International Community School (Ethiopia)
Encyclopedia
The International Community School of Addis Ababa (ICS Addis), founded in 1964, is an independent, co-educational day school that teaches students of all nationalities in prekindergarten through 12th grade and is located in Addis Ababa
, the capital city of Ethiopia
. The school was founded as the American Community School, but changed to its current name in the 1978-1979 school year. In 2011, the school's enrollment was 735 students, from 66 nations. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
since 1992. In 2006 the school was reaccredited through December, 2012. ICS Addis has been authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) since March, 1982.
, circles the main soccer pitch. A large multipurpose building houses the Abebe Bikila
Gymnasium, cafeteria and dining areas, an art room and the nurse's station. The Early Childhood area includes five kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classrooms with outdoor play spaces. In December of 2004 a new middle/high school building was opened that includes modern science labs and a dozen classrooms.
The library has over 30,000 volumes and is divided into two sections, for elementary and middle/high. An elementary computer lab occupies one corner of the middle/high school library. There is another computer lab for middle/high, desktop and laptop computers in classrooms, and several sets of laptops for checkout. The school is phasing in a one-to-one laptop program for all students in grades 6 - 12: thisprogram began in 2010. A building program is also in motion, to add a Performing Arts Center in the middle of the campus, and to add a new 26-classroom block at the bottom of the campus. Construction on one or both projects is expected to begin in the 2011-2012 school year.
in the city, but does not offer the TOEFL
.
The after-school program includes sports at all age levels, drama, clubs, activities and community service opportunities. Sports teams at several age levels participate in a local league with other international and national schools. Boys and girls varsity soccer, volleyball and basketball teams also participate in the International Schools of Southern and Eastern Africa(ISSEA) league, with six other international schools from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.
Students of the middle and high school go on four- or five-night grade level field trips to different areas of Ethiopia, in support of the science or history curricula. Grade five students go on a two-night trip to Sidamo
to learn more about the coffee industry and the lives of coffee farmers in Ethiopia.
Placement tests at the time of application assist admissions and placement decisions. Students must be enrolled as full-time students. ICS does not offer part-time, partial or correspondence programs. ICS Addis has the resources to provide a limited amount of support beyond the regular classroom. Students requiring more support than this for their success are not eligible for admission. Also, students with significant social-emotional difficulties who need a special learning environment may not be eligible for admission.
After careful review of school records and parent information, the school will admit any student whom it deems has a good chance of success in a regular classroom setting with the resources available. The school determines the proper placement for new students. Testing and other appropriate means are used to ensure that students are placed according to their individual needs.
Spirit Week takes place annually in February for the Middle and High Schools. Spirit Week gives the grades an opportunity to represent their class and work together as a team. During this week, themes are assigned to the first four days of the week. The themes for the first four days of the week will be voted upon and assigned by the high school Student Council. Using these themes, each grade is expected to come up with a skit or performance based on the idea that each is provided with earlier that day. Again the Student Council will randomly hand out ideas for each grade concerning the theme of the day (for at least two days of the week). Grades then get together and come up with a skit that involves as many people as possible in the class. After presenting their skit during lunch, their performance is evaluated and ranked by the elected judges. Results of the skit along with "best dressed boy and girl" are then publicized by Student council members. The other two days of the week will still have points awarded for "Best dressed boy and girl", however, there will be no skits presented during lunch. On the other hand, there will be a special dance off competition during lunch on one of the days. On the one theme day left, the school invites "Circus Ethiopia" to perform during lunch. The last day of Spirit Week has always been "Fools Olympics Day". This is a day of different sport activities. Classes will be dressed in their colors and participate in the numerous activities lined up and run by the Student Council members. The class colors from are white (g6), green (g7), purple (g8), yellow (g9), red (g10), blue (g11) and black (g12) respectively. Some of the activities on this day include: "tug of war", "watermelon eating contest", "teacher-student dance off", "class improvisation", "class cheer", "class circle siting", "three-legged race", "piggy back ride", "water sliding", "skipping" and "egg toss". Some examples of the themes used in the past year are: opposite gender day, 60s day, crazy day, couples day and others. During the 2009-2010 school year the themes for the first four days were, "blast from the past", "celebrity day", "crazy twin day" and "class theme day" respectively.
Since the early 1990s, ICS Addis has offered four full 4-year scholarships every year to rising ninth graders from schools throughout Addis Ababa. The scholarships are need-blind and are based on merit. The selection process begins in April with applications from the top students from public and private middle schools around the city. Applicants then take a three-hour exam in reading, writing and mathematics. The top eight or ten applicants will be invited for interviews with ICS faculty the following weekend. The students' parents are also "interviewed" by current or former scholarship students' parents, to learn about the family and to give them more information about the school and what they might expect by accepting a scholarship. From the pool of interviewees, four students will be selected. ICS's scholarship program allows the school to ensure an Ethiopian presence in the high school, with top academic students who add significantly to classrooms, sports teams, community service clubs and other extracurricular programs. The "Scholarship Club" at ICS Addis is famous for its high level of activity and service to the school and community.
