Kodaikanal International School
Encyclopedia
Kodaikanal International School (also called Kodai School or KIS) is a co-educational independent residential school
offering education for grades P-12. It is located on 43 acre (0.17401498 km²) in Kodaikanal
, Dindigul
, Tamil Nadu
, South India
. Kodaikanal is a hill station
at 2133 m (6,998 ft) in the Palani Hills, 121 kilometres (75.2 mi) north-west of Madurai
.
Early alumni of KIS include US Ambassador to India Robert F. Goheen
(1936) and US Congressman Chris Van Hollen
(1977). KIS students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Kodai Kids".
In 1975, KIS became the first school in India to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) and the IB Middle Years Program (MYP). In addition, it also awards its own certificate, the KIS Diploma, to all graduates. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
http://www.middlestates.org (US) and recognised by the Association of Indian Universities
.
The current principal is Adrian Moody.
In the early months of the year 1900, a woman by the name of Margaret Eddy came to visit her son Sherwood (after whom Sherwood Dormitory is named), who was working as a missionary in Batlagundu
. Seeing the need for a school, and also realising that the missionaries could not find the means to establish one, she decided to begin the process herself. She held the first Kodaikanal Conference on 1 June 1900, in which she established a Committee whose duty it was to find teachers and a building in which schooling would be held.
After commissioning The Highclerc Hotel as a building more than a year later, under the leadership of Mrs. Margaret Eddy, "Highclerc School" was opened to students on 1 July 1901. By 1902 the owners of the building had drastically increased the rent, so the school was moved to Rock Cottage and Central House. In 1905, Mrs. Eddy returned to Kodaikanal, and was able to buy The Highclerc Hotel from its new owner for INR 29,000 along with 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) of land. Since that time the school has remained in its present location. Mrs. Eddy served as principal of Kodai School, without salary, from 1901 to 1905, when she was forced to return to the America due to a sickness.
Another major change in the school occurred during this time – nationalism was becoming more and more visible in the world, and the American missionary exodus from India began. This debased the Kodai School community in a way that could not have been expected. The nature of the Kodai School student body needed to change in order to meet enrolment needs and budget realities. Herb Krause began visiting New Delhi, Bangkok
and Beirut
. Several international companies endowed grants upon the school in return for guaranteed places for students. This led to a student body of a more diverse and cosmopolitan background.
This led to a new debate about religious freedom, having to do with the fundamental mission and purpose of the school. The Kodai School staff were divided into two groups: one supporting a mandatory Christian curriculum, with the other supporting religious freedom. When the new chaplain, Robert Dewey, arrived in 1965, the issue came to a head. Dewey merged the ideals of a Christian school and religious freedom: he once said "creative dialogue is absolutely essential if the school is going to be what it wants to be. It is the only word that I know that suggests educationally and experientially what the school can be and is at its best".
Robert Carman ('48) worked with Frank Jayasinghe, the new Director of Development, to produce Project Design, a document which outlined the mission, philosophy, and expectations of students within the school. In 1972, Kodai School was renamed "Kodaikanal International School", and it became the first international school in India. When Jayasinghe took over as Principal in 1973, he continued Krause's campaign for students – enrolment increased from 279 students in 1975 to 475 in 1985.
In 1975 KIS became the first school in India to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In 1977 the first KIS students sat for the first IB examinations in India. Another significant development was the recognition of the KIS High School Diploma by the All India University Board in 1981 and by a number of individual universities in India.
In 2006, KIS officially was granted the request to follow the IB Middle Years Program curriculum for grades 6–10, and it began issuing MYP Diplomas.
As of 2010, KIS is still in the process of acquiring permission to begin following the IB Primary Years Program
(PYP) for grades 1–5.
. The team also competes in the International School robotics competition in Seoul
, South Korea.
KIS is divided into two academic campuses: Highclerc Campus for its high school (grades 9–12) and Ganga Campus for its elementary school (grades P-5) and middle school (grades 6–8). KIS also incorporates a Wilderness Camp, which offers outdoor education programs for students. It located in the forest two hours away from Kodaikanal, near the village of Poondi. Highclerc Campus overlooks the large Kodaikanal Lake
and the rest of the town of Kodaikanal.
