I joined ISA at the end of Primary School and went into Grade 7 which is the ISA equivalent of S1. There were lots of other new people joining my year at that point, some from different schools across Aberdeen as well as some who had just moved to Aberdeen. I came from another independent school in Aberdeen because I had seen from ISA summer camp how great the campus is and how welcoming the students are. Friends from ISA seemed really enthusiastic about their learning and on my trial day the teachers were so friendly and I could tell they cared about what they were teaching.
When I started at ISA I quickly got involved in the jazz band which I really enjoyed, and also tried out some new sports which I hadn’t had the opportunity to play before, including volleyball, ultimate frisbee and basketball. The classroom atmosphere was always positive and although it was more relaxed than in my previous school I felt straight away that it was more productive. I really like the way that we are encouraged to be inquisitive when we are learning and not just told everything. The teachers are really good at challenging each student in their own way to make sure everyone is included and learning well.
Some of the highlights of my time at ISA have definitely been the international sport and language trips I’ve been on. In Grade 8 I travelled to Norway for the volleyball tournament and Barcelona for the Basketball tournament. These were amazing experiences staying with local families so as well as playing the sport I got to learn about the culture of the countries and particularly enjoyed trying the new foods. In Grade 9 I travelled to Madrid on the Spanish language immersion trip and I can’t wait to go to Alicante this year. Living with a Spanish family was such a huge help in improving my Spanish speaking and I enjoyed all the activities in the Spanish school as well as the freedom and independence we had to explore the city. I did have to adjust to eating much later in the evening though!
Music has always been really important to me, playing the clarinet, piano & saxophone and ISA has given me so many opportunities to do music in school. As well as taking music class and playing in the jazz band I have had the chance to perform at assemblies and concerts, and even to accompany the elementary school choir. In Grade 8 & 9 I auditioned successfully for the AMIS (Association of Music in International Schools) Honor Band which was a great experience to play alongside students from across Europe & the Middle East, firstly at ISA and then in Frankfurt.
My advice for anyone joining ISA would be to get stuck in and try lots of new things. By doing that I’ve had lots of amazing experiences and made so many new friends – joining ISA has been the best decision I could have made!
I joined ISA in Grade 7, and it was my first international school. I was born in Cardiff and am Nigerian, but I’ve lived in Aberdeen since I was four. At first, it took me a while to adjust to the work we were getting, since it was much more challenging than the work at my public school. But the classes were smaller, so the teachers had more time for one-on-one teaching, which really helped. I even had some learning support in Grade 7 to help me with managing my work and organization, and it made settling in so much easier.
When I started to find my feet, I realized that the teachers at ISA really care. You can tell they care about every student because they keep pushing us to reach our potential. The transition from Middle School to High School was easy because we were so well-prepared in Grade 8.
My favorite subjects are maths and global perspectives. Solving math is similar to solving a puzzle, and with global perspectives, I’ve always loved history and politics. Outside of class, I love playing football with my friends because it’s a great way to mess around and have fun and the school has great astro pitches.
I’ve also been able to combine my love for animation with my school work. I still animate a lot and have been able to use it in school projects for science, english, and global perspectives to create short animated videos to enhance my presentations. Last year, I even ran an animation club for younger students, which was a great experience.
What makes ISA truly special for me is the mix of people. You’re always around people from different backgrounds, and that changes how you see the world. I never experienced this before joining, and it’s something I really value about ISA.
