Activities
Community Service
We are committed to serving our community in Bishkek and Kyrgyzstan, both through independent student work and organized projects. High school students are required to have 30 hours of community service per year, and every year Hope provides service projects to villages around Kyrgyzstan. In the past, students have taught English, constructed a playground, painted a medical center, planted trees, worked with an orphanage for disabled children, and assisted a health screening. New opportunities to help come up every year, and these projects are important for both the communities outside and within Hope.
Drama
Hope has a reputation among international schools in Kyrgyzstan for putting on high-quality plays and musicals, which are usually performed at the Russian Drama Theater or Seitek Theater in Bishkek. These dramas are a great way to develop acting and musical ability; they also develop community spirit. Most secondary school students and teachers participate by being part of the cast, crew, costume and set design, management, or even by providing food for all the other hungry students! The elementary school also has its own Christmas concert that gets each student on stage. Each year students find a creative way to tell the nativity story through music.
Athletics
We encourage students to care for their physical health as well as their mental and emotional well-being, and one of the best ways to do this—while also making friends beyond the classroom—is through team sports. Through practices, games, and tournaments, students learn discipline, perseverance, and teamwork as they play together and represent Hope. We also regularly participate in CABC and CASC, international Central Asian basketball and soccer tournaments that give our athletes the chance to compete, travel, and build friendships with students from other schools in the region.
Visual Arts
We see the creation and appreciation of beauty as one of the best parts of life, so students from Kindergarten upward regularly explore the visual arts through sketching, painting, and other techniques. They experiment with different media to express their ideas, reflect on the world around them, and grow in confidence as young artists. Each year, a Spring Concert led by elementary students and an Art Festival showcasing middle and high school work celebrate students’ creativity and the place of the arts in our community.
