Beyond The Stone

Alumni Newsletter

Volume 4, Edition 1, January 2022

Head of School Message

Dr Brian Brumsickle, Head of School, Stonehill International School, Bangalore

Greetings Alumni,

I’d like to wish our Stonehill alumni a Happy New Year!

Welcome to the first edition of our alumni newsletter for this academic year.

According to the Chinese zodiac calendar, this is the ‘Year of the Tiger'. At Stonehill, the Tiger is our official mascot. It is said that the Tiger exemplifies being brave, competitive, confident, and displays remarkable willpower.

Likewise, our Stonehill community has demonstrated great strength in enduring the many challenges over the last two years.

In the last six months, we briefly returned to our campus for in-person learning. Our students were elated and made the most of it while reconnecting with their friends and faculty. As you go through this edition, we hope you enjoy looking back on your days at Stonehill.

The Stonehill Founder’s Day Run was held virtually and we saw a bigger number of participants. With the Stonehill Science Bowl and the Cross Country Marathon, we would like to highlight the work that our students are doing at a global level. Girl Up Stonehill continues to battle gender stereotypes by helping girls advance their skills, rights and opportunities. Diwali as always is a wonderful reminder of love, family, and positivity.

As a premium international school in Bangalore and throughout India, we strive to create an internationally-minded community of spirited learners dedicated to developing knowledgeable, caring, confident, and responsible global citizens. As global citizens, you have reached different corners of the world and we are very proud of your accomplishments and milestones.

It is with deep regret that I would like to announce the passing of our alumus, Lukas Bjoenvard, Class of 2017. Most of his friends and teachers remember him as soft-spoken, kind and considerate. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Our shared experiences connect all of us in a special way. We would love to continue to hear back from you on how Stonehill has encouraged you or given you the groundwork for success along your journey. This will go a long way in ensuring constant improvements to your Alma Mater in our pursuit of excellence.

As always, I would appreciate hearing from you either by email or a visit when you are back in Bangalore.

We wish all our alumni success in the Year of the Tiger.

Dr. Brian Brumsickle

Head of School

Alumni News

As Stonehill alumni, the world needs you more than ever to build a society which celebrates our common humanity, and encourages us all to work with and for others. We are excited to hear from:

Neil Sairam, Class of 2021

I was at Stonehill for six years. It was a time filled with changing faces and changing environments, however, the sense of community remained unchanged. Stonehill is a place where people come together.

My favourite memories are the ones created at Trips Week, the ESS trip and the many STUCO events. The teachers were wonderful and Mr. Joe taught me to be a leader. Stonehill has left a lasting impression on my life and I will carry these memories as I take the next step. I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at George Washington University,US.

Lasya Hegde, Class of 2020

I created a lot of memories throughout my five years at Stonehill. I was a full-time boarder and Boarding always felt like my second home because of the amazing house parents and all the staff members who were always there to help us. I made a lot of friends and became independent which is helping me at university. There were many times I struggled with studies but with the amazing teachers, everything seemed possible. I was never much of a risk-taker but because of the supportive teachers and friends I had at Stonehill, I was able to overcome some of my fears and gain confidence. I am currently studying Business at Bryant University,US.

Tayyibah Kazim, Class of 2020

My Stonehill experience helped me explore my interests in various subjects, events and community service. I got to know some amazing teachers and made lifelong friends.

I am currently studying Media and Communications at Northwestern University in Qatar.

Tanish Jain, Class of 2021

I had the best four years of my life at Stonehill. As a full-time boarder, Boarding changed my life in a great way. I’ve made friends for a lifetime. I miss all my friends and teachers.

I am currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in International Business at Carleton University,Canada.

Obituary

Lukas Bjoenvard, Class of 2017

We are sorry to announce the passing of our beloved alumnus,Lukas Bjoenvard. Lukas tragically passed away in an accident in Copenhagen in December 2021. He was a student at Stonehill from August 2015 to May 2017. His passing is a huge loss to the Stonehill family. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends. RIP Lukas, you will be missed!

