On Friday, hundreds of guests, valued ISR families, and distinguished guests gathered to celebrate the remarkable achievements of our 67 graduates from 21 different nations at this year’s ISR Graduation Ceremony 2026. It was a special day filled with pride, joy, and moving moments, honoring the accomplishments of our students and marking their successful graduation from ISR.

We are particularly proud that many families from this year’s graduating class have been part of the ISR family for many years. Several have been with us since 2011, while others joined in 2012, 2013, and 2014. This long-standing connection fills us with great gratitude and makes this graduation milestone even more meaningful for our entire school community.

Following the festive welcoming remarks by Mr. Soliman, Proprietor of ISR, and Ms. Jordanova, Head of Upper School at ISR, we were especially pleased to welcome Dr. Geerlings, Deputy Mayor of the City of Neuss and Member of the State Parliament, to the stage as our keynote speaker. With his appreciative words, he addressed our graduates and highlighted the significance of this important milestone.

Afterwards, our student Ruby enriched the ceremony with an impressive musical performance, adding a particularly memorable and festive atmosphere to the occasion.

Another emotional highlight of the ceremony was the speech delivered by ISR alumna Dr. Camilla Mendl-Heinisch. In a deeply personal address, she shared valuable key learnings with the graduates. Exactly twelve years ago, Camilla herself stood on the very same stage as Valedictorian at her own graduation, speaking to her fellow classmates – a truly special moment that brought her ISR journey full circle in a meaningful way.

Following this, our Parent Speaker, Mr. Habel, addressed the graduates with heartfelt remarks. As a special gesture, he presented each graduate with a small bookmark intended to accompany them on their future paths.

Subsequently, Piotr and Ayssan, this year’s Valedictorian and Salutatorian, delivered their closing speech. With moving words, they expressed their sincere appreciation for all teachers, staff members, and supporters of ISR, while also reflecting with gratitude on their shared school journey.

The ceremonial highlight of the event was the presentation of the ISR High School Diplomas. Amid great applause, our graduates received their diplomas, marking the conclusion of an important chapter and the beginning of an exciting new stage in their lives.

Our graduates have already received an average of 3.5 offers from universities around the world – an impressive achievement that reflects their academic excellence, dedication, and international outlook. Further offers from universities in the German-speaking region are still pending.

Our sincere gratitude goes to all distinguished guests who celebrated this special day with us: Dr. Geerlings, Mr. Nickel, member of the ISR Advisory Board, Mr. Kawakami from the JISD Leadership Team, and, of course, all families who have supported and accompanied our graduates throughout their journey.

We look forward to seeing where the future will lead our graduates and are confident that they will continue to represent and carry forward the values of ISR wherever they go. We warmly congratulate the Class of 2026 and wish all graduates every success and happiness for the future!

We are proud to celebrate another outstanding academic achievement within our ISR Community.

Our Grade 10 student, Pranita, has been awarded first place in Germany in the International Chemistry Competition 2026. This remarkable accomplishment follows an exceptionally challenging final round, in which participants were required to solve 30 complex, supervised questions, demonstrating advanced scientific knowledge and analytical thinking. Pranita achieved the highest score nationwide, placing both herself and ISR among the very top performers in this prestigious international competition.

Her success is a powerful reflection of dedication and academic excellence. At the same time, it highlights the strength of the learning environment at ISR, where students are encouraged to pursue their passions and strive for the highest standards. Pranita truly embodies our ISR motto: “It’s cool to be good!”

We warmly congratulate Pranita – and her teachers – on this exceptional accomplishment!

During May, fourteen Grade 11 students participated in ISR’s annual university exploration trip to London, accompanied by University & Career Counselor Dr. Jill Corbin and mathematics teacher Mr. Felipe Eboli Sotorilli.
During the five-day program, students visited six leading institutions: London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Oxford (including Balliol College), University College London, King’s College London, Hult International Business School, and Imperial College London.

