From the Early Years, we focus on developing each child’s empathy during numerous activities in the classroom, which they build upon in Primary School, and which continues to motivate them throughout their service and leadership activities in Secondary School.
Throughout Primary School, we focus on applying empathy in an international context, so your child will develop a deeper understanding of their place in our world and how they can positively influence their communities. Whether it’s through the international aspects of our curriculum, lessons on Global Citizenship in our “Skills for Life” program, or thoughtfully chosen books and texts in our English and language lessons, our students enhance their global knowledge from a young age.
By Secondary School, your child will further expand their worldview by traveling to a country outside the US, such as on our international service trip to Tanzania. This annual trip allows your child to deliver service to a local village while understanding sustainability from a different environmental and cultural perspective. Students go on to explore how they can make a difference both locally and globally, and can continue to lead or participate in "Creativity, Activity, Service" (CAS) initiatives under the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Diploma programs.
As our students expand their worldview, we guide them through experiences that shape them as leaders. All students at BIS Charlotte will contribute their skills, abilities, and talents to established charities or other service initiatives that support the needs of a community. As part of their Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects in the IB program, for example, BISC students might run our school’s book fair, clean-up the stream at the local greenway, or participate in Habitat for Humanity.
BIS Charlotte’s student body itself chooses the charities for our whole school to fundraise for, boosting students’ experience around the administration of their decisions. Local charities have included Ronald McDonald House, Toys for Tots, Mitten Tree, Servants with a Heart, and animal shelters in Charlotte.
Throughout it all, our students self-reflect on their actions, considering how they’ve affected someone or impacted a situation to become better. It’s not about ticking a box. It's about considering one's place in the world, while reflecting on how to best meet or assist a need — and connecting it to a larger, international understanding of the issue.
Students who participate in our Model UN conferences especially deepen their understanding of global events and issues, as they consider how individual countries are impacted. As an exemplary case, every year, we’re delighted when our IB students represent us at the international Model UN Conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Our students showcase their international awareness and care at the highest level, as they represent a country in a simulated debate on a historical global incident — like the Italian Invasion of Abyssinia in 1935.
At BIS Charlotte, our social purpose is driven by our belief that education has the power to change the world. Thanks to our wonderful teachers and many exciting opportunities, students use this inspiring foundation to go on and make a difference in the world.
OUR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCEBritish International School of Charlotte