The image of Lukas sitting at the back of my TOK class listening intently to the discussions going on is etched in my mind. Soft-spoken, kind and considerate, Lukas could pack in a punch with his ideas on any subject or topic. His ideas were clear and coherent and he spoke deliberately and confidently.

It was a sheer joy to have him in my class. What I found most intriguing about Lukas was he didn’t need to shout in order to be heard. I always turned to him for his perspective.

A tragic incident that occurred in December 2021 in Denmark snuffed out Lukas' life. He’s gone too soon but even though he is not with us, his memory will live on in our hearts forever.

Preethi Menon, MYP & DP English

What's been happening at Stonehill?

The Stonehill Founder’s Day Run, 2021

Running for a stronger community

The fourth edition of the Stonehill Founder’s Day Run was held on the 26th of September. There was widespread participation from within and outside the Stonehill community with over 600 individuals participating, bigger than all the previous years, in different Run & Ride categories including 21K, 10K and 5K.

Stonehill matched the total fees raised through registrations for the Founder’s Day Run and donated it to the Morning Star Ashram, a home for underprivileged children with physical and mental illnesses. The Head of School, Dr. Brian Brumsickle and the PTA Charity Representative, Ms. Annette Hartfuss visited the Ashram and donated the proceeds.

Diwali 2021-Festival of Lights

Diwali marks the beginning of a new year buoyed by festive cheer all around. Our Educational Leadership Team got together and lit diyas to celebrate the wonderful festival of lights! Diwali remains a reminder of love, family, and positivity.

Orange The World

On the 25th of November, Girl Up Stonehill hosted a Dress Down Day in support of the “Orange the World” movement initiated by the UN for the elimination of violence against women. The whole community came dressed in orange, symbolizing a future free of violence. The raised funds were used to sponsor the school fees of children from the Stonehill Government School.

Going Global During the Pandemic
Two Students Win New York Times Contest

Going Global During the Pandemic

The pandemic has impacted education in many different ways. Teachers and students at Stonehill were able to innovate and use technology effectively for decision making and creative problem solving. Here’s how two events at Stonehill went global during the pandemic.

The Stonehill Science Bowl

The Stonehill Science Bowl is an annual event organized by the high school students. The two day virtual event was held on the 23rd and 24th of September. This year, the competition received an overwhelming response from passionate STEM students around the world. There was widespread participation from 50 teams representing 25 schools, from a total of 10 countries like the United States, Netherlands, Indonesia, Oman, Philippines, South Korea, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Ethiopia.

Cross Country Marathon

On the 25th of October, Stonehill along with thirty other international schools from twenty six countries participated in a Cross Country Marathon, hosted by the Anglo American School in Moscow. It was wonderful to see our students participating on a global level.

Stonehill students at cross country race 2021

Two Students Win New York Times Contest

The Coming of Age in 2021 Contest is the second edition of a multimedia competition held by The New York Times Learning Network. It gave students a platform to showcase their creativity while sharing their experiences of being a teenager in a global health crisis. Last year, the contest was only open to teenagers in the US, but this year they opened it up for international students as well. There were 25 winners, 25 runners-up and 46 honourable mentions out of 4000+ multimedia submissions from around the world.

Samvita Amladi, a Grade 10 student was among the top 25 winners. Samvita’s poem, “The Roarin’ 20s?”, drew instances from daily life, online school and experiences taken for granted before the pandemic. Samvita says, “I’ve realised that being a teenager in 2021 means being inherently political because whether you like it or not, your actions today dictate how you and other social groups will thrive in the years and generations to come.

2021 has given us a chance to understand our full potential as change-makers in a society that was made to “not budge”

Samara Venkataramani, got an honourable mention. Samara’s submission was an original song 'Believe' that she wrote, composed and sang.

Embassy Cares

Alumni Speak

It would be great to hear from you!

We encourage you to contribute your achievements, articles, or snippets of how life beyond Stonehill has been for you. We will be happy to include your contribution in the next edition of Beyond The Stone and will also feature it on the Alumni page on the website!

Fill out this FORM to receive some cool Stonehill merchandise. Please email Sheeba Abraham at alumni@stonehill.in for more information.

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