When we started laying the ground for the Summer issue of WORLD Magazine, it was for an entirely different publication. 

We were going to contact our Alumni and follow up on their well-being coming out of the pandemic.

We were going to go about our business of telling stories about the AISB community. Having war break out in our neighboring country of Ukraine flipped our perspective entirely. Suddenly, it felt like too small a feat to tell the story of one school, or one community, at a time  when we are reminded beyond words that togetherness is what we should be seeking out. What brought the CEESA schools together  initially was common ground - quite literally. Sharing a geographical region with its particular assets and quirks of cultural and regional significance was an initial foothold for our schools' collaboration. Further along the road, CEESA schools became partners through cooperation, job-alikes, trainings, and competitions. But forming a true community through our partnership surely means much more than this.

True community means compassion and showing commitment and openness to support one another. It means extending ourselves to meet our colleagues partway and truly explore what brings us together by finding each other out. This is why, for the first time in the decade-long tradition of WORLD magazine, we have decided to invite our partner CEESA school, PSI Kyiv, to co-edit this issue, and to publish stories from our partner schools AISB Budapest and AAS Sofia.

We all offer what we can to support each other, and part of what we do is storytelling. Our aim is to form a true partnership in giving a voice to our students, teachers, alumni, and communities and sharing the story of coming together and supporting each other in the face of true adversity.

Flip through the pages of this special edition of the WORLD magazine to read stirring accounts of solidarity, support, and community-building.

Ana Costiniu

EDITOR of World Magazine