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HISTORY AND TRADITIONS


Washington International School was founded in 1966 by Dr. Dorothy Bruchholz Goodman to meet the educational needs of Washington's international community and American families seeking a rigorous international education.

In the post-World War II years international schools were established throughout the world to serve the growing number of families, mostly from developed countries, posted abroad by governments and commercial firms. These schools usually were founded by a community of families of a particular nationality and followed the educational system and curriculum of that country. They were international primarily in the sense that they accepted children of other nationalities.

When Goodman founded WIS with three preschool students in the basement of her Washington, DC house, she had a clear vision. Informed by scientific research on the capacity of the human brain to acquire multiple languages, especially in the early years, and marketing research that focused on the educational needs of international families in Washington, she imagined an independent school in which children could become functionally multilingual and at the same time well informed about world history, geography, literature, and cultures.

TRADITIONS

Over the years WIS has developed a number of unique traditions.

Students look forward to special rites of passage such as the Grade 5 student/parent/staff competition (basketball or soccer), the Grade 8 immersion trips, and a number of activities for seniors.

Founder’s Day

Established during WIS’s 50th Anniversary celebrations in 2016, Founder’s Day honors Dr. Dorothy Bruchholz Goodman, who founded WIS in her basement in 1966. She continued to live in the same house until her death in 2023. Founder’s Day 2024 was a memorial celebration held in her honor.

21 Society

At the conclusion of the 2009-2010 school year, WIS introduced a new tradition: The Twenty-One Society. Plaques on the wall of the Mansion Foyer celebrate the faculty and staff who have worked at WIS for 21 years or more.
(Individuals in bold still work at WIS; individuals in italics are deceased.)

 

21 Society Members
  • Sonja Cowie (1968-1998)
  • Carmen Escobar (1968-1995)
  • Nadia Galal (1968-1992)
  • Elaine Greenstone (1971-2004)
  • Khin Khin Sein (1971-1997)
  • Preani Perera (1973-2017)
  • Glynis Scott (1973-2005)
  • Larry Vincent (1973-2009)
  • Annie Gubser (1974-2015)
  • Raquel Loser (1974-2003)
  • Ines Ceppa (1975-2015)
  • Joicey Granados (1975-1998)
  • Elena Mayo (1975-2010)
  • Mary McCarty (1975-2002)
  • Françoise Remington (1975-2011)
  • Zulema Franceschini (1975-2011)
  • Joëlle Noël (1977-2019)
  • Mary Poole (1977-2002)
  • Thomas O'Mara (1978-2020)
  • Sandra Bourne (1979-2010)
  • Roy Broughton (1979-2005)
  • Carole Falvo (1980-2008)
  • Firoze Khan (1980-2009)
  • Leith Bernard (1981-2015)
  • Patricia Rumbaugh (1981-2011)
  • Rosario Bañales (1982-2003)
  • Gareth Vaughan (1982-2008)
  • Jennifer Brawer (1983-2010)
  • Patricia Diaz-Paul (1983-2006)
  • Thomas Heilman (1983-2020)
  • David Merkel (1983-2012)
  • Josée Band (1984-2008)
  • Catherine Bell (1985-2015)
  • Stephen Hoare (1985-2015)
  • Carmen Lluch (1985)
  • Thaliee Pelaez (1986-2010)
  • Jean Talley (1986-2015)
  • Tina Thuermer (1986-2017)
  • Gilbert Chow (1987-2014)
  • Dorrie Fuchs (1987-2008)
  • Beatrice Ferrant (1988)
  • James Martin (1988-2020)
  • Graciela Quiroga (1988-2017)
  • Gundelino Redilla (1988-2013)
  • Sushmita Vargo (1988)
  • Vaijayanti Wagle (1988-2016)
  • Annette Zamula (1988-2021)
  • Laura Rodriguez (1989-2014)
  • Colin Buck (1990-2024)
  • Leo Divinsky (1990-2018)
  • Kevin Ekanayake (1990-2011)
  • Patricia Hollis (1990-2012)
  • Mary Knautz (1990-2011)
  • Rita Adhikari (1990-2019)
  • Dominique Imbert (1992)
  • Kate Meenan-Waugh (1992-2013)
  • Michele Broadie (1993-2014)
  • Barbara Kaplan (1993-2015)
  • Neil MacDonald (1993)
  • Alan Reese (1993-2014)
  • Samia Belguedj (1994-2018)
  • Jan van de Riet (1994)
  • Senait Tessema (1995)
  • Bertrand Guitton (1995)
  • John Crocker (1995)
  • Louisa Dugan (1995-2017)
  • Weston Thomas (1995-2018)
  • Vyanne Samuels (1996-2019)
  • Nancy Totten (1996-2017)
  • Gema Leon (1997)
  • Ana Andura (1997-2020)
  • Nydia Marcela Castillo (1997)
  • Doris Clingman (1998)
  • Christian Delair (1998)
  • Mabel Ramirez (1998-2022)
  • Viviane Zaho (1998)
  • Natasha Bhalla (1999)
  • Yannin Garcia (1999)
  • Laura Martina (1999)
  • Dolores Virasoro de Cima (1999)
  • Consuelo Zuluaga (1999)
  • Mercy Encarnacion (2000)
  • Carole Geneix (2000)
  • Paul Skipper (2000)
  • Ana Maria Nicolich (2001-2023)
  • Steward Cole (2002-2024)
  • Pam Joos (2002)
  • Mary Hastings Moore (2003)
  • Anouk van Aanholt (2003)
First Day of Senior Year