The Scholarship Club hosts the "Ethiopian Food Sale" once or twice every year. This sale includes the delicious traditional foods of Ethiopia; both fasting and non-fasting. This food sale represents one aspect of Ethiopia's culture. Besides the "Ethiopian Food Sale", the Scholarship Club also hosts the "Garage Sale" every year. These are funding programs, created to help the Scholarship Club financially.
Almost all of the ICS scholarship students go on to win full scholarships at competitive universities in the USA. In recent years, scholarship students have been awarded four year scholarships to Harvard
, MIT, Stanford
, Vassar
, Davidson
, Yale
, Princeton
, Columbia
and Amherst
. It is the school's hope that these graduates will return and contribute to the development of Ethiopia.
model based on the work of John Carver
.
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
, the capital city of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. The school was founded as the American Community School, but changed to its current name in the 1978-1979 school year. In 2011, the school's enrollment was 735 students, from 66 nations. The school has been accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
since 1992. In 2006 the school was reaccredited through December, 2012. ICS Addis has been authorized to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) since March, 1982.
The School Mission
The International Community School of Addis Ababa, accredited in the United States, develops the talents and intellects of a multicultural student body using learner-centered, holistic instructional methods, empowering each student to contribute in an evolving world. This mission statement was adopted by the ICS Board of Governors in the Spring of 2006.The School Facilities
ICS Addis is located on a 15 acres (60,702.9 m²) tract. The Gym, a main admin/classroom block and the elementary portion of the library were all built in 1964-1966. There are elementary classrooms with adjoining play areas, a separate library building in the center of the campus, an administrative office area, an outdoor amphitheater that seats 500, a basketball court, four clay tennis courts, and soccer and baseball fields. An all-weather 300-meter track, dedicated to Haile GebrselassieHaile Gebrselassie
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian long-distance track and road running athlete. He won two Olympic gold medals over 10,000 metres and four World Championship titles in the event. He won the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon...
, circles the main soccer pitch. A large multipurpose building houses the Abebe Bikila
Abebe Bikila
Abebe Bikila was a two-time Olympic marathon champion from Ethiopia. A stadium in Addis Ababa is named in his honor.-1932–1959:...
Gymnasium, cafeteria and dining areas, an art room and the nurse's station. The Early Childhood area includes five kindergarten and pre-kindergarten classrooms with outdoor play spaces. In December of 2004 a new middle/high school building was opened that includes modern science labs and a dozen classrooms.
The library has over 30,000 volumes and is divided into two sections, for elementary and middle/high. An elementary computer lab occupies one corner of the middle/high school library. There is another computer lab for middle/high, desktop and laptop computers in classrooms, and several sets of laptops for checkout. The school is phasing in a one-to-one laptop program for all students in grades 6 - 12: thisprogram began in 2010. A building program is also in motion, to add a Performing Arts Center in the middle of the campus, and to add a new 26-classroom block at the bottom of the campus. Construction on one or both projects is expected to begin in the 2011-2012 school year.
The School's Programs
ICS Addis follows a college-preparatory American curriculum model, and the program is divided into four sections: early childhood (EC3-EC4), elementary (K-5), middle (6-8) and high school (9-12). The school offers an American high school diploma to all graduates who meet graduation requirements. Almost 100% of the graduates enter higher education immediately after graduation, and 85% of the graduates attend colleges and universities in the USA and Canada. Many students also pursue the rigorous IB Diploma (International Baccalaureate). The school is the only testing center for the SATSAT
The SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
in the city, but does not offer the TOEFL
TOEFL
The Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL , evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an academic setting....
.
The after-school program includes sports at all age levels, drama, clubs, activities and community service opportunities. Sports teams at several age levels participate in a local league with other international and national schools. Boys and girls varsity soccer, volleyball and basketball teams also participate in the International Schools of Southern and Eastern Africa(ISSEA) league, with six other international schools from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa.
Students of the middle and high school go on four- or five-night grade level field trips to different areas of Ethiopia, in support of the science or history curricula. Grade five students go on a two-night trip to Sidamo
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
to learn more about the coffee industry and the lives of coffee farmers in Ethiopia.
Admissions
The International Community School of Addis Ababa accepts students who can be successful in the regular academic program. Admission is based upon completed application forms, previous school records and results from previous or current academic testing as required by the professional staff to determine:- the potential of the applicant to benefit from the educational services available,
- the capacity of the school to meet the educational needs of the applicant, and
- the ability of the school to meet the behavioral or emotional needs of the student.
Placement tests at the time of application assist admissions and placement decisions. Students must be enrolled as full-time students. ICS does not offer part-time, partial or correspondence programs. ICS Addis has the resources to provide a limited amount of support beyond the regular classroom. Students requiring more support than this for their success are not eligible for admission. Also, students with significant social-emotional difficulties who need a special learning environment may not be eligible for admission.
After careful review of school records and parent information, the school will admit any student whom it deems has a good chance of success in a regular classroom setting with the resources available. The school determines the proper placement for new students. Testing and other appropriate means are used to ensure that students are placed according to their individual needs.
