Welcome to the Senior School (Grades 6-12), where innovation meets excellence.
As a progressive school, we always seek to improve our educational approach to better serve the needs of our students, ensuring they are always prepared for what's next.
We believe that students thrive when they feel happy, secure, and supported. We know that the best learning happens when teachers and students work together, taking shared responsibility for success. That's why we embrace the International Baccalaureate (IB) framework which encourages critical thinking, global awareness, and independent learning. The MYP and DP challenge students to explore their interests and passions while building the skills needed to make a real impact in their communities.
We want every student to be empowered, autonomous, and driven to succeed. We don't just prepare students for the next step in their education - we help them build the confidence and skills to thrive in life beyond school.
With a focus on personalised learning and a commitment to holistic development, ISD is the best place for your child to discover their full potential and make a lasting difference in the world.
In the Senior School at ISD our goal is to support and challenge each of our students individually in an environment that stimulates both high-quality academic learning within the IB programmes, and social-emotional growth for their present and future well-being. Our students become active and engaged citizens positively contributing to a sustainable world.
Colin Campbell
Senior School Principal
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The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) forms the basis of the curriculum for students in grades 6-10. Grade 11 and 12 students follow the IB Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum, leading to the IB Diploma and allowing application to universities throughout the world. Flexible provision is ensured because we have supplementary elective courses in grades 6-10 and students in grades 11 and 12 may take individual IB certificates instead of the whole IB diploma. We also offer our own ISD high school diploma (HSD), which is accredited by NEASC and CIS. At the ISD Senior School, we have an extensive extra-curricular and sports programme, including almost 30 activities and more than 50 sports teams operating throughout the senior school. With modern facilities and state-of-the-art digital technologies, ISD’s senior school is a vibrant learning community. |
GLIMPSES INTO THE
SENIOR SCHOOL
We invite you to visit our senior school, grade by grade, to see the kinds of learning that take place at ISD.
ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
In addition to undertaking the IB diploma, senior students at ISD have the opportunity to gain other qualifications.
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IB COURSEWORK CERTIFICATES |
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In grades 11 and 12, ISD students may also choose the additional challenge of completing IB Certificates/Courses (similar to the U.S. AP system) or the IB Diploma. |
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THE ISD HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA |
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Our accreditation with the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges enables us to offer a globally-recognised four-year U.S. High School Diploma. This qualification grants ISD graduates access to higher education programs in Canada, the United States, as well as many other countries, particularly when accompanied by an SAT or ACT score. All students enrolled in grades 9-12 are automatically following the pathway to earn the ISD High School Diploma. |
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ABITUR EQUIVALENCY |
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In addition to the IB Diploma, students may also obtain the German degree of “Abitur” which is needed for admission to German universities. For this, students must follow very specific guidelines when choosing their DP courses that will enable their IB Diploma to be recognised as an equivalent to the Abitur. Our university counsellors have in-depth knowledge of the IB programme as well as the requirements of the German education system and are happy to provide individualised support to anyone interested in this option. |
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MITTLERE REIFE |
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Students whose German language level is at or close to native level are offered the opportunity to obtain the German grade 10 diploma “Mittlere Reife” or “Fachoberschulreife”. This is unique to the German education system and recognised by the relevant authorities. Some of the advantages connected to this diploma are that it can be used as a fulfilled requirement to start certain apprenticeships in Germany and that it represents an authentic test situation comparable to that of the IB exams after grade 12. It can also be used to transfer to a local German secondary school. |
ADDITIONAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
What would learning look like if we allowed students to freely explore a rich framework of learning experiences? If we helped students to find other learners with similar interests and passions? If we empowered every staff member to share their interests and passions with our community?
Through the ISD Additional Learning Opportunities (ALO) programme, students in grades 6 to 10 are given the opportunity to explore new topics, dive deeper into a current interest, to extend their knowledge in academic areas, and receive coaching in subjects where they may be weaker. Among other objectives, the programme aims to:
- Provide students with agency in when, how, and what they learn.
- Promote age mixing and provide leadership opportunities for older students.
- Allow students to develop relationships with like-minded peers.
- Stretch students by taking them outside of their comfort zone, in a low-stakes, low-pressure environment.
- ALOs take place every second Friday (Day 10) in the last two periods after lunch.
