AISA 2019 Conference in Cape Town

Senior Associate Gez Hayden and Senior Consultant Norma Hudson were privileged to represent Search Associates at the 50^th Annual Conference of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA), November 21–23. Held at the outstanding Cape Town International Convention Centre, this historic occasion invited both leadership and teachers from member schools all over the continent.

The theme of the conference Learning from the Past–Shaping the Future wasmreflected in a celebration of AISA’s proud history. Starting in the 1970s, AISA was formed with U.S. government assistance to support international schools starting up in countries recently independent of colonial rule. Foreign business and government agencies wanted schools and education services appropriate to the needs of their families, and those schools, in turn, required the support of a professional organization. Thus, AISA was born.

Beyond AISA 2019 Conference’s professional development offerings—such as Deep Dives and workshops called Discovery, Innovative Practice, and Learning Partner Present—the conference program encouraged participants to explore Cape Town.

[Visit] the American International School of Cape Town (AISCT), the shops and restaurants on the Waterfront, explore the wineries, see the whales at Hermanus, climb Table Mountain or drive to the Cape of Good Hope.

AISA was delighted to feature Keynote Speaker Ewan McIntosh. In his talk Agile Strategy for Agile Communities, he shared approaches school leaders could use for long-term success and sustainability in international schools in the region.

Dan Jubert, Chair of the AISA board and Head of the American International School of Cape Town (AISCT), hosted the closing social event at his school in the beautiful suburb of Constantia.

Gez was fortunate to meet up at the conference with colleagues and heads of school in the region whose schools he is slated to visit in the school year 2020-21. For now, Gez is excited to extend his experience of SEARCH member schools in Southern Africa during ten days after the conference, with visits to Namibia and Botswana!