Our Story

Welcome to GIS! If you’ve made it this far, this must mean you are interested in finding out more about our school and what makes it so special..

Every year, we embark on a journey, a mission that has a unique set of goals for our students and faculty alike. We aim at empowering our students to take charge of their own education with the tools of a curriculum that remodels itself every year; with the help of our staff and faculty, a group of passionate and empowered individuals who bring something new to the school and to our classes. We constantly evolve to help our students develop their own skills in order for them to join the world as autonomous learners with a thirst for knowledge that will allow them to pursue whatever they desire.

We aim at becoming committed community champions, because a big part of our philosophy of helping students become empowered individuals is for them to help pay it forward and always give back to their community. We are not just a school that tolerates differences, but rather one that celebrates them. Celebrating our diverse and unique backgrounds and set of skills is at the heart of our ethos.

We work towards these goals  unrelentingly every year , and always find ways to develop our methodology for the upcoming years. Our mission is never achieved because it becomes a cycle of self-renewal. Thus, our story does not follow the traditional linear timeline, but is rather a spiral review of everything we have done in the past and building on it by scaffolding everything we will continue to do for our children in the future.

Join us in our mission, and become part of our never-ending story!

A Letter from our Principal

The world around us is changing at an unprecedented speed with technology being at the heart of everything we do, dream of and aim to accomplish. New technologies are enabling us to think of and achieve what only a generation ago would have been thought impossible and unattainable. Therefore, for education to remain at the heart of ennobling and empowering the new generations, it must evolve at the same pace, if not faster. Thus, it gives us great honor at GIS to be spearheading a new teaching approach in Lebanon which is modeled after the Finnish system, a model which has been ranked by the World Economic Forum as being the world’s most successful educational system. The philosophy and architecture of this very practical model is based on two main pillars: Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Phenomenon Based Learning (PBL).

The purpose of this system is to shift from the traditional convergent teaching to a more adaptable, divergent approach. An approach that morphs the teacher’s role from that of a mere transmitter of information to the more dynamic facilitator role. Moreover, it is an approach that motivates the student to be a more active participant in the learning process rather than a recipient of information.

And this is exactly what we have started implementing at GIS: we fully embrace, apply and facilitate the adoption of and adaptation to this new educational philosophy and its applications, while remaining mindful of all the requirements of the Lebanese curriculum which we need to follow. Our vision, mission and resources all aim at equipping our sons and daughters to become tomorrow’s empowered leaders, in a very demanding yet enriching and rewarding journey. This could never materialize without the vigorous and much needed support and involvement our stakeholders: the school’s management, the teachers, our students, and their parents.

Our focus at GIS will always be to ensure, to the best of our ability, that our children’s educational journey is a life-altering, transformative experience rather than a mere transactional chapter despite all the challenges our country and society have been encountering over the last few years.

Our message is and will always remain a message of hope, trust, empowerment, support, and positive change.

Lina Francis – School Principal

Mission

GIS is a coeducational, independent and secular school serving a multinational student body. GIS seeks to instill curiosity in its students through collaboration and critical thinking. It also empowers them to be positive change agents in their community by becoming active listeners to resolve real problems impacting their environment and society. GIS stands for respect, integrity, courage, and diversity.

We achieve our mission by:

  • Focusing on the students’ social and emotional learning and wellbeing.
  • Creating a positive environment for students to learn from their own mistakes and to be responsible for their own behavior.
  • Setting high academic standards while providing support to overcome any learning difficulties through rigorous follow up.
  • Engaging students in the learning process through collaboration and reflection.
  • Developing effective communication skills in students to solve problems and enhance teamwork.
  • Involving students in local and international community service projects.
  • Providing students with opportunities to be empathetic and respectful towards others.
  • Developing our team professionally through continuous professional training.