View the Highclerc Campus Map here: http://www.kis.in/publications/information-newsletters/KIS%20Visitors%20Brochure.pdf.
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
offering education for grades P-12. It is located on 43 acre (0.17401498 km²) in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal
-Climate:Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate . The temperatures are cool throughout the year due to the high elevation of the city.-Economy:...
, Dindigul
Dindigul District
Dindigul District is an administrative region in the south of Tamil Nadu, India. The district was carved out of Madurai District in the year 1985...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. Kodaikanal is a hill station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
at 2133 m (6,998 ft) in the Palani Hills, 121 kilometres (75.2 mi) north-west of Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
.
Early alumni of KIS include US Ambassador to India Robert F. Goheen
Robert F. Goheen
Robert Francis Goheen was an American academic, president of Princeton University and United States Ambassador to India.-Biography:...
(1936) and US Congressman Chris Van Hollen
Chris Van Hollen
Christopher "Chris" Van Hollen, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party...
(1977). KIS students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Kodai Kids".
In 1975, KIS became the first school in India to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) and the IB Middle Years Program (MYP). In addition, it also awards its own certificate, the KIS Diploma, to all graduates. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
http://www.middlestates.org (US) and recognised by the Association of Indian Universities
Association of Indian Universities
Association of Indian Universities is an organisation based in Delhi India to evaluate the courses, syllabi, standard and credits of foreign Universities and to equate them in relation to various courses offered by Indian Universities....
.
The current principal is Adrian Moody.
Origins (1890–1919)
In the early 1880s, there was a great need for an English-medium school in South India, due to an ever increasing Christian mission community in the area. Having a school at a hill-station would allow the children of missionaries to escape the tropical diseases that were claiming the lives of so many, and provide a cool and open atmosphere that stimulated learning.In the early months of the year 1900, a woman by the name of Margaret Eddy came to visit her son Sherwood (after whom Sherwood Dormitory is named), who was working as a missionary in Batlagundu
Batlagundu
Batlagundu [pronounced Vathalakkundu] is a panchayat town in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The town is about an hour and a half from Kodaikanal....
. Seeing the need for a school, and also realising that the missionaries could not find the means to establish one, she decided to begin the process herself. She held the first Kodaikanal Conference on 1 June 1900, in which she established a Committee whose duty it was to find teachers and a building in which schooling would be held.
After commissioning The Highclerc Hotel as a building more than a year later, under the leadership of Mrs. Margaret Eddy, "Highclerc School" was opened to students on 1 July 1901. By 1902 the owners of the building had drastically increased the rent, so the school was moved to Rock Cottage and Central House. In 1905, Mrs. Eddy returned to Kodaikanal, and was able to buy The Highclerc Hotel from its new owner for INR 29,000 along with 3.5 acres (14,164 m²) of land. Since that time the school has remained in its present location. Mrs. Eddy served as principal of Kodai School, without salary, from 1901 to 1905, when she was forced to return to the America due to a sickness.
Development (1920–1959)
Significant development of the school that began in the late 1920s, when land acquisitions provided dormitory accommodation and facilities for the growing school, continued in during the next three decades. By 1930, the school had fully expanded into a high-school accommodating preschool through grade twelve, and that same year, Tracy Manley became the first student to receive a High School Diploma from Kodai School. In 1944, Dayavau Dhanapal became the first Indian woman staff member to join the school. Her daughter, Priscilla was later also a staff member, and her grand-daughter, Dana, graduated in 2000.Internationalization (1960–1989)
The 1960s marked the beginning of a new era in the school's history; a period of revolutionising social changes. In 1960, Herb Krause, whose grand daughter is a Kodai School graduate and a former teacher at the school, took the role of principal after ten years as a teacher. Krause's goal was to open the school up to students of all nationalities and religions – a movement away from the traditional American Christian image the school had had. In 1966, a committee was established to improve the curriculum, staff and instructional material of the school, and it was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1968 as a result of the committee's work. A new merit/demerit disciplinary system was introduced as a "supplementary system of discipline and guide to staff members" – a very controversial standardisation of disciplinary consequences.Another major change in the school occurred during this time – nationalism was becoming more and more visible in the world, and the American missionary exodus from India began. This debased the Kodai School community in a way that could not have been expected. The nature of the Kodai School student body needed to change in order to meet enrolment needs and budget realities. Herb Krause began visiting New Delhi, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
and Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Several international companies endowed grants upon the school in return for guaranteed places for students. This led to a student body of a more diverse and cosmopolitan background.
