Kodaikanal International School
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Kodaikanal International School (KIS) is a
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...
independent residential school offering education for grades P-12. It is located on in
Kodaikanal Kodaikanal () is a hill station which is located in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Its name in the Tamil language means "The Gift of the Forest". Kodaikanal is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and has a long ...
,
Dindigul Dindigul, also spelt Thindukkal (), is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the administrative headquarters of the Dindigul district. Dindigul is located southwest from the state capital, Chennai, away from Tiruchirappalli, away ...
,
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. Kodaikanal is a
hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...
at in the
Palani Hills The Palani Hills are a mountain range in the southern Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Palani Hills are an eastward extension of the Western Ghats ranges, which run parallel to the west coast of India. The Palani Hills adjoin the hi ...
, northwest of
Madurai Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
. Early alumni of KIS include US Ambassador to India
Robert F. Goheen Robert Francis Goheen (August 15, 1919 – March 31, 2008) was an American academic, president of Princeton University and United States Ambassador to India. Biography Robert Francis Goheen was born on August 15, 1919, to Anne (Ewing) and D ...
(1936) and US Senator
Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maryland since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Van Hollen served as the U.S. representative for ...
(1977). In 1975, KIS became the first school in India to offer the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Program The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a two-year educational programme primarily aimed at 16-to-19-year-olds in 140 countries around the world. The programme provides an internationally accepted qualification for entry into ...
(IB) and the
IB Middle Years Program The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 to 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. Middle Year Programme is intended to pr ...
(MYP). It also awards its own certificate, the KIS Diploma, to all graduates. It is accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (Middle States Association or MSA) was a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association that performed peer evaluation and regional educational accreditation, accreditation of public and priva ...
(US) and recognized by the
Association of Indian Universities Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is an organisation and association of major universities in India. It is based in Delhi. It evaluates the courses, syllabi, standards, and credits of foreign Universities pursued abroad and equates them i ...
. The current principal is Corleigh (Corey) Stixrud.KODAIKANAL INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL seeks a PRINCIPAL
, retrieved 2010-3-20


History


Origins (1890–1919)

In the early 1880s, there was a great need for an English-medium school in South India, due to an ever-increasing Christian mission community in the area. Having a school at a hill-station would allow the children of missionaries to escape the tropical diseases that were claiming the lives of so many, and provide a cool and open atmosphere that stimulated learning. In the early months of the year 1900, a woman by the name of Margaret Eddy came to visit her son Sherwood (after whom Sherwood Dormitory is named), who was working as a missionary in
Batlagundu Batlagundu is a town in Nilakottai block in Dindigul district in the Madurai Region state of Tamil Nadu, India. The name Vetrilaikkundru (Betel leaf hill) later transformed and changed to Vathalagundu. The town is the major gateway to Kodaika ...
. Seeing the need for a school, and also realising that the missionaries could not find the means to establish one, she decided to begin the process herself. She held the first Kodaikanal Conference on 1 June 1900, in which she established a Committee whose duty it was to find teachers and a building in which schooling would be held. After commissioning The Highclerc Hotel as a building more than a year later, under the leadership of Mrs. Margaret Eddy, "Highclerc School" was opened to students on 1 July 1901. By 1902 the owners of the building had drastically increased the rent, so the school was moved to Rock Cottage and Central House. In 1905, Mrs. Eddy returned to Kodaikanal, and was able to buy The Highclerc Hotel from its new owner for INR 29,000 along with of land. Since that time the school has remained in its present location. Mrs. Eddy served as principal of Kodai School, without salary, from 1901 to 1905, when she was forced to return to the America due to a sickness.


Development (1920–1959)

Significant development of the school that began in the late 1920s, when land acquisitions provided dormitory accommodation and facilities for the growing school, continued during the next three decades. By 1930, the school had fully expanded into a high-school accommodating preschool through grade twelve, and that same year, Tracy Manley became the first student to receive a High School Diploma from Kodai School. In 1944, Dayavu Dhanapal became the first Indian woman staff member to join the school.


Internationalization (1960–1989)

