As the 50th anniversary of WIS approaches in May, many special ceremonies are being planned to commemorate this significant landmark. What’s happening in the next few months at WIS will be an important milestone in the school’s history.
50 years ago, the current size of the Washington International School was only a dream. The anniversary is very special to both students and faculty, and especially to those who started the school, Dorothy Goodman and Cathia Stevens. Goodman started the school at a time when she thought the U.S. had a very narrow point of view toward international affairs, such as the Vietnam War. Goodman was incentivized to create WIS because she could not find another school with the kind of international focus she believed to be crucial. “She obviously tapped into what was perceived as a need in a city that already had lots of good private schools,” Lewis said.
The kick-off to the 50th anniversary, the celebration of ‘Founder’s Day’, will be on January 16th, the day Dorothy Goodman started the school in 1966. At the time, the school consisted of only four students in a basement. “The school grew dramatically every year from that point on, and if you look at the enrollment curve, it just steadily, steadily grew,” Head of School Clayton Lewis said. There will be numerous events throughout the entire year, but in May things get busy. “We’ll be celebrating the 50th anniversary from January to December of the calendar year 2016,” Lewis said. “May is the peak month because that is when we’ll be combining the Gala dinner, the Bazaar, and alumni gatherings, all wrapped up into one three-day weekend.”
The purpose of having celebrations and commemorations for the 50th anniversary is to appreciate the work put into building the school and the beliefs behind it. When asked what message he wanted to pass on to the students, Lewis said, “If we are able to really get students to think about the significance of the school’s founding, you‘re the reason we did it, we being everyone who came before me… you’re the reason we did it… I would like the students to think… this is… a big deal.”
By Alexandre Grossman
