The academic calendar in Turkey is rich with national celebrations of importance, such as Independence Day (October 29th), the Children’s Festival (April 23rd), Ataturk’s Memorial Day (November 10th) and the Youth Festival (May 19th), to mention a few. These days are celebrated in the schools with activities which mirror the solemnity of the occasion.
The schools also have a full range of artistic, cultural, and educational events such as exhibitions, music nights, art nights, drama, concerts, science fairs, debates, book fairs, competitions, and tournaments. The high school has an active Model United Nations (MUN) club which has travelled extensively over the last few years, and the Middle School has established a similar junior group (JMUN).
The schools are socially active and contribute to the community in a variety of ways. Children, as part of their curriculum, are brought in contact with the needy, handicapped, or less fortunate members of the community. The school organises different events to help meet the needs of these community members, such as fund raising, concerts, visits, and service.
Since 2006-7 the primary and middle schools have hosted a yearly teacher conference for teachers from Ankara and other cities of Turkey. This brings together fellow professionals, in the region of 500, to discuss issues of note in workshops which have been led almost entirely by the school’s own staff.
The schools have also been an active member of the Council of Europe’s Comenius initiative. The primary and middle schools have completed 2 international projects (click here for more) with schools from Iceland, Spain, Italy, Hungary, England, Finnland, Bulgaria, Sweden, Latvia, which included visits to these countries for members of staff working on the project. The high school is running a Comenius project called “Life of Dance” with the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Germany. Through this project students and teachers are able to share their knowledge and culture with others and also learn from them.
The schools have special links with specific schools in Italy, Kosova, Germany, Canada, which involve, for example, inter-community educational activities, projects, school trips, and visits for teaching staff. The school is anxious to develop further ties with schools in international settings as part of expanding and consolidating its international understandings.
