Farewell to Patricia Angoy

Since she arrived at ISL in August 2010, Patricia has been a dedicated, visionary and passionate Principal who has led and inspired teachers to encourage a ‘culture of thinking’ in the Lower School that has formed the bedrock of teaching and learning for younger students. She has transformed the new Lower School building into a hub of visible thinking and inquiry. Patricia has encouraged both staff and students to be committed to social change and to live ISL’s new mission and values. She has been instrumental in ISL becoming the first school to sign up to the Diversity Charter in Luxembourg and to promoting the importance of diversity in the community. She has also become part of the global ‘Women of Influence’ education group helping to ensure that social change supports more women leaders in the world of international education. In recent weeks, Patricia has taken over as Acting Director and has run the school in her calm, quiet and efficient manner. 

‘Patricia is a woman with the highest principles and beliefs. She is loyal, extremely discreet, full of ideas, and is extraordinarily hard working.’ stated Nicki Crush, ISL Director. ‘We will miss her greatly and I feel truly privileged to have been her colleague and to have worked with her for the past ten years’ she added.

In honour of all that Patricia has done for ISL in her ten-year tenure at the school, the school unveiled last week a ‘Reflection Garden’, a peaceful space where students and staff can sit to think and reflect, surrounded by nature. The garden consists of a tree, planted earlier this year, a bench, and hundreds of stones painted by students.

In front of a small audience, Patricia also received the first copy of the brand new ‘ISL Cultural Cookbook’. This true labour of love includes 90 recipes from 59 countries and was created from recipes, photos, drawing and stories provided by ISL parents, staff and students.  ‘Food so often unites us and helps us tell a story of who we are, and where we come from’, Patricia said. ‘Sharing a meal is likened to sharing our lives with others, bringing them into our hearts and opening ourselves up to be embraced.’ 

Both projects, the Reflection Garden and the Cultural Cookbook were dear to Patricia's heart and the school was truly excited that Patricia could see their accomplishment before her departure from the school. 

As a Community, we would like to heartfully thank Patricia for her considerable contribution to making ISL a caring environment and a school of choice. Her ability to make difficult decisions, her inclusiveness, collaborative skills, empathy and humility are only a few of the characteristics that Patricia will be remembered for and that she shares with the greatest leaders. 

About Patricia Angoy
Patricia is a British national who was born in Georgetown, Guyana and has been an educator for almost more than 40 years. She has led schools in Ecuador, Togo, Chile, Cuba and currently is Acting Director of the International School of Luxembourg (ISL), which has nearly 1,400 students from preschool through Grade 12. At ISL, Patricia led a school-wide effort in conjunction with Harvard University’s Project Zero research centre to develop and implement a “Culture of Thinking and Learning”, which places great emphasis on experiential learning and involved both curricular redesign and significant changes in the approach to teaching. She holds two master’s degrees in Education (one from Warwick University and one from the University of Exeter in the UK) and is completing her doctorate. She also has a teaching certificate from the University of London and continues to assist in the classroom at ISL.

Patricia was a leading advocate for adopting Luxembourg’s Diversity Charter and, in the 1970s, was an activist in London focused on issues affecting people, and especially women, of colour. She also worked for five years in community development in Ecuador, supporting the empowerment of rural women, children and men through sustainable education projects, self-help women’s health projects, community action and cultural preservation. Her life speaks on many levels to the values of social justice, equity, giving back, and making positive change.

About ISL’s Cultural Cookbook
The project began in 2019 as an idea to create a simple cookbook following the UN luncheon. It quickly grew into a much larger cultural project, including 90 recipes from 59 countries. Recipes, photos, drawing and stories were provided by ISL parents, staff and students. A dedicated group of parents, Maria Basevich, Sudipta Chanda, Megha Goenka, and Orit Israelson, worked under the expert and tireless guidance of Claire Jordan, Lower School Office Coordinator, to pull all of the material together and bring the book to life. 

Thank you to all of the ISL families and staff who contributed to this beautiful book which celebrates the diversity of our ISL community, as well as our host country Luxembourg.

The ISL Cultural Cookbook can be ordered through the email address: ISLcookbook@islux.lu (cost 30 EUR). It will also be available at the ISL Lower School Office from September 2020 onwards.