Month: March 2009

March Madness Hits Belgrade!

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Coach Kralovec, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

It is basketball madness for me as the boys’ high school team is on their final preparations for next week’s CEESA championship in Helsinki, Finland. I am shown above at Tuesday’s game at the FMP Arena in the Belgrade suburb of Zeleznik. It is an industrial area with lots of Communist Era apartments, but in the midst of the run down buildings is the basketball school and this beautiful basketball arena. Our school project manager went along to get ideas for our new gymnasium.

The team lost 37-81 to their sub-15 team. FMP has the best basketball club in Serbia and they compete in international tourneys for elite high schools in Europe. They are one of the best high school teams I have ever seen! Our students got to experience the best in the world and they held their own in the second half. The relentless pressure defense and attacking style of FMP forced our students to bring up their game. It was a great experience and on behalf of ISB, I thank the basketball school for inviting us to play twice this season! The opposition in Helsinki will pale in comparison and our team will be battle tested by the time we get there.

Pre-game photo of the teams
Pre-game photo of the teams

It is also the NCAA tourney and the team joined a pool. The students and coaches filled out their brackets like President Obama. All of the games are on live on ESPN America, My favorite, the Michigan State Spartans, won their opening game against Robert Morris. The University of Michigan also won their first NCAA tourney game in 11 years, upsetting Clemson. And finally, neighboring state Wisconsin also made it to the second round. I hope they make it to next weekend.

To top off the basketball frenzy, Belgrade professional team, Partizan starts their series with CSKA Moscow in the Euro League Quarterfinals. My favorite professional team Red Star, made it to the Final Four of the Adriatic Basketball League. It will be next month at the Belgrade Arena. Three Serbian teams (Red Star, Partizan, Hemofarm) will join Croatian Zibona for the games in the Belgrade Arena.

Nice Day of Learning in the Middle School

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Bartosz Pi, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

The Middle School has its own rhythm and is very different from the High School. I spend about 25% of my time over there and really enjoy my day with teachers and students.

Thursday we had an ISB Time Assembly in Mrs. Medenica’s room. The main part of the assembly was to watch the Public Broadcasting System Frontline program documentary, “Growing Up Online: Just How Radically is the Internet Transforming the Experience of Childhood?” which you can watch on line from the PBS web site. An animated discussion ensued between the students and teachers. The students gave each other advice on staying safe on line. Very good stuff and we’ll continue this topic this semester. The video above shows Bartosz reciting the first 106digits of pi. Pi is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. It is a non-repeating, irrational number. Bartosz is getting ready for the Knowledge Bowl trip and exercised his brain with trying to memorize as many digits of pi as possible. He memorized 160 in practice and during the assembly he did an amazing 106. Classmate Ellis also had a turn and did over 90. It was a fun way to promote the joy of knowledge and the team’s preparation for the CEESA championship. By the way, the world record for memorizing pi is 67,890 by Chao Lu of China.

Sixth Graders Enjoy Lunch on the Terrace
Sixth Graders Enjoy Lunch on the Terrace

The middle school campus is located down the street from the Lower School. It is the former secret police station of Yugoslavia. It is not an ideal place for a school, which is why a new middle school building is being constructed on the high school campus this spring and summer. But the place does has its charms and the students have made it a cozy place of learning. Above the sixth graders hang out at lunch outside of their homeroom teacher’s terrace. They are a nice group and enjoy their own space overlooking the playground.

Family Journal: Back to Blogging

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Ocean, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

I haven’t been able to post this week because I needed to pay for the internet bill at my house. Here is a picture of Ocean from last Saturday. We took the family to the boys’ basketball game, which we lost in overtime!

Sunday morning we had the chance to go to Ada Ciganlija and ride bikes before heading off to two parties. While Nadia was grocery shopping, I took the boys and snapped this photo in front of the “western gate” or Genex Towers in New Belgrade. I love the post-apocalypse / space age look and feel to the building.

