“CIC is a place to learn and practice leadership.  I get to join decision-making activities, and have learned how to deal with leadership issues.  In clubs like Green Team, STUCO, and Model United Nations, my voice is heard and students can share their values.  CIC offers a very personal philosophy for learning where teachers know you and challenge you.  CIC helps you grow as a globally-minded person and to deal with different people and perspectives.  When you are a senior you want to leave your mark. As an example, I donated cutlery to the canteen that is used by the entire community.  We no longer need plastic forks and spoons, and it makes the school greener.  And I plan on leading things that have more environmental and social impact this school year.”

“Each day I meet my friends in the library – it’s where we go to share ideas and relax, and it’s my favorite place at CIC.  My friends who have moved away say the CIC library is the best.  And classes are great too.  In Humanities, I am learning about world events, and I am studying the causes of the US Civil War – my classes are super-interesting.  Beyond class, we have the opportunity to be part of many different clubs and share new ideas.  Two years ago the students started a newsletter independently and now I am the editor.  I get to write about interesting and controversial issues – it’s a way that I express myself and represent CIC.  All of this is part of the IB’s Middle Years Programme (MYP).  The MYP assures we have more learning interaction – it’s dynamic.  I now see how learning at CIC affects my future.  I am already meeting with my university counselor so I know how to prepare for life after CIC.  I’m tracking my volunteer hours and participating in clubs like Model United Nations.”

“Right now, my favorite subjects are Math and Humanities and my teachers are great.  I’m developing my own number systems and now I really love math.  In fact, I really love the projects in all my classes! In Humanities, we are making our own maps and studying cartography to find objects that have been hidden across the campus by our teacher.  We’re using teamwork and creativity to solve the clues and find the items.  As a middle schooler, we are getting more freedom and we participate in more activities.  My favorite event here at CIC is the Welcome Back BBQ – the food is the best and it’s for the entire CIC community.”

“I have been to school in the United States, China, and Jamaica, and CIC is the best by far!  I have good teachers and great friends. I love how we get outdoors every day so we can breathe the fresh air and have recess.  Right now, I have an after-school activity called Elementary School Basketball – it’s my favorite sport!  When I get older, I want to be a veterinarian or a herpetologist so I can study snakes and animals.  In my class, I get to read books on snakes all the time so when I get older I can dedicate my life to saving rainforest species.”

“I have been at CIC forever, and last year I won the Consistency Award because I always participated in class and I was nice to others.  This year is great too.  We are doing science experiments to see of something sinks or dissolves in water.  I also interviewed myself for my teacher and wrote that I love my family.  I don’t have a favorite class because my favorite class is … everything!  I even like homework sometimes.  I have lots of friends and we play different games.  When I get older, I want to be a teacher because I love school so much.”