Category: International School of Belgrade

News and events from ISB

Administrative Retreat – Kovačica “Relax Center”

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Tim and Bane, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

This week we took two days and one night to get out of Belgrade and the school for our annual administrative retreat. Above are Tim M. the lower school principal and Bane N. the IT Director. They are enjoying the Dr. Evil like white Naughyde chairs in one of the conference rooms of the hotel.

We stayed at the Relax Center in Kovačica which is a small town located about 50 kilometers north of Belgrade. It is located on the Pannonian plain of Vojvodina. Kovaćica is one of the few towns that have a non-Serb majority. While Serbia is 85% Serb, Kovaćica has a majority Slovak population. When we went for a run around the town, we noticed it to be a big farming community, with many fields of corn, beans, pumpkins, sunflowers, etc. It reminded me of Iowa, with its flat topography and rich soils.

I couldn’t recommend staying at the Relax Center. It was Eastern European in design and quite modest, but it did have a nice pool. We also enjoyed the outdoor restaurant. We got a lot of work done and got ready for the year.

 

Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia
Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia

Above is a billboard in the city of Pančevo, Serbia, about 30 kilometers outside of Belgrade. Nadia Higl won the 200 breaststroke in last week’s World Swimming Championships in Rome. She came out of nowwhere, literally, from the first lane and mostly unknown, even in Serbia. Her father tatooed her winning time on his bald spot on his head. Serbia celebrated her and the water polo team that also won gold in the championships. They defeated Spain, 14-13 in a tremendous game. Water polo is big here and everyone was following the team, as well as the duel between Milorad Čavić and Micheal Phelps. I didn’t like Phelps after he won, he didn’t shake hands with Milorad.

People I Work With (Part I)

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I am doing a series of profiles of the local employees of the International School of Belgrade. The profiles will be posted on our school’s web site. The purpose is for the expat teachers and families to get to know them better. Often, time and language barriers prevent this. I am posting on my web page, some of the people I work with closely. The first is my secretary Bojana, who is pictured below as well as her profile.

 

Bojana Borovic, my administrative assistant.
Bojana Borovic, my administrative assistant.

Bojana is 28 years old and from Pljevlja, Montenegro. Pljevlja is a city of 40,000 located in the northern part of Montenegro where Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia meet. Administration runs in her blood, as both of her parents work in the field. Her father manages an electrical plant and her mother is a court administrator. They both live in Pljevlja where her father Voja, is an enthusiastic beekeeper. They own their grandfather’s country home and spend much time there. 

Upon graduating from high school, Bojana moved to Belgrade to attend the University of Philology where she earned a degree in English Literature. She returned to Montenegro for a year and a half to work as a translator for a coal mining company. The coal mine’s loss was our gain when she was hired as the ISB Lower School Receptionist in 2007. Bojana’s brother Bojan, also lives in Belgrade where he is studying law at Union University. Bojan plans to join his uncle’s law firm upon graduation.

Bojana has another Bojan in her life- her fiancée Bojan and she plans to wed in 2010. He is finishing his degree at a sports school in Belgrade and is a successful handball coach. Bojana’s future plans include the wedding and shortly thereafter starting a family. She is also completing a Master’s Degree from Podogorica University in Diplomacy and intends to finish next year.

It has been great working with Bojana and she helps me tremendously. Thanks Bojana! By the way, she is the first Montenegrin I have ever met.

ISB Faculty Calls It A Year

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We hosted the International School of Belgrade’s  annual end-of-year party last night at our home. There were over 100 people in attendance and everyone had an enjoyable evening. The school honored the people leaving and celebrated the end of a rewarding school year. In the education business, our year runs from August to June and we are all excited to embark on our travels during the summer holidays.

Owen and Ollie are shown above pushing the glow lanterns. Ethan and Jamie lit 8 of these big paper lanterns that after the brick below gets going, they soar upwards and away. One got caught in the tree of our neighbors and another almost hit their terrace, but all made it out of the neighborhood. A nice tradition started! Ethan saw these used for New Year’s celebrations in Thailand.

