Many AISL students took part in Computer Science Education Week from 3-7 December. Activities set up in the library were meant to promote computational thinking, coding, and creative problem solving. These activities included

• A game playtesting station created by Grade 9 MYP Design students
• Quiver augmented reality coloring
• 3-dimensional drawing using 3Doodler pens
• Hour of Code activities for iPads & laptops
• MakeyMakey circuitry kits
• 3-D printing & dye cutter printing
• A mac tear-down station

Many thanks to Mr. Langi Shuma of our IT Department & Mr. Frank Louw (Primary IT) for additional support and supplies!

Our library will be open for four Saturdays across the long break with regular Saturday hours (9:00-14:00) each time. Please put us on your list of stops if you are in Lusaka over the holiday! We have something for everyone in the library. Mr. Chabi & Mr. Sinyenga will be here to assist.

AISL Class of 2019 IB Diploma candidates celebrated the completion of their Extended Essay journeys this Wednesday with presentations of their research questions, methodologies, key findings, and tips for students about to start the process. Thank you to the teachers, supervisors, parents, and other community members who attended the presentations. Students have gained valuable research and self-management skills through the rigorous process of writing an extended essay. Some students said that the seeds for their extended essays were sown with Grade 5 PYP Exhibition projects- which for some students became Grade 10 MYP Personal Projects that were then explored more formally through the extended essay during the student's DP years.
 
IBDP Class of 2019 Extended Essay Research Questions:

“If one is resolute about the journey ahead and passionate about achieving one’s goals, then with the right processes in place we can achieve that which has been considered to be impossible before.”
- Peter VanKets

Last week South African professional explorer and adventurer (yes, that's a real occupation!) Peter VanKets gave a rousing talk in Lusaka at a fundraising event for Musikili School about the importance of mindset, grit, and building the right team. Peter VanKets and his partner Bill Godfrey won the pairs Trans-Atlantic Woodvale Rowing Race in 2007, and then in 2010 he went on to solo row in the same race from the Canary Islands to Antigua, a distance of 2500 nautical miles. To accomplish this feat, VanKets cleaved to a routine of rowing for 90 minutes on, 90 minutes off, for 24 hours a day, 76 days straight. Ever looking for the next challenge, VanKets then teamed up with fellow South African Braham Malherbe to join the 2011 Scott Amundsen Centenary Race to the South Pole, an unsupported journey of approximately 700km. VanKets said that part of why his races with partners have been successful is because he promises his partner & has his partner promise him in return to look after & care for each other during the toughest parts of the trip. 

In 2014 VanKets published The Eighth Summit, which is both a memoir of these events together with ways that the lessons he learned from each adventure applies to goal-setting, businesses, and personal enrichment. In thought and deed VanKets embodies many aspects of the IB Learner Profile including risk-taking, caring, reflecting, and being principled (he even helps manhaul a rival's gear on the race to the pole!). His book is an engrossing, inspirational read. If you're interested in checking it out, pass by the library- we now have a signed copy!

Next week is international Computer Science Education Week! This week is meant to highlight the importance of creative problem-solving and computational thinking. For those of you familiar with Hour of Code, that is one component of Computer Science Education Week. We will have a range of hands-on activities set up in the library next Monday through next Saturday as part of this event. Many secondary students will participate in these activities and primary students will be exploring these skills through Bloxels and other units. Please feel welcome to pass by and check it out! We will leave these activities set up for our 8 December Saturday hours (9:00-14:00), too.

On Tuesday, November 21st, grade 8 students had the opportunity to meet guest speakers from two local non-government organizations: We Create Zambia and Girls Can Code Africa (affiliated with Lusaka Hacker's Guild). This talk, organized by the AISL Secondary Librarian & Grade 8 Advisory Team, aligned with the current advisory theme: "How Do I Impact my Community." WeCreate Zambia is a center that provides mentoring, business connections, specialized training, connections to the community, media attention, access to markets & capital - along with the technical tools and resources necessary for taking any business to the next level. According to Ms. Nambula Kachumi, executive director, there are currently five centers worldwide, including locations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Kenya. While cultural and social barriers for women exist, WeCreate promotes gender equality while focusing on non-traditional sectors of business.  Their ‘start-up’ book features the slogan “Stop Talking...Start Doing!” and is on display in the AISL Library.

Our second set of presenters were Oliver Maniharo and Daniel Bevington who introduced Girls Can Code Africa to students and discussed how they offer training, product development, and consultancy to girls (and boys, too, during selected sessions). Their tech boot camps teach leadership, collaboration, and tech skills, including coding and web development. Students learned about their goal of “amplification,” as trainees return to villages after camps to teach peers about what they learned and to empower youth in their communities. A short question and answer session following the talk allowed AISL students to learn more about how these two organizations are making a positive impact on communities in Zambia.

The Grade 9 students have finished their mural in the Primary Library featuring popular fairy tales.  Under the guidance of Ms. Nevers in Secondary Art, the students worked in teams to create a scene that communicated the essence of the story.  Please drop by and take a look at their vibrant paintings. 

Feel welcome to check out a book (or two or three) while you're visiting, too!