Ollie looking scared and Owen with even less teeth
Ollie looking scared and Owen with even less teeth

Serbian Birthday Parties

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We get invited to many birthday parties from the classmates of our children. We rarely go because with our hectic schedules, when we get some time away from school, we prefer to be alone as a family.

We made an exception Sunday as you can see above. The Serbs really know how to throw a party! Serbia is a south Slavic nation and has more in common with southern Europe lifestyles, than northern Europe lifestyles. They emphasize good times and family and there is more disorganization like Spain and Italy, than say Austria or Switzerland. That is a big generalization and it is not a comment on the entire population, but that is the trend I have observed.

The party was at a place called “The Jungle” and there are many childrens’ birthday party places in Belgrade. The children above are watching a magician on stage. See if you can spot Owen!

The hosts care as much as the comfort of the adults as children. There were probably 60 adults at the party and about 50 children. As you can see above, there is a nice cafe/banquet style seating for adults behind the children. The hosts had a really nice buffet and an open bar. The building was large, with separate rooms for a disco and play land.

Jungle Employees Entertain the Children in the Disco
Jungle Employees Entertain the Children in the Disco

The Jungle provided supervision for the children in the playland and did music activities with them in the disco. Quite an operation, that makes it easy for parents to hold a party. The downside I imagine would be cost, as I saw plenty of bottles of wine and food being consumed. Overall we had a nice time. We have a lot in common with the other school families with young children.

Belgrade is known for its night life. This is about as close as I get to the partying scene!

Excerpt From “Troya”

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Excerpt from “Troya”, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Above is a short excerpt from last night’s Troya movie. I chose an action scene!

ISB Movie Premier of “Troya”

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Waiting for the Film To Begin, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

It was an electric atmosphere last night at the Rex Center Gallery as the Grade 10 Visual Arts Class premiered their feature length digital film, “Troya.” There was over 100 people in attendance to view the project put together by co-directors, Grade 10 student Lucia and Visual Arts Teacher Ms. Natasa Skoric.

The students learned much about the tremendous amount of work and time that goes into making a movie. The class did the entire process, from writing the screen play, casting, costumes and sets, film editing, etc. It was special to see them very excited at their appearances in the film. The movie is a comedy based on the Trojan War. The ancient Greek history is put into a more modern teenage context.

This is the kind of project that sets apart the teaching and learning at the International School of Belgrade from other schools. We strive to take all of the students’ interests and activities to their highest level. The art and film students had the opportunity to work with professionals, using their latest technology, and then displaying their project in one of the premier galleries in the city. It was also great to see so many teachers, parents, students, and Belgraders together sharing in the success of the students. I would like to thank Natasa for her monumental effort and dedication towards the students of ISB.

After the film, lead actor Monty thanks cast and crew
After the film, lead actor Monty thanks cast and crew

ISB Loses a Tough One

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This weekend we are hosting the American International School of Zagreb, Croatia for a couple of friendly basketball matches. We are both preparing for the CEESA Tourney in Helsinki is two weeks.

Tonight’s game was a close knit affair throughout. In the end, the difference was AISZ star Bret Atkins, who scored 22 of the Huskies’ 30 points. The final score was 28-30. For ISB, Pan and Lajos combined for 17 points and six different players scored points. The second game in the series begins tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM.

Shown above is Misa shooting some free throws in the final minutes.  Below is a photo for my Dad. He is a long-time public address announcer for West Iron County High School sports. I had the duties this evening to do the starting line ups for the game.

Taking After My Father
Taking After My Father

Middle School Boys’ Basketball Team Success!

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The Team Hoists the Trophy
The Team Hoists the Trophy

 

Last weekend the ISB Middle School Boys’ Basketball Team travelled to Kiev, Ukraine to participate in the “Blue Division” championship of the Central and Eastern European Athletic Association. The Dragons won 5 games and lost 2 and finished in second place. They defeated teams from Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia, and Slovakia on their way to the finals.