The Faculty Band
The Faculty Band
Several faculty members have a rock band that plays in pubs in the city and they graciously played for us last night. It was impressive how much original music they have. Nadia and I felt like we were finally experiencing the legendary night life of Belgrade – in our back yard. I would like to thank Chris, Kay, and Sava and their bandmates for playing. Having live music at a party brings it up a notch!
The goodbyes were done well. The Sunshine Committee of the school organized it with a friend of the departing person speaking about them. A much better method than having administration talking about each person.
The school provided the food and drinks and the maintenance crew worked hard with the set up and arrangements. There was a big wind storm last night that blew over many of the tents but none were lost or broken.
It was a fantastic way to give closure to my first year at ISB. I am looking forward to the summer holidays and refreshing my mind and body for 2009-2010.
Goodbye!
Goodbye!

Words of Tolerance and Understanding

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“Young people, you have the ability to remake or re-imagine this world.”

“It is easier to start wars than to end them.”

“It is easier to blame others than to look inward.”

“It is easier to see what is different about someone, than to find the things we share.

“We should choose the right path, just not the easy path.”

“Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”

Obama
Obama's speech in Cairo - June 2009

Obama spoke on June 4, 2009 at Cairo University in Egypt. What an honest and inspiring speech! I put some pearls of wisdom above that are very applicable to our International School of Belgrade community.

You can listen to the speech in its entirety here.

We Meet the US Ambassador to Serbia

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Last Friday evening we attended an ISB Board of Trustees dinner at the Hotel Zira here in Belgrade, Serbia. Making a surprise visit was US Ambassador to Serbia, Cameron Munter. One of the board members who works with the US Embassy was leaving Belgrade and the board, and he was there to honor his work with the school. He was very nice and down to earth, even being happy to take a photo with us. Also in the picture is our friend Hido (far left), a husband of a colleague at work.

The Ambassador has only a few days left in his post in Serbia. He is off to Iraq to work on special projects. He was there in 2006 heading up the Reconstruction team. Munter is a career diplomat working in various European posts, such as Deputy Head of Mission in Prague and Warsaw. He is an intellectual also, having a doctorate in European History and being a former professor at UCLA. Everyone at the Embassy tells me he is great to work for and is a decent man. He has a tough job here in Serbia, especially when US government policy on Kosovo is in direct opposition to the opinion of the majority of Serbs.

Tim is in the foreground as we ham it up for the photographer
Tim is in the foreground as we ham it up for the photographer

It would be tough to be an Ambassador. His time is really not his, with so many events that he attends, he is often going from one engagement to another. The night he came to our function, he had two more that evening. It must be difficult on a family! He meets so many people and attends so many dinners, conferences, meetings, etc.  Well, Ocean is up and crying, so I need to attend to her. It will be interesting to see who will replace him. It is a long process so we may not know before the year is out.

The Admin Team
The Admin Team

Support Staff Dinner

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Last week we gathered together to say thanks to our support staff. These are the secretaries, administrative assistants, receptionists, and others, that help the school run smoothly. I am pictured below with my administrative assistant, Bojana Borovic. I’ll do a post on her later. She is from Montenegro, and has a Montenegrin father and Serbian mother. Bojana works with me and our curriculum coordinators in the high school.

I am pictured saying thank you to the lovely Bojana.
I am pictured saying thank you to the lovely Bojana.

