ISC Celebrates 50 Years

The International School of Curitiba Celebrates the Past and Plans for the Future

Celebrating the Past – ISC 1959-2009

On November 14^th, the International School of Curitiba celebrated its 50th anniversary with a party attended by about 600 people at ISC’s Santa Felicidade Campus. The celebration began with music played by the ISC Suzuki Strings, composed of students, teachers and ex-teachers of ISC. The ceremony was opened by ISC’s superintendent, Bill Pearson, who spoke about ISC’s history. "The theme of our celebration is Celebrating the Past, Preparing for the Future and, in fact, it is exactly what we are doing. From its modest beginning in 1959, when a few American missionaries families decided to open a school that could offer an American education for their children until today, much has happened,” he said.

            The ex-mayor of Curitiba and ex-governor of the State of Paraná, Jaime Lerner, attended the party and received honors during the event because of his contributions to the development of ISC as well as for his ongoing efforts internationally to promote sustainability. Bill Pearson presented Lerner with a plaque of recognition, which was shaped in the form of the unique, local araucária tree, and announced that the school’s nature center located at the Santa Felicidade Campus will be named the "Jaime Lerner Nature Center.” "It is with great joy that I receive this honor. ISC’s presence is extremely important to Curitiba, and also to Paraná, because the school was an important component in our transformation processes,” said Lerner during his speech.

            Mayor Beto Richa was one of the guests and was also honored by the school with a plaque delivered by the president of the ISC Board of Directors, Eduardo Szazi. "For me, it’s an honor to be part of this celebration to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ISC, which is responsible for many contributions to the State of Paraná. ISC is an institution that is constantly searching for excellence in teaching, with very well-prepared professionals and innovative methodology. Many investments in Curitiba were consolidated by the existence of ISC in the city, as foreign entrepreneurs who run multinationals were able to have access to a prestigious school in which to enroll their children,” said the mayor, whose two sons were students at ISC.

            The party continued with a musical performance by students in grades one to five. They had the audience  Rocking around the Clock,  a-Splishing and a-Splashing, and  Rockin’ at ISC as they sang songs that represented the decades over which ISC’s history was built. The celebration also included a toast, fireworks and dancing led by Luiz Fabiano – Black Power 70’s Disco Music. A special menu complemented the festivities.

Preparing for the Future – Groundbreaking for new Early Childhood Center

On November 4, 2009, officials gathered for the groundbreaking ceremony for ISC’s new Early Childhood Center. The construction of this new school for students, ages 2 to 6 will soon be underway. Once completed, the approximately 3,200 m² facility will bring all of ISC’s students together on one campus and provide state-of-art facilities for ISC’s youngest students.