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A.L.O. SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES |
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Service opportunities are semester-long service learning projects that matter to students and the communities they aim to serve. These projects are teacher initiated but student led. Students can choose two different service learning projects over the course of the year. |
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A.L.O. STRETCH EXPERIENCES |
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Stretch experiences leverage the skills and passions of ISD staff and students, offering a set of experiences that stretch beyond the curriculum while also stretching students in six core areas of competence:
Experiences may be challenge-based, movement-based, discussion-based, game-based, curriculum-based, or mindfulness-based. |
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A.L.O. ACADEMIC COACHING |
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Academic Coaching opportunities give students in grades 9 and 10 the individual support they need to help prepare them for the challenges of the Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11 and 12. Every ALO week, students can sign up for the support they need during that particular week. |
PRAKTIKUM
At the end of grade 10, all ISD students undertake the "Praktikum", a two-week work-experience programme with local employers designed to give students an introduction to the business world.
The objectives of the Praktikum are to grow awareness and knowledge about future career possibilities; develop skills and social competencies which are necessary in a professional environment; and network and connect with business contacts.
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The Praktikum (“berufsvorbereitendes Praktikum”) is a required part of the curriculum in German schools and an important experience for adolescents in their search for professional and personal identities. We have adopted the Praktikum into our own curriculum, and are delighted to offer this unique opportunity to our senior students. In preparation for the Praktikum, students learn how to craft a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and write letters of application. Supervision is provided throughout the two week period, to ensure a positive learning experience and to provide support should questions or concerns arise. At ISD, we are fortunate to have connections to over 90 businesses in the greater Düsseldorf area, providing opportunities for placement in a diverse range of local, national, and international organisations. In some instances, the experience is so successful that students are invited to start their careers with their Praktikum provider after completing the IB. |
SERVICE LEARNING
Service to and support of others is an important part in the education of all students at ISD. While creativity and resilience will help prepare our students for what life throws at them, it is also important that they feel a sense of responsibility to do the right thing for humanity.
ISD is developing meaningful partnerships with various communities across the globe. As noted, there are established projects in communities in developing countries; however, locally they have opened their doors
CIS Accreditation Team Chair
2019
Our service-learning programme aims to provide opportunities for our students to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to play their part in creating a fair, inclusive and cohesive society and to encourage them to drive and inspire sustainable change.
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In the elementary school, action is initiated as a result of the learning process. In the senior school, service is embedded throughout the curriculum in the Service As Action (SasA) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) programmes within the IB curriculum. All students from grade 6 to grade 12 participate in service to help build an understanding of what it means to be an informed, active, and responsible citizen. Service may take the form of advocacy such as raising awareness of projects, raising money or goods to support charities, or it may be a direct service of working on-site where help is needed. ISD students support a host of local and international charities in these ways. Our focus is on service learning where the acts of service are linked to learning opportunities and the expectation is that the projects are student-initiated and student-led as far as possible. |
SERVICE LEARNING PROJECTS
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DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD |
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The Duke of Edinburgh Award is one of the world’s leading youth achievement programmes. Aimed at equipping young people for life, the Award challenges participants based on their own abilities, and pushes them to find their limits and recognise their achievements. Now in its third year at ISD, the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award has seen more than 60 students progress through the Bronze and Silver levels, with trips taking place in the Eifel region, and elsewhere. Visit ISD’s Duke of Edinburgh Award website for more information. |
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PROJECT TANZANIA |
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ISD has been involved in supporting a partner school in Tanzania for over 25 years. Project Tanzania sees a team of ISD students and teachers visiting the Moringe Sokoine Secondary School (MSSS) in Monduli, Tanzania every June. Our students provide educational and financial support, and engage in a cultural exchange programme with the local school community in Monduli. The goals of the project are to maintain a collaborative, mutually supportive and sustainable relationship between ISD and MSSS; establish a sustainable model of sponsorship; ensure that Project Tanzania is well known amongst the ISD community; develop and expand partnerships with other schools in Tanzania; and establish processes of accountability and evaluation for the Project Tanzania programme. |
