Introducing Mwambi Lubozhya - IT Manager

Mwambi Lubozhya has transitioned from IT Technician to IT Manager within ISL, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise. Mwambi holds a bachelor's degree in computing and mathematical sciences from the University of Greenwich and is pursuing an MSc in information security and digital forensics at the University of East London. With nine years of diverse experience in the IT field, Mwambi has demonstrated an exceptional ability to support and lead technical teams, ensuring seamless and secure operations.

Mwambi's journey with ISL has been marked by a consistent drive for excellence and professional growth. In his previous role as an IT Technician, he showcased his technical acumen, problem-solving skills, and dedication to maintaining high standards. As he steps into the IT Manager position, Mwambi is eager to leverage his extensive knowledge and passion for technology to further enhance ISL's IT infrastructure and security.

Outside of work, Mwambi is a dedicated chess player and coach, tennis enthusiast, basketball player, and swimmer, reflecting his strategic thinking and teamwork skills. His involvement in coaching highlights his passion for mentoring and developing talent in the community.

Thokozile Wonani - Human Resource Officer

Thokozile is a familiar face in the ISL community; she has been a member for five years. In her dual role as Personal Assistant to the Head of School and Board Secretary, she has administratively supported school leadership and governance. Now, she's embarking on a new chapter in the school as a human resource officer while continuing her role as Board Secretary for the 2024-25 school year.

Thokozile's educational journey is marked by a diploma in Management Studies from the University of Zambia and a bachelor's degree in Development Studies from the University of Lusaka. Her deep-rooted interests in environmental sustainability have led her to pursue postgraduate studies in environmental law and a bachelor's degree in law. These academic endeavours aim to strengthen her advocacy for the planet's well-being, a cause she supports.

Thokozile's career path has been diverse. Before joining the ISL community, she spent ten years in operational support roles across private sector firms, multilateral aid programmes, and the banking sector. These experiences have exposed her to different experiences and cultures and equipped her with a versatile skill set that she anticipates will be valuable for the probable challenges and learning opportunities as a human resource officer at ISL.

Kindness Week

We are excited to announce the upcoming Random Acts of Kindness Week, taking place from February 19th to 23rd. This special week is dedicated to promoting kindness and backing a meaningful initiative.

This year's main aim is to raise funds for the UTH Children's Hospital, focusing on providing clean water and sanitisers in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 6.

There will be bake sales at big break on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday held by specific secondary year groups, as was sent out in the communication earlier this week. The donation bottles will also be available at lunchtime by the old tuckshop. Please encourage your child to bring baked goods on their assigned days and give them any spare notes/coins for donations throughout the week. Please read the attached letter.

Please encourage your child to support this valuable cause by giving them some money to participate in the activities organized by the Student Council.

Draft Updated Guiding Statements & Five-Year Strategic Plan

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community,

We are excited to share the latest developments in our strategic planning process. We have slightly revised our school’s guiding statements as part of this ongoing effort. These revisions have been carefully crafted in alignment with the Council of International Schools (CIS) expectations. 

Your input is invaluable to us as we strive to ensure that our guiding statements accurately reflect the values and aspirations of our school community. We welcome your comments, suggestions, and feedback on these revised statements and our draft Strategic Plan.

SAISA Basketball

Our U19 Boys’ Basketball team embarked on a journey to Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday to partake in the SAISA Basketball Tournament hosted at The American School of Cape Town (AISCT). 

On Thursday morning, they were fortunate enough to explore Table Mountain, capturing breathtaking views of the Cape Town panorama. Later in the day, they attended the impressive opening ceremony at AISCT. Accessible via this link.

Following this, our team secured victories against both the American School of Johannesburg (AISJ) and the host AISCT, showcasing remarkable performances guided by our dedicated coaches, Mr. Banda and Mr. Patterson. To watch the game against AISCT, click on this link:

Charity Drive for People Afflicted by Cholera

Thank you so much for all the generous donations of clothes and goods for the people recovering from cholera at the National Stadium. ISL made a large donation of goods this week but will continue to collect goods via boxes in the MPC or front office. 

Monthly Parent Coffee Mornings & HoS Updates Calendar

We want to share the annual calendar for our Monthly Parent Coffee Mornings (PCM) and HoS Updates meetings. These gatherings allow us to share essential school updates and developments and engage in meaningful conversations with you.

Meetings Details:

Frequency: Monthly

Time: 07:15 AM to 08:30 AM

Venue: Varies 

Day: Third week of the month, Monday to Friday

We understand that your schedules are different, so we've tried to rotate the weekday for each meeting to accommodate everyone's availability. 

