Annual Report 2021-2022

Report 2022 2021 Annual 33 The Arts Highlights........................................................................ Middle School Report.................................................................... Financial Information................................................................... Table of Contents Departing Staff.............................................................................. Elementary School Report............................................................. Class of 2022................................................................................... Advanced Placement Scores.......................................................... 6 14 Annual Parent Survey................................................................... What We Value............................................................................... Nairobi, Kenya 24 A Message from the Superintendent............................................. 26 8 Athletic Highlights......................................................................... 16 27 30 5 High School Report........................................................................ Director of Spiritual Life............................................................... Who We Are................................................................................... 12 22 28 34 Rosslyn Academy 4 New Staff....................................................................................... Service Learning........................................................................... 10 18 Facility Upgrades........................................................................... 32 Director of Teaching and Learning............................................... 31 Faithful Learning........................................................................... 20 Looking Ahead with Hope and Prayer......................................... 2021-2022 Staff 253 Total Staff Nationalities Represented: 9 Academic and Supporting Staff: 152 Operations Team: 101 Excellence Christ-Likeness Who We Are 2021-2022 Enrollment 648 Students Elementary School: 234 Middle School: 162 High School: 252 50 Nations Represented Kenya 38% United States 36% Korea 8% Canada 5% Others 13% Service Community What We Value 2021-2022 Theme Verse Philippians 2:5: In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Mission ...to inspire and equip each student to develop their God-given gifts for Christ-like service in the world community. Intellectual Virtue Dear Rosslyn Parents and Guardians, This is my official signing-off as Superintendent of Rosslyn Academy. Without hyperbole, I can say that serving your families here at Rosslyn Academy has been the honor of a lifetime. Rosslyn is a remarkable school and that is in no small part due to the wonderful parent community with whom I have been able to partner. My family and I see our time at Rosslyn as a uniquely treasured chapter in our lives. We know that we have been forever changed for the better by this place and the people who make up this community. As we shift to being part of the global Rosslyn diaspora, we do so with hearts full-to-overflowing with gratitude to God and to you. We also leave with a palpable sense of excitement for Rosslyn’s future. We believe that Rosslyn Academy’s best days are still to come. Rosslyn is blessed with a strong and supportive parental and student community, an incredible team of teachers and staff deeply committed to the school’s Christian educational mission, and a talented and experienced leadership team poised to build on our firm foundation. I am particularly excited about the arrival of Dr. Jon Hill and his family from the International School of Beijing. Under Dr. Hill’s leadership, Rosslyn Academy is ready for an even more exciting new chapter in its storied history. Thank you, and may God richly bless you and your families in the days and years ahead!  Phil Dow Farewell 75th Anniversary Address to the Rosslyn Community (February 25, 2022) Our theme for this year-long celebration is - Faithful Foundation Forever. As we kick off this year of reflection, I would like to make a few remarks about that theme and the 75 years we are celebrating. I want to start with the word Foundation. The image of a firm foundation is used throughout Scripture. In the book of Matthew, Jesus famously said, “everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.” The imagery of a foundation implies a deeply-rooted and solid basis upon which something good, significant and lasting can be built. A trustworthy foundation allows the inhabitants of the house to flourish regardless of external circumstances. The foundation of Rosslyn is its Christian beliefs and values. That foundation was carefully established when the school began in 1947 and has been central to Rosslyn’s remarkable development over the last 75 years. I have often wondered how the school’s founders would react if they could be transported forward in time to the Rosslyn of 2022. I think they would reflect on our current mission statement and statement of faith with a deep sense of satisfaction. They would see that the foundation that they established remains firmly in place but has been built upon in ways that extend far beyond what they could have imagined. I think they would look at the international diversity of our student body with tremendous joy. I think that they would walk through this beautiful campus amazed at what the humble work of their hands has ultimately produced. And I think they would be absolutely stunned by the global impact that our alumni are having. But I think that the main reason for their joy would be the consistency that they would find between the school’s original aims and its current reality. That consistency is highlighted in the first word of our 75-year theme - Faithful. The word faithful was chosen carefully. It implies integrity of purpose and mission, consistency between what is said and what is done, and an ongoing commitment to the beliefs and values of our founders. From the Superintendent No human organization can fully live up to its ideals, but the fact that our mission, beliefs, and values remain essentially unchanged after 75 years speaks to the integrity of those who have come before us. The third word that makes up our theme is “Forever”. Faithful Foundation Forever. In a recent talk to our staff, I put a question mark after the word Forever. I did this for a couple of reasons. First, we can do our part, but the reality is that none of us are able to control the future. Second, and this was the point I was really trying to make, an organization’s mission is only as solid as the current generation’s commitment to that mission. We often say that there are no 2nd generation Christians. Faith is a personal decision. It is not a commitment that can be made by our parents or grandparents. And it is not a commitment we can make on behalf of our children. It must be chosen and renewed by each generation. In Joshua 24, the nation of Israel is at a crossroads in its history, and Joshua puts a challenge to the next generation. He famously said, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve… But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” In