On Saturday, February 11, 2012, the name of our school graced the marquee of the historic Castro Theatre! Students, parents, faculty and alumni—along with members of the greater San Francisco community—filled the theatre for an unforgettable evening of performance and discussion, of looking back and looking forward. Indeed, it’s with good reason that Mayor Lee declared Saturday French American International School Day, in honor of our 50th anniversary.
The i-SPEAK Signature event at the Castro began with over 70 of our third graders singing Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind” in English and French. As they sang, footage from the turbulent and inspiring sixties—with images of protest and pop culture, along with the likes of Dr. King and President Kennedy—shone behind them.
Our Head of School, Jane Camblin, welcomed the crowd of over 800, along with Peter Coyote, the evening’s emcee. After sharing his thoughts on the importance of multilingualism, Coyote introduced composer Nathaniel Stookey, a French American alumnus, who discussed his piece, Musée Mécanique. Performance artist Guillermo Gómez-Peña followed with his reflections on the socio-political currents of the United States, including the condition of “hope as a failed government policy”! Last in the line-up of performers, alumna Sherene Melania ’00 and Norberto Martínez performed “Hungarian Dance” from the ballet Swan Lake.
After the three performances, Coyote introduced Phil Bronstein, the Board Chair of the Center for Investigative Research, who moderated a discussion about technology and innovation. The panel featured former French American parents, investor Michael Moritz and Logitech CEO and Board, Chair Guerrino De Luca; along with filmmaker Tiffany Shlain and anti-money laundering specialist Moyara Ruehsen.
The night’s presentations were interspersed with testimonials from former Board Chair Allan Basbaum, alumni Amy Munz, Manoel Felciano and Emily Lowry, and former Head of School, Bernard Ivaldi, who spoke to the school’s founding principles: respectively, a global perspective, academic rigor, diversity, critical thinking and communicating across cultures. For her part, Jane Camblin underscored that while the tools with which we deliver the principles set forth by our far-sighted founders may change, these pillars have withstood the test of time and are here to stay.
Along with former Head of School Bernard Ivaldi, our guests of honor included none other than the founder of French American Bilingual School, Jeannette Rouger, who flew into town from Paris to toast the next 50 years! |