Click here to view the calendar and mark the dates in your calendar. We hope you join us for our upcoming Parent Coffee Morning on Wednesday, 21st February. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or suggestions.

Happy New Year!

As we bid farewell to 2023 and step into the promising embrace of 2024, we can't help but take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had at the International School of Lusaka.

This past year has been a testament to the resilience, creativity, and unity that define our ISL community. Despite the challenges that the world presented, our students, parents, and dedicated staff have demonstrated unwavering commitment to excellence in education.

🌟 Student Achievements: Our students continue to shine bright, excelling not only academically but also showcasing their talents in sports, arts, and various extracurricular activities. Their achievements are a testament to their hard work, passion, and the supportive environment fostered within our school walls.

Congratulations to the IB DP class of 2023.

We are very proud to announce that our Diploma class of 2023 have once again beaten the world average of 30.24 points by achieving a pass rate of 32 points. Our top scorer is Arnav Khanna, who achieved the highest diploma score of 43, followed by Klara Boltar, who achieved a score of 40. We are extremely proud of these two students for achieving these excellent results. The average grade obtained by students who passed the Diploma is 5.03.

This cohort of pupils faced significant challenges, with their middle school learning heavily disrupted by COVID-19 and showed great resilience and character as they worked hard towards their rigorous Diploma programme. Thanks to their hard work, they have secured places to study at top universities such as Cambridge, Toronto, Sydney, and Nottingham Trent, among many others. We wish them good luck in their further studies.

ISL 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner Tickets are Ready.

We’re pleased to inform you that the 60th Anniversary Gala Dinner tickets are now available for purchase.

Please visit our front desk to purchase your tickets. Individual tickets are going for K950 and  K10,000 for a table of 10.

Save the Date- ISL's 60th Birthday

ISL TURNS 60!

Come and celebrate with us!

ISL will hold a  Birthday Party on Friday, 29th September 2023, to celebrate 60 wonderful years of providing quality education to the leaders of today and tomorrow. 

The party will take place under the stars, within the school grounds.

Tickets will be available soon.

Save the Date!

Introducing Alex Woods - Geography Teacher

Alex Woods joins ISL from ESF Discovery College, Hong Kong, where he was the IB Geography and MYP Individuals & Societies teacher. He also held the appointment of Dean of the Year, supporting the pastoral needs of students. Previous to this, Alex worked in North-West London, UK, where he was a Progress Leader for A-Level Geography. 

Alex received his teacher training from University College London and holds an MA in Leadership from the same institution, as well as a BSc in Geography with International Studies from the University of Manchester. Alex has also recently completed his NPQSL, through which he undertook a 6-month secondment to SLT at Discovery College.

Alex is a keen traveller and reader, as well as an enthusiastic amateur photographer.

Introducing Annie Borchert - Counselor

Annie Borchert joins us from her most recent position at Varndean College in the UK, an IB world school college, where she has been a student counselor and well-being mentor. Annie is passionate about supporting children and young people from diverse and international backgrounds, promoting growth, confidence, social and emotional well-being, and achieving full potential. She is a humanistic integrative therapeutic counselor (Brighton CPTA, CPCAB, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) and a registered social worker with a BA Honours in Social Work from Kingston University London, with long-standing experience in supporting children and families, as well as people with disabilities and promoting mental health.

Annie also has vast experience in giving specialist support to students who have special educational needs or disabilities, with a focus on autism awareness and neurodiversity awareness. Annie has worked in primary, secondary and further education in London and the southeast of England for many years.

Additionally, Annie has an arts background with a Bachelor of Arts Honours in Photography and uses creative approaches to support emotional and social well-being.

Introducing Dania El Iraqi - Mathematics Teacher

Dania El-Iraqi joins us from Leaders International College, Egypt, where she has been an MYP Mathematics Teacher for the past 5 years. Ms El-Iraqi holds an MSc in Operations Research from Cairo University.

For her innovative research in applying mathematics to cultural heritage management, Dania was awarded a Graduate Internship with the Getty Conservation Institute in LA, California. Dania is the first Arab and only Egyptian to receive the “OR for Development Prize” from IFORS.

Ms El-Iraqi has been teaching mathematics for over 15 years, to undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students in various universities like the American University in Cairo, and to school students in different educational systems like the British (IGCSE), American (SAT) and IB systems.

Dania loves to read, travel, solve logical puzzles and fold origami with her two daughters.

Introducing Cecelia Miller - Music, Art, Drama Teacher

Cecelia Miller is joining the International School of Lusaka team to teach Art, Drama and Music in middle school and English ESL for year 10. Cecelia has a bachelor's degree in Childhood studies from the University of Bristol and a PostGraduate Certificate of Education from the University of Sunderland. 

