August 1, 2017
I hope you've had a wonderful summer so far. It's been a summer of learning to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations for me as I explored what it means to be a global citizen. As some of you know, I had the opportunity to travel to Belgium and study the European Union. While there I met with a lot of diplomats, including the man who is representing the EU in the Brexit negotiations. He met with us at 9am and then started the Brexit negotiations at 10am. I also got to go to NATO's Headquarters (they'd only allow us in the "old" building") and met with Colonel Russell Driggers, Senior Military Advisor to US NATO, US Air Force. He was really excited about our program and gave me the message to tell all of you to learn to become critical thinkers and to learn how to keep competing ideas in your heads. I happily told him, that's what we do. :) I also got to travel to Israel to do some work with the Holocaust museum, Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. I spent 10 days immersed in the study of the origins, actions and effects of the Holocaust. In addition, I got to talk to journalists and people in Jerusalem to get a much better understanding of the faiths represented there and the tension that erupts. I also got to float in the Dead Sea (It's really hard to NOT float) and visit Christian sites in Northern Israel. I found myself in the role of student a lot, and I am grateful for that opportunity to have learned and to bring it back to you all. Please feel free to ask any questions about my trips; I'd love to talk with you about them. Thank you to those of you who have reached out to me to let me know your thoughts on Salt to the Sea. I even had some of you contact me while I was in Israel, and it made my trip! I was able to tell the colleagues I met with how great it is and now they too are reading it and talking to their students about it. We're starting a movement! There's a lot of stuff coming up in the next few weeks before the beginning of school--lots of opportunities for service hours. There are also the days I've set aside if you need help with the summer reading. Those are optional, but I'd love to see your faces and hear about your summers and the adventures you've been able to have. This week I'm in a lot of professional development but should be back in my office next week. Please always reach out by email if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing you soon! Cheers, Ms. W.
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Dear AIS Community, I hope the recent weeks have treated you well! It's hard to believe we are just about 8 days before our Winter Break. It can be easy to feel a little "squirrely" with all the excitements of the season. I encourage you to stay motivated and diligent during these next few weeks. Once we return from break we have just a week before exams. There are a few great things planned for the next few weeks so be sure to check out what's been happening and what's coming up for the next week. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! Ms. W International Peace Garden Last summer, I applied for a grant with Union-Power Cooperative's Bright Ideas to create an International Peace garden for AIS and Indy community. I envision a place of quiet and reflection with nature for our students to learn and/or honor those who have fought to expand human rights. I was surprised and honored to receive the grant of $1,950 on Thursday during a very touching moment with Mr. Legrand, Ms. MIms, Mrs. Elliott, and AIS Seniors. You can read more about it here, or ask anyone about it. Let's just say, I am humbled and honored by the distinction. I cannot wait to start working on it! AIS Popcorn and Hot Chocolate Social The AIS Ambassadors Cordially invite you to attend a Popcorn and Hot Chocolate Social on Thursday December 15, 2016 from 2:30pm-3:30pm in the AIS (400) building to have a time to relax and mingle with your AIS Community. #BigIReads Over Winter Break Check in with your Seminar teachers about this. Ms. Willett will be participating. Follow her on twitter @kmwbooksit Greetings!
I hope you are all doing well! We've had a great celebration of International Education this week. Each day we had a theme for students to focus their thoughts. Monday we focused on Passports and Tuesday we reflected on the power of our stories. Once student reflected, "You can change your story based on how you treat someone or look at life." That thought has given me a moment's pause and has encouraged me to think about how many times my story may change in any given day. Wednesday's theme was Cultural Communication and Thursday's was Grateful for Connection. Friday we focused on Reaching Out. Art Contest I would also like to say a special congratulations to Jayleena Naut and Gray Fandel for being our winners in our first Art Contest in honor of International Education week. Jayleena won the Best Interpretation of the Theme and Gray won the Best Impact of the theme categories. Congratulations to them both! Penny War! We had so much fun with our penny war this week! There was some good hearted competition going on and there was a lot of joy heard in the hallways. In total we raised $976!!! What an AMAZING response from our AIS community. After a very tight competition, our FRESHMAN class won with -12,021 points!! They chose UNICEF as their international charity of choice and our efforts will be donated to this charity. All grade levels should be proud of their contributions towards this. I am so proud of each of you! A special shout out to the Seniors for helping to get the spirit in to the game! I happened upon this yesterday and thought it was worth sharing. Check out the World Economic Forum's Pictures from NASA that highlight international borders from space. It gives some interesting talking points about our world. I am so grateful to each of you and for the contribution you bring to our community. I wish you a festive and restorative Thanksgiving with family and friends. We have school on Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22. We will not have school on November 23, November 24 or November 25th and will resume classes on November 28th. Thanks again for your support in celebrating International Education Week! Cheers, Ms. W Dear Students and Parents,
Congratulations on your decision to enroll in the Academy of International Studies (AIS) Program at Independence High School. Since its opening in 1967, Independence High School has always provided its students a program to explore the world. The AIS Program was founded in 2004 with a grant from the Bill and Melina Gates Foundation in partnership with the Asia Society to continue this rich tradition in order to provide students a rigorous and challenging curriculum to heighten students' awareness of international issues and other cultures to prepare them for their post-secondary plans. The mission of AIS is to provide students with the skills necessary to prepare them to be global citizens of the 21st century. To do this we have drafted Core Beliefs that we as a staff expect of ourselves and of our students, and we welcome parents and community involvement in order to make AIS a success. Please take the opportunity to volunteer as often as possible that you can be apart of your child's education. We are restarting the Parent Council which will meet quarterly and will need parents/guardians to fill leadership and volunteer roles. The Academy of International Studies is a program that operates within the Independence High School community so our students have the best of both worlds. Students may serve on "big school" clubs and sports etc and are also a part of of the AIS "family." We encourage students to help us blend and find what it means to be a member of both and will be starting an AIS Student Ambassadors that will provide AIS students a way for their voices to be heard. This is my first year serving as the Director of the Academy of International Studies. I am originally from Dearborn, Michigan and attended Northern Michigan University where I graduated with a B.S. in Secondary History and English Education. I taught History at a school near Liverpool in the United Kingdom and English in Warren, Michigan before moving to Charlotte to work with AIS. For the past ten years I have been a History teacher with AIS and I am excited and honored to make the transition to being its Director. The Academy of International Studies is looking forward to working with you and your children. Together we can make a difference in your child's education through our partnership. Sincerely, Katie Willett |
AuthorMs. Willett is the current Director of AIS. She is originally from Dearborn, Michigan and has lived in Charlotte for the past 13 years. Archives
July 2017
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