ICS ADDIS | 2019-21 | 5
BOARD CHAIR MESSAGE
Dear ICS Association members ,
The 2019-20 school year was extraordinary .
Ordinarily , the annual letter from the Board Chair consist of generalized and summary remarks on ‘ another successful year ’ for the school . This is not one of those years .
Before commenting on our response to Coronavirus and its impact on our community , I want to call out some key achievements by the Board and how they align with ICS strategy .
At the Governance As Leadership Conference for African international schools in Johannesburg , the Board furthered its skills , shared its recent development history , and led some workshops in which we mentored others in areas such as risk management and long term financial planning . We modeled some of our governance practices and shared lessons learned with other school boards . And we learned a great deal from the boards of those other schools who were generous and open in turn .
Our collaborative efforts as a team and with other school boards exemplify how we seek to improve our service to ICS , and how we try to be ‘ our best with Africa ’.
At the Association for the Advancement of International Education conference in New York , we showcased the leading work of the school and ICS Board . Our Treasurer , Michael Zink , was invited to participate as an expert panel member on financial governance , and our Head of School , Dr . Stuart , gave a keynote address and participated in a ‘ lively ’ panel discussion on governance best practices .
The reputation of ICS Addis as a destination school for outstanding educators continues to grow as a result . This is a key part of our strategy to attract and retain outstanding education professionals for our school .
Early in the year , the Board ’ s Governance Committee ( led by Karin Steiner and board colleagues Cheryl Richardson , Chris Nyce , and Melissa Varma ) oversaw a comprehensive updating of ICS Statutes & Bylaws that provided enhanced clarity and consistency in our school processes .
A testament to their hard work was the overwhelming vote of approval by the Association , which in turn was a reflection of trust in us by our community ; something we consider of paramount importance .
Our Vice-Chair , Leah Bryant , led renewed efforts on behalf of the Board to more closely engage and support the school administration in key activities such as the procurement process for the appointment of cafeteria services , representing the Board with the Student Council and the Parent Community Link team . As Board Chair , I sought to offer guidance and support and to be available when needed as a personal ‘ sounding board ’ for our Head of School during this particularly difficult year .
The Board of Governors is made up of individuals ; we volunteer significant time to our responsibilities and we are deeply committed to the long-term success of the school .
Board Treasurer , Michael Zink , continued to work closely and very effectively with Dr . Stuart and Deputy Head of School , Yonas Berhe , in establishing a Long Term Capital Improvement Plan that puts a solid and logical structure in place for multi-year planning of capital projects . The Plan enables us to support new projects in a prudent and sustainable manner in support of the schools ’ long term strategy .
The newly opened elementary school is a brilliant example of what can be achieved . It is a majestic and transformative building , specifically designed to support the progressive learning model that is at the heart of ICS .
The structures of governance at ICS and the strong working relationships between the Board and the Head of School helped us enormously when the Coronavirus pandemic hit . Nobody was prepared for what happened to the world . Nobody had a roadmap for what was to come . But