Page 25 - FIS World

Grand Memories of FISW
An Alumni reunion at FISW rekindles long-time friendships
In July 18 FISW alumni gathered for a reunion at the Wiesbaden campus where they had been students more than a decade ago. They traveled from around the world,
arriving from Argentina, Australia, Ireland, Mexico and The Netherlands. Most of them have known each other since they were just ten years old. Back then, FISW only went up to Grade 6, so they “graduated” from FISW together in 2009. Some of them then moved back to their home countries; the rest went on to the Upper School in Oberursel.
It all started when Meabh Noonan and her friends, Alana Retallack, who lives in Australia, and Andrea Sanchez, who lives in Spain, decided to get together for a summer trip to Italy, Ireland and Spain. Although they had moved away from Germany at the end of Grade 6, they have remained friends all these years. Around this time, another good friend, Ileana Salazar, contacted them from Mexico – she was going to be in Germany over the summer and wanted to know if any of them would be around. Meabh, Alana and Andrea decided to go to Germany to meet up with Ileana
The group of 18 former FISW students gathers on campus to reminisce and reconnect
and realized that they could also ask former classmates if there was interest in a larger reunion and visit to FISW. The answer was a resounding yes.
The alumni who arrived on the Wiesbaden campus toured their old school and were surprised at how much bigger the classrooms of their memories seemed. They enjoyed lunch at the Hochenberger Mühle, a classic German restaurant nearby, that many of them had visited with their parents during their time in Naurod, and where they had celebrated “Graduation Lunch” back in 2009. Everyone had a chance to catch up, compare stories, and enjoy mutual memories. The day ended in Wiesbaden where the majority of the group went to out together for the evening. It was a wonderful day of reminiscing and rekindling old friendships – and another story of how long-lasting friendships across borders are formed at FIS and FISW.
Nancy Huston
Development and Alumni Relations Manager
October 2017 FIS World 23