Young and old on hand for JIS celebration
Alexandra Prabaharan, Contributor, Jakarta
It was a special anniversary, one to be celebrated by those near and far. The Jakarta International School (JIS) marked its 50th anniversary on June 1 and there was also an alumni reunion.
According to event coordinator Michael Sheridan, it was a screaming success, especially as JIS had never planned an event on this scale before.
"It felt like the committee was preparing for an international conference, or even a mini Olympics," Sheridan said.
Around 300 alumni traveled from overseas, and 500 from around Indonesia to attend the event. For those who made the journey, it was not only about visiting JIS but reminiscing about the good times they had in Jakarta.
JIS opened itself up to anyone who had ever been a part of their community: graduates, non-graduates, teachers and the Indonesian staff. Many events were planned, from a lavish welcome soiree to a laid-back barbecue.
In each and every one of the events, the Indonesian staff played a major role in making them a success. They dressed up in traditional outfits, played the gamelan and helped in many other performances.
JIS prides itself on an experience of education surrounded by culture and diversity. The local staff play a huge role in the student's lives, as they interact with them daily. Students come from different nations and discover the beauty of Indonesia, while being able to learn about other countries from peers.
Many JIS activities include learning more about Indonesia by immersing themselves in the local community. One of the biggest organizations is TAA (Tolong Anak-Anak), a program designed to help underprivileged children.
Arian Ardie, a graduate of the Class of 1977, said that his experience at JIS was phenomenal in the rest of his life.
"Learning in a multicultural environment prepared me to live and work in the era of globalization, which was not even a concept back then."
At that time the JIS campus (in South Jakarta) was newly built, and what is now Pondok Indah was rice fields and rubber plantations."
Arian enjoyed the 50th anniversary. "It was wonderful to meet new people that had shared the same experience in the past even if we did not go to school together."
Today Arian Ardie is a community development consultant for BP here in Indonesia, and he feels that JIS prepared him for his future, due to the diversity in culture and quality of education.
Doug Slusher graduated from JIS in 1990 and now works for Worldwide Movers. His impression of the anniversary was that it was "perfect and smooth. Well, worth the time spent on it as a committee member ... and money (registration fee) well spent".
To him, the most surprising change to the campus after 12 years was the new H-Module that was built in the front entrance. The changes he loved were the new track and soccer field.
A more recent graduate is Dhareza Maramis, who graduated in 1998. He now attends Pace University in New York, but the journey for the 50th Anniversary was well worth it.
"My JIS experience was full of studying. I never really went out because I was busy with the IB program. But the 50th anniversary, that was my chance to make up for 2 years of studying".
His favorite event was the Welcome Soiree, it was the most fun and he was able to see his teachers behaving like normal people for the first time.
The overall event was a huge success: in the words of alumni Lia Barnett class of 1985, "I had a fantastic time and the rest is a blur of good memories."
Will Woodruff in publications and Michael Sheridan are hoping to be able to prepare another amazing event like this on JIS' 60th anniversary.