Residential Life
A big part of being at an international school is learning to live and thrive in a multicultural environment. At KIS we lay a lot of emphasis on the residential aspect of our schooling. Our residential program goes much beyond being a mere boarding facility; it is a critical part of the holistic KIS experience.
We have 16 student residences spread over four campuses accommodating 25-35 students each. All our girl students are accommodated on the main Highclerc campus. Each residence works as a family unit and the residential parents along with the students are given the freedom to create their own unique spaces. Unlike most boarding schools, we keep the number of students in each residence small, so every member’s needs can be identified and addressed, while at the same time providing them ample space to develop and reflect. This means their social, emotional, physical, spiritual and academic development is closely assisted and supported in every way. The overall emphasis in each residence is to create a unique combination of a space that is home and community at the same time.
Besides the social rooms the residences also have kitchens where students can toss up some quick bites. The school ensures that highest standards of hygiene and safety are adhered to within the residences.
Some of the unique features of our residential program are:
The residential parents play a very important role in a student’s life during their school years. Our residential parents act as “Loco Parentis”, wherein they play the role of a third parent in a students’ life instead of trying to replace the parents; assisting holistic growth of the student in collaboration with the parents. The residential parents are always in close communication with every students’ family. The KIS residential program is also designed to encourage close and consistent communication amongst the members of the residence and the residential parent. As a school, our ideology is to open maximum avenues of expression and discussion so the students feel heard and acknowledged.
The residential parents not only provide a safe space for students to confide in on a daily basis, but also offer the mature guidance that students need during their growing years. Ultimate aim is to develop students into independent individuals who know how to deal appropriately with their emotions and learn to take ownership of their actions.
While living in the residences, our students learn some of the most fundamental life-skills, which would be difficult to teach in any other scenarios. Starting from soft skills like etiquette training, keeping their spaces tidy to learning how to prioritize and use appropriate language. There is an endless list of abilities that students pick up while living in the school residences. Members of every residence meet on a weekly basis to come up with solutions to their daily matters that may arise while living in a community.
The environment of a residence is of a happy home where residence parents often cook and eat with the students. The residence communities form lifelong bonds while playing board games or discussing diverse issues following their regular spiritual meetings on Thursdays.
What a day looks like for a student at the residence:
During the weekdays, students usually come back to the residence, drop their belongings, change into their sports gear and head to the covered courts or Bendy field to play football, basketball or any other sport of their choice. Students also participate in their club activities during the after school hours. Dinner is served in the school cafeterias at 6pm following which students return to their respective residences.
On weekends students usually wake up at their own pace and plan their day according to their individual priorities. Some of them watch movies, some work on assignments/projects, some hang with their friends and some lounge about in their dorms either reading or playing board games. The residential students look forward to the weekend activities planned by the KIS Activities Department during the evenings.