“These years of my life are very important, they shape the person I'm going to be in the future,” said Danko, a student who just finished Grade 9 at International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC).

While reflecting on his past five years at the school, Danko explained: “A lot of what I’ve learned is going to stick with me forever. ISHCMC was a place where I was able to learn more about math and reading and the obvious school subjects, but also a place where I learned more about myself. It's a place where I've learned how to interact with other people and develop interpersonal communication, leadership, and collaboration skills.”

Classroom opportunities to explore real-world activities related to Danko’s academic interests, as well as his formal and informal leadership roles, exemplify the ISHCMC education. Supported by fantastic facilities and expert educators, the school provides opportunities to grow intellectually and socially, so students become well-rounded, globally-minded, self-motivated lifelong learners ready to thrive in the world. 

Before arriving at ISHCMC five years ago, Danko had attended other international schools, including most recently in Kenya. On his very first day, he witnessed ISHCMC’s inviting and supportive culture. “The most important thing is the people that are around you, and as soon as you get here, you get a buddy that will take you around; that will show you everything at the school, and help you integrate.” This uplifting community has allowed him to thrive academically, extracurricularly, and socially during the past five years.

Learning That Applies Beyond the Classroom

Career decisions remain far in the future for Danko, though he is already thinking that he might want to enter the finance field, or something to do with astronomy and aerospace engineering, because he loves mathematics. The International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) relies on inquiry-based, cross-disciplinary activities and applied engagements to foster learning and help him prepare for whatever ambitious goals he sets for himself. 

For Danko, the International Baccalaureate Programme Middle Years Program (IB MYP) at ISHCMC allowed him to explore his interest in mathematics via engaging, diverse projects, as compared to the textbooks and problem sets of more traditional educational approaches. For example, one math class assignment tasked groups of students with designing new logos for Vietnamese companies using a digital mathematics program. Danko and his team applied their knowledge of graphing equations, shapes, and lines to the prompt, simultaneously reinforcing mathematical principles while appreciating the application of their learning in the real world. Danko also noted that the activity was enjoyable and a great opportunity to work collaboratively with his peers.  

The logo design assignment reveals how the IB MYP supports students in honing inquiry-based approaches to problems and interests in meaningful ways. While the program expects a lot of the students, ISHCMC’s teachers provide the support needed for them to rise to the challenge. As Danko explained: “It's very rigorous; It really pushes me to try my best … the program here has been curated in a way where it brings the best out of me."

In addition to the expert and experienced staff, students fully benefit from the IB program in all grades thanks to the school’s world-class facilities which include a media center, professional theater, recording studios, design suites, music practice rooms, NBA-size basketball court, rooftop sports field, 25m 8-lane pool, food tech and science labs. These spaces and technologies further diversify the options for students to explore their interests while gaining real-world skills.

Endless Opportunities to Learn and Grow Outside the Classroom

A school is more than its physical space, of course. As Danko explained: “Although the facilities here are top-notch, what really sets ISHCMC apart from other schools is the atmosphere itself... There's definitely a liveliness and energeticness.”

This lively atmosphere is perhaps best observed within the school’s extracurriculars. Students grow and learn in significant ways at ISHCMC thanks to the vast number of clubs, teams, groups, and activities available to students of all ages. Spread across athletics, performing arts, academic, and community involvement disciplines, the voluntary activities give students more chances to discover what they enjoy while cultivating collaborative skills.

Danko offered his philosophy on the availability of activities: “There are a lot of opportunities at ISHCMC, and I personally believe that if you're given an opportunity, then you should take it. Why not? That's how I look at life and that's something ISHCMC does well: gives you the opportunities, and then you get to make the decision on what you want to do.” Such an outlook led him to take on a leadership role in the Model United Nations (MUN), participate in a Youth Peace and Justice Conference, serve on ISHCMC’s Student Executive Team, and play various sports such as badminton, football, and cross country.

When explaining his involvement in many extracurriculars, Danko shared a Mchaelangelo quote that resonates deeply with him: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

Building Leadership Through Groups, Sports and Clubs

Through roles like football captain and MUN delegate, Danko says leadership has been his most meaningful area of growth. As his football team’s captain and a leader in the MUN, he has not only been able to develop leadership skills, but also reflect on their value. He admits that the roles are good for his resume, but more so, they are learning opportunities. “Leadership is something you can learn and develop. You can get better at,” he said.

Leadership isn’t just taught, it’s lived at ISHCMC, as Marco Longmore, the Head of School, stressed earlier this year. The tangible effect of a school of leaders means classrooms, clubs, sports fields, and stages are all filled with individuals eager to support one another to succeed. As Danko said, “You can learn leadership from a certain role, which allows you to apply leadership on a team, in an organization, and even in a classroom. For example, in class, if somebody doesn't understand the concept, you can be someone who goes out of their way to give them a hand and explain it to them, visualize it for them.” 

Holistic Development of Life Skills and Global Mindedness

The many extracurricular opportunities available to ISHCMC students, in addition to the rigorous academic expectations encourage the development of time management and organizational skills. With the support of teachers, peers and their families, students come to understand how to recognize what they are realistically capable of doing and the most effective way to accomplish the tasks. “It's the idea of prioritizing time and prioritizing what you do,” Danko said. “Sometimes I have too much on my plate to the point where I'm not doing everything perfectly, but I understand I have only this much time, so I have to plan it out, I have to schedule it.”

In the same way that class activities prepare students for real-world projects and extracurricular organizations allow them to practice the collaborative roles they will need to take on in future relationships, workplaces and groups, exposure to the need for balancing tasks, choosing interests and managing deadlines prepares them for adult scheduling and accountability. 

Meanwhile, having a global mindset is not just a core value at ISHCMC, but a philosophy holistically embedded across the school. The IB curriculum fully embraces it, using diverse examples, experiences and perspectives for its materials and projects. Meanwhile, many of the extracurriculars concern themselves with global connectivity, be it the MUN’s focus on how national governments cooperate, theatre productions that look to scripts from around the world, or athletics with particular cultural roots like yoga and kungfu. 

Students develop a global mindedness without even needing to seek it out because of the school’s inherent diversity. With students and faculty reflecting more than 60 nationalities,  working with and learning from people with different backgrounds, experiences, cultures and outlooks is guaranteed. ISHCMC underscores to students how this is a core strength of the education. As Danko said: "I truly enjoy learning from various cultures and individuals, seeing how different people approach not only learning, but also how they behave and interact in everyday life and activities."

As Danko looks ahead, he noted plans to continue developing his leadership skills while becoming more experienced and invested in his interests as they become clearer. Over the last five years, he has grown and matured immensely which also allowed him to look back and put himself in the shoes of a child just arriving at the school. His biggest piece of advice for such a student involves recognizing the strength and warmth of the school community and everyone’s desire to work together to ensure success. "It's easy to get carried away with work, but sometimes you need to take a moment to understand what's happening around you to see how many people are helping you,” he said.