This led to a new debate about religious freedom, having to do with the fundamental mission and purpose of the school. The Kodai School staff were divided into two groups: one supporting a mandatory Christian curriculum, with the other supporting religious freedom. When the new chaplain, Robert Dewey, arrived in 1965, the issue came to a head. Dewey merged the ideals of a Christian school and religious freedom: he once said "creative dialogue is absolutely essential if the school is going to be what it wants to be. It is the only word that I know that suggests educationally and experientially what the school can be and is at its best".
Robert Carman ('48) worked with Frank Jayasinghe, the new Director of Development, to produce Project Design, a document which outlined the mission, philosophy, and expectations of students within the school. In 1972, Kodai School was renamed "Kodaikanal International School", and it became the first international school in India. When Jayasinghe took over as Principal in 1973, he continued Krause's campaign for students – enrolment increased from 279 students in 1975 to 475 in 1985.
In 1975 KIS became the first school in India to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In 1977 the first KIS students sat for the first IB examinations in India. Another significant development was the recognition of the KIS High School Diploma by the All India University Board in 1981 and by a number of individual universities in India.
Recent history (1990–2010)
In 1994, Project Design (1974) was revised and renamed Design '94. Design '94 stands today as "the statement of the mission, philosophy, goals and objectives of KIS".In 2006, KIS officially was granted the request to follow the IB Middle Years Program curriculum for grades 6–10, and it began issuing MYP Diplomas.
As of 2010, KIS is still in the process of acquiring permission to begin following the IB Primary Years Program
IB Primary Years Programme
The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme is an educational programme managed by the International Baccalaureate for students aged 3 to 11. While the programme prepares students for the IB Middle Years Programme, it is not a prerequisite for it...
(PYP) for grades 1–5.
Robotics team
The KIS Robotics Team is group of robotics students who compete annually in the Interschool Robotics Junior competition that is held by Tetronics, Ltd, in BangaloreBangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. The team also competes in the International School robotics competition in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea.
Social Experience
Since the 1960s, KIS social awareness has taken the form of various community service programs, social studies focus and development education courses in the curriculum. Manual Labor program, Youth Corps, Community Experience program and today's Social Experience program, or SoEx, have all been tried over the years with varying degrees of success. Leaders in the Indian development field have contributed to workshops and retreats for staff and students. SoEx groups have worked in orphanages, taught and assisted in local school support programs and been involved in village planning and tribal community development projects. Every Saturday, there is a SoEx activity in which all students can voluntarily participate; such as a visit to the Shenbaganur Orphanage, the Mercy Home, or the village school.Student Council (StudCo)
The Student Council (StudCo) is a group of students representative of the high-school student body (grades 9–12). StudCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that StudCo focus on a certain issue. Representatives of StudCo from each grade address each of the four high-school grades individually every Monday at an evening meeting. The members of StudCo are elected democratically by the student body and stand as representatives of the entire student population.Middle-school Council (MidCo)
The Middle-school Council (MidCo) is a group of students representative of the middle-school student body (grades 6–8). MidCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that MidCo focus on a certain issue.Campus facilities
Kodaikanal Lake
Kodaikanal Lake, also known as Kodai Lake is a manmade lake located in the Kodaikanal city in Dindigul district in Tamil Nadu, India. Sir Vere Hentry Levinge, the then Collector of Madurai, was instrumental in creating the lake in 1863, amidst the Kodaikanal town which was developed by the British...
and the rest of the town of Kodaikanal.
View the Highclerc Campus Map here: http://www.kis.in/publications/information-newsletters/KIS%20Visitors%20Brochure.pdf.