Letters from the President
Dear Alumni and Friends of Kodaikanal International School:
Welcome to the website of Kodai Friends International, Inc. (KFI)!
Dear Kodai Alumni and Friends,
Principal Corey Stixrud has clearly articulated the rationale for the recently revised Kodaikanal International School (KIS) vision and mission in the recent annual appeal and Flag Green newsletter. The new school vision states, ‘‘We strive to be a school the world needs: Our graduates will be transformative leaders, caring humans and thoughtful ambassadors for a just, sustainable and peaceful world.’’ Last November Cyclone Gaja hit Kerala and Kodai with devastating effect, which caught the attention of many of you—a total of $41,690 was sent to allow Kodai Friends International (KFI) to offer support for extensive needed repairs and relief. All funds were sent on to KIS. The generosity of many friends and alumni has also provided support for environmental projects in the community, scholarships to allow students without the necessary financial resources to experience the high-quality education KIS offers, and upgrading of facilities at the school. KFI continues to work to strengthen our positive relationships with the school and community so that we can approve and provide financial support that they need and request. KIS is increasing its own capacity for fundraising by hiring a Development Officer. In the future you will likely receive more communication regarding financial support directly from KIS.
It has now been 50 years since I left KIS (during my 11 years as a student it was known as High Clerc, then Kodaikanal School). In more recent years I have had the good fortune of returning to Kodai four times, including a semester teaching high school mathematics. While much has changed over those decades, when I walk in the front gate at Seven Roads and up the hill past the Chapel and Alumni Hall to the flag green, the memories of those bygone years wash over me as though it were just a short time ago rather than decades; much visually reminds me of those past years. My interest in supporting the school and its educational mission, along with the broader community in which it is set, matches what so many other alumni from different eras obviously feel: that there is something special about the school in its South Indian hill setting that we want to ensure is shared by future generations.
In April I was able to attend the KIS Council meeting. I was very impressed by both the quality and dedication of Council members and by the school’s physical plant, staff and administration. While the Kodai community is vastly changed through extensive development since the 1960’s, the positive community and campus atmosphere has been enhanced over the past decade of my recent visits. There are very good people doing a great job to ensure a high-quality education is available at the school. This past September KFI Vice-President Vijay Naidu attended the Council meeting. He agreed with my perception of the positive direction that the Council and school is following.
The primary challenges facing the school reflect that changing state of education in India. No longer one of the only international baccalaureate schools in the country with significant financial support from North American institutions, KIS now must compete with numerous “international” schools in the country: that competition is for both students and staff. It is a challenge for the school to remain financially accessible to students while providing competitive salaries for staff while maintaining a diverse global community. The character of the school remains quite different, and special, from the many international schools in major Indian cities. It is that special international character that I, and many of you, want to support. During a semester on staff I recognized that special character comes from its residential community that promotes academics along with the individual’s moral/service dimension through attention to growth of the whole person. The academic International Baccalaureate program at KIS has this perspective at its core.
As my term as president of KFI ends in June, I am pleased to report that the KFI Board is in good hands with the capacity to provide valuable support to education in South India. Of course, we are always seeking new board members to continue our efforts—we have a healthy policy of term limits (two consecutive three-year terms) to ensure continual revitalization of our vision and efforts. My thanks go to the board members who provide such excellent volunteer efforts to the organization.
Bill Martin (’70, former staff, parent)
President, Kodai Friends International
Cyclone Gaja Update
December 7, 2018
Dear Friends,
We are pleased with the generous initial response from over 80 of you who contributed more than $26,120 to help support cyclone recovery efforts in Kodai. It is too early to be able to provide more details about the costs faced by the school, but Corey Stixrud, KIS Principal, reported to us last night that in the first few days alone the school was spending over $1,000 per day to get diesel up to Kodai to run all of their generators. Now that school is closed for the semester break, work is mainly concentrating on repairs to school buildings as well as local staff homes, cutting and removing fallen trees as well as trimming damaged ones, and repairing compound walls. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.
For those of you who would like to see pictures, here is a link to a folder on Google Drive: Cyclone Gaja Pictures.
Choosing the option “Folders-Cyclone Gaja Pictures” rather than the second option “Files-Gaja Cyclone 2018.ppsx” seems to work best.
Please keep the school in your thoughts as the recovery continues. Donations can be easily made online at this KFI website: www.kfi-us.org/donate-kfi/ The Cyclone Relief Fund is the second fund listed.
Checks can be mailed to KFI, 7608 Flora Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63143-3804,
With thanks, best regards,
Bill Martin
President, KFI
Cyclone Relief Fund for KIS and the Kodai Community
November 23, 2018
KMU Building
Dear Friends of Kodaikanal International School,
We recently learned of Cyclone Gaja which hit Kodai on November 15 and the significant impact it had on the school and its staff. Principal Corey Stixrud posted information on the KIS website outlining some of the damage and impact on the school community:
https://kisnewsletter.wordpress.com/2018/11/17/update-on-kis-after-cyclone-gaja/
KFI is establishing a Cyclone Relief Fund to help provide immediate emergency support for the school and community, as well as assisting in longer-term projects such as helping the school’s local staff strengthen and waterproof their homes in the event of future cyclones, and addressing the needs due to aging infrastructure on the various KIS campuses.