She has been teaching for the past 5 years, spending 3 years teaching English, Music, Drama and Art in Barcelona, Spain, and the past 2 years working at Baobab College teaching English at middle school and IGCSE level.

Cecelia is a multi-passionate person, who among many things, loves to paint, play piano and guitar, go to the gym and work with humanitarian causes. She is happy and grateful to be joining the ISL team.

Introducing Arnold Kalale - Physics Teacher

Arnold Kalale is an experienced and dedicated physics teacher with a passion for education. With a remarkable tenure of 10 years at Mpelembe Secondary School, he has made a significant impact on the academic growth and success of his students. 

During his time at Mpelembe, Arnold specialized in teaching ECZ, Cambridge A levels and Edexcel A levels, honing his expertise in these prestigious international curricula over a period of 6 years. His deep understanding of the subject matter and effective teaching methodologies have enabled his students to achieve outstanding results year after year. 

Arnold's commitment to excellence in physics education extends beyond the classroom. He served as the Physics Section Head at Mpelembe Secondary School, providing leadership and guidance to a team of dedicated teachers. In addition, he took on the responsibility of Assistant Cambridge Exam Coordinator, ensuring smooth administration and adherence to examination standards. 

As the JETS (Junior Engineers, Technicians, and Scientists) Club Patron, Arnold actively nurtured the scientific curiosity and talents of his students, encouraging them to explore the world of physics through hands-on experiments and projects. His mentorship and support have inspired countless students to pursue careers in the STEM fields. 

Introducing David and Tanya Ratsakatika

David and Tanya Ratsakatika both join us, with their daughter Hana, from the UK. David joins as Athletics Director and Tanya as Head of Science. 

David has been a qualified physical education teacher for the past 10 years both in England and as athletics director in Tanzania. David has experience of PYP to DP teaching and has participated in many coaching awards from swimming to Rugby. In his spare time, David has scouted for Brentford FC youth academy as well as trained football teams at county level. 

Tanya joins as an experienced science teacher of 9 years and previous head of science in England and Tanzania. She has completed her Masters in Educational Practice; conducting research on teaching and learning to improve the outcomes of students. 

Together, David and Tanya are looking forward to exploring the wilderness in Zambia with their daughter Hana. 

Introducing Hannah Griggs - Early Years Teacher

Hannah Griggs joins us from Discovery Bay International School, Hong Kong, where she has taught in both the Early Years and Primary phases. Hannah was appointed to the position of Head of Phonics and then Head of English.

Hannah has most recently completed her National Professional Qualification of Middle Leadership where she led the curriculum development of Writing across Early Years and Primary. 

Hannah completed her BA in Geography at the University of Southampton, before training as a teacher at the University of East Anglia. She taught in a small village school in England before relocating to Hong Kong. 

In her spare time, Hannah enjoys traveling, hiking, and a good coffee! 

Introducing Ewa Bwalya - Counselor

Introducing Ewa Bwalya, our new School Counselor. Ewa holds a degree in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Westminster, London, UK, along with a Cambridge Teaching and ESL Qualification. With her teaching background and experience as an Independent Private Tutor, Ewa brings a solid foundation in supporting students academically and emotionally.

Ewa's expertise extends to working with diverse learners, including those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other needs. Throughout her professional journey in London, UK, as well as during her time as a Learning Support Specialist at Baobab College in Lusaka, Zambia, Ewa has demonstrated her adeptness in providing individualized support and fostering inclusivity within the educational community.

In addition to her professional pursuits, Ewa has a deep passion for environmental causes and organic farming. She finds joy in reading, hiking, and embracing different cultures through travel and making friends from all over the world.

Jillian Johannsen Returns to ISL

Jillian Johannsen returns to ISL where some of you may know her as a former member of the English Department. Jill is a PhD student in English at the University of Teesside. She possesses an MA and BA in English and a PGCE with qualified teacher status. All Jill’s studies were completed in her native United Kingdom. She is a committed IB teacher and IB examiner.

 Jill has taught English language and literature in private and public schools in Thessaloniki, Madrid, Liverpool, Carlisle, including the historic Købmagergade Skole, built in 1898, in Fredericia, Denmark, where she led an innovative international education initiative and received the Mayor’s award for change and commitment to enriching global citizenry in the classroom. 

With over 15 years’ experience of delivering teaching and learning plus 10 years’ experience building capacity in the NGO sector, in Mozambique and Zambia, Jill remains committed to bringing the spirit of international-mindedness, social and environmental responsibility, and her total love for Zambia to the classroom.

 Jill’s special interests are creative writing and eco-poetry. She also enjoys mountain biking, Legoland, and playing glow-in-the-dark lawn darts.