UN INTERNATIONALSCHOOL TO HOLD GRADUATION CEREMONY

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL, 4 JUNE

The graduation of the UnitedNationsInternationalSchool (UNIS) Class of 2004 will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, 4 June, in the General Assembly Hall.  Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek International, will address the graduates.  Mr. Zakaria also writes a regular column for Newsweek and is a frequent contributor to the Washington Post.  He is a regular member of the round table of ABC News “This Week with George Stephanapoulos”, as well as an analyst for ABC News.

This year’s 106 graduates represent 41 nationalities and speak 32 languages.  Fifty-one percent are United Nations dependants; approximately 35 percent have other international affiliations.  The graduates will leave UNIS for over 75 of the world’s finest universities in 11 countries and 18 American states, equipped with the best secondary level preparation the world has to offer, the prestigious International Baccalaureate programme. At UNIS students have had the privilege of daily exposure to all of the world’s cultures through social interaction with peers, and instruction from a faculty representing 30 countries.  As a result, they have developed values and understanding that will prepare them to truly become citizens of the world.

UNIS was founded in 1947 by a group of United Nations parents to provide an education that fostered global awareness for their children.  From a modest start as a nursery school for 20 children, the school has grown to a K-12 college preparatory school on two campuses enrolling over 1,500 students from 119 countries.  The school offers classes in nine languages and a balanced and rigorous educational curriculum that enables students to meet the entry requirements of universities worldwide.  Continued emphasis is also placed on community service and the value of the arts in daily living.  The UNIS serves a wide range of families in the New York metropolitan area, including many who are affiliated with the United Nations and the city’s international community, as well as local residents.

In this graduating class, 30 percent of the students have attended UNIS since kindergarten, and 59 percent have attended the school for six years or more.

For further information, please contact Marjorie Nieuwenhuis, Director of College Counseling, UNIS, tel:  (212) 584-3115; e-mail:  mnieuwenhuis@unis.org.

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