The 1960s marked the beginning of a new era in the school's history; a period of revolutionising social changes. In 1960, Herb Krause, whose grand daughter is a Kodai School graduate and a former teacher at the school, took the role of principal after ten years as a teacher. Krause's goal was to open the school up to students of all nationalities and religions – a movement away from the traditional American Christian image the school had had. In 1966, a committee was established to improve the curriculum, staff and instructional material of the school, and it was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1968 as a result of the committee's work. A new merit/demerit disciplinary system was introduced as a "supplementary system of discipline and guide to staff members" – a very controversial standardisation of disciplinary consequences. Another major change in the school occurred during this time – nationalism was becoming more and more visible in the world, and the American missionary exodus from India began. This debased the Kodai School community in a way that could not have been expected. The nature of the Kodai School student body needed to change in order to meet enrolment needs and budget realities. Herb Krause began visiting New Delhi,
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
and
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
. Several international companies endowed grants upon the school in return for guaranteed places for students. Consequently, a student body of a more diverse and cosmopolitan background developed. This led to a new debate about religious freedom, having to do with the fundamental mission and purpose of the school. The Kodai School staff were divided into two groups: one supporting a mandatory Christian curriculum, with the other supporting religious freedom. When the new chaplain, Robert Dewey, arrived in 1965, the issue came to a head. Dewey merged the ideals of a Christian school and religious freedom: he once said "creative dialogue is absolutely essential if the school is going to be what it wants to be. It is the only word that I know that suggests educationally and experientially what the school can be and is at its best". Robert Carman ('48) worked with Frank Jayasinghe, the new Director of Development, to produce ''Project Design'', a document which outlined the mission, philosophy, and expectations of students within the school. In 1972, Kodai School was renamed "Kodaikanal International School", and it became the first international school in India. When Jayasinghe took over as Principal in 1973, he continued Krause's campaign for students – enrolment increased from 279 students in 1975 to 475 in 1985. In 1975 KIS became the first school in India to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In 1977 the first KIS students sat for the first IB examinations in India. Another significant development was the recognition of the KIS High School Diploma by the All India University Board in 1981 and by a number of individual universities in India.


Recent history (1990–present)

In 1994, ''Project Design'' (1974) was revised and renamed ''Design '94''. Design '94 stands today as "the statement of the mission, philosophy, goals and objectives of KIS". In 2006, KIS officially was granted its request to follow the
IB Middle Years Program The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is an educational programme for students between the ages of 11 to 16 around the world as part of the International Baccalaureate (IB) continuum. Middle Year Programme is intended to pr ...
curriculum for grades 6–10, and it began issuing MYP Diplomas. KIS also offers the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) for grades 1–5. As of 2014, KIS offers all 3 programs of the IB Curriculum viz. the PYP, MYP and the IBDP. KIS also offers the KIS High School Diploma which is awarded to all graduating students who don't opt for the IB Diploma. KIS has a current strength of 440 students and 127 teaching staff. The staff and students come from over 25 different nationalities and from every continent.


Extracurricular activities


Robotics team

The KIS Robotics Team is a group of robotics students who compete annually in the Interschool Robotics Junior competition that is held by Tetronics, Ltd, in
Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
. The team also competes in the International School robotics competition in
Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...
, South Korea.


Social Experience

Since the 1960s, KIS social awareness has taken the form of various community service programs, social studies focus and development education courses in the curriculum. Manual Labor program, Youth Corps, Community Experience program and today's Social Experience program, or ''SoEx'', have all been tried over the years with varying degrees of success. Leaders in the Indian development field have contributed to workshops and retreats for staff and students. SoEx groups have worked in orphanages, taught and assisted in local school support programs and been involved in village planning and tribal community development projects. Every Saturday, there is a SoEx activity in which all students can voluntarily participate; such as a visit to the Shenbaganur Orphanage, the Mercy Home, or the village school.


Student Council (StudCo)

The Student Council (StudCo) is a group of students representative of the high-school student body (grades 9–12). StudCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that StudCo focus on a certain issue. Representatives of StudCo from each grade address each of the four high-school grades individually every Monday at an evening meeting. The members of StudCo are elected democratically by the student body and stand as representatives of the entire student population.


Middle-school Council (MidCo)

The Middle-school Council (MidCo) is a group of students representative of the middle-school student body (grades 6–8). MidCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that MidCo focus on a certain issue.


Financial aid

Financial aid is provided to scholarship students.


Campus facilities

KIS is divided into two academic campuses: The Highclerc Campus for its high school (grades 9–12) and Ganga Campus for its elementary school (grades P-5) and middle school (grades 6–8). KIS also incorporates a Wilderness Camp, which offers outdoor education programs for students. It located in the forest two hours away from Kodaikanal, near the village of Poondi. Highclerc Campus overlooks the large
Kodaikanal Lake Kodaikanal Lake, also known as Kodai Lake, is a manmade lake located in the Kodaikanal city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India. Sir Vere Henry Levinge, the then Collector of Madurai, was instrumental in creating the lake in 1863, amidst ...
and the rest of the town of Kodaikanal.


Partnership and student exchange

KIS has since 2008/2009 a partnership and student exchange with the following German institutions:
Gymnasium Andreanum Gymnasium may refer to: *Gymnasium (ancient Greece), educational and sporting institution *Gymnasium (school), type of secondary school that prepares students for higher education **Gymnasium (Denmark) **Gymnasium (Germany) **Gymnasium UNT, hig ...
in
Hildesheim Hildesheim (; nds, Hilmessen, Hilmssen; la, Hildesia) is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of the Lei ...
and the Evangelisches Schulzentrum Leipzig in
Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
. In addition, there is a French Exchange for students in the 10th grade, which allows for a 3-month stay in
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
, France. A 2-week exchange, open to 9-10th grade students, in Italy is also available.


