Home of the Dragons (Winter 2025-2026)

Semester 2 of the 2025-2026 academic year began with energy and purpose across every division at JIS! From welcoming new families into our community to watching students represent us on regional and international stages, the weeks since January have been full and inspiring. Here’s a look at what our Dragons have been accomplishing on campus and beyond:

As we stepped into 2026, we were fortunate to welcome 80 students from 57 families to our community! We’re grateful that they chose JIS as their school and home away from home. Thank you to all our alumni ambassadors who serve to bring new families to JIS.

Bravo to our Middle School vocalists who took part in the AMIS MS Honor Choirs Festival at the American School of Dubai from January 14-18! Sixteen students, accompanied by faculty advisors Morgan Banino and Ignatius Soedjadi (also known as Pak Ai), joined their peers from 25 schools across Asia for rehearsals, workshops, and skill-building in their vocal groups. Their immersive experience culminated in a joint performance led by a guest conductor and instrumentalists. 

Season 2 of IASAS Championships saw our High School athletes traveling to Singapore, Bangkok, and Taipei, where they competed with unshakeable determination in basketball, tennis, rugby, touch rugby, and swimming. They also brought home some well-deserved prizes! In Bangkok, our Boys Tennis team repeated as IASAS Champions, Girls Tennis earned bronze, and Boys Basketball battled their way to a hard-fought silver medal.

In Singapore, our swimmers delivered an outstanding meet, highlighted by a new IASAS record in the 50-meter Butterfly, alongside multiple gold, silver, and bronze medals across the team. 

We are excited to share that our Middle School JIS Studio program is a finalist for an ASEAN School Award in the Innovative Teaching and Learning category and the ASEAN Public Choice Award! This cohort-based program provides students with the opportunity to participate in projects that serve clients outside the school walls. Their most recent project involved visiting a local cookie company's facilities to observe production in action and developing a new cookie that was a smash hit at our holiday bazaar, selling out before lunchtime.

The rain did not keep our community away – our amazing Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and countless parent volunteers hosted a memorable PTA Family Fun Fair. It was wonderful to see so many Dragon families from all divisions connecting at this cherished, decades-old JIS tradition, which is still fondly remembered by alumni. Many of you, however, may recall it by a different name: the Spring Fair.

No matter what it's called, the event continues to bring the JIS community together and remains a stand-out memory for generations of Dragons.

It was a thrill to witness the impact of our philanthropy program in action, with a week of gamelan (traditional orchestra) workshops benefiting every JIS Elementary School student! Dr. Kitsie Emerson, a longtime JIS Music Teacher and renowned expert in gamelan and wayang (shadow puppets), returned to lead a series of workshops across both Pattimura Elementary (PEL) and Pondok Indah Elementary (PIE), exploring the art, culture, and heritage behind Indonesia’s beloved traditional orchestra. 

Dr. Kitsie was instrumental in establishing our gamelan program, which continues to this day not just as music lessons, but as an immersive connection to our host country’s rich cultural traditions. Her visit was made possible through the generous donation of a JIS family, investing in the schoolwide growth of this important musical and cultural program through our Dragon Annual Fund.

As the semester picked up steam, students across divisions stayed focused on what they do best: immersing themselves in learning, inquiry, and their creative passions. JIS Middle School musicians hosted the inaugural Corak Seni Choir Exchange right here on the Cilandak campus, inviting their peers from Singapore American School (SAS) and the International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL) for a series of performances that celebrated the spirit of collaboration.

Dragon Innovation was proudly on display as JIS Middle and High School teams competed at the first-ever National VEX Robotics Competition at Sinar Mas Academy in South Tangerang, Banten. Our Middle School participants finished with outstanding results, with our Middle School team earning first place and the Robot Skills Champion title to secure a spot at the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri. Our High School team also brought home major prizes, including the Inspire, Create, and Think Awards.

In the final week of February, Middle School participants were immersed in FIRST LEGO League competitions hosted at PIE, demonstrating creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving with each other and students from across Jakarta schools. In the Middle and High School, the Weber Classic Exchange brought spirited competition and camaraderie in athletics. 

JIS also had the honor of hosting the IASAS Cultural Convention's Speech & Debate event. High School delegates impressed audiences with their intellect and poise as they debated complex issues and delivered a wide range of speeches with confidence and clarity. At neighboring IASAS partner schools, JIS students represented us with distinction in Drama, Dance, Music, and Tech.

Our Middle School mathematicians made their own equally impressive mark in the annual Mathcounts competition in Beijing. They competed with dedication and perseverance to earn the third-best school overall! In the small team challenge, they placed fifth out of 19 teams, with one student receiving top test scores from all 84 participants going into the final speed round, and another competing in the speed round to earn first place.