Festive Opening Ceremony of the new ISR Kindergarten in Düsseldorf

Monday, 17 August 2020

Another milestone in the history of ISR has been reached: On Friday, August 14, 2020, we celebrated the opening of our kindergarten branch in Düsseldorf-Niederkassel together with our new ISR families, invited guests, our advisory board and friends of ISR.

Among the guests were numerous representatives of the City of Düsseldorf, including Mayor Thomas Geisel, City Director Burkhard Hintzsche, Head of the Real Estate Office Ariane Künster, two representatives of the City District 4, Rolf Tups and Iris Bürger, as well as the Japanese Consul General in Düsseldorf, Kiminori Iwama and the Turkish Consul General in Düsseldorf, Ayşegül Gökçen Karaarslan.

After the ceremonial opening speeches by Mr. Soliman, Mayor Geisel, Consul General Iwama and City Director Hintzsche, a colourful children’s program, tours through the new kindergarten building and a lively get-together followed. The event was musically accompanied by a live band of our partner, Musicbox Oxana. Our school caterer Broich provided for the physical well-being with international finger food and drinks. And our longtime partner Hoffmanns Ballonshop enriched the Opening Ceremony with a colorful balloon decoration in our three ISR colors blue, red, and yellow!

We would like to thank all families, partners, supporters and friends of ISR for this successful opening, and we look forward to welcoming 60 new ISR families from 12 nations to our international community!

We would also like to thank the City of Düsseldorf, which has always supported ISR in its endeavors and has been instrumental in the successful implementation of the project.

The press release and some publications about the event can be found here.

Class of 2020 – ISR Graduation Ceremony

Tuesday, 16 June 2020

On Friday, June 12, 2020, it was again time for us to celebrate the successes of another ISR Graduating Class. Our 56 graduates and their families gathered in the extensive grounds of Haus Meer City Park to celebrate the end of their eventful time at ISR with a ceremonial awarding of diplomas. Due to the special circumstances, this year’s ISR Graduation Ceremony took place in a beautiful outdoor setting, so that all safety precautions could be observed.

After the ceremonial opening speeches by Mrs. Lyons, Mr. Soliman, and Mr. Cete, the Mayor of Düsseldorf, Mr. Thomas Geisel, also addressed the guests, emphasizing the current importance of tolerant and cosmopolitan togetherness as well as his long-standing friendship with ISR.

Afterwards, two of our graduates, Dorothea and Ibrahim, reviewed the eventful time of the graduating class and recalled with great joy many wonderful memories of the past years as well as some humorous comments about each of their classmates. Afterwards, a musical performance by our graduates followed, which included an “Ode to Joy” as the ISR School Song and the European anthem.

Finally, all 56 students received their ISR High School Diplomas, which now opens the doors to prestigious universities worldwide.

We are extremely grateful to have been able to accompany this year’s graduating class for many years and to have completed an important milestone in their lives together with them. Each of our graduates is a further proof of our motto: “We enable great minds and strong characters” and we are sure that the future holds only the best for our students.

We would like to thank all parents, teachers and employees who have contributed significantly to the success of the graduating class 2020 and who have accompanied this class on its way.

Dear students – stay in touch and keep this unforgettable time in good memory. Each of you has shaped ISR in your own way and we are proud to be a part of your own history as well. Our doors are always open for you and your families.

Go out and shape the world, ISR Graduates!

In Japan, March 3 is “Girls Day,” also known as “Hina Matsuri”. This is a special day for girls to celebrate their health and happiness. From the end of February to March 3rd, families display their daughters graceful dolls dressed in Japanese ancient costumes.

In ancient Japan, it was believed that dolls could confine evil spirits, and nowadays the dolls are displayed to ensure girls healthy and happy future. Such a lovely tradition which was shared with our Kindergarten children yesterday by representatives of our Japanese community. Thank you so much ladies!!

Last Saturday, ISR, along with our Indian Community, celebrated the Indian folk festival “Lohri, Makar Sankranti, and Pongal”. Once again, the Harvest Festival at ISR was attended by hundreds of guests and friends of our school as we celebrated India’s cultural diversity. The German-Indian Society (DIG), a long-standing partner of ISR, was again a co-organizer of the festival and it was a special pleasure to welcome many members and friends of this society once again.

The festival was characterized by numerous stage performances by students, parents and the DIG community. There was also a “Fancy Dress Contest” centered around the theme of “Superheroes and Role Models” with great prizes for the kids! The highlight of the evening was a traditional campfire and accompanying drum music. At this point, everyone gathered around the fire to dance together into the summer night!

We would like to thank our Indian Community for sharing this colorful tradition with us and we are pleased that so many visitors, students, staff, friends of the school and partners of ISR were able to participate.

We had a morning full of music and joy as our Kindergarten celebrated the Chinese New Year and welcomed the Year of the Rat! The children held a small parade wearing their self-made dragonheads and masks whilst singing the traditional New Year song “Gong Xi Gong Xi.” Many of the children wore red, a Chinese symbol of luck, and traditional Chinese clothes. We are so grateful at ISR to be able to enjoy so many international celebrations and traditions with our students!

ISR at the Chinese New Year Reception of the Consulate General

Tuesday, 14 January 2020

Last Monday, a reception took place to celebrate the Chinese New Year at the Steigenberger Parkhotel. Due to the excellent relationship that exists between the Chinese Consulate General, Mr. Feng, and our school, some ISR employees and members of the management team were also present at the event.

ISR is proud to be characterized by a large Chinese community that is constantly enriched with new families. The Chinese culture warmly contributes to the international nature of our student body and is celebrated at various festivals and events.

At ISR we plan to build upon this with, for example, a Chinese New Year celebration in February and a German-Chinese economic presentation with the former German President, Christian Wulff, and an expert on Chinese economics, Dr. Markus Hernig.

We look forward to further strengthening the good relationship and cooperation with the Chinese Consulate General and our Chinese community at school.

ISR Alumni Reception 2019

Friday, 20 December 2019

It is always a great pleasure to see again students coming from near and far at the annual ISR Alumni Reception that was held on Wednesday, December 18. Among them were students who since leaving ISR graduated from Cambridge and are currently working on their Ph.D., a student who currently studies at Wharton Business School (part of UPenn, an Ivy League university in the US), and also students studying in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, as well as other UK and US universities.

A panel of six ISR Alumni, representing Physics, English, Medicine, Law, Filmmaking, and Biochemistry, volunteered to answer questions from our Grades 9 &10 Coordinator Ms. McGee who hosted the event, as well as from our current Grade 10, 11 and 12 students. Topics ranged from ‘How well did ISR /IB prepare you for your studies?’ to ‘What is the best advice you could give to current students?’ to ‘Where are the best college parties?’ The event was rounded off with an informal get-together in the Cafeteria where finger food and drinks were served.

Thank you to everyone who attended, have a wonderful Holiday Break!

Our Russian Community celebrates Ded Moroz

Monday, 16 December 2019

Last Wednesday, Ded Moroz visited ISR accompanied by his granddaughter and a few of their fairytale friends to celebrate the Russian New Year at ISR. First, they met our Kindergarten students and told them the story of Ded Moroz by dancing and singing together. In the end, everyone received candy and our students loved the show and the costumes.

So that the whole school could join in the celebration, our visitors went from classroom to classroom and the school was filled with music all morning. They also made homemade delicious Russian desserts.

We thank our Russian Community for this great event and we very much appreciate the effort everyone put in the preparation of the festivities. It was a lovely event and we look forward to many more cultural celebrations.