International School of Asia, Karuizawa

International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK) is a fully-residential international high school that will be opening in Karuizawa (one of Japan’s premier mountain resort areas) in August 2014. ISAK’s core mission is to foster youth who are respectful of diversity and passionate about taking action in service of others. Our aim is to build bridges among motivated students from diverse countries and cultures, and create young leaders in the Asia-Pacific region who can serve as catalysts for positive change. ISAK has been approved as a candidate school in order to offer the IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma Programme. We are also holding discussions with the United World College (UWC) network to consider a potential partnership, reflecting our shared goals of diversity, service and action. At ISAK, we believe in the concept of 道 (doh) or “the way.” Doh implies a process of intentional and constant improvement following specific routines with determination, discipline and commitment. At ISAK, our doh focuses on the practice of transformational leadership, and with consistent and mindful practice, students will be able to refine their leadership skills. The ISAK leadership way consists of three pillars: Mindful Self-Discipline, Design Thinking and Service. At ISAK, students engage in intentional practice in these three areas to hone their skills and mindset in transformational leadership. The Design and Leadership curriculum at ISAK are central to the school’s mission and vision, and therefore they are integrated into all aspects of student life. ISAK will strive to awaken students’ capacity to become transformational leaders through a holistic approach to self-awareness based on leadership and design. Through our leadership by design curriculum, students will learn to be aware, empathetic, creative, communicative, collaborative, and self-disciplined. Our model of design-based leadership will be practiced throughout the entire ISAK curriculum, including the academic program, residential life, experiential outdoor program, service learning activities, faculty development, and faculty evaluation scheme.