Charity

Many NGO's are based within Kodiakanal and the school often has programs in which students will help these charities through documentation and the raising of funds.


Notable alumni

* William D. Coleman (1915–2001), pastor *
Robert F. Goheen Robert Francis Goheen (August 15, 1919 – March 31, 2008) was an American academic, president of Princeton University and United States Ambassador to India. Biography Robert Francis Goheen was born on August 15, 1919, to Anne (Ewing) and D ...
(1919–2008), academic and ambassador *
Romulus Whitaker Romulus Earl Whitaker (born 23 May 1943) is an American-Indian herpetologist, wildlife conservationist, and founder of the Madras Snake Park, the Andaman and Nicobar Environment Trust (ANET), and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. In 2008, Whit ...
(born 1943), conservationist *
Michael Aung-Thwin Michael Aung-Thwin (1946 – August 14, 2021) was a Burmese American historian and emeritus professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, specializing in early Southeast Asian and Burmese history. Early life and education Aung-Thwin wa ...
(1946-2021), Burmese historian and academic *
Stephen R. Donaldson Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for ''The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'', his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexity ...
(born 1947), American novelist * S. Ashok Kumar (1947–2000), judge * Chris Granner (born 1957), Composer and sound designer *
Chris Van Hollen Christopher Van Hollen Jr. (born January 10, 1959) is an American attorney and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Maryland since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Van Hollen served as the U.S. representative for ...
(born 1959), American politician *
Ashok Kamte Ashok Kamte AC (23 February 1965 – 26 November 2008) was an Indian police officer, serving as the Additional Commissioner of the Mumbai Police supervising the Eastern region. He was killed in action during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. He was po ...
(born 1965), IPS Officer (Maharashtra Cadre) *
Sajeeb Wazed Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed ( bn, সজীব আহমেদ ওয়াজেদ; born 27 July 1971), also known as Sajeeb Wazed Joy (), is a Bangladeshi businessman and politician. He is a member of the Awami League and serves as Advisor to the Gove ...
(born 1971), Bangladeshi businessman and politician *
Ram Kapoor Ram Kapoor (; born 1 September 1973) is an Indian actor who works in films and television serials. He gained popularity portraying Jai Walia in the television series ''Kasamh Se'' and the character of Ram Kapoor in '' Bade Achhe Lagte Hain''. H ...
(born 1973), actor *
Aatish Taseer Aatish Ali Taseer (born 27 November 1980) is a British-American writer and journalist. Early life Taseer was born in London, England, to Pakistani businessman and politician Salman Taseer and Indian journalist Tavleen Singh. His parents had a ...
(born 1980), writer *
Esha Deol Esha Deol Takhtani (born 2 November 1981) is an Indian actress and model who predominantly appears in Hindi films. The daughter of actor-politicians Dharmendra and Hema Malini, Deol made her debut in ''Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe'' (2002), which ea ...
(born 1981), actor and model *
Pawo Choyning Dorji Pawo Choyning Dorji ( dz, དཔའ་བོ་ཆོས་དབྱིངས་རྡོ་རྗི།; born 23 June 1983) is a Bhutanese filmmaker and photographer. His feature directorial debut '' Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom'' (2019) was n ...
(born 1983), Bhutanese filmmaker and photographer *
Taaha Shah Taha Shah is an Indian actor and former model working in the Hindi film industry, known for his leading role in the 2011 Y-Films romantic comedy ''Luv Ka The End'', and subsequently featured in the commercially successful drama '' Gippi'' (20 ...
(born 1987), actor and model * Eugene Irschick (born 1934), Professor Emeritus, UC Berkeley *
Arjun Rampal Arjun Rampal (born 26 November 1972) is an Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality who works in Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Rajiv Rai's romance film ''Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat'' (2001) and has since gone on to ...
(born 1972), Indian actor, model, film producer and television personality *
Zayed Khan Zayed Abbas Khan (born 5 July 1980) is a former Indian actor and producer who appeared in Hindi films. The son of Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan, he has received a Filmfare Award nomination. After graduating in Business Management at the Montgom ...
(born 1980), former Indian actor and producer *
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https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:UserLogin&returnto=Eugene+F.+Irschick


References

{{Authority control 1901 establishments in India International Baccalaureate schools in India Primary schools in Tamil Nadu Boarding schools in Tamil Nadu High schools and secondary schools in Tamil Nadu Education in Dindigul district Kodaikanal Educational institutions established in 1901