Kodaikanal International School

Kodaikanal International School
File:KIS School Seal.png Kodaikanal International School Seal
Address
PO Box 25, Seven Roads Junction Kodaikanal , Tamil Nadu (TN) 624 101 India
Coordinates	10°14′7″N 77°29′21″E
Information
Type	Independent School, Residential School
Motto	Unity in Diversity Over 100 Years in Global Education
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Established	1901
Founder	Margaret Eddy
School district	Dindigul
Chairman	VI Mathan
Dean	Raja Krishnamoorthy (Temporary)
Principal	Adrian Moody
Financial director	Ganga Christus
Chaplain	Raja Krishnamoorthy
Faculty	157
Grades	P–12
Gender	Coeducational
Enrollment	568 total 439 boarding 129 day
Average class size	19 students
Student to teacher ratio	8:1
Language	English
Campuses	2
Campus	Residential Campus 43 acres (0.17 km2) 47 buildings
Houses	3 (Blue, Orange, White)
Color(s)	Blue, Orange, and White
Song	The KIS Song
Athletics	8 Interscholastic sports 15 Interscholastic teams
Mascot	The Tahr
Newspaper	The Tahr Tribune, The Highclerc Herald
Yearbook	The Eucalyptus ("The Eucy")
Annual tuition	Nationals: INR 6,37,900 (USD 14,000) Foreigners: INR 7,71,780 (USD 16,938)
Information	tel: 91.4542.247.500 fax: 91.4542.241.109
Website	www.kis.in

Kodaikanal International School (also called Kodai School or KIS) is a co-educational independent residential school offering tuition for grades P-12, located on 43 acres (0.17 km²) in Kodaikanal, Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India. Kodaikanal is a hill station in the Palani Hills, 121 kilometres (75 mi) north-west of Madurai.

Early alumni of KIS include US Ambassador to India Robert F. Goheen (1936) and US Congressman Chris Van Hollen (1977). KIS students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Kodai Kids".

In 1975, KIS became the first school in India to offer the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB) and the IB Middle Years Program (MYP). In addition, it also awards its own certificate, the KIS Diploma, to all graduates. It is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools [1] (US) and recognized by the Association of Indian Universities.

The current principal is Adrian Moody.

History

Origins (1890-1919)

Mrs. Margaret Eddy, ca. 1901

Margaret Eddy, founding principal of Kodaikanal International School (1901)

The original "Highclerc School", ca. 1906

In the early 1880s, there was a great need for an English-medium school in South India, due to an ever increasing Christian mission community in the area. Having a school at a hill-station would allow the children of missionaries to escape the tropical diseases that were claiming the lives of so many, and provide a cool and open atmosphere that stimulated learning.

In the early months of the year 1900, a woman by the name of Margaret Eddy came to visit her son Sherwood (after whom Sherwood Dormitory is named), who was working as a missionary in Batlagundu. Seeing the need for a school, and also realizing that the missionaries could not find the means to establish one, she decided to begin the process herself. She held the first Kodaikanal Conference on June 1, 1900, in which she established a Committee whose duty it was to find teachers and a building in which schooling would be held.

After commissioning The Highclerc Hotel as a building more than a year later, under the leadership of Mrs. Margaret Eddy, "Highclerc School" was opened to students on July 1, 1901. By 1902 the owners of the building had drastically increased the rent, so the school was moved to Rock Cottage and Central House. In 1905, Mrs. Eddy returned to Kodaikanal, and was able to buy The Highclerc Hotel from its new owner for INR 29,000 along with 3.5 acres (14,000 m²) of land. Since that time the school has remained in its present location. Mrs. Eddy served as principal of Kodai School, without salary, from 1901 to 1905, when she was forced to return to the America due to a sickness.

Development (1920-1959)

Significant development of the school that began in the late 1920s, when land acquisitions provided dormitory accommodation and facilities for the growing school, continued in during the next three decades. By 1930, the school had fully expanded into a high-school accommodating preschool through grade twelve, and that same year, Tracy Manley became the first student to receive a High School Diploma from Kodai School. In 1944, Dayavau Dhanapal became the first Indian woman staff member to join the school. Her daughter, Priscilla was later also a staff member, and her grand-daughter, Dana, graduated in 2000.