On the first school day of their final year at WIS, Seniors dress to impress! The "uniform" of the day is all white or jackets and ties.

Sports Day

Sports Day was created in 1983, with the goal of building community across grade levels at the secondary school. Color-themed teams participate in a variety of games and activities to try and win points and bragging rights for the rest of the year. While new activities are added each year, the most popular games are building a human pyramid and the final game of the day: tug-of-war.

Students playing tug-of-war on sports day
 

Primary School Halloween Celebration

This long-standing tradition has taken various forms, but common to all is children and faculty/staff dressed in their Halloween costumes, delighting parents and neighbors during a brief parade.

Students and teachers in Halloween costumes
 

International Dinner

This all-adults gathering in the Tregaron Mansion is perhaps the most unusual potluck in town. Attendees are asked to bring an entree, side dish, or dessert that represents their culture, creating a feast of nations.

Tregaron Grill

A dedicated group of parent volunteers cooks and serves lunch to the Tregaron community. Even poor weather doesn't stop them; much like the U.S. Postal Service, they are there through rain, sleet, snow, and overwhelming heat to sell burgers, hot dogs, salmon, salads, desserts and more to our students, faculty, and staff.

Special Persons Day

On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Primary School students welcome special guests to their classrooms. Students can invite their grandparents or other special people in their lives for an assembly and a classroom activity that they complete together.

WISPA Lunches for Faculty and Staff

WISPA (WIS Parents Association) provides lunch for the WIS faculty and staff on both campuses on conference days and organizes luncheons and gifts for faculty and staff prior to Winter Break.

Valentine’s Day

WIS Seniors like to spread cheer and love (and maybe disrupt classes) throughout the Tregaron Campus. They dress in varying shades of red and pink, decorate their faces, and accessorize to deliver candy, flowers, balloons, and songs to students and staff.

Students on staircase on valentines day
 

Flower Day

To brighten the lives of the teachers who dedicate so much time and energy to our primary school students, one day each spring parents bring in armloads of flowers and arrange a vase to deliver to each classroom. This tradition was expanded to the Tregaron Campus beginning in 2021.

Grade 8 Trips

A Middle School rite-of-passage is the annual language trip, which takes place right before Spring Break. Students and faculty depart for ten days of immersion in France or Spain. Students are hosted by correspondents who visit Washington for their own language trips! Students often cite these trips as one of the highlights of their WIS careers.

PS Principal for a Day

This special treat is auctioned off at the annual Financial Aid Fundraiser. The lucky winner spends the entire day with the Primary School Principal, learning what it's like to run a successful school. Typical leadership decisions include calls for extra recess and a temporary homework ban.

Primary school student acting as principal for the day
 

Grade 5 Parent/Faculty vs. Student Game

On a Friday afternoon in May, Grade 5 students and their families have historically headed to the Tregaron Campus for the annual basketball or soccer game against their parents and WIS faculty members. The students also raise money by selling snacks and asking for donations.

Students and teachers play basketball
 

Heads’ Brunch and Primary School Visit

The Class of 2022 helped to launch a new end-of-year tradition during the week leading up to Graduation. All seniors attend a Brunch with the Head and Associate Head of School; the brunch includes a look back at lifers' experiences from their Primary School days. Then, with the fresh reminder of their younger selves, the seniors spend time with the Early Years students.

Senior students visiting the primary school
 

Graduation

As their last official event at WIS, Grade 12 Graduation is full of students' personal touches. Each year, the students vote on the color of the gowns they will wear, the processional and recessional music, and the members of their class who will speak and perform during the ceremony. Flags representing the graduates' nationalities are hung throughout the gym. After receiving their diplomas, graduates sign "the book," which contains the names of every WIS graduate in the School's history.

Students throw their caps into the air at graduation