Each year, careful consideration is given to selecting the universities visited. The institutions are chosen based on student interests, historical application trends among ISR students, and the desire to provide exposure to a variety of campus environments, including private and public institutions, as well as large and small campuses in both urban and suburban settings.

Students participated in guided campus tours and attended in-depth admissions presentations at LSE, Oxford, and King’s College London, gaining valuable insight into university life, application expectations, and academic opportunities in the United Kingdom. At Hult International Business School, students also participated in an engaging entrepreneurship masterclass led by Professor Nikhil Soi.
The group also had the opportunity to meet with a former ISR student at UCL to learn more about the transition from the ISR to university life and how the IB Diploma Program prepared them for the academic demands of university study.
In addition to the university visits, students explored several of London’s most renowned cultural institutions, including the British Museum, Natural History Museum, and Science Museum. Free time activities included viewing Big Ben and landmarks along the Thames, attending Hamilton, visiting Hyde Park, and enjoying traditional British fare such as fish and chips.
The trip provided students with an invaluable opportunity to experience the environment of renowned Universities in England firsthand, engage directly with admissions professionals and faculty members, and further develop their academic and career aspirations within one of the world’s leading educational cities.

We would like to thank our dedicated UCC Team for making this trip possible and organizing it for our students, enabling them to gain a well-founded overview of study opportunities worldwide

Standing ovations brought this year’s ISR Arts Evening to a memorable close as we celebrated the event for the fourth time at ISR yesterday.

The program featured a diverse array of art exhibitions, as well as highly professional musical performances by students – many of whom have already won multiple national and international awards – in addition to comedy and theatrical presentations. The evening was hosted with great charm and charisma by our eighth-grade students, Arthur and Soha.

Our guests experienced a wonderfully varied artistic program, ranging from choir performances to piano, flute, violin, spoken word, and stand-up comedy. The repertoire included works by Beethoven, Liszt, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, Debussy, Glière, John Williams, and many others, alongside original and contemporary compositions. From the elegance of classical piano pieces and the emotional depth of the Theme from Schindler’s List to the vibrant energy of the choir and the confidence of individual performers, the evening showcased the impressive breadth of artistic talent at ISR.

Aniego, Anna Maria, Arjun, Clara, Elenora, Eliza, Felicia, Jingya, Kevin, Lara, Lisa, Maya, Misaki, Moana, Nele, Niusha, Peter, Ruihan, Sabrina, Saki, Soji, Vivienne, Wilfred, Yijia, Youen, Yua, Yukichiyo, and Zhihan: you delivered an extraordinary performance and have every reason to be proud! The well-deserved applause testified to your remarkable achievement. We also extend our sincere gratitude to our dedicated ISR Arts Team: Ms. Johanna Henebry (Art), Ms. Simona Schultz (Art), Ms. Stephanie Bucher (Music), Ms. Schelaine Bennett (Theatre), and Dr. Abner Pérez (Music), whose guidance and creativity made this wonderful ISR Arts Evening possible.

Furthermore, no event at ISR would be possible without the tireless support of our SLC students, who contributed with great dedication from start to finish and ensured that our guests were warmly welcomed with delicious snacks and beverages.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to all our visitors, our ISR Arts Team, our SLC students and their coordinator, Ms. Samantha McGee, and above all, to every artist who made this event so memorable!

Yesterday, we hosted the first TEDxYouth event at ISR, organized by our students Derinsu and Carl together with their dedicated team. Centered around the theme Paradox, the event brought our community together for an evening of inspiring ideas and thoughtful reflection, exploring different paradoxes through the perspectives of four engaging speakers.

The speakers approached the theme from distinct but equally thought-provoking angles.

Hannah Helmke, founder of right° based on science, demonstrated that people often know which decisions are harmful to the climate yet still justify their behavior. Knowledge alone, therefore, does not automatically lead to responsible action. For this reason, her company, right° based on science, focuses on making abstract emissions data easier to understand. It translates CO₂ values into degrees Celsius, making visible the extent to which companies, products, or individual decisions contribute to global warming. The central paradox is that people often have enough information but only begin to act more consciously when that information becomes concrete, comprehensible, and personally relevant.