People such as Carl "Papa" Phelps (after whom Phelps Dormitory is named) and Auntie Powell helped with the early development of Kodai school, and remind one of the commitment of early staff-members. When Papa Phelps retired in 1958 after 26 years as Principal, his departure marked the end of an era at Kodai School.

Internationalization (1960-1989)

The 1960s marked the beginning of a new era in the school's history; a period of revolutionizing social changes. In 1960, Herb Krause, whose grand daughter is a Kodai School graduate and a former teacher at the school, took the role of principal after ten years as a teacher. Krause's goal was to open the school up to students of all nationalities and religions - a movement away from the traditional American Christian image the school had had. In 1966, a committee was established to improve the curriculum, staff and instructional material of the school, and it was accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1968 as a result of the committee's work. A new merit/demerit disciplinary system was introduced as a "supplementary system of discipline and guide to staff members" - a very controversial standardization of disciplinary consequences.

Another major change in the school occurred during this time - nationalism was becoming more and more visible in the world, and the American missionary exodus from India began. This debased the Kodai School community in a way that could not have been expected. The nature of the Kodai School student body needed to change in order to meet enrollment needs and budget realities. Herb Krause began visiting New Delhi, Bangkok and Beirut. Several international companies endowed grants upon the school in return for guaranteed places for students. This led to a student body of a more diverse and cosmopolitan background.

This led to a new debate about religious freedom, having to do with the fundamental mission and purpose of the school. The Kodai School staff were divided into two groups: one supporting a mandatory Christian curriculum, with the other supporting religious freedom. When the new chaplain, Robert Dewey, arrived in 1965, the issue came to a head. Dewey merged the ideals of a Christian school and religious freedom: he once said "creative dialogue is absolutely essential if the school is going to be what it wants to be. It is the only word that I know that suggests educationally and experientially what the school can be and is at its best".

Robert Carman ('48) worked with Frank Jayasinghe, the new Director of Development, to produce Project Design, a document which outlined the mission, philosophy, and expectations of students within the school. In 1972, Kodai School was renamed "Kodaikanal International School", and it became the first international school in India. When Jayasinghe took over as Principal in 1973, he continued Krause's campaign for students - enrollment increased from 279 students in 1975 to 475 in 1985.

In 1975 KIS became the first school in India to adopt the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. In 1977 the first KIS students sat for the first IB examinations in India. Another significant development was the recognition of the KIS High School Diploma by the All India University Board in 1981 and by a number of individual universities in India.

Recent history (1990-2010)

In 1994, Project Design (1974) was revised and renamed Design '94. Design '94 stands today as "the statement of the mission, philosophy, goals and objectives of KIS".

In 2006, KIS officially was granted the request to follow the IB Middle Years Program curriculum for grades 6-10, and it began issuing MYP Diplomas.

As of 2010, KIS is still in the process of acquiring permission to begin following the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) for grades 1-5.

Principals of KIS

• Margaret Eddy (1901–1906)
  • Charlotte Wyckoff (1901) acting principal
  • L. R. Scudder (1902) acting principal
  • Martha van Allen (1902–1903) acting principal
  • Ms. Chamberlain (1902–1903) acting principal
• Ms. Case (1906–1909) acting principal
• Ms. Carrol (1909–1910) acting principal
• Dora Allan (1910–1911) acting principal
• Charlotte Brooks (1911–1912) acting principal
• Alexander Wilson (1912–1924)
• Alice Powers (1919–1920)
• C. H. Hudson (1924–1926)
• C. A. Mitchell (1926–1927) acting principal
• Grace Fulton (1927–1928) acting principal
• James Dyke van Putten (1929–1932)
• Carl "Papa" Phelps (1932–1958)
  • Auntie Powell (1936–1937) acting principal
  • Alvin T. Fishman (1944–1946) acting principal
  • Herb Krause (1951–1952) acting principal
• Herb Krause (1958–1966)
  • Steve Root (1960–1961, 1966–1967) acting principal
• Harold Humble (1967–1970)
• Steve Root (1970–1973)
• Frank Jayasinghe (1973–1983)
• Neil Stixrud (1983–1984) acting principal
• Norman Habel (1984–1987)
• John Woelfle (1987) acting principal
• Paul Wiebe (1988–2001)
  • Ashish Chrispal (1997–2001) acting principal
• Bruce Robinson (2001–2004)
• Eleanor Nicholson (2004–2005)
• Geoffrey Fisher (2005–2010)
  • Kaisar Dopaishi (2010)
• Adrian Moody (2010-onwards)