Contributions can be made online: https://www.kfi-us.org/donate-kfi/
We are finalizing preparation of our 2017-18 KFI Annual Report which will be sent out in the near future with more updates on KFI activities. In the meantime, thanks for your support of the KIS community through Kodai Friends International.
Best regards,
Bill
William Martin, President of Kodai Friends International
Class of 1970, Parent, and Former Staff
*Photos are courtesy of Barbara Block and TP Hadden
Staff Housing – Loch End*
Staff Housing – Tonawanda*
Alumni Housing – Bachman Cottage*
School Truck*
Donated Medical Equipment Arrives at Van Allen Hospital
October 16, 2018
Dear KFI Friends,
After two and a half months at sea, a trip across the plains and 7,000 feet up the ghat, the 20-foot container of donated medical equipment finally arrived at Van Allen Hospital on Sunday, September 2, 2018.
KFI recognizes Jeetu Nanda, past President of KFI (2013-2018), for envisioning the Van Allen Hospital donation, coordinating shipment details, working with Van Allen medical staff, and following it through to completion.
The serendipity of meeting someone living in his Springfield, Illinois, neighborhood affiliated with Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach, gave Jeetu the inspiration to explore this idea. Thank you, Jeetu!
Jeetu Nanda
Past KFI President
Letter from the new KFI President, Bill Martin
August 20, 2018
Dear Friends of Kodaikanal International School (KIS),
This letter is being sent to provide a brief update on the activities and personnel changes at Kodai Friends International (KFI), a 501(c)(3) US nonprofit whose mission is to help alumni and friends provide financial support to KIS. At our June Board meeting in St Louis I took over as President of KFI from Jeetu Nanda, who has completed 6 years in that role following the initial 6-year presidential term of Gene Hennig. We owe Jeetu a great vote of thanks for his leadership. My term will be short—just one year as my 6-year term limit on the board concludes in 2019.
Three new board members have agreed to serve, one of whom is very familiar to most of you: Jane Cummings (1957), Jagat Sheth (1987), and Martin Messick (1983). Vijay Naidu (1986) assumes the role of Vice President and Sylvia Trautmann Rogers (1973) has taken over as KFI Administrator. Julie Stengle resigned her position as Executive Director/Development Officer in 2017 to take another position, and graciously continued to help us make the transition until Sylvia accepted the job of Administrator this spring. Julie also deserves much thanks for her tireless efforts over the years after taking over from her father, Jerry Nichol.
Updated information about the board and its activities can be found on the KFI website: https://www.kfi-us.org/. In the interest of keeping this message readably short, here are some recent key initiatives beyond student scholarships. More detailed information is provided on our website.
- A shipping container of donated medical equipment has been sent to Van Allen Hospital, largely due to the efforts of Jeetu Nanda and with financial support from KFI.
- For several years the board has discussed ways to increase connections between North American alumni and both KFI and KIS (Kodai International School) The result has been a plan for KFI to support KIS in establishing a Development Office focused on outreach to alumni around the world. At KFI we recognize that the alumni base has changed significantly and the North American alumni base is aging.
- The Board has worked with the current KIS administration to improve communication and cooperation as we seek to support efforts both to increase diversity at KIS and support initiatives that strengthen relationships between KIS and the broader Kodaikanal community. Examples of broader support include environmental initiatives such as the Environment Education Center, Recycling & Waste Management Program, Smokeless Stove Project, and Kodaikanal Wildlife Survey.
Collaborating with the KIS Development Office, we seek to streamline and strengthen contacts with alumni instead of the current focus of KFI on North American alumni separately from various KIS alumni efforts. We expect that you will be hearing much more about these new, coordinated efforts during the coming year.
I want to close by thanking again the alumni who have provided financial support to KIS through KFI. As a nonprofit in North America, we are obliged to fund appropriate projects at KIS and other educational efforts in South India. The board meets quarterly to decide which grant applications can be funded as well as to ensure that our endowment is well managed.
Contributions can be made online: https://www.kfi-us.org/donate-kfi/. We especially appreciate the many alumni who have decided to make automatic monthly contributions, which helps us plan our budgets. John DeVries has generously offered $10,000 to match contributions from more recent alumni!
Finally, several years ago the Board decided to have an annual meeting at a different alumni site each year (rather than only at the Kirchenwald Labor Day gathering in Pennsylvania). We have met in Minneapolis, Boston, and St Louis, and welcome invitations from other alumni groups—no plans are yet in place for this next year.
Best regards,
Bill
William Martin, President of Kodai Friends International
Class of 1970, Parent, and Staff (2010)
William.martin@ndsu.edu
