From Academic Travel across Europe and Opsahl Global Service trips to South Asia and Africa to Carnevale celebrations on campus and athletic achievements in the Palestra, we take a photo-driven look at the past month at TASIS.
Dream Homes
High School students in Mr. Mark Aeschliman’s Architecture course have spent the year designing houses and used class on February 1 to construct scaled models.
Connecting with the Board
Members of the TASIS Board of Directors kicked off a productive visit to Lugano by meeting with parents during an elegant reception at THE VIEW Lugano.
Dining with the Board
Student representatives from all three divisions enjoyed a special lunch in Casa Fleming with members of the TASIS Board of Directors on February 2.
Laudable Linguists
Practicing their second, third, or even fourth language, Middle School students in Ms. Christine Noseda’s Intermediate French class grouped up to recite dialogues on February 2.
Small Skiers, Big Adventure
The Elementary School Snowsports Club skied the slopes above Andermatt on February 3.
On to the Finals
TASIS Tigers 2, a Middle School Varsity Robotics team, won the Robot Design category and placed third overall at a FIRST LEGO League Challenge Tournament in Bellinzona on February 3. By virtue of finishing in the top three, Coach Amy Bloodworth’s team qualified to compete in the Swiss finals in Lausanne on March 2 and will look to become the third TASIS team to represent Switzerland on the world stage in as many years, as TASIS teams qualified to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas in 2023 and at the FIRST Championship World Festival in Houston in 2022! (Photo courtesy of Robo-Si.)
Skiing the Alps
The Middle and High School Ski teams competed at the ISSL Völkl Cup in Hasliberg on February 5–6.
Rhythmic Recaps
High School students in Ms. Jessica Cohen’s Honors Introduction to Literature class, who have been studying Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, composed rhythmic songs about their reading and recited them to their classmates on February 6.
Exam Prep
High School students in Mr. John Schmid’s AP Microeconomics class reviewed the answers to a test on February 6.
Visiting Artists
On February 6 in the Palmer Cultural Center, High School theater and French students and all Middle School students enjoyed special performances of Le Petit Prince by the traveling theater company Théâtre du Héron.
Magnificent Students
During the Middle School Fall Virtue Award Ceremony on February 7, nine exemplary students were presented Magnificent 7 Awards for their embodiment of the seven timeless values TASIS stands for: Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Compassion, Humility, Service, and Vision.
NISSA Champions
The TASIS Tigers placed three boys and three girls in the top four of their knockout brackets to convincingly win the boys and girls NISSA Singles Championship tournaments on February 7 in Milan. Learn more.
Lightbulb Moment
Some High School students in Mr. Athan Rodostianos’s EAL Science class built a series of circuits to light a bulb while others tested the conductivity of different graphite pencils on February 8.
Why Philosophy?
Headmaster Chris Nikoloff hosted a Freedom, Equality, and Justice philosophy seminar and aperitivo for parents and faculty members in Casa Fleming on February 8.
In an effort to ensure that all TASIS students graduate with a foundation in philosophy, each year Mr. Nikoloff delivers a seminar in Ethics to grade 9 students and a Truth, Goodness, and Beauty seminar to grade 10 students. He then added a Freedom, Equality, and Justice seminar for grade 11 students during the 2022–2023 academic year. This three-part seminar teaches students how to think about these ideas more clearly, to see how these ideas relate to each other and our lives, and to understand the foundational structure of these philosophical concepts. The event in Casa Fleming was designed to offer adult members of the community a condensed look at these same topics.
Connecting in Kenya
Nineteen students and four faculty chaperones traveled to Muhuru Bay, Kenya, on February 9–17 for an Opsahl Global Service Program trip to the Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research (WISER). The group connected with the students of WISER, toured local primary schools, visited historical sites, embarked on a safari of the Maasai Mara, and returned to TASIS with a greater understanding of the struggles young women face in Kenya and an enhanced motivation to invoke change.
Helping Out in India
Also through the Opsahl Global Service Program, Nine High School students and three faculty chaperones spent February 9–18 working with long-time TASIS partner Gram Vikas to support the people of Odisha, India. The group led activities for school children, worked in a garden, toured historical sites, and expanded their horizons through service.
High School Theater Company Hits the Road
Over the weekend of February 9–11, the 40 students who make up the company of the upcoming High School Spring Musical, The Little Mermaid, JR., made their way to Accademia Dmiti in Verscio, Italy, for a weekend of intensive rehearsals.
