International Week 2024
by Matthew Gaetano, Principal
MIS celebrated International Week during the last week of the semester. Our theme this year was “Working Together Towards a Sustainable Future.” The UN Sustainable Development Goals were adopted unanimously by all 193 UN member states in September of 2015. A unanimous adoption of a resolution is a relatively rare occurrence in the UN. As part of our participation in the Global Schools Program, we decided to look at the world through the lens of the sustainable development goals. Teachers integrated the SDGs into their units of inquiry.
We began the event on Wednesday, December 11 with a Sustainable Solutions Competition. Noer Helene’s presentation on sustainable fisheries in Japan won the PYP category. Dana’s presentation about an app to make education more engaging won the MYP category. We also had a debate showcase from our World Scholar’s Teams who represented MIS in Bangkok in October. The topic was only national governments have the power and resources to enact solutions to the SDGs.
We had a showcase event on Thursday, December 12 where students presented their work alongside an exhibition of consulates, NGO’s, and local businesses. Students had different presentations: Grade 1/2 looked at the SDG through the lens of storytelling, Grade 3/4 focused on what makes cities sustainable and created an animation about how to make Medan a more sustainable city, Grade 5/6 looked at sustainable economies around the world, Grade 7/8 looked at global treaties to reduce air pollution, Grade 9/10 focused on peace treaties to reduce conflict. Our DP students presented their work to restore the turtle pond on campus. The Malaysian and Japanese Consulates discussed the work their countries are doing with the SDGs. The following organizations also discussed their work: UN – IOM, Aksata Pangan, ISCO (Indonesia Street Child Organization), Canada Education International, OUH (OrangUtan Haven), Yayasan Menara Agung Pengharapan Internasional (YMAPI), Food for the Hungry (Yayasan Fondasi Hidup), OFI (Olam), and Ms. Enthoven from our parent community. Students also displayed their found art projects and had a fashion show using upcycled fashion.
We kept the fun going on Friday where we ended the semester with a lap-a-thon to raise funds to purchase equipment for ISCO. ISCO has centers in Medan and Belawan where they help less fortunate kids by providing after school snacks, tutoring, and after school activities. Their goal is to help students complete their education so they can be productive members of society. We have raised over 60 million IDR as of this publication.
These activities helped students create a better awareness of the 17 SDGs by looking at them through both local and international contexts. We also were able to see how it takes the actions of individuals, governments, NGO’s, and businesses in order to be successful. In 1915 Scottish planner and conservationist coined the phrase “Think globally, act locally”. Our students’ projects were also a demonstration of how an IB education doesn’t just list facts about a country and celebrate with food, fashion, and flags, but challenges students to use their knowledge to work on complex global issues.