Academics

Enrollment

The application fee for students living in India is INR 800; while the fee for foreigners is INR 3000 - application fees are used to cover courier costs of legal documents for signing, and the costs depend on destination hence the fee variation. New students must sit an assessment exam to be placed in appropriate level courses. The language of tuition is English, however ESL support is provided. Higher level and advanced placement second-language courses are often taught in their respective tongues. Almost 100% of KIS graduates proceed to university-level studies at Indian as well as international colleges and universities worldwide.

The academic year is divided into to semesters, with graduation occurring two days after the academic year ends:

• Semester one: 20–21 July through 25–26 November
• Semester two: 11–12 January through 19–20 May
• Graduation: 21–22 May

After sending a application request with the respective fee, the parent or guardian of the prospective student will receive an admissions kit, which must be filled out and sent to the KIS Admissions office, along with the academic records and three teacher recommendations for the prospective student. Students who are residents of SAARC countries are requested to visit KIS to undergo a personal interview, and to meet the Principal and the Admissions Coordinator. They will receive free lunch and a tour of the campus. All students are required to write a personal essay, and to send it to the Admissions office. Once the student has been assessed, he or she will be sent a letter of admittance or declination based on the qualification of the student. If that student is admitted, he or she must send a letter of acceptance before the process is complete, along with a security deposit, before the beginning of the first semester. Once this is done, the parent or guardian will receive further information regarding registration in the school.

The student's financial account must be balanced by the end of the academic year for the student to receive letters of recommendation, school records, and a transcript.

Awards

At the end of each academic year, the KIS Awards Assembly is held, in which a variety of awards are presented to students to recognize their achievements in the past year. The following is a list of the most important of these awards:

• The Amal Ganeswaran IB Award is awarded to the twelfth grade boy who is deemed most promising within the IB program. It is given in memory of Amal Ganeswaran ('91), and is chosen by the IB Department Coordinator and the Vice Principal.
• The Ashok Kampte Award is awarded to the student with the most outstanding leadership skills and supportive qualities. It is chosen by the High School Coordinator, the Senior Management Team, and the Vice Principal.
• The Canada Award is awarded to the graduating twelfth grader with the highest GPA, most supplementary classes, and a best personal character. The criteria are reviewed by the Vice Principal.
• The Citizenship Cup is awarded to a member of each of the three grading-groups (5-6, 7-8, 9-10), with the most school spirit, initiative, thoughtfulness, and responsibility. It is voted upon by all seventh and eighth graders, and requires a one third majority.
• The David Heins Cup is awarded to the eleventh or twelfth grader who has made the most significant contribution to drama or theater. It is chosen by the KIS Drama Committee and the Principal.
• The Ed Montgomery Cup is awarded to the best overall eleventh or twelfth grade boy, who is above average in at least three sports, is a good citizen, and has at least a "B" average at the end of the third quarter. it is chosen by the Physical Education Department and the Vice Principal.
• The Fisher-Das Captain's Cup is awarded to the most outstanding House Captain of the year, who has maintained a "B+" over the period of captaincy, has been present at every house meeting, and has displayed qualities of leadership. It is chosen by the High School Coordinator and the Principal.
• The Fisher-Das House Shield is awarded to the most outstanding house of the year, in upholding the BOW program in every section of the school. The criteria are reviewed by the Principal.
• The Gary Knapp Technical Award is awarded to the eleventh or twelfth grader who has made the most significant contribution to the technical aspects of drama or theater. It is chosen by the KIS Drama Committee and the Principal.
• The Grade 5-10 Cup is awarded to the fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth grade students on the Principal's, Vice Principal's, or Middle School Honors List who displays the most qualities of leadership, character, and citizenship, and who contributes to the school and participates in extracurricular activities. It is chosen by the Middle School or High School Coordinator, teachers, dorm-parents, and the counselor.
• The Kodaikanal School Honor Award for Citizenship is awarded to the eleventh or twelfth grader with the most school spirit, initiative, thoughtfulness, and responsibility.
  It is voted on by all eleventh and twelfth graders, and requires a one third majority.
• The Reva Bansal IB Award is awarded to the twelfth grade girl who is deemed most promising within the IB program. It is given in memory of Reva Bansal ('86). It is chosen by the IB Department Coordinator and the Vice Principal.
• The Sandy Schoeninger Award is awarded to the winning house team of the sporting events on Field Day. It is approved by the PE Department.
• The Senior with Greatest Academic Improvement is awarded to the twelfth grader with the most academic improvement, who has attended KIS for at least three years, and has contributed to school life. It is chosen by staff, administration, and the Vice Principal.
• The Sylvia Seamands Cup is awarded to the best overall eleventh or twelfth grade girl, who is above average in at least three sports, is a good citizen, and has at least a "B" average at the end of the third quarter. It is chosen by the Physical Education Department and the Vice Principal.
• The Tracey Manley Cup is awarded to the most outstanding class in the KIS High School, in respect to all-around achievement and contribution to school life. Given in memory of Tracey Manley ('30). It is voted on by all staff and administration.
• The Walker Cup is awarded to the student with outstanding achievement and contribution to KIS in music. It is chosen by the KIS Music Department and the Principal. This award was presented to the School in 1957 by Ron Walker (known as "Tex" during his years), in honor of his mentor and friend Mario di Giorgio. Di Giorgio was a world class violinist who played in many places around the world, including at Carnegie Hall.

