On Saturday, June 1, the 62 students of ISF International School Frankfurt Rhein-Main’s graduating class of 2024 walked across the stage to accept their high school diplomas. Hailing from 16 different countries, the students had come together at ISF and finished their high school education standing shoulder-to-shoulder before a crowd of hundreds of family members, friends, and ISF staff at Goethe-Universität’s stately Casino Building. Guest speaker Zehra Clotten shared valuable advice from her own unpredictable path growing up in several different countries, then beginning her studies in chemistry before turning to finance, where she has achieved success in the CFO office of J.P. Morgan SE. Two graduating seniors who have been at ISF since kindergarten, Bennet Borghaus and Sarah Jane Williams, reminisced colorfully on their time at ISF while also looking to the future in speeches on behalf of their classmates. The ceremony was punctuated by musical performances from ISF students in grades 8-10, including an impressive vocal performance by another graduate, Jimin Marisa Kim. After the ceremony, the new graduates, some still wearing their black graduation robes or clutching bouquets of flowers, chatted with family, friends, and ISF staff over food and drinks at a lively reception featuring a popular photo booth. After many handshakes, hugs, and photos, the crowd gradually broke up and everyone headed out into the evening for what came next.

What an incredible day it was at the Grade 4 Completion Ceremony! We're so excited to share some of the special moments and highlights from this joyous event that marked such a significant milestone for our young learners.

As our Grade 4 students prepare to move on to Grade 5, we are confident they have the skills and knowledge to thrive. This ceremony wasn't just about celebrating their past achievements; it was also about looking forward to their bright futures. We can't wait to see what they accomplish next!

A huge thank you to our dedicated teachers, supportive staff, and wonderful parents who have been with our students every step of the way. Your support and encouragement have been crucial to their success. We also want to give a special shout-out to the organizing committee for making this event so memorable and inspiring.

The Grade 4 Completion Ceremony was a beautiful reminder of the power of education and the limitless potential of our students. We are incredibly proud of all they have accomplished and look forward to seeing their continued growth and success.

Congratulations once again to our Grade 4 students! Here's to many more achievements and milestones ahead.

We are overjoyed to announce that our preschool students have completed their kindergarten journey and will be moving up to Grade 1 in August. This is such a significant milestone, marking their transition to a new playground and learning area where they will continue to grow and become more independent.

To celebrate this incredible achievement, we held a joyous event with all teachers, staff, and kindergarten children. The pure joy and excitement on the faces of our young learners were truly heartwarming. Seeing them take this big step fills us with immense pride and happiness.

Let's join together in congratulating our preschool graduates and wishing them all the best as they embark on this exciting new chapter in their educational journey. We are so proud of each and every one of them!

This has been another fruitful year indeed for the ISF Kenya Project. In fact, we raised close to 10,000€ for the Chitsanze School community in Kenya in the course of this year. The new cafeteria and water project at Chitsanze Schools near Kwale in Kenya has now been completed thanks to Tenda Pamoja, our partners in Kenya. We have also started the renovation of an ICT room as well as two classroom roofs at the primary school.

A big thank you goes to Ms. Martin Martin and our Grade 11 IB CAS students who faithfully ran the bottle recycling project this year.

More thanks go to Ms. Shi of the Marketing department for her assistance at International Day as well as all the student and staff helpers. Our Kindergarten students also participated in two concerts and Ms. Villard-Brandt kindly donated the proceeds to the project. In addition, we are always extremely grateful to the ISF faculty, staff members, and cleaners who faithfully donate each year in the month of December.

In December our choir and string orchestra went to the Marriot Hotel to perform for the ‘Light the Tree’ ceremony. In return, the Marriot Hotel made a very generous donation to the project. Thanks to the Music department for making this event such a success.

Ms. Korkmaz would also like to thank the students of her grades 7-9 Kenya Project SLO activity as well as all the grades 10-12 students who helped make jewelry this year.  These items were sold at the Christmas market and at the ISF Sommerfest to generate more funds.

In March some grades 10 & 11 Japanese students raised over 280€ by organising a Japanese bake sale. These funds were used to help build a toilet for the Chitsanze school community. In May an IB CAS student raised additional funds selling refreshments at the drama production Beauty and the Beast.

To round off the year, the grades 10 & 11 United Korean students donated over 5000€ in June. This is an amazing achievement. Many thanks to Ms. Seong and Ms. Hannon for their kind assistance with the UK concert.

The funds raised this year will go towards the construction of a Science laboratory for the Chitsanze School community. This is a major project, so your support will be very much appreciated in the next academic year!

- Ms. Korkmaz (All School Head of Intensive English)

The Music Department was proud to present the Primary and Middle School concerts in May. Singing, moving, ukuleles, strings, and music production all shared their best efforts. Many thanks to the parents who were able to attend, see, hear, and honor the work of our young musicians!

The students learn many many life-long skills through performance and observation. The performance process helps students learn that quality preparation can lead to a quality performance. This quality performance is also dependent on the conditions of the day and working together with others in the group. The observation of others and also themselves later is essential in the artistic and growth processes to consider what they would like to repeat as well as results or behaviors that they would like to intentionally change in the future. The music department is happy to share and lead students through these experiences to help them become better musicians and people. Of course, the efforts of those involved in other music lessons, activities and group work all contribute to their positive experience in these concerts. We are thankful for the opportunity to have so many musical opportunities at ISF.

Best wishes and hopes for the summer and your musical and meaningful futures.

Mr. Falzarano (Head of Music Department)

On Tuesday, June 18, we gathered to say a very fond farewell to our Deputy Director, Dr Gunther Ludwig and wish him all the very best in his retirement.  Dr Ludwig has been with ISF since the very beginning in 1995.  He has played a vital role in establishing our wonderful school both internally with developing/leading the German Department and externally in dealing with the German authorities on many topics.  We held the event in our Marketing House gardens, where we enjoyed some splendid food and refreshments. We were blessed with a beautiful sunny afternoon where many colleagues were able to spend quality time with each other enjoying memories. Dr. Ludwig will be sorely missed, however, we all wish him great health and happiness in his well-deserved ‘Ruhestand’.