The group kicked off Friday morning with an inspiring physical theater workshop offered by Accademia Dmitri’s Anna Kiskanç. This workshop helped the actors continue to develop awareness of their bodies in space and develop their physical range for expression through movement. It also inspired them to find a deeper connection to their characters.
The High School Theater Company, which is under the direction of Ms. Julie Frazier-Smith with music direction from Ms. Erika Cramp and support from Ms. Jessica Cohen, built upon the shared experience and vocabulary from the morning workshop and applied this directly to the scene work and numbers that they worked on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday. While the actors practiced their scenes and music, the backstage crew members—along with Backstage Manager Ms. Veronica Jenner—worked on scene changes, created props, and prepared snacks for the breaks.
The students supported one another as they took risks as performers and as they designed and created. In the closing run through, the entire company encouraged those on stage with laughter, cheering, and hearty applause. “The power that theater has to transform, support, and strengthen communities was so palpable and evident for us,” said Ms. Frazier–Smith.
Photographers Celebrate a Milestone
Students in Ms. Chrissie Wild’s AP 2D Art & Design class unveiled the photography exhibition “Dieci” in the Horst Dürrschmidt Gallery in the state-of-the-art Şahenk Fine Arts Center on the afternoon of February 12. The creative exhibition will remain on display until March 22 and is in celebration of students now working on the 10th piece of their Sustained Investigations, which are a major part of the AP Portfolio they must submit in May.
Carnevale Time
In celebration of Carnevale, Elementary School students enjoyed special treats provided by the TASIS Parent Association, wore festive costumes, and paraded from the main TASIS campus down to Al Focolare—the Elementary School’s Early Childhood Center—on February 13.
A Winter Wonderland
Middle School students and faculty members spent four wonderful days in Andermatt on February 13–16. This year’s Winter Adventure trip included skiing and snowboarding lessons during the day, and evenings were filled with swimming, board games, sledding under the starlit sky, fat biking, trivia nights, and other team-building activities. Students thrived in a nurturing environment that encouraged physical, social, and emotional growth as they explored the breathtaking Ursern Valley in the Uri Canton of Switzerland.
Travel Week
Most High School students and teachers spent February 14–17 on Academic Travel trips to Engelberg for skiing and snowboarding, to Siena for IB exam prep, to CERN for a physics field trip, or to Berlin by overnight train for time in the city.
In Pursuit of the Fleming Cup
As part of the February Academic Travel session, more than 200 High School students and faculty members spent four days skiing and snowboarding on Mount Titlis in the beautiful alpine town of Engelberg. One of the highlights was the 2024 Fleming Cup, a beloved TASIS tradition that was revived back in 2021 and is once again a highlight each winter. Of the 180 skiers and snowboarders who competed in this year’s slalom race—easily a record number of entries since the Cup returned—Ihsan Bektas ’27 (Boys Skiing), Camille Girotto ’24 (Girls Skiing), Niccolo Vanossi ’26 (Boys Snowboarding), and Anastasia Sozanovska ’26 (Girls Snowboarding) earned a Fleming Cup by posting the fastest times in the four categories. Learn more about this year’s trip to Engelberg.
Victorious Tigers
The Junior Varsity Girls Basketball team defeated International School of Ticino 37-16 in the Palestra on February 20.
LEGO Masters
The Elementary School Robotics Program hosted a FIRST LEGO League Explore Exhibition in the Dance Studio on February 24. Three TASIS teams showcased their motorized Lego models as part of this year’s theme, “Masterpiece.”
Rising Stars
The Middle School Boys and Girls Basketball teams took on the Panthers of the American School of Milan in the Palestra on February 26.
Dominant Doubles
The Varsity Badminton team won the NISSA Doubles Championship in the Palestra on February 27. Four TASIS duos finished in the top five of the girls’ bracket while a pair of boys’ teams swept the top two places in their tournament.
Tigers vs Panthers
The Varsity Boys Basketball team was edged out by the American School of Milan in a hard-fought contest in the Palestra on February 27.
Supporting Rare Disease Day
On February 29, Elementary School students and teachers wore bold colors to show their support for International Rare Disease Day. Organized by Director of Residential Life Tom Lill and his wife, ES TPA Coordinator Helen Lill, the day is about raising awareness of the existence of rare diseases with the hope of gaining more understanding, acceptance, and ultimately more help for the challenges that people affected with rare diseases face every day.