Programs

SAGE

Studies Abroad for Global Education (SAGE) was founded in 1992. It the result of a partnership between KIS and the Woodstock School in Landour – the formation of KWI, or Kodai-Woodstock International. SAGE promotes studying abroad in these two schools, and over the years has sent hundreds of students to study in India. It offers semester or year abroad programs, gap semester or years, and volunteer service programs. It also accommodates custom school trips..

Student exchange

KIS currently has student exchange programs with Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. In Germany, students have the opportunity to study for one semester at the Gymnasium Andreanum [2] in Hildesheim. This school has a strong English program, but the medium of instruction for classes is German, giving students the opportunity to become fluent in German in one semester. Students are hosted by exchange "partner families" (while the German partner comes and studies and lives in a dorm at KIS) and learn what daily life is like for these families. The Australian exchange is hosted by the Carey Baptist Grammar School in Melbourne. The school has initiated a full scholarship exchange where all costs, including airfares, are covered by the institution. During this exchange, students are required to choose some IB courses in preparation for entering the 11th grade upon returning to KIS. Students who apply for this exchange are interviewed. The Netherlands exchange is a summer exchange program hosted by two schools in the Netherlands. Students stay with a Dutch family and study at a Dutch school for four weeks during the summer. Students also come to KIS from the International School of Geneva, Switzerland, every year during March to participate in the Social Experience program.

Athletics

KIS has ten intramural championships with six sports, in which athletes compete for a school champion or winning house. KIS also has eleven interscholastic teams with seven sports, in which KIS teams compete with other school teams in different areas. Bryan Plymale, who teaches the Social Experience and Theory of Knowledge classes, organized the first ever Indian National Ultimate Championship, Fly Baba. More than eight teams from around India participate annually. On the annual "Field Day", students from every house compete with each other to find a winning house, which is awarded the Fisher-Das House Shield.

Intramural

Template:MultiCol Fall

• Boys Rowing
• Boys Gymnastics
• Girls Gymnastics

| class="col-break " | Winter

• Boys Intramural Basketball
• Girls Intramural Basketball

| class="col-break " | Spring

• Boys Badminton
• Girls Badminton
• Boys Cheerleading
• Girls Cheerleading
• Boys Tennis
• Girls Tennis
• Boys Racquetball
• Girls Racquetball

Interscholastic

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• Boys Field Hockey
• Girls Field Hockey
• Boys Soccer
• Girls Soccer
• Girls Volleyball

| class="col-break " | Winter

• Boys Basketball
• Girls Basketball
• Boys Track and Field
• Girls Track and Field

| class="col-break " | Spring

• Boys Cricket
• Ultimate

Field day

• Shot put
• Pole vault
• High jump
• Long jump
• Standing broad jump
• Triple jump
• Cross country

Extracurricular activities

Robotics team

The KIS Robotics Team is group of robotics students who compete annually in the Interschool Robotics Junior competition that is held by Tetronics, Ltd, in Bangalore. The team also competes in the International School robotics competition in Seoul, South Korea.

Social Experience

Since the 1960s, KIS social awareness has taken the form of various community service programs, social studies focus and development education courses in the curriculum. Manual Labor program, Youth Corps, Community Experience program and today's Social Experience program, or SoEx, have all been tried over the years with varying degrees of success. Leaders in the Indian development field have contributed to workshops and retreats for staff and students. SoEx groups have worked in orphanages, taught and assisted in local school support programs and been involved in village planning and tribal community development projects. Every Saturday, there is a SoEx activity in which all students can voluntarily participate; such as a visit to the Shenbaganur Orphanage, the Mercy Home, or the village school.

The Shenbaganur Orphanage is a tribal orphanage that houses 50 children between the ages of three and ten years. KIS students play games with the children, read to them, and do maintenance work; such as painting the walls, repairing plumbing, and gardening. Recently the students helped to repair the plumbing, plant the kitchen garden and distributed toys - spinning tops for the boys and dolls for the girls - and sweaters donated by Mrs. Agarwal. Students are planning on hosting a carnival to raise funds for better bedding and other infrastructure. The Mercy Home is a home for destitute elderly people, situated on Middle Lake Road in Kodaikanal. It presently houses eighteen residents, providing them with basic food, shelter, and clothing. There is, however, need for better infrastructure, such as bedding, lighting, and plumbing. Better medical care is also needed - consultations and specialist referrals include the need for eye care, hearing aids, cardiology consultations, preventive medicine and screening including bone densitometry, dental care, treatment for epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, hypertension, arthritis, osteoporosis, and other bone related diseases. Footwear, toiletry items, duvets, and frame walkers are also needed. A kitchen garden is being nurtured to supplement their diet and a herb garden is planned to provide for simple home remedies.

SoEx emphasizes responsibility towards the environment, and the Green Team is a group of SoEx students who are dedicated to the preserving the natural environment - every Saturday, the Green Team meets and works on different projects, such as garbage collection, campaigning, and one of the largest environmental programs currently being undertaken by the Green Team; the "Shola Nursery". Currently, the Shola Nursery, in the Lochend Compound, is home to approximately 600 indigenous Shola Tree saplings in various stages of maturity. KIS students have collected seeds in collaboration with the Palani Hills Conservation Council (PCC) and have treated and germinated these under ideal conditions. After germination the seedlings are transplanted from tray to small black polythene bags. When the seedlings become saplings of 20–30 cm height they are again transplanted into large clear polythene bags. When the saplings reach 70–100 cm, they are transplanted onto various properties, including the Shenbaganur Orphanage and the Mercy Home. The Green Team is also working with the Vattakanal Conservation Trust (VCT) primarily with their grassland conservation project.

Youthrise

During the 2008-2009 academic year, Youthrise was formed by a group of students, led by Ananda Boga, in response to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on the 26th of November, 2008. It was started with a single goal in mind – to mobilize the youth of today. To spread awareness about how students can help make the world a better place. Youthrise meetings occur once every week after school, and students discuss current issues and new ideas for the group. Youthrise has successfully adopted a Tribal orphanage, at which there are about 75 children who live in poor conditions. Every Saturday a Youthrise team visits this orphanage for three to four hours, to paint the walls, play with children, and improve the electricity, drainage, plumbing, water and leakage problems. Since the group's origination in KIS, it has become a nation-wide effort, with chapters in Agra, Delhi, Goa, Mumbai, Pune, and Srinagar. The current Youthrise president is Ananda Boga.