the same way, Rosslyn’s faithful foundation, which was so carefully built, and that has produced such incredible fruit over the last 75 years, needs to be reaffirmed and recommitted to in each generation. This year-long celebration is both a chance to reflect on God’s goodness over our first 75 years and an opportunity for us as a community to reaffirm the school’s educational mission. And as we recommit ourselves to that mission, I believe that the next 75 years will be even better than the first. In truth, I believe we are only starting to see the long-term impact that Rosslyn Academy is going to have on our world. Dr. Phil Dow, Superintendent Taking Care of Others We continued with the second year of our Service Learning Coordinator role at Rosslyn. Things have been so positive that we shifted the role from a volunteer capacity to a part-time paid position. This change has allowed Jamie Dunning to continue to impact our school by increasing the participation of our students in meaningful service opportunities, increasing teaching opportunities on Christ-like service, and further developing of our Philosophy of Service Learning. Rev. Dave Matlak Taking Care of Others (cont.) This year we were so grateful to be able to bring back Cultural Field Study trips for four of our grade levels (5, 8, 11, and 12), and we look forward to running our full CFS program in the 22-23 school year. All of these excellent service initiatives help us foster Christ-likeness within students as they grow in Christ’s example of selfless love through practicing generosity, kindness, empathy, and compassion. Not only are we caring for our students and many communities in Kenya, we are also taking care of one another in our community. Our Spiritual Life Team this year cared for our community by providing many hours of pastoral care and counseling, walking alongside families during significant losses, helping transition our new staff into our community and our departing staff as they leave Rosslyn, and making time to celebrate our community life together. I’m also particularly grateful for the ongoing care provided by our Parent Teacher Fellowship, Mom’s in Prayer, and so many in our parent community who work together to make Rosslyn a caring and spiritually vibrant environment. Engaging with Cultural Issues Because Rosslyn works with students from a variety of backgrounds whose exposure to different religions, cultures, and worldviews are so varied, we have tried to create a respectful and engaging learning environment where we can remain true to our Christian worldview while still engaging in a winsome way with our surrounding globalized culture. Over the past few school years, the topics of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) and racial diversity have become more prominent in our work with students. Our team of dedicated Christian leaders, teachers, counselors, and chaplains have sought to respond thoughtfully and with a Biblically informed approach that seeks to honor the God-given value of each member of our community in a way that is consistent with our Christian worldview. In the coming year, we look forward to continuing to actively engage on these and other important issues within our community. Diversity Advisory Team As a Christian school rooted in the belief that all people are created in the Image of God and therefore equal in value and dignity before God and each other, we believe that diversity is deeply enriching. However, we also know that healthy diversity is hard work as it means listening, interacting, and learning across lines of ethnicity, sex, language, race, and belief. This school year, Rosslyn remained committed to the important work of living out healthy expressions of diversity across our community. A few areas that we continued in this commitment this year are a continued increase in the diversity of our applicant pool during our hiring processes, increased number of sessions working with students on the topics of racial diversity, ongoing training of teachers in developing cultural sensitivity within our international community, and continuing to review and improve our staff policies to ensure fair treatment of all employees. We remain fueled by the heavenly vision in Revelation chapter 7, where people are gathered together from every nation, tribe, and language to give honor and worship to God. May God’s will be done here on earth at Rosslyn, even as it is in heaven.  Throughout this school year, our Rosslyn community reflected on our theme verse from Philippians 2:11 “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.” As Paul describes in more detail in his letter to the Philippians, the mindset of Jesus is one of humility and service. This is the same pattern of humility and service that we seek to develop in each member of our Rosslyn Academy community. As we commemorate our 75th anniversary, it is clear that after 75 years Rosslyn remains firmly established on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the transformative power of the Good News as it goes out into the world. Rosslyn’s commitment to its faithful foundation remains evident in the hiring of our teachers and leaders, how we allocate resources and spend our money, the way we train and develop our teachers, and how we engage in crisis situations and difficult issues. I pray that Rosslyn remains faithfully rooted in Jesus so that we may move forward into our next 75 years under the Lordship of Jesus. Building Capacity The 2021-22 school year marked the first time that Rosslyn was able to have two full-time chaplains working with our secondary level students (6-12). Muthoni Maina-Mwangi and Simeon Harrar joined Rosslyn this year, and one of their key areas of focus was building meaningful relationships with students. In addition to caring for our students that are navigating a world that Covid has deeply impacted, our chaplains were able to implement engaging programs for spiritual development that connected students along the theme of Faith for the Journey. In our ES school, I was able to serve this year as the ES Chaplain. Seeing our younger students' incredible capacity for worship, service, and spiritual formation was a joy as we focused on themes of walking in wisdom and learning through Jesus’ parables. It is also a great joy to add our new ES Chaplain, Amie Cross, to our Rosslyn team for the 22-23 school year. Welcome, Amie! This year we were able to bring back our important Spiritual Emphasis Week programs across all of our schools. In addition, this was the first year where we held a Spiritual Emphasis Week for our Operations Staff under the leadership of our Operations Chaplain, Brown Imbahale. God is using our chaplains to build relationships with students, empower teachers and staff, and connect with parents as we faithfully serve in this community.  Director of Spiritual Life This year we will continue to focus on connecting intellectual formation to spiritual formation. The mission statement will still drive our staff development choices, and we will emphasize the inspiring and equipping of EACH student. to the rest of the staff. Teachers will deepen their pedagogical knowledge to support the diverse student body that makes Rosslyn special. A team of seven teachers will be participating in a differentiation course. Another team of twelve will be trained in using the MAP assessment to inform instruction and meet the needs of individual students. In both of these learning experiences, teachers will be equipped to become trainers. Director of Teaching & Learning Mr. Brad Dixon Theme In the 2021-2022 school year, we made intentional efforts to connect our educational practice to the Rosslyn Academy Mission Statement. We concluded that to “inspire and equip for Christ-like service” means it is every staff members’ responsibility to focus on formation, specifically the spiritual and intellectual formation of students. Reflection on moving from mission statement into daily practice formed the basis of whole school professional development. To build on this, in 2022-2023, we are focusing on the words “EACH STUDENT” (“...Inspiring and equipping each student for Christlike service…”). For us to move from mission statement to practice, we need to focus on the needs of individual students. Accreditation (Re-accreditation) Our current accreditation cycle of seven years was extended one year due to COVID, and this accreditation cycle is coming to an end. The team leading the re-accreditation process will be Jon Hill (Superintendent), Tyler Heugel (Technology Integration Specialist), and Brad Dixon (Director of Teaching and Learning). Our team is supported by Sarah Arensen, MS Language Arts teacher, and Jessica Dunning, Head of Communications. Our self-study begins in January 2023, with our accreditation visit in the fall of 2023. As we prepare for the self-study, we will determine if the protocols of the Middle States Association or Association of Christian Schools International are better equipped to move the school forward. We will remain accredited with both organizations; this decision involves selecting a primary accrediting body. Professional development As mentioned earlier, whole school professional development days focused on faithful learning. Individual teachers and teacher assistants have participated in a wide variety of professional development opportunities, including seminars, courses, pursuing advanced degrees and certifications, webinars, and conferences. Some of the themes pursued by faculty this year are a variety of differentiation techniques, school constructs, meeting the needs of specific populations like English Language Learners, and counseling. All of our new staff attended faculty formation throughout the year and completed their ACSI accreditation and certification requirements. Curriculum This year we completed curriculum reviews of World Languages and Fine Arts. This means that the educators in these departments pored over each course guide in their department to ensure optimal student learning, appropriate content is taught, and our courses align with our core documents. I cannot speak highly enough of each team of educators. Both of these departments exemplify a standard of excellence that will compare favorably to any school. This year we will be conducting curriculum reviews of music, drama, theater, and elementary school science. The goal of each curriculum review is to ensure our students are achieving the highest standards and meeting rigorous objectives. We are adding a software system, Curriculum Trak, which will allow us to analyze our curriculum from a K-12 perspective. Curriculum guides are being imputed currently, and we hope to be online in the second semester.   Assessment MAP Growth Assessment, a computer-based adaptive achievement test, fully resumed again after COVID prevented most opportunities last year. MAP is a key indicator of student progress. Resuming biannual assessment means we are able to complete a fall and spring administration of this incredibly useful evaluation. As alluded to earlier, we would like MAP to be much more than a summative assessment. This assessment has the ability to guide teachers’ instructional choices to closely mesh with the needs of each student in their classroom. We are only now beginning the process of tapping into all MAP offers.   Very little assessment was completed during virtual learning, which makes it difficult to provide comparison data to share. We look forward to being able to analyze this year’s results, both for student progress and also for school-wide data.   Change This was my first year in the DTL role. Significant organizational change also took place after the start of this school year in SST, or our Student Support Team: individual SST teachers are now embedded in the schools where they primarily serve and are supervised by the appropriate principal. The departments of the Student Support Team (Guidance, Counseling, Learning Support, and English Language Learners) retain their department leadership and continue to function as teams. As Rosslyn becomes more inclusive of students with higher needs of support, SST continues to work on policies, processes, and structures, as well as definitions like we mean by “inclusion.”   Another change was the addition of Jamie Dunning as our first Service Learning Coordinator. Service learning is a growing area of focus this year. Jamie will help us to be more authentic and programmatic in this critical area. Empowering and training our students for Christ-like service is the ultimate outcome of our mission statement.   seven hours with our students each day. The ability to mentor, mold, and develop our students' young minds to reflect that of Christ Jesus is a mission our staff does not take lightly and considers it a privilege and honor to do so. We know Christ has called us to work tirelessly and with a fervent commitment to developing those young minds so that they, too, can reflect the mindset of Christ. I want to take a brief moment and thank the Academy’s leadership and Board for supporting our elementary school and making Rosslyn an incredible place to call home. On a personal note, I have felt welcomed into the Rosslyn family with open arms, and I'm grateful to serve as your elementary school principal. Working alongside such an incredible team of staff and hard-working students is the highlight of my work here at Rosslyn. This is a special place, and I look forward to the 2022-2023 school year.   As I reflect on the 2021-2022 theme verse for Rosslyn Academy (Philippians 2:5), I am continually drawn to the importance of building solid relationships within our incredible Elementary School. Over the past year, we, as an Elementary Staff, have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to investing in the hearts and minds of our students and each other. Philippians 2:5 reminds us that in all our relationships with one another, we are to have the same mindset as that of Christ Jesus. Each day I come to work, I am not only reminded of this verse but I am compelled to maintain that focus on relationships. It has been my hope and prayer, as Elementary School Principal at Rosslyn Academy, to elevate the importance of meaningful relationships in our school. The academic learning that goes on for students in our classrooms is equally and vitally important, but I am continually brought back to this verse as the year has progressed and have been challenged and encouraged in our endeavor to build into the lives of our students by reflecting that same mindset of Christ Jesus. Our staff, including our Teaching Assistants, Office staff, Caretakers, Ground Keepers, Support staff, and Teachers have the honor and privilege of Elementary School Report A Few Highlights from the Past Year: New Student Orientation- Welcoming a host of new students to our incredible school and making them feel a part of the Rosslyn family. Our staff did an incredible job making their transition as smooth as possible. After School Activities- Many students chose to be a part of after-school activities that involved sports such as rugby, basketball, football (soccer), and swimming. Looking to next year, we hope to bring back After School Clubs that involve events in addition to sports-related ones … such as Chess club, robotics, Lego, music, drama, art, hand-bells, and many more. Chapel - Every Wednesday, all elementary students were able to take part in in-person Chapel sessions facilitated by the Director of Spiritual Life. We were able to have a host of guest speakers throughout the year. Chapel time was the highlight for many students and staff here at our school. Tortoise Enclosure- Our incredible Science teacher was able to construct a tortoise enclosure that currently houses 4 shelled creatures. Our students love coming by to see the tortoises. A huge thanks to our Operations Team for supporting this endeavor. Concerts & Festival of the Arts- All students from kindergarten through to grade 5 were able to be featured in an in-person concert in December and in April. Our fantastic music teacher coordinated the concerts, and it was so exciting to do these events within the given COVID-19 restrictions. We were also able to video stream these concerts so that extended family members from around the world could view the concerts as well. Furthermore, our elementary school art teacher was instrumental in collaborating with our music teacher to initiate a new tradition here entitled Festival of the Arts. Students' individual art was displayed in the new Commons building on our campus. Parents & students were able to view the art over a two-day period that coincided with the annual music concert. SEW (Spiritual Emphasis Week) - Students and staff from Rosslyn Academy Elementary School were able to take part in Spiritual Emphasis Week in the middle of April 2022. A huge shout out to our Director of Spiritual Life, who was instrumental in working together with our Elementary Committee to put this week together. The week culminated with all students constructing their own individual paper flower and then nailing it to a wooden cross. It is now on display in the elementary office. Sports Day - With the support of our incredible physical education teaching staff, all students from preschool through grade 5 were able to take part in the annual tradition of elementary sports day. Seeing this was the first time our students could get involved in Sports Day since before the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, our staff and students were excited to take part in this incredible full-day activity once again! (I can still feel the cold water trickling down my back after two fantastic elementary teachers decided to douse me with the leftover water at the end of the hot day… brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!) Literacy Focus - Throughout the 2021-2022 school year, our Homeroom CORE teachers utilized every available professional development opportunity to hone their skills in best practices of literacy intervention and literacy development for all students from kindergarten through to grade five. Using well-researched practices of the Lucy Calkins Workshop Method in Reading, Writing, and Word Work, teachers refined their skills and continued to learn new strategies to support student growth in literacy. We hope to continue this into next year as well. International Day - All elementary students & staff were unanimous in their excitement for the return of International Day here at Rosslyn Academy on February 25, 2022. Our elementary school prepared well for this day and enjoyed themselves immensely. Students constructed their own personalized flags representing their home or heart culture, and some even dressed up in their respective colors. This was a truly memorable day. Field Trips - Students in all grades were able to take part in field trips this year. Our incredible staff were instrumental in organizing and executing these field trips throughout the school year. Due to restrictions that COVID-19 placed on field trips in subsequent school years, this was the first time we were able to re-introduce field trips and highlight the importance of community & school partnerships to develop student learning and promote life application. The knowledge and skills attained during in-class lessons are reinforced on field trips that relate to local industry development, scientific discoveries, service-learning opportunities, and citizenship skills. Our fifth graders were able to take part in CFS (Cultural Field Studies) from May 4 - 6. They enjoyed their 3-day 2-night adventure in the Melewa region near Lake Naivasha. Another highlight was watching every fourth-grader climb to the top of Mount Longonot at the end of March. Well done, students!  Mark Blankenstyn ES Principal Our chapel program grew this year as our new chaplain, Simeon Harrar, was joined by Muthoni Maina-Mwangi. The chapels were geared specifically towards our middle school students with a high level of engagement with games, skits, a student worship team, and topics relevant to them. The talks focused on lessons about how students can tangibly live out their faith, especially in their relationships with one another. They also began a Chapel Visionary Team, a Student Leadership Team, and a new discipleship group led by seniors in the high school. They have been laying the groundwork this year for a discipleship program for girls that will begin next year. These will be led by junior/senior girls along with a staff member. Ms. Heather Schneider MS Principal We were thrilled to be able to send our 8th graders on CFS to Suswa again this year and it went extremely well! The students were able to learn from local ingenuity and participate in the construction of a community water system that harvests water from geothermal steam vents. The team also learned about the local Maasai community and culture, hiked to the summit and explored the volcanic caves, and had meaningful opportunities to identify Christ’s work within themselves, the host community, others and creation, which had intentional connections to the CRE curriculum. Another 8th grade event was Model United Nations in February. The students excelled and four of the resolutions they prepared in class were moved forward to debate at the conference. Several of our students were recognized in the areas of Best Speaker, Best Delegate and Best Resolution. We are very proud of their performance! Our performing arts and athletics programs have always been vibrant