In the final, a few controversial referee decisions in favor of the hosts, gave the win to the Kiev International School. The boys were gracious in defeat and won the Sportsmanship Award as well as earning a standing ovation from the crowd. Basketball is one of the strengths of our school and it reflects the history of the sport in Serbia and the USA. I would like to thank Coach Ethan Van Drunen and the boys for their efforts in dedication in bringing honor to our school.

Seeing the Sights
Seeing the Sights

The final results are posted below.

Win – American International School of Budapest  40-15

Win – Kiev International School Team One 34-27

Win – International School of Latvia 38 -21

Loss – Pechersk International School 37-40

Win – KIS Team Two 48 – 11

Win – Bratislava International School  40 – 21

Loss – KIS Team One 37 -40

 

Team Photo With Cheerleaders

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Yesterday the boys’ high school basketball team traveled to the outer suburbs of Belgrade to play The First Basketball School of Belgrade. The game was played in the beautiful arena used by the FMP – Belgrade professional basketball club. We specialize in producing global citizens, they specialize in producing basketball players, so you can probably tell how the game turned out. Our student athletes played well and improved quite a bit as the game went on. We even had the support of the cheerleading squad and mascot and both teams appreciated their enthusiasm.

The Principal of the school gave Dr. Sands and I a tour of the facilities after the game. The First Basketball School is for boys ages 14 – 18. The students mostly come from Serbia but they also have international students. The boys want to focus on basketball and two practices per day are an integral part of the curriculum. They have several levels of teams and they play an NBA – type schedule of games. The school is affiliated with the FMP – Belgrade professional team. FMP plays in the NBL Adriatic Basketball Leage. FMP is a steel product factory that sponsors the team. Many of the students are boarding residents and the Principal showed us their rooms. Students from the school after graduation in 11th grade, often complete the final year of their high school in the USA or home countries. Several earned USA university scholarships and some go on to play professionally. Many with the FMP club or other Serbian professional club.
Lajos looks inside.
Lajos looks inside.
The Serbs know how to do sports and this is an example of it. They take sports to the highest level. Most Serbian youngsters specialize in a sport and they are provided with the best in coaching and time. It is the reason why such a small country has so many successes in sports. They have three players ranked in the top 10 tennis players in the world, the Partizan team is one of the best in Europe, and the national soccer team is leading their group in World Cup qualifying.
Their team was spectacular with height, speed, fundamentals, etc. Our team improved in the second half and raised their game. The team scored 1o more points in the second half than the first and reduced the number of turnovers by 6. It was a good lesson for them. The ISB cheerleaders also performed several dance routines during time outs and cheered on the team during the game.
Nikola Sets Up the Next Play
Nikola Sets Up the Next Play

My Take on Amsterdam and the Dutch

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After spending a few days in Amsterdam I have some impressions of the city and the Netherlands in general. My son Owen asked me, “Do they speak Hamster in Hamsterdam?”

The biggest impression upon me was the number of bicycles! They were everywhere. At every bus or train station hundreds were parked and as you can see from above, they were also parked in front of buildings and streets. Everyone rode bikes, from grandmothers, to school children. I guess with over 16 million people squeezed in such a small area, bikes are an efficient manner of moving around. I rented a bike and rode for hours both Friday and Saturday evening. They literally have bike paths on every road and canal in Amsterdam.

The Dutch did display that famous tolerant temperament. They were friendly and were willing to help me when I got lost. I was surprised to see a large Islamic population as well as many blacks from Surinam. The canals and old buildings were absolutely stunning. The Dutch themselves look Scandanavian with a British flavor. They are very tall and light skinned. There are beautiful views almost everywhere one looks. I did see a bit of the tourist “red light” district and some of the famous cafes and prostitutes in the window. That part turned me off. I heard that in the warmer months there are many more tourists, although I did see and hear quite a few American college kids around the city.

I would like to go back again solely for the biking! I would like to go on a longer bike ride between cities with my family. I would also like to visit the International Court of Justice in the Hague. I also learned the official name of the country is the Netherlands. Holland is the name of two provinces, not the entire country. It was difficult to take good pictures as I was biking around and the light was not great. 

 

The Amstel River At Night
The Amstel River At Night