AISB Community Celebrates First Institutional Book Week: Read. Imagine. Inspire.

The Learning Hub marked a significant milestone with the successful celebration of the 1st AISB Institutional Book Week, held from March 9–13, 2026. Guided by the theme “Chapter 1: Read. Imagine. Inspire.”, the week brought together students and staff in a vibrant celebration of reading, creativity, and community engagement.

The celebration officially opened on March 9 with a Launching Program led by School Director, Mr. Henri Bemelmans, setting the tone for a week of engaging and meaningful literary activities.

Throughout the week, students participated in a variety of creative events. The Book Face Challenge invited participants to align book covers with their faces, other body parts, or everyday objects, resulting in imaginative visual compositions, with Sarina Jobson named winner. In Book Spine Poetry, students formed poems through the creative alignment of book titles, with Anika Rai recognized for her work. The Digital Poster Making Contest highlighted students’ creativity through digital design, with Jasmine Kim earning top recognition.

The Book Tasting activity allowed students to explore a wide range of genres, encouraging them to evaluate, recommend, and discover new books. Complementing this was the Teachers’ Picks display, which featured recommended titles from faculty members throughout the month of March.

A highlight of the week was the Story Writing Contest, held on March 10 at the Learning Hub. Aahana Kothari won for her piece “The Anatomy of Varya Bellanov,” with runners-up Oo Htet Tar (“The Green Sweater”) and Alisa Kumpeeraparb (“The Parcel House”). Selected entries will be displayed in the Learning Hub and featured in the school newsletter.

The celebration concluded on March 13 with a Culmination Program led by Head of Secondary, Mr. Michael Bryce. A key highlight was the Book Character Parade Contest, where students and staff dressed as their favorite literary characters. Sarina Jobson was awarded Literary Star of the Parade, while Theo Gomes received Best in Costume and Alisa Kumpeeraparb was recognized for Most Authentic Character Portrayal.

The awarding ceremony also recognized student engagement with the Learning Hub. Hannah Hashim was named Most Outstanding Library Patron for AY 2025–2026, having recorded the highest number of borrowed books with no overdue records, based on data from AccessIT. She was joined by fellow Top 10 Most Active Borrowers: Yu Qui Wang, Anika Rai, Sarina Jobson, Alisa Kumpeeraparb, Aiden Herrington-Moxon, Malak Rahel Merhi, Aliya Lee Whitaker, Surkhab Barjwa, and Abigail Hashim.

The Friends of the Library were also acknowledged for their generous book donations from September 2025 to February 2026, including Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Berrivin, Mr. & Mrs. Ramanathan Lakshminarayanan, Ms. Witchayaporn Boonmorakot, Ms. Dana MacLean, Ms. Marry Jane Delos Santos, Ms. Janer Ferguson, and Yu Qui Wang.

The event was made possible through the initiative of Ms. Kristel Mae S. Hablero, Secondary Librarian, in collaboration with the English Department led by Mr. Jack Murrell.

The success of the first Institutional Book Week highlights the importance of fostering a strong reading culture. Through opportunities to read, imagine, and create, students continue to grow as engaged and inspired learners.