Created by Karena on Dec. 2, 2023
It’s been more than two months since the 2023–2024 school year first began, and this means that ISR is nearing the end of the first trimester. While academics here stick to a semester-based schedule, Mission and Service groups will have a number of upcoming events to plan for the trimester’s end.
Mission and Service had its roots in ISR’s mission statement. The school encourages students to become “ethical, confident, internationally-minded citizens of tomorrow,” an idea which is embodied through its M&S program. Once a week, groups of high school students get together to work out ways they can improve the community, be it at the school, in Riga, or in Latvia in general. The groups are run by the students with faculty supervisors, a style which encourages ISR’s youths to practice their leadership and organization skills. Some groups, such as Smile or Red Cross, have been around for a long time, but others, such as the Music or Philosophy groups, are newer. Regardless, the program encourages students to engage in activities that they wouldn’t normally get to do at school and help the people around them.
With the end of the trimester approaching, it’s becoming time for the people of ISR to consider their future in their groups. Students can propose new organizations for next trimester by filling out the Google Form by November 15, and everyone else is getting ready for the Showcase, which will be on November 22.
The M&S Showcase is a key part of the system. All trimester students work hard in their groups, and the Showcase is the culmination of their work. Every group prepares a video or slideshow about the great work it has done so far, along with ideas for what they are going to do in the future. All of the students and teachers watch the videos during the M&S period, an event which will take place on November 29 this year. Not only is this a great time for the high school students to share the hard work they have been doing all trimester, but it also gives them a chance to see what their peers have been working on. They can get to learn more about their ISR community and get ready to sign up for their group for the next trimester.
This trimester has been a very active one for all of the M&S groups, and it will no doubt be a pleasure to see all of their videos at the end of November. For more information regarding M&S you can reach out to the coordinator, Mr Christen.