Last year, the annual theme for the 20th anniversary of ICS was “Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges.” For 2023-24, ICS continues its work guided by the new theme of “Dreaming & Discovering.” Fran Carroll, Executive Director, shares what it means to Dream and Discover for our school and the journey ahead!
What are your dreams for ICS?
“My dream for ICS is for it to have a lot more classrooms to save animals!” said Grace, a 5th Grader.
“I want ICS to have two stories, where the second story can have more specials like technology or science!” her classmate Emmanuel said.
“I’d like it to have a water park!” said Ewan, a 2nd grader.
International Community School is a place for dreamers. Teachers, staff, community stakeholders, parents, and especially students are all dreaming big dreams for our school and discovering what is possible when we come together.
When we ask our students about their dreams for the school, we get a wide range of answers from longer recess to better technology to going on a field trip to the moon!
ICS students are extremely creative, hopeful, and resourceful. We support their big dreams. We are also encouraging them to dream even bigger!
Jessica Stillman, a writer for Inc.com, researched the pros and cons of allowing kids to dream big vs. keeping them grounded in reality and had this to say: “A recently published study found that when it comes to how much kids achieve in life, big dreams matter as much if not more than IQ or the family’s socioeconomic situation. The higher kids aimed in life, the more successful they became. And the audaciousness of kids’ dreams had a lot to do with how big their parents and teachers encouraged them to dream.”
For more than 20 years, ICS has been reimagining a world in which a diverse group of kids from different backgrounds and cultures can receive a top-notch education while learning alongside and from one another. Martin Luther King, Jr. shared a dream of a world where social, economic, and racial justice prevails, and where individuals work together to create a society built on compassion, love, and understanding. We, too, dream of fostering this “Beloved Community” at ICS.
We dream of a world where immigrants and refugees in Atlanta are welcomed, and newly arriving children can find belonging and acceptance during their transition. We see a community where students learn from the best teachers who not only focus on high student achievement but also on students’ well-being.
These are all huge dreams, and it feels incredible to look around our school and see it all in action. But, in no way are we going to stop there! As we collect data and input from within our beloved community and listen to hopes and big dreams, we will discover what is possible and work together to make these visions a reality.
Dreaming big can be a powerful way to move us toward achieving our goals. Having the courage and inspiration to do something out of the ordinary can be an important part of success.
So, what are your dreams for ICS?