It is a nice tradition to recognize the people who handle much of the daily activities that happen in the school. We dined at the Zaplet Restaurant located downtown. The Belgrade Eye describes the restaurant as follows:

Zaplet – Belgrade Restaurant

Address: Kajmakcalanska 2, 11000 Belgrade
Location: Center – Vracar – find this restaurant on Belgrade map
Telephone: (+381 11) 240 4142

Our Rating:

Restaurant Description

Very nice and cozy restaurant in Vracar municipality – and one of the favorite places for many Belgraders. This Belgrade restaurant offers wide rage of meals from Serbian specialties all the way to asian cuisine. The place is always packed so advance reservation is a must here. The place offers intimacy, modern interior, great ventilation, and as such it is ideal for relaxing and feeling the benefits of really professional service. The menu includes: classic food, salads and starters, risottos and pastas, soups, national meals, main courses, fish and sea fruit. The specialty of restaurant is one of the most comprehensive wine list where you will find all sorts of domestic and imported wines. Besides this the restaurant offers 15 different kinds of deserts and one of the finest coffees we have tried in Belgrade.

Belgrade versus Seattle Appetites?
Belgrade versus Seattle Appetites?

I highly recommend the restaurant. I’ll definitely take Nadia back there sometime soon. The Independent of the UK ranked it as the best restaurant in the city.

Big Week Over

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Mr. Kralovec, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

It was an extremely busy week for us at school. I am shown above speaking at the commencement for the seniors on Saturday. 24 graduates said goodbye to ISB, and it turned out to be a beautiful day for a ceremony in our courtyard. A lot of work went into making the ceremony go well. It was a special day. The only hitch was our keynote speaker did not appear. We asked Belgrade Mayor, Dragan Djilas to speak and he canceled out last Thursday. In his stead, his people said former mayor and current deputy mayor Hrustanovic was speaking. She never showed or gave us word of now showing. Oh well, our Board President, Marcel Grogan gave a nice impromptu speech for the graduates and no one seemed to notice.

With Prom, Girls on the Move, Parent-Principal Coffee, Rehearsals, Board Dinner, and Support Staff Dinner, it was a hectic week.

Eric, Marcel, and I (left to right)
Eric, Marcel, and I (left to right)

 

The transcript of my speech is as follows:

On behalf of the faculty and staff I would like to say to the seniors…

Thank You

Hvala

Merci

Dank U

Shookran

Da zhen kuje

Dankschen

Did I recognize all of the languages you speak?  That is one of the nicest characteristics about ISB, is the international nature of the school and the variety of languages one hears throughout the day.  All of you have brought a bit of your culture to the school. 

I also want to say thank you for making my first year at ISB easier, by rarely being sent to my office. You were great role models for the younger students. As seniors, you had the highest grade point average in the high school, the best SAT scores in our school’s history, and most importantly, you were the embodiment of our values of excellence, open-mindedness and global responsibility. All the teachers will remember you fondly. Your time and effort spent in learning and improving our school community was appreciated and you will be missed. You have set the bar high for future students and for the first time in our high school, you developed a strong community school spirit. It was small things like organizing the student agendas, a remarkable HOSIC performance, anchoring the defense on our soccer team, to big things like collecting toys for the orphans, bringing joy with your visits to the children’s hospital, and many of you graduating with bilingual IB Diplomas.

I would like to mention one student in particular, who started here at ISB last century and is ending her school career today. I would like to call up to the podium, the kindergarten teacher from the 1997 school year, Dr. Draginja Jeftic and her former pupil and current senior, Sonja Ilic.

In conclusion, I would like to thank Mr. Joostens for the generous donation of refreshments for the reception afterwards. I would also like to thank Suzanne, for giving the seniors the opportunity to complete their school career here, on our beautiful campus. She stood up for what she believed in and that is one of the lessons we try to teach here at ISB.

I would also like to thank the parents and families that played a large role in your development. It must seem like just yesterday that they were crawling and in diapers, and here they are today, ready to make their mark on the world. Do us proud graduates, I wish you all the best in finding a career, love, and happiness.

We will now hear from the ISB Choir, featuring senior singer, Alexandra Von Tersch.

