Dear AISC,
As we come to the end of another remarkable school year here at AISC, I would like to thank each of you on behalf of AISC’s Board of Directors.
We are especially proud of our students and their accomplishments and our faculty members who strive to inspire our students to confidently find their place in a diverse and dynamic world. Likewise, the members of our community have been so supportive, volunteering time on our Council of Advisors, and on our PCA, and being present for and supportive of the many events that take place virtually and on-campus. Thank you!
On Saturday, May 28th, our community celebrated our 30 high school seniors at AISC’s annual graduation ceremony in person after a gap of two years. Two of them, Aalia Sait and Achilles Daniels-Condon, spoke as the faculty-chosen speaker and the student-chosen speaker respectively. In their speeches to the audience of fellow graduates, parents, families, faculty, staff, and guests, they captured some of the wonders of life experience that students have while attending AISC.
Aalia Sait, who joined us as an eighth grader, will attend University of Chicago in Illinois next year. In her speech, she shared her hesitation at “leaving this home that [AISC] created for us…” and recognized “the many ways that AISC has prepared us for the next chapter.” Aalia shared moments from her AISC experience that helped her develop resilience, leadership, and a love for exploration. “Being at AISC has taught me to embrace diversity and the culture of wherever I may go regardless of the sociopolitical issues at hand. However, at the same time, I have learned to respect the perspectives of others while being strong in my own moral compass. My teachers and advisors have pushed me to investigate new interests with curiosity… and have taught me the importance of seeking deeper fulfillment through independent pursuits.” Aalia thanked her teachers and advisors for their steady encouragement—who pushed her to deal with failures by not punishing “for mistakes but inviting growth and learning instead.” [For Aalia’s speech, go to minute 37:22]
Achilles Daniels-Condon, who also joined AISC in eighth grade will attend Pomona College in Claremont, California. Achilles likened the Class of 2022 to the balanced South Indian meal that is the thali and how each graduating senior represented one of the six tastes. “Together, we are that diverse and balanced plate. All these healthy thali items are what we’ve learned at AISC–they are our Mission. Even though many of us will be focusing on majors, minors, and areas of expertise, I believe it is also equally important to be open to new experiences and a balanced lifestyle. Live like a thali plate. Have your share of sweets, and also salts. Some sour moments when things don’t necessarily go your way, but some much-needed pungent times to make up for it. Appreciate all six tastes and try to have as many as you can for every meal.” [For Achilles’s speech, go to minute 1:07:30]
We can all appreciate the courage of these two wise young adults to share their perspectives in such a setting as our graduation ceremony. I highlight these thoughts to celebrate the optimism, perseverance, and depth of experiences of all students at AISC this year.
Andrew Hoover, our current Head of School was unable to be at the graduation ceremony in person as he and Kay are with their immediate family in the US, taking care of their aging parents. His video message to the graduating class was emotional and inspirational. Andrew has been the longest serving head of school during the 27 years of AISC’s existence and his contribution to AISC is visible in every classroom, every graduating student and every staff and faculty member that he has nurtured over his 11-year tenure. He will be missed and I join this year’s Board of Directors in wishing him and his family the very best as he moves into his next role based in the US.
Our successful year of Board work was highlighted by our focus on relevant governance. We actively engaged in working through the pandemic, switching between virtual, hybrid and in-person learning models, in preparing Joelle Basnight to be our interim Head of School in 2022-2023, and in hiring a new Head of School, Leigh Fitzgerald, for the 2023-2024 school year, in policy revisions, a DEIJ framework, community outreach and advancement initiatives, campus development planning, and financial planning.
We completed Year Four of the school’s first three-year rolling Futures Plan. The thirty-three-member Community Planning Team has been instrumental in their inputs and have approved 14 Goals for the 2022-2023 school year. Kudos to the school’s leadership, and the entire Community Planning Team for this important milestone!
Further, I would like to thank the members of this year’s Board who have been so selfless in their commitment of time and so generous in their willingness to share their expertise to such important governance work: Sridhar Venkatesh (Vice Chairperson), Ravishankar Pillai (Treasurer), Ramon Menendez-Carreira (Secretary and U.S. Government Representative),, Judith Ravin (U.S. Consul General and Risk Management Committee Chair) Kami Viswanathan (Futures Committee Chair), Louisa Rogers (Governance Committee) and Michael Roberson (Search Committee Chair).
We are also happy to welcome the new members of the Board of Directors for 2022-2023, Eunjung (Clara) Cho, Francesca Hammond, Ravi Bhatkal and Sunitha Kumaran.
Before I complete this letter, I would like to announce that my tenure as Board Chairperson comes to an end on June 30th, 2022. I have been very proud to be at the helm of this Board for the past 3 years and especially happy that we have been named a high performing Board at our parent body NESA year after year. I am sure the new Board of Directors will sustain the excellent reputation for good Governance that the AISC Board has benchmarked and I wish them all the very best!
Have a wonderful summer. The Board of Directors for 2022-2023 looks forward to welcoming you back for the start of another amazing school-year journey on Tuesday, August 2.
With warm regards,
Sriram Sivaram
Chairperson
AISC Board of Directors
