Our Big Ideas
What do children need to grow?
The mission of our school is to empower and inspire students to achieve their full individual potential and become global citizens. Underlying all that we do to fulfill this mission are a few simple, but very big ideas. These ideas guide us in making smart, student-focused decisions, appropriate to our school and not too wrapped up in glamorous trends that come and go.
Voice
We listen to students and value their expertise, opinions and ideas. Giving students more say in the classroom strengthens practical problem solving, leadership and creative thinking skills.
Choice
Students follow their interests and enjoy a breadth of offerings and possibilities to explore and experiment. The role of a teacher is to channel individual enthusiasm and coach students to identify their strengths.
Ownership
Students are not passive recipients of facts and figures. They are active creators in the classroom and responsible for steering their own education in a positive, participatory, goal-oriented manner.
Future-ready
The most important skills needed for future success are no longer content-based. Executive skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, agility, resilience, entrepreneurship, and communication will be key to thriving in the workplace and as a person.
Diversity
We celebrate the many traditions and approaches to life and learning within our 75 nation-strong BIS community. Our students benefit tremendously from this breadth of perspective and seeing the world through the eyes of others.
We invite you to discover how these big ideas translate into a BIS experience: