Summer Adventures with the ISS Pocket Passengers
Hope you had a wonderful summer holiday, and welcome to the new school year! The ISS team is very excited for this season; we’re ready to support international schools and educators in all their 2019-20 needs, plus embark on some great travels with the ISS Pocket Passengers.
So many incredible student artists and storytellers answered our invitation to submit character designs that will travel the world with the ISS team. Originally, we just planned for the Pocket Passengers to journey with us as we visit schools and international education conferences this 2019-20 school year — but we were so excited by the designs, we jump-started their journeys and already took many on ISS summer trips and travels! Destinations included several US states, as well as to Peru, Japan, and Paraguay. Meet a handful of the fantastic Pocket Passengers here:
Bloo Girl and Tree Boy
ISS Pocket Passengers took in the beauty of Machu Picchu with Laura Light, our ISS Director of Global Recruitment. She brought student-designed Bloo Girl and Tree Boy on her five day trek in Peru, via the Salkantay Pass in the Andes Mountains and up into the clouds. They made it all the way to an altitude of 15,000 feet!
Bloo Girl was made by Amelia, Pre-K student at the International School of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. “Bloo Girl has the power to make things fun. She loves art and school and her friends. She is strong and likes to joke around with others. She is a healthy eater and is able to travel and see the world.”
Tree Boy is by Alex, 5th grader at Lynwood Elementary School, USA. His design is inspired by real life: “There really is a tree in front of my house. That’s what made me think of Tree Boy. The real tree has eye shapes growing on it.”
Bianca and Rainbow
Over her July holiday vacation, ISS Chief Marketing Officer Sharon Lawler-Sudell took along two friends to enjoy the blue beaches of Casco Bay in Maine, USA.
Bianca the owl is by Martina, 3rd grader at Colegio Americano de Guatemala. “It’s favorite food is banana bread. My inspiration was from when an owl came down to my dad and he was scared.”
Rainbow was created by Sarah, 3rd grader at Riffa Views International School, Bahrain. “Me and my friends made up a quote that says ‘Happy thoughts, cupcakes and rainbows.’ Happiness inspired me to create Rainbow.” ⠀
Daniel
Dave Randall, ISS Senior Leadership Executive, Governed Schools/Administrative Searches, traveled to Japan this summer with his grandson Sebastian. Sebastian and Pocket Passenger Daniel the duck enjoyed sites like the Pokemon center in Tokyo and the Golden Temple in Kyoto. Daniel’s artist wrote that this friendly duck, “likes to eat seafood, especially clams and oysters,” so the famous Tsukiji fish market trip must have been a hit too!⠀
Daniel was created by Tiana, 7th grader at Yangon International School in Myanmar. “Even though he is quiet outside, he is very talkative amongst his close friends. He is very altruistic an the would sacrifice anything for the people he loves.”
Cuddley and Foxicorn
This summer, ISS President Liz Duffy joined 16 other leaders with the Academy for International School Heads (AISH) and GOAlearning for an intensive bootcamp in Colorado, US. In addition to the learning of the trip, she brought back some great shots of Cuddley and Foxicorn flying through the mountains.
Cuddley is by Raquel, student at The American International School of Muscat, Oman. “Cuddley loves to read and write, she loves to play outdoors with her friends and her favorite game is hide and seek or sometimes tag!” ⠀
Foxicorn is created by Noe Noe, 3rd grader at Yangon International School, Myanmar. “She is a fox that has wings and a unicorn horn. She is the only magical animal that still lives in the sky now.”⠀
Misty Cat and Aves
Beth Pfannl, ISS Vice President, Administrative Searches and Governance Services, traveled to Paraguay this month to lead the the Girls’ Leadership Conference in Asunción. She and her Pocket Passengers travel buddies also visited the town of Piribebuy and the botanical gardens in Asunción. Misty Cat made friends with a Paraguayan gato, and Aves the bird enjoyed the tropical beauty of the Iguaza Falls in Brazil.
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Misty Cat is by Natalie, 6th grader at Dostyk American International School, Kazakhstan. “My character is a marshmallow cat. She lives in Marshmallowville. Misty is an alien.”
Aves is by YK, 7th grader at Yangon International School, Myanmar. “Aves is a very happy and excited bird. She also goes out to play with her friends. They would fly above the clouds, Aves would start flying very early in the morning until late evening.”
Mariachi
Mariachi and Kris Evans, ISS Chief Financial Officer, enjoyed a beautiful clear day at the Cape May lighthouse and Cape May Point Beach in NJ, USA.
Mariachi was created by Juan Pablo, student at the Colegio Americano de Guatemala. “He likes pizza, playing mariachi and traveling to the United States.” We are happy for the visit!
Pineapple Sunbath and Poppy Corn
Laura Benson, ISS Director of Curriculum and Professional Development, took along two small friends to Oregon for a family graduation. They enjoyed the Columbia River, learned about the Lewis and Clark Trail, and took in the creativity of Portland, City of Roses.
Pineapple Sunbath is created by Julia, 2nd grader at the International School of Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. “Pineapple Sunbath loves vacations and bathing with the pineapple-yellow sun. She loves art and thinking about beautiful things.”⠀
Poppy Corn is by Yuki, 11th grader Yangon International School, Myanmar. “Poppy Corn is cheerful and will throw popcorns of joy whenever you’re feeling sad or hungry. What inspired me to create this character was the movie that I planned to watch after my finals.”
Johnny and Freddie
Janine and Aliisa from the ISS Marketing and Communications team took two Pocket Passengers sightseeing around the ISS Headquarters in Princeton, NJ. Princeton University’s mascot is the tiger, so Johnny felt right at home! Freddie enjoyed a relaxing story at a free book box nestled in the beautiful Palmer Square.
Johnny the tiger is made by Waiwai, a 7th grader at Yangon International School. “Johnny is bright and cheerful, and always has the most fun! He has traveled to Paris, Hollywood, Greece, Rome and the Maldives”.
Freddie is by Yusra, 7th grader at Riffa Views International School. “His name is Freddie and is really lazy but will do anything for food”
To all the students who sent in their designs and stories, we can’t thank you enough. Your creativity, humor, and skill forever impress and inspire us. We’re looking forward to sharing even more Pocket Passenger travels during this year, so stay tuned on #ISSedu to catch updates and share your own school year adventures ahead!