2023 is a special year for the ISCT community. I am sure many of you have seen our email signatures, flags and banners proclaiming our 25th anniversary. It is something we are very proud of – especially as it gives us reason to pause and take stock of all that has been built in the last 25 years and all that we hope to achieve into the future. So what do we mean when we say that this is a time to strengthen, to envision and to celebrate?
– Mrs Kascha Reed, Principal of the International School of Cape Town
Time to Strengthen
After 25 years of growth, there are many values, priorities, systems and procedures that have brought us to this point and which have helped us be a successful school in which students achieve incredible academic and personal growth. Some of these structures are invaluable and worth preserving, whereas others have reached a point at which they need to be refined or adapted to meet the needs of our school as it now stands. No longer are we a small community of educators and learners, but we have grown to become a thriving school with a reputation of being the Cambridge school of choice in the southern suburbs. 2023 is a year of refining and strengthening the foundations so that we can press on into what the future holds for us.
Time to Envision
As we reflect on where we are, we naturally start to think of where we hope to be in the near and distant future and how we can reach these dreams. The school leadership took considerable time last year to develop a strategic action plan to help guide us in this process. This was then followed by a session last December which involved various members of the senior leadership team from EDT, the Board of Governors, and the school leadership team. We worked through and consolidated what made us unique, what we needed to hold on to and what we needed to address. It was a wonderful time of bringing clarity and has helped bring focus for our future planning.
Time to Celebrate
There are times in one’s life when celebration is the right response to a situation or milestone. Birthdays, promotions, achievements, partnerships – these are all worthy of celebration. So the question is, what makes our 25th anniversary worthy of celebration?
It is not just about celebrating our age or the longevity of the school, but it is also about taking time to pause and reflect and acknowledge the thousands of students who have come through our school and excelled.
Here are some facts to consider as we measure up some of our achievements:
Since 2007, we have received:
- 118 Cambridge Outstanding Learner Awards
- 81 Awards for the top student in a subject in South Africa
- 13 Awards for students placing in the Global Top 10
- 3 Awards for the Top Student worldwide
We have had 478 High School Graduates who have completed their AS or A-Levels at ISCT.
Over the years we have had more than 40 different nationalities represented in our community. And finally, we have expanded so that we are now based on two amazing campuses rich in heritage. There is so much to celebrate!
In conclusion, let’s take this year to recognise all that this 25th anniversary symbolises for our school community. Yes, we provide the full academic offering from Nursery right through to A Levels and we are one of a handful of co-educational schools in our area. Yes, we provide a British international curriculum in a South African context and have a track record of excellent academic results with a committed experienced teaching body. But, in addition to these strengths, we are also a truly diverse community committed to fostering respect and compassion. This is what has made ISCT such a welcoming environment for so many.
Let’s strengthen that which makes us special and which binds us together, let’s envision where the school will be in the future and start working towards realising that vision, and let’s celebrate whole-heartedly what we have achieved and who we are!
