculty and staff were celebrated by ISI families, the Parent Association, Board of Directors, and School Leadership for all of their hard work. Thank you to the ISI staff that makes everything we do possible! Keep reading for more information about some of our incredible faculty and staff members

On April 23, the ISI community was reunited for the 2022 International Gala. For more than 25 years the Gala has been a highlight on the ISI calendar and this year’s event did not disappoint. After a two year break due to the pandemic, the Gala returned, refreshed and with an extra special reason to celebrate - the debut of the Chen Family Lower School.

Last week, the Upper School celebrated another successful Timmy Week! With many COVID-19 policies being lifted, spring Timmy Week was the first major event that brought the ISI Upper School community together, fundraising for Timmy Global Health. Throughout the week, students participated in different spirit days, donating $1 each day to dress in a variety of themes, including Groutfits, Anything But a Backpack, and Twin Tuesday.

The High School Varsity Swimming & Diving Team finished up a successful season, full of personal growth and new school records. In the water, the Gryphons returned to the historic IUPUI Natatorium for practices where the team focused on more race pace training and tempo work as well as advanced their dryland training with morning weights and boxing at ISI. 

With a team consisting of many first time players, the Middle School Boys Basketball team spent the season building basic skills and team chemistry. The team saw major improvements throughout the season, with some major wins coming late in the schedule

Throughout the school year, club leaders pick topics of global significance to debate. Students take on the roles of leaders of different countries, debating the topic from their point of view using parliamentary procedures. Throughout this process, students gain skills in public speaking, debating in concise arguments, and striving to understand the issue from the perspective of their chosen country. Students also engage in research on the topics, organize their information into position papers, and learn how to collaborate and compromise to create resolutions for agreements between nations. These communication and organizational skills are essential components of MUN, but can also be transferred to use in classes and other clubs.

The High School Boys Varsity Basketball team spent their season focusing on building the program and improving skills with each practice. The young team, made up of nine underclassmen, did not have as much experience as teams in previous years, which required practice and determination on the court.

Primary Years Programme (PYP) students at the Lower School have finished their third unit of the school year! The PYP units are built around transdisciplinary themes that are relevant to all students and cultures. The units are supported by knowledge, concepts, and skills from traditional subject areas such as math, social studies, science, and language arts, but utilize them in a transdisciplinary model. 

ISI students start their Upper School experience in the Middle Years Programme (MYP), spanning from Grade 6 to Grade 10. The Personal Project, completed by Grade 10 students, is a student-centered exploration in which students consolidate their learning throughout the MYP. This project helps formally assess their Approaches to Learning skills and allows students to learn more about self management, research, communication, critical and creative thinking as well as collaboration.

In October, ISI hosted a virtual International Baccalaureate (IB) Evaluation Visit. Every five years, a visiting team of educators evaluates each of our International Baccalaureate programmes: the Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme, and the Diploma Programme. The visiting educators spoke with ISI Leadership, teachers, students, and parents regarding the IB education experience at ISI. 

For their summative project in their Individuals and Societies class, Grade 9 students participated in a debate on immigration while role playing as different members of the House of Representatives and Senate. The summative, done while students are studying the United States government, gives students hands-on experience learning how our government operates.

We are so thankful for the ISI community and the ways we continue to grow as #OneISI. We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season, and we look forward to seeing you again in 2022.

On December 2, over 200 ISI community members came together for the annual Night at the Indianapolis Zoo. The Night at the Zoo is a part of the ISI Year of Giving, allowing current families, alumni families, faculty, staff, board of directors, grandparents, friends, community partners, and businesses to join together to invest in our students, our facilities, our faculty, and our future

Within the IB Curriculum, topics and ideas have the opportunity to change, develop, and even evolve to best fit the learning needs of students. The Creativity, Activity, and Service learning model (CAS) is an example of just that. Globally, the CAS Program started out as an arts course offered to students, but now it has taken shape as one of the compulsory elements of the IB Diploma Programme. 

To celebrate a successful end to the second unit, families were invited to join their students in a variety of activities, including song recitals, presentations, and other hand-on activities to support and celebrate their student’s learning. To learn more about the PYP in the classroom, view Pre-Elementary and Lower School at ISI. 

The International Baccalaureate, or IB, is a worldwide education program designed to provide students with an education fit for a globalizing world. The IB stresses the importance not only of academic achievement but also personal development in the classroom. With immersion and dual language programs in French, Mandarin, Spanish, and English, the IB develops worldly thinkers. Here are the top five reasons ISI recommends pursuing an IB diploma.

On November 1, ISI grade 1 students traveled to Jennifer’s Forest and Joyful Learning Nature Center to spend a day outdoors, exploring nature and completing activities for their second Unit of Inquiry: “Sharing the Planet”. The central idea of the "Sharing the Planet" unit focuses on using natural resources in a useful way and teaches students what natural resources are and how we can use them responsibly.

With a large portion of the team graduating during the pandemic and half of the team having never played before, the High School Volleyball team had a season of rebuilding. The athletes worked together, acquiring many match wins and experiencing small victories as a group

The Timmy Club supports Timmy Global Health, a non-profit organization that provides health and education outreach services to economically developing countries. This past week, club members led the Upper School in the fall Timmy Spirit Week which included themed dress-up days and student vs. staff volleyball and soccer games, raising $1,905!

After sitting on the sidelines because of the canceled 2020 season, the High School Cross Country team returned for the 2021 season with a new Head Coach, and motivated athletes, ready to come back stronger

The High School Girls Soccer team started the season with goals not only related to wins and losses, but also growing as people and as a team. Coach Ken McDaniel has focused the past three seasons on building a tight-knit culture and continuing to grow the program able to sustain the success it achieves.

With a team comprised of new runners, the Co-Ed Middle School Cross Country team spent their season building skills, endurance, and the basics of competing. Their hard work paid off, with each runner improving on their individual times by the conclusion of the season.

The students presented their projects in a mock Nobel Prize for Biology before a team of judges. Students pulled together their ideas and decided how they would share the information with the panel. The result was a highly effective and knowledgeable series of presentations.

The ISI Middle School Athletic Program serves as a great opportunity for students to try a new sport. With the cancelation of the Fall 2020 season, the Middle School Co-Ed Tennis team welcomed many new athletes who had never played a match before.

Starting the season off with a team of players who were almost all new to the sport, the Middle School Volleyball team showed huge leaps as the season progressed. After a slow start to the season, the team became more and more comfortable on the court. This led to exciting wins the team worked hard for.

The Boys Varsity Soccer Team had an exciting first season back after a year without competing. The team was able to use the experience of the upperclassmen to help lead the newer players and teach them the basics of the sport. The hard work of each player, paired with the strong team mentality, led ISI to their best record in the past five years, which is 7-4-1. 

This fall, the Middle School Soccer team competed for the first time in two years - and for many players, the first time. Students focused on building up new skills and working together as a team, balancing the needs of new and experienced players. The Middle School Soccer team finished the season with a record of 3-6-1, with close losses they look forward to making up next year.

Last week, the High School Boys Tennis team wrapped up their Fall 2021 Season. With a mixture of brand new players and experienced players who had not competed in two years, the 2021 season was full of challenges. The Boys Tennis team finished their season with a record of 5-5.