in middle school with very high participation, and this continued to be the case this year. Our intramural athletics teams were at capacity for every season and the play production of “The Enchanted Bookshop” involved close to 50 students between cast and crew! The gift was the opportunity to begin interscholastic competitions again and have our play production and music concerts back in the auditorium! The newest addition to the Middle School this year was the Cave! (The students voted for this name.) The bottom level of the new Commons building is a recreation area dedicated for the middle school students during the school day with ping pong tables, foosball tables, and an air hockey and pool table. There is also a hangout lounge and a café area where the students can eat their lunches. The kids have fully enjoyed this space, and we inaugurated it well by having a Middle School Activity Night in February where we had food, dancing and games. The night was a smashing success! Overall, we have had an excellent school year in which students have grown in their knowledge, their relationships, and their faith. Middle school is a challenging time of life, and the pandemic has not made it any easier. Our students have shown enthusiasm, joy and resilience in their courses and the many activities they have participated in! We are grateful for each of them and the opportunities we have each year to contribute to their growth and learning. Middle School Report Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. The 2021-2022 school year has been energetic and joyful, though not without some bumps as we all transitioned back into in-person learning after the previous year’s on-again/off-again experience. After a year of being in Virtual Learning Environment, what better time than now to focus on our relationships with one another and being a community within the body of Christ. During VLE, we implemented a homeroom class in order to facilitate more personal connections between teachers and students in a smaller group. We continued with this “class” and created an intentional program for students to bond with one another in their grade levels. Each Friday afternoon, the last half hour of the day was spent enjoying some friendly competition. Eighty-five percent of Grade 9 students reported that they were very/extremely anxious about exams. (Compare that to the fact that over 99% of exams were passed.) Finding a balance of compassion for students’ well-being and exposure to the things that are making them fearful continues to be our work. I see the task as less about creating safe spaces and more about creating brave, competent people.  There are a number of things planned for next year that I hope will be meaningful changes: New courses: By shifting assignments we will be able to offer Business, Law, Woodworking, International Cooking, AP European History, History through Film, and Economics classes without additional teacher hiring. Our student groups will be clear in their purpose and will all have solid teacher leadership in place. A detailed account of all high school events will be available for teachers, parents and students at the beginning of the year. Thank-you again for welcoming my family into your community and blessing us. Mr. Thor Barkman HS Principal High School Report Thank-you for the opportunity to serve God at Rosslyn this year. It was a blessing for my whole family to participate in the work you are doing here. I have been blessed by the sincere prayers offered by people when they knew I was entering into tough conversations -that was a completely new experience for me as an administrator, but very encouraging and focusing. I wish we could stay and continue to build into the lives of teachers and students. We established three priorities for the year, all related to perceived impacts of Covid disruption: Recovery of learning Restoration of school culture. How do we establish the culture of the school i.e. build individual relationships, co-curricular activities - arts, sports, athletics? Consideration of how to address mental health concerns and build courage. Quantifying exactly which learning was lost due to learning online is difficult, but wherever we could assess concrete, sequential content we assessed to find out what students knew and filled in gaps as needed. Teachers showed diligence in making sure that students were prepared -our pass rate courses is over 99%, so students were able to meet and exceed expectations. Students at Rosslyn are certainly more diligent in their studies than many places so that contributes to their success. I anticipated restoring school culture through in-person interactions and the resumption of athletic and performing arts programs. Our first band and choir events were emotional events for me as I saw parents immensely enjoying what was once an ordinary experience. Athletics, by sheer number of participants, has a massive impact on school culture so to finally be able to compete against other schools gave us another avenue of building pride in our school. We quite quickly identified this year that many of our high school students are not pursuing a relationship with Christ. Specific planning and prayer needs to go into this, our first step has been to understand that cultural change of this nature begins with our individual pursuit of our faith so that teachers are clearly leading the way - I strongly believe that we have the right people in place to impact this aspect of Rosslyn culture in the coming years. A third aspect that we targeted was students' mental health. Students are increasingly anxious about ordinary events in life. There is some contagion effect at work, but it does not change the fact that many students are struggling to find courage. This was already reaching disturbing levels before Covid lock-downs, but now students have been told for over two years that people and places with people are unsafe. Futsum Mahrai Noah Masozera Ted Mbugua Mara McKelvey Imani Mooketsane Annabel Moser Grace Muhiu Ryna Mulaku Aiko Njuguna Belinda Nzungize Natasha Oduor Rasoa Okioga Minha Park Anay Rajani Offers & Acceptances University Acceptances (Attending) Abilene Christian University Boise State University Brandeis University Cairn University California Baptist University Pensacola Emirates Aviation University, UAE Evangel University Florida Institute of Technology Franklin University Switzerland, Switzerland Georgia Institute of Technology Jacob's University, Germany Marist University Moody Bible Institute New St. Andrew's College North Greenville University Oakland University School of Audio Engineering Institute in Atlanta, GA St. Cloud State University State University of New York Buffalo Texas A & M Tufts University United States International University, Kenya University College Maastricht, The Netherlands University of Bath, UK University of British Columbia, Canada University of Calgary, Canada University of California Davis University of Edinburgh, UK University of Groningen, The Netherlands University of Tampa University of Toronto, Canada University of Virginia Utah Valley University University Acceptances (Not Attending) Amity University, UAE Baylor University