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY |
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Habitat for Humanity is a non-governmental, non-for-profit organisation dedicated to providing simple, decent and affordable housing solutions for those living in poverty, regardless of their ethnic background, gender, or religious affiliation. The goal is to provide individuals and families with adequate housing and thereby improve the quality of their lives. Habitat for Humanity provides the programme participants with building expertise and construction materials that will lead them to home ownership, once they have repaid their non-interest loan. As the organisation strives to enrich the lives of those living in poverty – families, their communities and those who have joined together in this mission – they are guided by four core values: commitment, respect, integrity and stewardship. The ISD Habitat Team is one of ISD’s longest running service organisations. Each year, we spend 10 days of our spring break building houses in countries such as Poland, Romania and Macedonia. During the rest of the school year, we raise funds to contribute to the building projects in which we engage. The hands-on experience of working alongside the future resident families is life changing for many of our students. |
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PROJECT NEPAL |
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This grade 11 CAS project is based on the premise that sustainable development must be rooted within the community, and start with decisions that are made by the people who will be affected. Friends of Volunteers Initiative Nepal (FoVIN) is an organisation based in Amsterdam that works directly with the Nepalese-based non-profit programme Volunteers Initiative Nepal (VIN). Together, along with a group of grade 11 students from ISD, a programme is established within a marginalised rural community that develops the needs of that specific community (based on a 6-month consultation programme between the community leaders and VIN). Examples include hygiene education, women's rights, building clean water plumbing, solar-lighting, revitalization of infrastructure, and language education. |
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WORLD VOLUNTEER LAOS |
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As part of the World Volunteer team, ISD students help building sustainable eco-bungalows in an ethnic-minority community with the goal of helping to grow and trade their way out of poverty. A clay eco-bungalow provides a village with a facility that will generate cash income and labour opportunities for years to come. World Volunteers have partnered with various local guides and transportation companies based in Luang Prabang who promote the eco-lodge as part of their community-based tourism project. Through this partnership, small groups of tourists are guided to the village. After each visit, the project partners ensure that payments to the eco-lodge and the village fund are made, thereby supporting the local community. |
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FUTURO SÍ |
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FUTURO SÍ supports projects in Latin America that provide shelter, education and healthcare for street children. The organisation is currently running seven projects throughout Latin America (Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Argentina, Bolivia and Guatemala), including a jungle clinic, a home for disabled children, as well as homes for street children. As FUTURO SÍ was founded and is based in Düsseldorf, we have been able to build a close relationship with the organisation over the years. |
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ARTISANS OF HOPE, PHILIPPINES |
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Tens of billions of single-use coffee capsules or “pods” are produced globally every year. Of these, a significant number end up in landfill sites. Artisans of Hope, an initiative of the NVC Foundation in the Philippines, transforms thousands of used coffee pod containers into exquisite artisanal pieces, which are sold to support development projects in local, disadvantaged communities. Grade 9 and 10 students supported this initiative in 2020 by collecting and cleaning the community's used coffee pods and transporting them to the Philippines to be resurrected into brew-tiful art. |
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PEACE VILLAGE |
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One in nine people on our planet goes to bed hungry every night and most are children. Peace Village is a rehabilitation centre in nearby Oberhausen that provides life saving medical treatment for seriously ill and injured children from countries like Afghanistan, Sudan and the Caucasus region. The food we gather is sent to the children’s families to help them during the long winter when food is scarce. |
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RHINE CLEAN UP |
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Every single year, millions of tonnes of rubbish enter our oceans via rivers and waterways. RhineCleanUp has come to play a critical role in raising awareness of this issue by mobilising communities along the Rhine's banks, from the source to the mouth. The Rhine River is in ISD’s backyard, and we’re committed to doing our part to preserve the amenity of this beautiful natural resource. In 2020, 175 members of our school community took part at the clean-up event in Kaiserswerth. |
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SUPPORTING THE HOMELESS IN DÜSSELDORF |
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Since 2018, ISD senior students have been supporting the homeless in Düsseldorf through a collaboration with the organisation fifty-fifty. The students have collected clothes (hats, socks, jackets etc.) and sweets to donate. In 2019, we collected over 150 pieces within a week. Everything was sent to the organisation to support its Christmas party for the homeless people in Düsseldorf who sell fifty-fifty's magazine. |
TAKE A TOUR WITH WITH HANA & DANIEL
Join Hana and Daniel, our student guides, on a virtual video tour of the ISD senior school!