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Kids Need Mentors is a new program created by author Ann Braden to connect students with published authors to help inspire students as creators and to promote literacy. The authors who participate in this program volunteer their time for free and even send stacks of books to the school with which they partner- all with the goal of fostering a love of reading & writing with young adults. AISL is fortunate to be part of this program (as far more schools wanted to participate than there are authors available) and to have young adult fiction writer Kayla Cagan as our partnering author. Ms. Cagan is the author of well-reviewed young adult books Piper Perish (2017) and its companion novel, Art Boss (2018). Ms. Cagan is working with our Grade 10 MYP Design students to explore how publishing relates to the design cycle and how to present one's ideas effectively as a way to help Grade 10 students prepare for their Personal Project Expos. Students in Grade 10 MYP Design recently introduced themselves to Ms. Cagan via the electronic sharing platform Padlet and asked her questions about her process and shared their favorite books with her. Ms. Cagan wrote personalized messages right back to our students. We look forward to our continued collaboration with Ms. Cagan including a Skype session with her in March 2019.

Please join us next Tuesday, 20 November from 07:30-08:30 in the Protea Room for an informal discussion about digital citizenship, social media, and internet use. We will use this time to explore parent questions around these topics and will share how we educate our students in proactive, balanced, ethical use of these platforms.

Please take no more than a minute to provide us with a bit of feedback about topics you'd like more information on by filling out this short survey. It will help guide our planning for this session.

​If you’ve always wondered just how beneficial nature is to our health, creativity, and overall well-being, consider reading The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams (2017). Williams pulls together the most highly-regarded studies from around the world that look at this topic from many angles and knits these findings together in a fascinating, well-written book.
 
The implications of this research for the way we design our schools, communities, parks, and other spaces are far-reaching. Among the many powerful take-aways from this book was how fortunate our students are to already be spending significant portions of their day learning, inquiring, and recreating in a beautiful natural setting. AISL students don’t just learn in the classroom- they learn outdoors, around the ponds, by the gardens, and often barefoot on the grassy fields.
 
AISL students are also enriched by the natural soundscapes of the campus. The underlying melody of each day includes frogs croaking, birds singing, and wind blowing through the trees. In contrast, people who live near airports and other cacophonous soundscapes often suffer an increase in hypertension, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, excessive noise can create frustration and an inability to focus.
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One of the chapters of this book also examines the power of awe. Awe-inspiring landscapes often promote curiosity and draw us out of ourselves, often helping us to put our problems into more perspective. We are certainly lucky to have places such as the mighty Victoria Falls and the wonders of the bush & its phenomenal wildlife right at our doorsteps. Interested in learning more about this research? Check out The Nature Fix and see what you think. It's right in the library.

Our AISL Middle School students will have their first coffee house of the year on Wednesday 21 November from 8.30-9.30 in the Middle School Zone.

​This is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their creative talents, which can range from spoken word to song to instrumental pieces to drama and more! One of the IB learner profile attributes we celebrate is that of risk-taker, and this event provides students with a chance to develop confidence presenting in front of a crowd. The atmosphere is always supportive & relaxed. If you have any questions about the event please contact Secondary Librarian Terry Maguire or Chair of the Fine Arts Department Chel Illingworth.

Across last week the majority of our secondary students participated in activities designed to raise awareness of the importance of having the freedom to read. These activities were part of the American Library Association's annual Banned Book Week. Students connected with fellow international students from the International School of Manila via Flipgrid to share their ideas on these topics. They played games meant to highlight vocabulary and concepts central to intellectual freedom and had fun exploring interactive displays and adding their responses to writing prompts in the library. And, of course, they took some time to dive into a good read!

This week the American Library Association and the AISL Secondary Library celebrate Banned Book Week, an annual event designed to celebrate the freedom to read. It is also a week that draws attention to banned and challenged books. The intellectual freedom that is a hallmark of our school and others like it is something we often take for granted.

At our school, our library staff chooses books using the best selection tools available and with a view to subject matters and themes that will resonate with our readers. We also select books for their ability to enrich & support our curriculum (see our Selection Policy for more information on this). We believe that books serve as both windows and mirrors: windows in that books give us insights into other ways of life and a diverse range of experiences, which is a valuable way to develop empathy. Books also serve as mirrors: the reader can find bits of his or her own life reflected in that story and as a result, feel less alone or feel validated. We strive to develop a collection that is diverse, engaging, and relevant to our students.

Yet as we do this, we must also be mindful of our international context. This means that every family will bring its own set of values and its unique cultural background to school. What may be a perfectly acceptable book to read for the child of one family may be deemed inappropriate for a child to read by a different family. We see parents as the final arbiters of what their child may or may not read, though that does not mean limiting the range of choice available to other patrons. Our library staff makes every effort to help students select books they will enjoy that are appropriate for that child’s grade level and interests, but it is always conversations within the student’s family that matter most.  

Feel welcome to come by and browse & add to our interactive displays during this week and take a book (or more!) home. Celebrate having the freedom to choose what you want to read and the writers who create these stories. If you are interested, here is a short video (3 minutes long) called The Top 10 Challenged Books of 2017 (made by The American Library Association & Office for Intellectual Freedom).

AISL High School (Grades 9-12) students kicked off their first coffee house of this year this past Saturday night (our 10th coffee house for high school to date!). We had a packed library with over 70 people who enjoyed improv acts, poetry, dance, acapella singing, duets, acoustic guitar, original science fiction writing, and more. High school seniors Mike & E.J. MC'd the event to make sure as many people as possible had a chance to perform or share. Nights like this help create community through the environment of trust, fun, and risk-taking that predominate. We plan to have two more high school coffee houses this year and will have three coffee houses for middle school, too (MS coffee houses will be during the academic day).