Deborah Hüller, Partner for Public Sector at IBM Consulting and Board Member of the Initiative D21 e. V., spoke about artificial intelligence and humanity, raising important questions about technology, ethics, and what it means to remain human in an increasingly digital world. She also emphasized the importance of human interaction in a society that is increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

Ananya Talreja, a student at Albert Einstein Gymnasium, focused on the human tendency to always want more, even when we already have enough, offering a reflective perspective on ambition, satisfaction, and perspective.

Linda Kastrup from Fridays for Future Deutschland addressed the paradox of climate awareness, reflecting on why so many people know about climate change but still struggle to change their behavior. She also underlined the responsibility of politics and companies, showing that meaningful change depends not only on individuals but also on broader structures and decision-makers.

The break and networking sessions created space for students, staff, and guests to connect and exchange their impressions of the event, as the talks sparked curiosity and discussion among the audience.

We would like to extend a special thank you to our Grade 9 and 7 students, Yukichiyo and Soji, for opening the event with an outstanding jazz performance on the piano and double bass. A huge thank you also goes to Grade 6 student, Aniego, who entertained the audience with a wonderful piano performance between the speaker sessions.

The evening was a tremendous success and a strong example of student leadership and initiative at ISR. Special thanks go to Derinsu, Carl, and their entire team for making this memorable event possible, as well as to all speakers and guests who contributed to the success of the evening.

Under bright sunshine, we celebrated our ISR International Spring Festival 2026 last Saturday with a wonderful turnout on our ISR Campus in Neuss.

Our visitors enjoyed a rich and varied program. In addition to the many outdoor activities offered by our partners, including a challenging parcours by DAYO Sport and interactive games by Famville and Life in Germany, families had the chance to explore the campus, take part in hands-on activities, and enjoy the festive atmosphere across the grounds. A raffle for our younger visitors, giving them the chance to win exciting prizes, was another highlight of the day. We wish to extend our sincere thanks to Kunst am Platz and Verkehrswacht for their generous donations to the raffle!

Our stage program began with Welcome Words and continued with the ISR Japanese Students Performance, ballet presentations led by Claudia Peltzer, the ISR Grades 1–3 Choir, a Chinese dance performance, the German Foreign Class Choir, the theatre performance by Grades 7–8, and a dynamic K-Pop dance. The audience also enjoyed performances by the ISR Band as well as a fantastic Banjo Band performance.

Culinary diversity was once again at the heart of the festival. The wonderful “Taste of the World” buffet, lovingly prepared by our ISR Parent Network, invited guests on a journey around the globe with specialties from Germany, India, China, Turkey, and Japan, alongside delicacies from our Arabic and Russian-speaking communities. In addition, our SLC team also contributed with a vibrant international table. Drinks and snacks from our caterer Broich, a coffee bike, and an ice cream cart rounded out the culinary experience.

We are grateful to all of our partners for being part of this special day and for creating such engaging experiences for our guests: the American Women’s Club, the British Women’s Club, Kunst am Platz, Lions Club Neuss Novaesia, MusicBox Oxana, Ballet by Claudia Pelzer, Broich Catering, the International English Library, the Japanese Consulate General, DAYO Sport, AUSBLICK Immobilien, Ekehard Adams Wohnungsbau, Böcker Immobilien, the Verkehrswacht and Police Neuss, Famville, Life in Germany, English Theatre Düsseldorf, and the Krokodil-Schwimmschule.

A heartfelt thank you also goes to all of our guests for joining us and making the day so special. We are especially thankful to our ISR Parent Network for once again creating an outstanding Taste of the World buffet, to our SLC team for their dedicated support throughout the whole day, and to all of our staff and teachers for their commitment, and dedication in helping bring this event to life!

The ISR International Spring Festival 2026 was a true celebration of community, and togetherness, and we are already looking forward to welcoming everyone again next year!