NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (UNIS) TO CELEBRATE

16 October 1997

Press Release

NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL (UNIS) TO CELEBRATE

19971016 50 YEARS OF SERVICE, ON 17-18 OCTOBER

The United Nations International School (UNIS) will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary on 17 and 18 October with activities for both adults and children. The school will host guests from 20 countries, including parents, faculty and alumni, who will gather at the school for the two days of events.

On 17 October, a gala dinner will be held at the Water's Edge Restaurant, with more than 700 in attendance. The dinner will be held 50 years to the day since the opening of the original school at Lake Success, the home of the first United Nations Headquarters.

On 18 October, the UNIS Manhattan campus will host an alumni panel discussion, international dancers, readings by authors and a performance of the play "Blood Knot" by South African writer Athol Fugard. In conjunction with the anniversary celebration, the UNIS Parents Association has published a cookbook featuring international recipes contributed by members of the UNIS community.

The fiftieth anniversary celebrations began on 1 November 1996 with a performance in the Sylvia Howard Fuhrman Center for the Performing Arts. They also included a commencement address on 20 June in the United Nations General Assembly Hall by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who is a former Chairman of the UNIS Board of Trustees.

The school, which was founded in 1947 in Lake Success, Long Island, currently has two campuses -- one in Jamaica Estates, Queens, and a larger one in Manhattan. It has a combined enrollment of 1,500 students, representing more than 100 countries and 70 languages. The school is financially independent of the United Nations and is chartered, accredited and regulated by the New York State Board of Regents. It is a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization which prepares students for entrance to colleges and universities worldwide. Nearly one half of its students come from the United Nations community, and the rest are from international and New York City families.

The United Nations International School provides an educational experience based on an international atmosphere, preparing youth to be effective participants in a global society. It encourages students to be responsible, peaceful, caring and bias-free individuals. The philosophy of UNIS is based on the United Nations Charter and is free from the influence of any one nation, religion or culture. The school prides itself in providing a culturally diverse education. * *** *