Greetings from sunny Southern California!I am currently enjoying my final year as director of an independent school in San Diego, and looking forward to being the commencement speaker for the class of 2013. However, what remains ever-present on my mind is moving my family to Karuizawa and joining the ISAK team in late July. The countdown has begun:
I am six months away from taking my post as Founding Head of School at ISAK – I can’t wait!
So how and where did this journey begin?
About two years ago, I learned that an international boarding school was being established in Japan. I was immediately drawn to join this project because the ISAK core values and ideals mirrored my own, as a professional and as a person. I was also excited about the prospect of leading a residential school because it would allow me to work with students outside the classroom. I love the concept of spending an “extended day” with students and faculty in a close-knit community.
ISAK team members have been working constantly to prepare for our opening day in 2014, when we will welcome fifty students to our innovative and progressive campus. I am currently recruiting our founding faculty from around the globe; it is part of our commitment to making ISAK the premier high school in the world. Coupled with this, we are currently holding discussions with the United World College network that will ensure our community is diverse and maintains an international perspective. Finally, our administrative team is rapidly preparing to apply for candidacy as an International Baccalaureate school, which will ensure ISAK students have a rigorous academic experience and expanded opportunities for life beyond high school.
I sincerely appreciate your continued interest in ISAK. We are very excited about the attention our school has drawn from the larger community and look forward to seeing all of you in the fall of 2014. Please feel free to touch base with us if you have any questions or concerns, but more importantly, be sure to visit us often for the latest updates on “all things ISAK.”
Rod Jemison
Head of School
Foudation for International School of Asia, Karuizawa
