It's no secret that the guys at CIS are excelling at the Cambridge program. But at the same time, they receive gold medals for excellent studies in Russian subjects!
The heroes of our article are Gleb, a Year 11 graduate, and Leia, a Year 13 graduate. They will tell you how a hairstyle with dreadlocks can affect your professional path, why build Viking houses out of wine corks, what thoughts a glowing tie from a teacher suggests, and, of course, why CIS is the culprit of all desires, ambitions and achievements.
Guys, you are the great pride of our school! Tell us, how did you get into CIS?
Glebb>Gleb: I have a pretty funny story. When I was in my previous school, I was a terrible bum and a slob. At some point, I wanted to do my hair with dreadlocks. And I did it. But my director was a conservative man. Of course, he didn't like the hairstyle very much. He called me into his office and said in a rush: "Change schools!»
So I started looking for a new one. I learned about CIS, passed the entrance exams, was inspired by the local atmosphere, and wanted to stay.
It turned out later that my director wasn't seriously kicking me out. And the CIS demanded to shave off the dreadlocks. But I wasn't upset: I was tired of the hairstyle. And the opportunities that this school offered attracted me much more.
Leia: And I've been studying at CIS since its foundation! I remember in 2011, my mother took me to kindergarten past the Skolkovo campus and said, "A new school is opening here, let's look into it sometime." We lived nearby, so we paid a visit very soon.
When we arrived, the staff immediately greeted me in English and handed me a Little Mermaid book. I flipped through the pages, admired the bright walls, smiling people. I really liked it here.
And on the first of September, I didn't just come for Knowledge Day. I came to a lavish ceremony in honor of the school's launch! Bright balloons hung everywhere, and the entrance was tied with a red ribbon. Our director took a large pair of scissors and solemnly cut it. It was a great event! It has remained in my memory forever!
Interesting stories! What inspired you to study so hard?
Glebb>Gleb: Before I joined CIS, my father told me the story of his success. He was born in the Far East, from where he moved to Moscow and built a career here. He worked hard, showed perseverance and perseverance. This story impressed me. I realized that I wanted to be a worthy son of his. And at least stop studying for C's.
But when I joined CIS, my ambitions grew even more! I found myself in an environment where all my peers perform well and stand out with unimaginable talents. I thought: "What makes me worse? I can do even better!»
Since then, such "envy" has been my main fuel. Partly because of her, I constantly want to achieve more and more.
Leia: Rather, my curiosity helps me, which I owe to all the teachers at CIS.
Already in the elementary grades in the lessons of "Science"; We studied the structure of volcanoes, the location of organs in the human body, and conducted experiments. In history lessons, we built Egyptian pyramids out of sugar cubes, the Great Wall of China out of cardboard cards, and Viking houses out of wine corks. It was a lot of fun!
I also remember that once we had a teacher from Australia who brought us souvenirs, told us about the flora and fauna of this continent, and treated us to national dishes. Another teacher wore a funny tie with a button.span>. We could have clicked on it.; and the tie started to glow!
In the future, my love for the world around me and unusual things resulted in an interest in physics. I wanted to summarize all the knowledge I had gained, to get an accurate mathematical understanding of everything in the world.
Great! And what are you dreaming about now?
Glebb>Gleb: My dream is to do biomedical engineering. I want to invest in a technological future and help people with disabilities live a fuller life. That's my main goal. For her sake, I plan to work hard and immerse myself in science.
I also really like cosmonautics: since childhood, I have dreamed of building a space station, studying the Earth's orbit, and analyzing data
In general, there are many desires. And I believe that I will fulfill some of them.
Leia: I also want to follow the path of exact sciences. My dream is to enroll in the Lomonosov Moscow State University Faculty of Physics. My scores are high. Maybe I'll even go on a budget. Of course, it's too early to guess, but I would like to finish both my master's and postgraduate studies there.
And what's next? I'm relying on fate. Today, like Gleb, I really like astrophysics. I've always stared at the stars and dreamed of doing something so that one of them would be named after me.
But perhaps in the future I will choose another branch of physical science. In any case, I will listen to myself and my desires. After all, as they say, if you're busy with your business, you don't work a day.
We believe that you will definitely succeed! Do you think the CIS program has helped you reach your current heights? Is it difficult to combine Russian and Cambridge lessons at all?
Glebb>Gleb: Combining the programs was difficult only in the first year. But then the hardest part was getting used to the school Sabbath.
In the future, I was rather surprised by the division of the Cambridge Science subject into biology, chemistry and physics in a Russian school. Moreover, the difference in programs is enormous
In addition, these programs involve different approaches. So, "British" physics gives us a deep understanding of any phenomena, and "Russian" physics gives us the ability to work with formulas and solve problems. I can take the topic of heat transfer as an example. In the British lessons, we discussed in detail three types of its transition: convection, conduction and radiation. And in Russian lessons, we calculated how many units of heat can fit into an object.
Of course, the latter approach disciplines, teaches attentiveness and scrupulousness. But because I understand how heat works, I can always explain the cause of a phenomenon. For example, when I look at the rattling air above the barbecue, I think: "Oh! So this is convection, thermal expansion and refraction of light!». And everything immediately becomes clear.
Another important advantage of studying at CIS under the Cambridge program is access to scientific articles from all over the world. In this school, I used to use English to immerse myself in difficult topics. And now, for me, the entire foreign Internet has room for self-education.
Leia: Unfortunately or fortunately, I cannot understand Gleb in terms of the difficulties he had to face. For me, combining programs is a reality from a very young age. I didn't have to get used to this format, because I don't know any other format.
But from experience, I can say that one program cannot be considered more important than another. Both of them offer great opportunities: thanks to them, you can choose to study both in Russia and abroad.For example, I couldn't decide where I wanted to enroll until the end of Year 13. But because of the situation in the world, I chose to stay here in Moscow. Moreover, I dream of becoming a physicist, and in Russia things are very good with this science. I don't see much point in going abroad. As they say, visiting is good, but it's better at home.
Do you remember your first year at CIS? Was it difficult to adapt to the new conditions? How fast did you speak English?
Glebb>Gleb: Unfortunately, the pandemic started in my first year of study. We were all quarantined and studied remotely. I wasn't happy about it. On the other hand, I could get used to the new program without stress. The teachers tried to support us in every possible way, and I especially felt their warmth
And as for English, active listening helped me. In the first year, I didn't understand even half of what the teachers were saying. But regular practice of communication, the desire to understand what has been said, to make the most of the lesson; all of this eventually helped me master the language.
Leia: I have a completely different story. I joined CIS as a child and quickly became involved in the English-speaking environment. We played a lot, sang, and had fun with the foreign teachers.
It even turned out that I first grasped many everyday concepts and scientific terms in English and only then learned their translation into Russian.