Special Events
Spirit WeekSpirit Week takes place annually in February for the Middle and High Schools. Spirit Week gives the grades an opportunity to represent their class and work together as a team. During this week, themes are assigned to the first four days of the week. The themes for the first four days of the week will be voted upon and assigned by the high school Student Council. Using these themes, each grade is expected to come up with a skit or performance based on the idea that each is provided with earlier that day. Again the Student Council will randomly hand out ideas for each grade concerning the theme of the day (for at least two days of the week). Grades then get together and come up with a skit that involves as many people as possible in the class. After presenting their skit during lunch, their performance is evaluated and ranked by the elected judges. Results of the skit along with "best dressed boy and girl" are then publicized by Student council members. The other two days of the week will still have points awarded for "Best dressed boy and girl", however, there will be no skits presented during lunch. On the other hand, there will be a special dance off competition during lunch on one of the days. On the one theme day left, the school invites "Circus Ethiopia" to perform during lunch. The last day of Spirit Week has always been "Fools Olympics Day". This is a day of different sport activities. Classes will be dressed in their colors and participate in the numerous activities lined up and run by the Student Council members. The class colors from are white (g6), green (g7), purple (g8), yellow (g9), red (g10), blue (g11) and black (g12) respectively. Some of the activities on this day include: "tug of war", "watermelon eating contest", "teacher-student dance off", "class improvisation", "class cheer", "class circle siting", "three-legged race", "piggy back ride", "water sliding", "skipping" and "egg toss". Some examples of the themes used in the past year are: opposite gender day, 60s day, crazy day, couples day and others. During the 2009-2010 school year the themes for the first four days were, "blast from the past", "celebrity day", "crazy twin day" and "class theme day" respectively.
Scholarship Program
The Ethiopian Ministry of Education currently forbids ICS Addis from enrolling Ethiopian students who pay tuition, because the school does not follow the Ethiopian national curriculum. The Ethiopian students enrolled at the school are allowed by the Ministry because they have citizenship in other countries, because their parents are in upper management at the school or because they have been learning outside Ethiopia and cannot reenter the Ethiopian school system.Since the early 1990s, ICS Addis has offered four full 4-year scholarships every year to rising ninth graders from schools throughout Addis Ababa. The scholarships are need-blind and are based on merit. The selection process begins in April with applications from the top students from public and private middle schools around the city. Applicants then take a three-hour exam in reading, writing and mathematics. The top eight or ten applicants will be invited for interviews with ICS faculty the following weekend. The students' parents are also "interviewed" by current or former scholarship students' parents, to learn about the family and to give them more information about the school and what they might expect by accepting a scholarship. From the pool of interviewees, four students will be selected. ICS's scholarship program allows the school to ensure an Ethiopian presence in the high school, with top academic students who add significantly to classrooms, sports teams, community service clubs and other extracurricular programs. The "Scholarship Club" at ICS Addis is famous for its high level of activity and service to the school and community.
The Scholarship Club hosts the "Ethiopian Food Sale" once or twice every year. This sale includes the delicious traditional foods of Ethiopia; both fasting and non-fasting. This food sale represents one aspect of Ethiopia's culture. Besides the "Ethiopian Food Sale", the Scholarship Club also hosts the "Garage Sale" every year. These are funding programs, created to help the Scholarship Club financially.
Almost all of the ICS scholarship students go on to win full scholarships at competitive universities in the USA. In recent years, scholarship students have been awarded four year scholarships to Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, MIT, Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, Vassar
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
, Davidson
Davidson College
Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. The college has graduated 23 Rhodes Scholars and is consistently ranked in the top ten liberal arts colleges in the country by U.S. News and World Report magazine, although it has recently dropped to 11th in U.S. News...
, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, Princeton
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
and Amherst
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
. It is the school's hope that these graduates will return and contribute to the development of Ethiopia.
Governance
The school is governed by a nine-member Board of Governors, eight of whom are elected for two-year terms by the International Community School Parent Association, the sponsor of the school. One member is appointed by the US Embassy. Membership in the Association is automatically conferred on the parents or guardians of children enrolled in the school and professional members of the staff. The Board operates within a Policy GovernancePolicy Governance
Policy Governance is a trademarked governance model designed for Boards of Directors that provides a clear differentiation between governance and management responsibilities in organizations. The model was developed by John Carver....
model based on the work of John Carver
John Carver (board policy)
John Carver is an author noted for his development of the policy model for boards of directors called Policy Governance. Carver states his model is the only systematic theory of boards...
.
Alumni
- An unofficial alumni association web site is run by Steve Vance ('78) and can be found at ACS Web.
- Scanned copies of yearbooks from the school's early years are available from Lee Miller at US Mapping Mission.
External links
- School website
- ICS Admissions page
- ICS page on the US State Department's directory of overseas schools
- ICS page on the eDiplomat directory
- ICS page on the IBO website
- Middle States accreditation
- http://home.alltel.net/svance59/ACSWeb/
- Lee Miller's website
- For current news, become a friend of "ICS Eagle" on Facebook!