Note to Correspondents

UN International School to hold Graduation Ceremony

in General Assembly Hall 9 June

 

The United Nations International School (UNIS) will hold its graduation ceremony in the General Assembly Hall on 9 June at 3 p.m.  United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, a former member of the UNIS Board of Trustees for 10 years, eight of those as Chairman, will be the guest speaker.

The 111 graduates in this year’s class represent 51 nationalities and speak 36 languages as their mother tongues.  Forty-nine per cent of the class are United Nations dependents; approximately 36 per cent have other international affiliation.  Thirty-two students have attended UNIS since kindergarten; 51 have attended the school for six years or more.  The graduates will leave UNIS for over 75 of the world’s finest universities in six countries and 18 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 represents 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) 584-3116, e-mail:  mnieuwenhuis@unis.org.

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For information media • not an official record