Biola University Boyce College Butler University California College of the Arts Calvin University Cardiff University, UK Clemson University Colorado State University Covenant College Durham University, UK Dusquesne University Eastern Michigan University Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Florida Institute of Technology Meredith Hersman Kariman Hossny Halynn Hwang Louange Ihimbazwe Anna Jackson Soleine Jamar Fatou Jarra Victoria Kabutha Jada Kamau Do Yeon Kim Vili Konttinen Marina Kroppach Han Na Lee Ben Lominyo Class of 2022 Over 95% of Rosslyn graduates pursue post-secondary education. Joy Anderson Kyle Chemirmir Mathias Chesneau Joshua Childs Kyuin Choi Tyler Davis Asa Dinkins Hellen Feng Philip Gakuo Kaytlin Gathura Jack Gilmer Angel Gitau Lydia Gitau Abraham Halvorson Gavin Ross Nathaniel Rowe Isabelle Santmyire Saurav Savani Sika Sena-Akoto Anudeep Sharma Tigerwoods Sithole Zinzi Thuo Sahil Virani HaEun Yoon Sungsan Yu Wenwei Zhang Florida International University Grand Canyon University Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences, Finland Hannibal-La Grange University Iowa State University Kent State University Kwantlen University, Canada LeTourneau University Liberty University Lindenwood University Maastricht University, The Netherlands Macalester University Miami University Michigan State University New York University North Carolina State University Pensacola Christian College Pepperdine University Portland State University Queen Mary University - London, UK Rutgers University San Francisco State University Southeastern University SRM Institute of Science and Technology, India St. Michael's College The Citadel - Military College of South Carolina Trinity Christian College University of Brunel, UK University of Calgary, Canada University of California Davis University of California San Diego University of Colorado, Boulder University of Connecticut University of Exeter, UK University of Guelph, Canada University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign University of Minnesota Mankato University of Minnesota Twin Cities University of Nottingham, UK University of South Florida University of Southampton, UK University of the Ozarks University of Warwick, UK University of Washington University of West England Bristol, UK University of Winchester, UK University of Windsor, Canada Virginia Technical Institute Washington State University Western University, Canada Wheaton College (IL) GAP Year: 15 Students The Advanced Placement curriculum is a rigorous and globally-recognized program aimed at high-achieving college-bound students who want to prepare themselves for entrance to strong universities. The highly-regarded program is similar to the International Baccalaureate program, but is used much more widely in North America. It has been invaluable for our students seeking entrance to top UK and European universities. Rosslyn Academy is proud of our reputation as one of largest and most successful AP programs in Africa. Once again, we are pleased with how well our students performed on their AP exams this past May. Our pass rate average for the past two years has been above eighty-five percent, which is a full twenty percentage points above the global average. These quite remarkable numbers are a tribute to the excellent teaching and learning going on at Rosslyn, but also to the tremendously gifted and hard-working students that God has given us the opportunity to work with. # of Tests Taken Advanced Placement 2022 Rosslyn Academy Test Results 111 92% 208 2D Studio Art, 2D Drawing, Art History, 3D Art, Biology, Calculus AB, Chemistry, English Language, English Literature, French, Physics C: Mechanics, Macroeconomics, Microeconomics, Statistics, US History and World History Rosslyn Pass Rate Our pass rate average for the past two years has been above eighty-five percent, which is a full twenty percentage points above the global average. AP Course Offerings for 2021-2022 # of AP Students Faithful Learning Faithful learning (or integration of faith and learning) has been one of the primary objectives of Rosslyn Academy since the school’s inception 75 years ago. It has been one of the most important accreditation goals that we have focused on during each seven-year accreditation cycle for at least the last 21 years. What is new this year is the creation of a position (“Faithful Learning Specialist”) to focus and lead our ongoing efforts in this area, and to give us greater forward momentum. By God’s grace, we made significant strides forward this school year. Each new-to-Rosslyn academic staff member, as part of their ongoing orientation to the school, participated in several days of training throughout the school year to help them understand the Christian approach we take to education. In addition, our all-staff professional development days in November, February and April focused on faithful learning – both theoretical and practical. An extensive survey of teachers, teacher assistants and administrators in January or this year illuminated areas of faithful learning that are strong and those that need significantly more work. Teachers and teacher assistants wrote “faithful learning blog articles” each week to share with the staff, reflecting on how they worship God in their role and lead students toward Jesus. One conceptual model that we have used this year to help visualize approaches to faithful learning at Rosslyn Academy is the three buckets: integration, worldview and formation. Dr. Kim Gilmer Faithful Learning The first bucket is called “Integration.” Thinking and activities in this bucket "reintegrate" God into our academic content areas. Secular education falsely suggests that some subjects are “not Christian” and inconsequential spiritually. We believe “all truth is God’s truth” and that God can be seen in all subjects. We intentionally give opportunities for students to notice God and worship Him in the content of all our classes – math, languages, science, social studies, physical education, art, music, technology, and more. Faithful learning, in its simplest form, is calling attention to where God is evident in learning and in life. “Hey look! Here’s God!” The second bucket is called “Worldview.” Humans—including children—ask the same basic worldview questions (e.g. Is there a higher power in the universe? What happens when people die? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we know what is right and wrong?). Thinking and activities in this bucket help students understand a Christian worldview, based on the Bible, while teaching them to recognize other worldviews. Worldview thinking is woven into the deep “essential questions” of our curriculum, and also comes up in daily conversations, both inside and outside of the classroom. The third bucket is called “Formation.” This bucket holds activities that explore the intersection of faith and learning, including the act of learning itself. They focus on the heart as well as the mind, and on living as well as learning. Discipleship is found inside this bucket, along with the cultivation of intellectual virtue, and engaging in practices like service learning and worship. Our relationships within our school community and with our neighbors are part of our formation. We are all daily being “formed” in our thinking, our appetites, and our actions; we seek to be formed to be more like Jesus. For 2022-2023, we have a highly-qualified and highly-motivated educator, Dr. Shawntrice Thomas, coming into the position of Faithful Learning Specialist. She is experienced as a teacher, administrator, curriculum specialist, and a professor of education (training future teachers at a Christian university). Together with our new superintendent, Dr. Jon Hill, and our current Director of Teaching and Learning, Mr. Brad Dixon, she will support our teachers as they become even more effective at facilitating the academic formation and spiritual formation of Rosslyn Academy students, to the glory of God and the furtherance of our mission. The Service Learning Program focused on a few key areas this past year: Cultural Field Studies (CFS): Our CFS program continues to be the foundation of our service initiatives at Rosslyn. Unfortunately, Covid-19 greatly impacted CFS over the last 2 years, but the upperclassmen in each school (5th, 8th, 11th and 12th grades) were able to participate this past year. We were able to send 9 groups of students to partner sites and communities around Kenya, where they participated in service initiatives, cultural learning, and exposure to the work of incredible ministries, churches and organizations in Kenya. We are also beginning to look for ways to integrate these experiences into the classroom curriculum and content, to add depth to the learning environment. One highlight from this past year was on the 8th Grade trip to Suswa. The students were able to learn about a locally designed method of harvesting steam from the mountain as a water source. After learning from the local community, the team was able to provide a water-harvesting system at a new site and assist in installing it! In January, Rosslyn was also able to respond to the call of three of our partner CFS communities that were facing severe food shortage due to the drought. We were able to partner with local leaders to deliver much needed food relief and assistance to hundreds of households within these communities. The Christmas Project: The Christmas Project is an annual event where the Rosslyn community voluntarily provides financial and/or material assistance for worthy local organizations and charities. This past year we were able to bless 4 incredible organizations. We are also developing opportunities to strengthen our bond with these programs through on-going relationship and connections. Class Service Projects: Teachers are encouraged to incorporate service initiatives into their classrooms and curriculum whenever possible. This type of service may take place during the school day, after school, or on the weekend. This past year several classes in Elementary School formed partnerships with local schools and children's homes, participated in monthly food collections, had in-person visits at those locations, planned a Walk for Water that raised funds for a water point in a community in Tana River County, and so much more! In the coming year, we are excited to open our campus for reciprocal visits with these partners, and foster even deeper connections. Student-Led Service Initiatives: When possible, student-led service initiatives are encouraged at Rosslyn, as they are evidence of an effective and successful Service Learning Program. These initiatives are directed by student groups such as NHS and Project Imagine, or even by individual students. Last year students planned and coordinated fund-raisers, food collections, and site-visits. Following the study on the book, A Long Walk to Water, one group of 7th grade students took the initiative to plan multiple fundraisers and raised funds to help dig a well in South Sudan! The Project Imagine students were able to visit two different homes to conduct a training on Feminine Hygiene, and to distribute reusable sanitary kits to nearly 100 girls! We are so excited about how this program is developing, and we look forward to even greater opportunities for our students to practice Christ-like service this coming year. A key component of Rosslyn Academy’s mission and core values is its emphasis on service. We seek to inspire and equip students to develop their God-given gifts so that they will go out into the world community to serve others by following the pattern of Jesus Christ. Service is one of the five core values (Service, Christ-likeness, Community, Excellence, and Intellectual Virtue) that Rosslyn intentionally prioritizes and is deeply embedded in the educational experience provided at Rosslyn.During the 2021-2022, this value received an even greater emphasis through the development of the Service Learning Program. Through Service Learning, our focus on service is becoming even more deeply integrated into our classrooms, community and culture. The bedrock of our service program is that we serve because Christ served and he calls us to serve. As a school, we serve because we long to see his Kingdom come and for Shalom in our community. Students at Rosslyn are being taught to serve, but to do so through a model of service that is, first and foremost, relational. This relational-model of service is based on concepts of Mutuality, Respect, Humility, Reciprocity and Love. We are blessed to live in Kenya, where we have an abundance of incredible and inspiring community partners that we are able to work with. We want to serve with, and learn from, these partner communities. Mr. Jamie Dunning Service Learning Service Learning Rosslyn Athletics enjoyed a full school year of sports... even in the constrained environment brought about by the pandemic. There was much joy shared as athletes across 10 sports took to the fields, courts, track, and pool. There were many athletic victories to be celebrated, but the most meaningful victories came in watching our students compete with integrity, compassion and good sportsmanship. How did you see your program grow or evolve over the year? Rosslyn added two sports last year. We were able to form a golf team and a water polo team. Also we added an Assistant Athletic Director who helped greatly in running sports programs at the Elementary School, Middle School and High School levels. We also were able to push the elementary program down to kindergarten which had previously started at the third grade level. It was an exciting year of growth. What is your vision for this program going forward? The Rosslyn Athletic Program will continue to strive toward excellence in all we do. The goal of our program is to inspire and equip each student-athlete to develop their athletic gifts and to seek balance in their lives by growing mentally, spiritually and emotionally as well as athletically. The year was filled with refreshing concerts and shows that reminded us of the power of live performance. Whether it was the elementary students playing handbells, middle schoolers playing an instrument for the first time, or seniors taking their final bow under the lights, Rosslyn's community was filled with color and creativity from our young students. We are excited to see drama expand into the