The Benjamin Franklin International School Podcast: Changemaking in Action Benjamin Franklin International School

In our captivating 9th episode of the BFIS podcast, we embark on a journey through the realm of entrepreneurship alongside the esteemed Roger Egan. Roger graciously shares insights into his remarkable path to entrepreneurship, illuminating the origins of his innovative ideas.



Central to our discussion is Roger's latest venture, Nurture, a groundbreaking project dedicated to early childhood learning and development. Specifically tailored for 4 to 6-year-olds, Nurture aims to empower parents in nurturing their children's life skills through immersive play-based experiences. Join us as we uncover the vision and passion driving Roger's quest to revolutionize early education.

Episode 8 showcases BFIS's comprehensive efforts to support bilingual and multilingual learners (BMLs) through strategic planning, professional development, and community engagement. Led by Associate Head of School Lila Jorge,  joined by Liz Mahaffey, head of our homeschool support services, and Erica Johnson, K through 12, instructional coach and an English language acquisition teacher, they talk about the advantages of multilingualism and the school commitment to a three-year action plan for continuous improvement and BML support integration into the school's culture.

Andrea Cranshaw and BFIS Middle Years Programme (MYP) students sit down with Dinesh Thiru, an author and parent at BFIS, to discuss his latest Young Adult fantasy novel, 'Into the Sunken City.' They explore writing strategies and techniques as they delve into the creative process. Find out more about Dinesh at dineshthiru.com.

In episode 6 of our podcast, Rachel Hovington, BFIS Head of School, engages in a thought-provoking dialogue with Dan Furness, Head of Safeguarding and Well-Being at the Council of International Schools where he runs multiple workshops and leads advisory work with schools all over the world. One of the latest projects Dan was involved with is the worldwide launching of the International Safeguarding Toolkit, which schools can access to support their journey in safeguarding and child protection. 

Together,  Rachel and Dan explore the landscape of safeguarding within international school environments. Delving into key topics such as cultural perspectives, identifying mental health concerns, the implementation of a well-being curriculum in international schools, and the crucial roles of parental engagement and student empowerment, this conversation offers invaluable insights into fostering a safe and supportive educational community. Additionally, Lila Jorge, Associate Head of School and Manager of Child Protection and Safeguarding at BFIS, sheds light on various initiatives and ongoing efforts undertaken by BFIS in this critical area.

This episode of the BFIS Podcast, introduced by Rachel Hovington, features BFIS University and Future Pathways Counselor Rhonda Leshman and Kyra Kellawan, Development Director in conversation with Prof Dr. Ger Graus OBE, a founding Global Education Director at KidZania and founding Chief Executive of the Children's University.

A regular keynote speaker at educational conferences across the globe, Professor Graus is a seminal figure in futures education. He is now advocating for a ‘Futures Awareness’ campaign in partnership with the world of work to globally introduce careers education in elementary education. He frequently reminds us that children can only aspire to what they know exists and that there can be a poverty of experience that comes from both an affluent upbringing and one less so.  

Both Kyra and Rhonda work closely with BFIS Alumni and have experience working with international independent school students who are thinking about their futures. As we think about children’s aspirations for becoming all that they can be, being readily able to reinvent that through their school career, lives and experiences, we hear about some of the developments and programming at BFIS that aligns us with best-in-class educational benchmarks in this arena.

In this episode, Rachel is joined by Martin Picard, a parent of BFIS. A graduate of Computer Science and Math from MIT and Harvard, he is a veteran technical software innovator, company founder, and CEO. He now owns Can Picard, a small family vineyard/farm just a 17-minute drive from Barcelona, and the site of the Alella Green Tech Charitable Foundation (AGT) a green tech R&D center, product showcase, and activities community center. Their mission is to help everyone, from school children to Ph.D. students and beyond, learn about nature and sustainable agriculture and investigate ideas about how technology can help us conserve resources and combat climate change.

By fostering innovation, helping sustainable practices, and supporting learning, he hopes to make a difference - and he certainly has in our community, by partnering with us on teaching and learning in various ways that impact robotics, science, and sustainability education at BFIS.

The work he does and the stories he tells fit perfectly with our Vision for Learning’s stated goal of nurturing our students to be collaborative individuals connected to the world around them who are empowered to design innovative solutions to complex problems to create a better world.

Find out more at: https://alellagreentech.com/