Recently, KIS students Vashti and Alan arrived in Melbourne, Australia and were given a very warm welcome by the two families who will be hosting them for one semester while they study at Carey Baptist Grammar School.
It has been a long road for these students: from their selection last June as the successful candidates for this exchange, until their departure from Kodai on 18 February. With passports to be arranged and the visa maze to navigate, it’s a small miracle that they made it there at all! However, such is the nature of exchanges and we’re so thankful that they have now arrived safe and sound.
If an exchange is something you think you would like your child to be involved in while at KIS, there are a few opportunities for this.
Exchange with Australia
An exchange program with Carey Baptist Grammar (Melbourne, Australia) and Woodstock International School (Mussoorie, India) was initiated in the early 1990s by Carey Principal, Dr Ross Millikan and Don Holmes (formerly Dean of Students at Carey and past Vice Principal Academic at Woodstock). In July 2002, Carey Grammar School extended this annual full scholarship offer to two year 10 students of Kodaikanal International School (KIS). KIS students attend Carey Baptist Grammar school during KIS second semester, but Carey’s first semester. The school year in Australia begins in late January / early February and the students return to India in the first week of July. There are many similar courses at the two schools. However, Carey allows only two science subjects per semester if you are in the IB stream. You can do three Sciences, English, Maths and Humanities if you are in the Victorian Certified Stream (similar to KIS diploma). Upon return to KIS, students will receive credits for work done following review of their Carey reports.
Exchange with Germany
The Germany exchange is a one semester exchange program for students in grade nine or ten (at the time of exchange) between KIS and the Andreanum academy. Ordinarily, KIS students travel from Kodai in early August as a group to Hannover, where they are met by their host family, the German family they will live with for the entirety of their exchange. The exchange finishes in late December, when the KIS students return to India (or their country of origin) to complete the winter break with their family. KIS students will have the opportunity to become fluent in German as the school they attend conducts all their instruction in German.
Exchange with The Netherlands
The Netherlands exchange is a one month summer exchange program between KIS and two schools in the Netherlands: OBC in Bemmel and Maasland College in Oss. Ordinarily, KIS students travel from Kodai, in a group to Amsterdam as soon as school finishes in May, where they are met by the Dutch family whom they will live with for the entirety of their exchange. At the conclusion of the exchange, KIS students return to India (or their country of origin) to complete the summer break with their family. KIS students are expected to attend all classes assigned to them at the school they are at. They are also expected to maintain a high standard of behavior, conducting themselves as good ambassadors for KIS. Some of the classes that the students attend are in Dutch, giving KIS students the opportunity to pick up some of the language.
Exciting new possibilities
At present we are liaising with an organization in Switzerland examining the possibility of an exchange in a French-speaking part of the country. We are hopeful that this will provide a much needed link with our strong French program as it is our desire to give students the option to spend time in a French-speaking country.
If you would like to discuss the possibility of setting up a partnership with KIS and a school in your part of the world, please feel free to contact Cath Butler.
Cath Butler
HoD RE department
exchanges@kis.in
