Note to Correspondents

UN INTERNATIONALSCHOOL TO HOLD GRADUATION CEREMONY IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY HALL 7 JUNE

The United Nations International School (UNIS) will hold its Graduation Ceremony in the General Assembly Hall on 7 June 2005 at 3 p.m.

Sarah Jones, a member of the UNIS Class of 1991, will address the graduates.  Following her graduation from UNIS, Ms. Jones attended BrynMawrCollege where she was the recipient of the Mellon Minority Fellowship.  She has also received grants and commissions from Lincoln Center Theater, The Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as well as honours including a Helen Hayes Award and two Drama Desk nominations.

Called a “master of the genre” by The New York Times, Ms. Jones isan internationally renowned Obie Award-winning playwright, actor and poet.  Her multi-character solo shows, including Bridge & Tunnel, which was produced by Oscar-winner Meryl Streep, have garnered critical acclaim from around the world.  She has performed for such audiences as the United Nations and members of the United States Congress and has appeared on Bravo, HBO and PBS.  Currently, Ms. Jones is preparing to move Bridge & Tunnel to Broadway.

The 104 graduates in this year’s class represent 40 nationalities and speak 32 languages as their mother tongues.  Fifty-seven per cent of the Class are United Nations dependents; approximately 25 per cent have other international affiliation.  Twenty-eight per cent of the students have attended UNIS since kindergarten; 52 per cent have attended the school for six years or more.  The graduates will leave UNIS for over 65 of the world’s finest universities in eight countries and 16 states and the District of Columbia in the United 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 that represent 70 countries.  As a result, they have developed values and understanding that will prepare them to truly become citizens of the world.

The UNIS was founded in 1947 by a group of United Nations parents to provide an education that fostered global awareness for their children.  From its start as a nursery school for 20 children in 1947 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 programme that enables students to meet the entry requirements of universities worldwide.  Continued emphasis is 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.

For further information, please contact:  Marjorie Nieuwenhuis, Director of College Counselling, United Nations International School, tel.:  (212) 584-3115, e-mail:  mnieuwenhuis@unis.org.

* *** *