International School Open Day

[Monica Okane]

Underthe auspices of the United Nations and guided by its ideals, UNIS provides a rigorous international program in an inclusive and diverse learning environment focused on academic excellence. UNIS fosters innovation, creativity and cross-cultural communication, educating and inspiring its students to become an active force in shaping a better world: peaceful, compassionate and sustainable.

In Middle School, we are focused on facilitating a meaningful transition to adolescence and addressing the ever changing, complex needs of the middle level learner. We are committed to providing learning experiences relevant to the lives of adolescents.

Our high school, the Tutorial House, covers grades nine to twelve, and provides a challenging and well-rounded global curriculum that culminates in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program.

UNIS was established in 1947 by a group of United Nations parents to provide an international education for their children, while preserving their diverse cultural heritages. The school opened its doors in Lake Success, NY to thirty-six children who came from fifteen countries and spoke ten languages.The foundation of the school was to create a program in keeping with the spirit of the United Nations that is one making no distinction as to race, gender, language or religion.

The school was relocated to a group of converted apartments in Parkway Village, Queens. In November 1950 the formal opening of the new quarters included a presentation of the United Nations Flag to the school by Henri Laugier, former Chairman of the International League of Human Rights and ASG for Social Affairs, on behalf of the Secretary-General. The school grew and each year a grade was added.

In 1958, the school was able to move into a vacant public school building at the corner of First Avenue and 70th Street. Six primary grade levels (Junior A, Junior B, Junior C, Junior D, Middle A, and Middle B) accommodated students ages 5 to 10 plus. The Secondary Sequence (Middle C, Senior A, Senior B, Senior C) accommodated students ages 11 to 14 plus. The final two or three years of secondary school consisted of tutorial classes (15 to 17 years plus) offering preparation for national exams such as the American College Boards or the British A and O Level examinations.

The Ford Foundation offered UNIS a grant of $7.5 million for the construction of a new school building. New York City authorities suggested the possibility of building at the foot of 25th Street on land to be created by filling in or constructing a platform over part of the East River. A special gift of $1 million was offered by the Rockefeller family to meet the cost of developing the site.

In 1967 UNIS was one of the eleven schools participating in the newly founded International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. UNIS agreed to accept the diploma as the school's highest standard. The introduction of the International Baccalaureate would particularly benefit those wishing to enter universities in countries other than the United States, but it would also qualify successful candidates for acceptance and for advanced placement in American colleges and universities.

UNIS Humanities teacher Sylvia Gordon inspired students to organize a conference on relevant global issues to take place annually in the United Nations General Assembly Hall. She wanted to create a forum at which UNIS students and other students from both local and international schools could meet, discuss and debate critical world issues such as Human Rights, Development, The Energy Crisis, Global Health, Human Trafficking, Disarmament, Population and Migration. Today the conference continues to be completely student run and organized and is shared with over 300 students participating from local and international schools.

In 1983, UNIS purchased a two-story school building located in the residential neighborhood of Jamaica Estates. This new campus had its own gym, green space, private playground and houses JA (Kindergarten) to 8th grade students.

In celebration of the 50th birthday of the United Nations School, UNIS held a Festival of the Arts featuring musical performances, film screenings, visual art exhibit and artistic presentations by UNIS students, parents, faculty and staff. A gala dinner was held at the River Cafe in Brooklyn as the culmination of the celebrations.

Nearly 200 fifth and sixth graders squealed in excitement as they pulled on light blue t-shirts and scrambled to get into lines. "Your Promise, Our Future," read the message emblazoned on the back, and with little fanfare, they all departed the school in the early daylight to make their way to the United Nations. Deep inside the United Nations General Assembly Hall, the students would witness the historic signing of the major climate proposal agreed upon by much of the world the previous November in Paris.

UNIS celebrates its 70th anniversary by looking at its rich history, the events that shaped the school from its humble beginnings and the successes thousands of students have achieved thanks in great part to their UNIS experience. The education that the school provides---the strong academics and curriculum, the International Baccalaureate, the language, arts, and athletics programmes paired with the experiences beyond the classroom---help prepare students to be global citizens and make significant contributions to shape a better world.

Like all schools around the world, UNIS had to quickly adjust to the changing environment during the pandemic to continue to provide quality education to our students. In order to strengthen human connections, every week during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, UNIS held a Master Class for the entire community, featuring distinguished guests from various fields. Some of the speakers included a US Supreme Court Judge, the Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Tony Award-winning actor, and the creator of the Daily Show, among others.

This year, UNIS is celebrating 75 years of excellence in education. This year-long celebration included a "birthday party" commemorating the close relationship between UNIS and the United Nations and inaugurate the Oman Assembly Hall. The UN Chef de Cabinet Mr. Courtenay Rattray spoke to the attendees, which included UN Permanent Representatives from different countries, UNIS Board of Trustees and Honorary Trustees, UNIS parents, faculty, staff, and friends.

As the school of the UN, UNIS promotes a culture and curriculum that support the spirit and ideals of the UN. Our unique connection with the UN provides students with many unique opportunities to meet, work with, and visit the UN and its leaders.

UNIS-UN is a student run conference, held in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, with the goal of providing an intellectually enriching experience for their peers from around the world.

UN Day marks the day the United Nations officially came into being. At UNIS, we celebrate UN Day as a way to recognize and celebrate our diversity, shared humanity, and connection to the United Nations.

The International Baccalaureate is the capstone of the academic program at UNIS.An integrated program for the last two years of secondary school, the IB offers a comprehensive curriculum, both broad and deep, which emphasizes rigor and excellence in academic preparation. UNIS has participated in the IB from its earliest days.

UNIS arts programs offer opportunities for studio practice, problem solving, and cultural investigation through classical and contemporary music, acting, directing, and playwriting, drawing, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, computer graphics, and digital photography.

The IB is renowned for its academic rigor and emphasis on a student's intellectual, personal, emotional and social development.

This highly sought after curriculum develops students who are prepared for the challenges of our interconnected world.

Structured around transdisciplinary themes, PYP is a concept-driven program that fosters the development of the whole child, encompassing academic, social, emotional and physical well-being. The curriculum is engaging, relevant, challenging and rigorous - focusing on issues that cross subject areas.

The MYP aims to foster creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The curriculum is based on three core principles: communication, holistic learning and intercultural awareness. Unique aspects of the MYP include the Grade 10 Personal Project and giving back to the community through our Service as Action programs.

DP students take 6 courses from the choice of over 50 that we offer, many of which are college-level. Uniquely, the IBDP requires students to complete CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) hours, write an Extended Essay and study the Theory of Knowledge.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma that AIS students attain is internationally recognized, as a rigorous indicator of academic ability and critical thinking. Our ever-growing global network of alumni is connected through a strong community and represented by our Alumni Board.

Our Heritage Language Program currently supports Arabic, Dutch, Greek, Hindi, Kiswahili, Korean and Portuguese. Supported Self Taught Language allows Secondary School students to study other languages of their choosing. English as an Additional Language support is available throughout.

At AIS, every student from 3K - Grade 12 learns at least one language additional to their own. Our diverse community and emphasis on language provide the foundation for genuine intercultural competence.

Students with all levels of language experience are welcome. Language learning is a continuum along which each student progresses differently. Our community represents a diverse range of language knowledge, from complete beginners to the significant proportion of students graduating with bilingual or even trilingual IB Diplomas. Our community is dedicated to this unique language learning approach.

"I am inspired by what is being accomplished every day at AIS - our students are future international leaders reminding us that the world may be big, but there is so much more that we have in common."

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