MEF International School Istanbul

MEF International School - Istanbul
MEF International School 'Building Bridges Between Countries and Cultures'
Location
Ulus Mah. Öztopuz Cad. Leylak Sok. 34340 Ortaköy / Beşiktaş / Istanbul / Turkey Turkey
Information
Type	Private
Established	1997
Founder	Dr. Ibrahim Arıkan
Principal	Dr. Michael Keppler Mr. Jeffrey Woolley
Head of school	Ms. Figen Sönmez
Faculty	69
Grades	Pre-School - IB2 / Grade 12
Number of students	461
Affiliation	CIS, IB and NEASC Accredited
Website	http://www.mefschools.com

MEF International School (MEFIS) is a private international school located in the Ortaköy ^[1] district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was established in 1997 by Dr. Ibrahim Arikan. There are about 461 students who are enrolled from Preschool to Grade 12. The school's curriculum is centered mainly around the Cambridge and IB Diploma Program. The school's motto is "Building Bridges between Countries and Cultures" and the school's main focus is on being diverse and accepting different cultures. There are 52 different nationalities in MEF International School. As an International School it has a very strong English program for students who come to the school with limited or no English.^[2]

History

MEF International School Istanbul (MEFIS) was founded in 1997 by Dr. Ibrahim Arikan,^[3] a Turkish entrepreneur and businessman who heads various companies grouped under Arikanli Holding Inc.^[4] MEFIS was established following the foundation of the Turkish MEF national school and both schools share the same campus location in the Ulus Neighborhood of Istanbul. MEFIS was created to provide English language education at the Pre-school, Elementary school, Middle school and High school levels for the International Community based in Istanbul.

Curriculum

There are the three separate curricula: Primary Years Program for Preschool-Grade 5, Cambridge for grades 6-8, IGCSE^[5] for grades 9,10 and IB Diploma/IB Certificate for grades 11,12. The total of the students in the IB program is 34.^[6]^[7]^[8] ^[9] ^[10]

Primary

At MEFIS primary there are approximately 256 students.^[11] There are at least 39 cultures.^[12]

Secondary

In Middle School there is Cambridge^[13] curriculum for grades 6-8.^[14]^[15]

High School

The high school IB program^[16] started in 1998, 30 years after it was found in Switzerland. There are 16 nationalities in the IB program and there are 34 students following this program.^[17]

Science

The MEFIS science program uses the Cambridge program. Cambridge IGCSE Biology has an emphasis on human biology, and enables candidates to better understand the technological world in which they live, and take an informed interest in science and scientific developments. Candidates learn about the basic principles of biology through a mix of theoretical and practical studies.^[18]

Arts

Throughout the year, students’ artwork is showcased in ongoing art exhibits around the school. The end of the year MEFIS Annual Primary Art Exhibition is a favorite school event. Each child has a selected artwork on display for the community to appreciate and reflect upon.^[19]

Sports

At MEFIS, students learn many types of sports including soccer, basket ball, tennis, swimming, running, ping pong and dodge ball. The school has a swimming pool that belongs to the national school. There are 2 small gyms where the students normally do their PE lessons.^[20]^[21]

Library & Technology

The MEFIS library provides curriculum support and meets the recreational reading needs for the whole school from Pre-School PYP program to the IB Diploma, Grade 12.^[22]^[23]

Library

The MEFIS library provides curriculum support and meets the recreational reading needs for the whole school from PreSchool PYP programme to the IB Diploma Grade 12. The Library Catalog can be accessed at any time, from anywhere there is internet access.

Student activities

Athletics

"Physical education in primary school is an integral part of the IB Primary Years Programme (IBPYP). Its purpose is to develop a combination of transferable skills promoting personal, social and physical development; to encourage present and future choices that contribute to long-term healthy living; and to understand the cultural significance of physical activities for individuals and communities.

Students identify and develop appropriate skills and strategies when playing a variety of team games. These games vary from simple, organization games for the primary grades to football, basketball, and volleyball for the upper primary classes. Students recognize the importance of teamwork; identifying and developing appropriate skills and strategies; recognizing the importance of rules and how they define the nature of a.game; modifying existing games and creating new games. Mefis have the sports day, this day you play the full day , each one has to be in one team blue, red, yellow and green you play soccer, basketball, activities, games, table tennis, jump rope, hula hoop and after the champion.^[24]^[25]

Clubs

MEFIS has many diverse and unique clubs. The clubs for Primary are: Little Brainiacs, Ballet, Ceramics,^[26] Mad Science^[27] Sculpture, Lego, Construction, Modern dance, Modern Turkish Dance, Guitar/Piano, Movie Making, Flow Yoga, Chess, Running & Fitness, Fashion Design, Modern Dance/Tap, So Lets Sew, Film Club, Code Monkey, Violin, Green Club, and Drama. The clubs for Secondary are: International Culture Club, Community Service Club, Photography, Stained Glass, Sculpture, Rockets, World Cinema, Newspaper, MUN, Chess, Math Olympiad, Student Government, Ultimate Frisbee, Basketball, Animal Lovers, Football, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Code Monkey, Coding Computer, Short Movie, and Photography.^[28]

People

In MEFIS, the population of students is around 256 students, and there is around 52 nationalities.^[29] The school's high school graduation rate is nearly 100%.

Faculty and Staff

Teachers are mostly American and Turkish; there are 79 teachers. While the campus is large, there is a strong, inclusive community atmosphere upon entering the front doors of the school. The primary school, grades 1-5, is situated on the first three floors of the building and grades 6-12 are on the upper two floors. The primary school includes a primary assembly area where monthly assemblies are held, a computer lab, and whole school library, which houses a rich collection of books and electronic resources for students and families. The secondary school also has a fully networked computer lab,^[30] chemistry, biology and physics laboratories, and canteen for purchasing small snack foods.