elementary school, the addition of a pep band, and the continuation of high quality theatrical performances in the year to come. Athletic Highlights HS Play Sense and Sensibility MS Play The Enchanted Bookshop HS Musical Fiddler on the Roof ROSCARS Nico Sanaa Street Art Festival The Arts Highlights After Chief Operations Officer, Wes Minor, in conjunction with our Operations department has cast vision for and overseen many projects around campus during the 2021-2022 school year. The pictures below highlight a few of the bigger initiatives completed during the year. Outdoor Amphitheater (completed October 2021) New Gym Floor and Bleachers (July 2022) Installation of New Generator (July 2022) Ebenezer Stone (May 2022) Futsal Field (completed in May 2022) Swimming Pool Renovation (June-August 2022) Before Facility Upgrades Administration 9% Personnel 75% Academic 8% Food Services 4% Operations/Physical Plant 11% Transportation 2% Net Income ($64,584) Change in Working Capital ($361,952) Cash from Operations $363,502 Capital Expenditure ($1,265,549) Cash from Financing ($111,415) Beginning Cash $2,482,706 Ending Cash $1,042,708 Question % Agree or Strongly Agree My family feels welcome 94% RA has a professional and orderly appearance 96% RA provides a safe/healthy environment for students 93% Staff are strong role models 89% Parents and teachers see each other as partners in their students education 87% I would recommend Rosslyn to others 97% % Excellent or Good Overall quality of teachers 89% Overall academic excellence 91% Quality of teacher-student relations 86% Rosslyn believes that strong financial stewardship is a Christian obligation and is directly related to the school's ability to achieve its Christian educational mission with excellence. Readers will note that cash on hand intentionally dropped significantly this year,as per planned expenditure of savings. In previous years we built up reserves (retained earnings) and then used these in 21-22 to pay for a number of important capital improvements,most significantly, the completion of the MS/HS Commons (cafeteria). Additional improvements included new diesel generators, a new gym floor and bleachers, the outdoor amphitheater project, the futsal field, as well as faculty housing upgrades on campus, and numerous other upgrades and maintenance projects. These projects were able to be completed without incurring debt by using cash on hand that had been earmarked for such projects.  Mr. Simon Wachira Director of Finance Financial Information Annual Parent Survey Operating Expense Allocation Income Summary 2021-2022 At the end of each year, Rosslyn Academy sends out a parent survey. Participation in the survey was down by approximately 50% this year. This was in large part due to the timing of sending out the survey. In the end, about 105 parents responded and the results of this survey are below. As Rosslyn Academy looks forward to the 2022-2023 school year, it is everyone's hope that the community that makes Rosslyn such a unique place will be able to return to more normalcy in parent, student and teacher interactions. One of the hardest parts of the end of a school year is bidding farewell to our departing staff members. Their service to Rosslyn Academy has been invaluable and they will be dearly missed by their fellow colleagues, students and parents. Dr. Jon Hill- Superintendent Noah Ward- HS Math Terena Wiggers- ES Art Clinton Weening- HS Principal Tara Weening- 4th Grade Teacher Elijah Thomas- Secondary Band Sarah Walker- MS Language Arts Joshua D. Orred- HS Language Arts Jacob Nickodemus- Secondary Art Brittany Nickodemus- Learning Support Jennifer Reese- 5th Grade Teacher James Biersteker- HS Social Studies Deborah Biersteker- 5th Grade Teacher Dr. Shawntrice Thomas- Faithful Learning Specialist The 2022-2023 school year brings it with an exceptionally gifted group of new teachers and administrators. We are excited that these individuals and families are now a part of our community. New Staff Departing Staff Alejandra Arreaga- 1 year of service- HS Learning Support Thor Barkman- 1 year of service - HS Principal Michelle Brekhus- 5 years of service- Elementary School Janey Brozovich- 10 years of service- HS Art Hyejin Choi- 9 years of service- Korean Language and Culture Dr. Phil Dow- 11 years of service- Superintendent Dr. Kim Gilmer- 11 years of service- ES Prin/Faithful Learning Emily Means- 5 years of service- MS Language Arts Rose Njoro- 18 years of service- Receptionist Sandra Njuguna- 5 years of service- Secondary Band Djamilah Ross- 5 years of service- MS Art Steve Ross- 5 years of service- HS Math Leah Parker- 1 year of service- 4th Grade Teacher Thank you for taking the time to read through our 21-22 Annual Report. Rosslyn Academy is a special school, blessed by God for 75 years. We expect God will continue to bless Rosslyn Academy, and we embrace that future with thanksgiving and faithful stewardship. Many of you have been part of our history, and we are eager to continue our partnership with you. Please join us in praying for the future of Rosslyn Academy. Pray that every student will be known and feel the love of God through the actions of our teachers, teaching assistants, counselors, and their peers. Pray that Rosslyn Academy will be a place firmly grounded in biblical truth, and that God's truth will shape the worldviews of our students. Pray that we can live out our mission: to inspire, to equip, and to serve. Pray that this is always done to glorify God, and not ourselves. Pray that the leaders of the school will prayerfully manage the resources God has provided: personnel, finances, technology, the campus, and relationships with people outside Rosslyn. Pray that God will use our learning community to raise up godly people with remarkable intellect, character, and compassion. Pray that God will bring new friends into our school, friends who have a heart for serving Jesus and developing their God-given gifts. Pray that Rosslyn Academy can see multitudes of students grow in their faith in Jesus Christ. Pray that Rosslyn Academy will be a welcoming place for people of diverse backgrounds, and that students will develop compassion for people who are different from themselves. Pray that the Rosslyn Academy community can bless Kenya, and be a positive influence culturally in Kenya and across the world. I want to say a special thanks to Dr. Philip Dow, my predecessor and a faithful steward of Rosslyn Academy's many resources for the past several years. We also pray that God will bless Phil and his family as they continue their life of service at Black Forest Academy in Germany. Our theme verse for this year is one that many will recognize as important to our school, Isaiah 40:31. "...but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." May Rosslyn Academy continue to be a place that brings hope, energy, and renewal in the name of Christ. Blessings, Dr. Jon Hill  Superintendent (starting July 2022) Looking Ahead with Hope and Prayer Most images provided by Jeffery Kirkpatrick- http://www.jeffkirkpatrickimages.com/. www.rosslynacademy.com P.O. Box 14146 Nairobi, Kenya 00800 info@rosslynacademy.com +254 20-263-5261/+254-732-646-602/+254-727-646-602