ISB Prom

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ISB Faculty, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Last night I went to two parties. The second was our school’s Junior & Senior Prom. It was a big night for the kids. Very nice to see all of them dressed up! The prom was held at the IN Hotel in New Belgrade. I stayed for the first part, and thanks to the help of the chaperones, I left early.

The hotel had a great terrace where we took these photos. The students organized the whole thing, and they had music, food, etc. Everyone enjoyed themselves and the students acted in a mature manner. We are blessed to have very good students.

Tanya was voted Prom Queen
Tanya was voted Prom Queen

Wednesday Afternoons

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All during the school year I spend my Wednesday afternoons with the Administration Team of the International School of Belgrade. We get together to discuss school issues, events, initiatives, and programs. The bottom line is student learning, and all of us work together, with the feedback and cooperation of the staff to always be improving.

The meetings usually last a couple of hours and since we spend so much time together, we have all grown close. From left to right in the photo are Eric Sands, (Director), Branislav Nikolić (IT Coordinator), myself, Snežana Hasanović (Business Manager), and Tim Moynihan, (Elementary Principal). They are all dedicated professionals and very good people. I have learned much from each of them. Despite differing opinions sometimes, and the occasional stressful situation, we get along very well. I have really enjoyed the camaraderie and professional collaboration and interaction. It has made me a better educator.

We are shown above in Dr. Sand’s office working on the new school web site. The intense efficiency, teamwork, and production was somehow captured in this action photo. Thanks to Neša for the photograph.

High School Classroom Observations: Monday April 8, 2009 First Period

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From time to time I take my camera along when I sit in on classes. Monday morning when I went around the school, I saw dedicated teachers inspiring young people. Below is a description of what I observed. The visits were unannounced. This is the heart of what we do – teaching and learning!

Two freshmen are practicing a scene from Shakespeare’s “All’s Well That Ends Well.” (above) Mrs. Van Drunen in getting the students ready for our Shakespeare Festival next month. Mrs. V advised the girls no to wander away from the stage unconciously and put their back to the audience.

The seniors are preparing for the IB Final Exams. In biology they were looking at a question that asked them to interpret a graph showing the effects of a peptide on the surface of human skin, against several types of bacteria. In physics, Mr. Slough suggested to use the terms in the question as clues to the formula to use. 

 

Work = Energy = Force x Distance
Work = Energy = Force x Distance

The tenth grade Design & Technology students were working on their “multimedia” poems. I sat with Monty and watched his anti-war poem that he posted to youtube.com. He spent 4 hours editing scenes of war and nuclear explosions put to David Bowie’s version of Imagine. I realized how powerful video is with this generation of young people. Monty’s poem on Youtube.com had 212 views and 2 people had rated it. This is so different than writing a poem on a piece of paper and reading it to a class. You can view all of the D & T student blogs at Mrs. Nikolic’s website. 

Juniors Anja and Voja were showing me their graphic organizers. Mrs. Slough uses these effectively to teach the students to organize their thoughts and aid the writing process. Voja said that a thesis is an answer. Luka and Katharina recommended that I read the book the class just completed, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe. The students were analyzing the impact of colonialism in Africa. 

 

Graphic Organizers Aid Students In Organizing Their Thinking
Graphic Organizers Aid Students In Organizing Their Thinking

 

In the language department, the Russian Ab Initio students were studying the accusative case in their grammar workbooks. The English B students were writing an essay using criteria from Oxford’s Advanced English Certificate program. Mr. Van Drunen in the ninth grade Humanities course, was lecturing on the 3 branches of US government. When he a map of the original 13 colonies of the US, one of the students Alex, said, “Why are they all on the east coast?” Pictures say much more than words and I saw teachers using different strategies to increase student understanding. 

 

The Humanities Classroom Appeals to Teens
The Humanities Classroom Appeals to Teens

And finally, the sophmores were playing volleyball in the physical education class. There is lots going on at ISB every period. 

 

Nikola sets for Lajos
Nikola sets for Lajos