As the dust finally settles on what has felt at times like a rollercoaster of a year, I was thinking about how we chose to kick off our final assembly this year. We were treated to a fantastic performance of Shakira’s 'Try Everything' by the very talented Tahite and Rose in Grade 10. It struck me that those lyrics are pretty much our school mission statement in a song, just with a bit more of a musical beat. The magic of the ISA educational journey isn't just about what happens when everything goes perfectly; it’s about what happens when we stumble, dust ourselves off, and keep going anyway.
The song claims, "I wanna try everything, I wanna try even though I could fail," which is what it means to be a risk taker at IAS. Over the last ten months, I have watched our students step out of their comfort zones. Whether they were tackling their IB internal assessment, putting on rollerblades for the first time in a PE lesson, or standing on a stage singing their hearts out, they chose to push past the fear of looking a bit silly and just gave it a shot. This is very different to my school days as I went to an all-girls’ school in England which was all about academics and getting top grades, and even though I probably would define myself now as a bit of a risk-taker, it definitely wasn’t something I developed until my university years. As the kind community that we are, we want our students to know that the safety net is always there, which I think is why they feel secure enough to take those leaps in the first place and not be afraid to make a mistake.
The lyrics are also honest about the reality of trying new things: "I keep falling down, I keep on hitting the ground... Nobody learns without gettin' it wrong." This is our commitment to being reflective global citizens. Deep learning doesn't happen in a vacuum of perfect test scores; it happens in the messy setbacks, the failed science experiments, and the "well, that didn't go to plan" moments. Failing my first ever assignment at university was the biggest lesson I learned in my academic career rather than all the decent scores in secondary school. As the song reminds us, we should actually aim to "keep on making those new mistakes." Mistakes aren't dead ends; they are just proof that our students are actively learning, growing, and building the kind of personal wellbeing that will help them thrive long after they leave us.
Finally, the chorus gives us our ultimate aim as lifelong Inquirers: "I won't give up, no, I won't give in 'til I reach the end, and then I'll start again." That curiosity is exactly what we hope to foster as we help our students develop into well-rounded individuals.
Before we officially unplug the coffee machines and head out into the Scottish summer sunshine or to the airport for the next flight out of Aberdeen, I want to take a moment to bid a very fond farewell and a huge thank you to the students and staff who are moving on to new adventures this year and continuing their journey to Italy, Australia, Malta, Argentina, Singapore, Spain, USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Denmark or another part of Scotland or the UK. Whether you have been with us for one year or in the case of several of our leaving teachers, over twenty years, you have left your mark on our community, and we are so much better for having had the pleasure of working with you here at ISA. Please remember that you will always be a part of our ISA family, so do keep in touch and let us know where your journey takes you. To everyone else, please use these next few weeks to rest, recharge, and perhaps make a few entirely non-academic mistakes of your own. Have a wonderful, safe summer, and we look forward to starting the adventure all over again in August.
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