Student Council (StudCo)

The Student Council (StudCo) is a group of students representative of the high-school student body (grades 9-12). StudCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that StudCo focus on a certain issue. Representatives of StudCo from each grade address each of the four high-school grades individually every Monday at an evening meeting. The members of StudCo are elected democratically by the student body and stand as representatives of the entire student population.

Middle-school Council (MidCo)

The Middle-school Council (MidCo) is a group of students representative of the middle-school student body (grades 6-8). MidCo meets weekly to discuss school issues, rules, and student concerns. Any student is free to request that MidCo focus on a certain issue.

Drama & theater

Although Drama is a standard course, there are also several extracurricular theatrical activities. These include the High School Play, an annual production which is produced, directed, and acted in by students, and the annual Middle School Play. The Golden KIS Awards (pronounced "Golden Kiss") is an annual awards ceremony held by the Drama Department, in which drama, short film, music, and other art is shown and voted upon for awards. Students are also nominated and voted upon for awards that are specific to the theme of that year's ceremony.

Student body

As of March 2010, KIS has 568 students, approximately half being foreign nationals. KIS is a multicultural community, with teaching staff and students representing over 30 countries worldwide. Students include children of expatriates working in India. Boarders are accommodated in 15 dormitories, both on and off campus. KIS music students are selected annually by audition to participate in The Association for Music in International Schools (AMIS) International Honor Choir and Band Festival and Honor Strings Festival. KIS requires its students to participate in Social Experience programs, which deliver health care, education and community development projects to local villages. All KIS Middle and High School students participate annually in a one-week field trip, which enables them to travel and gain first-hand experience of life in other South Indian territories.

Finances

Tuition

For citizens of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka or Pakistan, the annual tuition fee is INR 6,37,900 (USD 14,000).
For citizens of other countries, the cost of tuition is INR 7,71,780 (USD 16,938).

Financial aid

Financial aid is provided to scholarship students.

Campus facilities

Main entrance gate to Highclerc Campus

KIS is divided into two academic campuses: Highclerc Campus for its high school (grades 9-12) and Ganga Campus for its elementary school (grades P-5) and middle school (grades 6-8). KIS also incorporates a Wilderness Camp, which offers outdoor education programs for students. It located in the forest two hours away from Kodaikanal, near the village of Poondi. Highclerc Campus overlooks the large Kodaikanal Lake and the rest of the town of Kodaikanal. View the Highclerc Campus Map here: [3].

Highclerc campus

Academic facilities

• The Computer Labs are five computer rooms equipped with 12-20 computers each, with scanners and printers
• The Jane Cummings Library is the high school library, with 28,000 volumes, including multilingual sections
• The Media Center is a presentation room equipped with a video projector and seating
• The Mini Theater is a cinematic video presentation room
• The Science Labs are six scientific laboratories, including home economics
• The Study Halls are two student study rooms equipped with computers

Athletic and leisure facilities

• The Basketball Courts are two outdoor basketball courts
• The Covered Courts are two outdoors, covered courts for basketball, indoor soccer, indoor hockey, volleyball and badminton
• The Kodaikanal Golf Club is a nearby eighteen-hole golf course, to which transportation is provided.
• The Lochend Fitness Center is a weight room with a universal gym, treadmills, elliptical machines, rowing machines, and stationary bicycles
• The Lochend-Penryn Field is an outdoor field for soccer, cricket, field hockey, baseball, softball, track and field, and other sports
• Lower Bendy Field is an outdoor field for soccer, cricket, field hockey, baseball, softball, track and field, and other sports
• The Racquetball Courts are two indoor racquetball courts
• The Sports Equipment Room provides full access to a variety of sports equipment
• The Student Lounge is a student recreation room equipped with a stereo system, pool and foosball tables, and a television
• The Tennis Courts are six outdoor clay tennis courts
• Upper Bendy Field is an outdoor field for soccer, cricket, field hockey, baseball, softball, track and field, and other sports

Music facilities

• The Brass Rooms are a series of eight individual brass instrument practice rooms
• The Indian Music Rooms are a series of six rooms for Indian music and dance practice
• The Music Studio and Band Room are used for teaching music classes
• The Piano Block is a series of thirteen individual piano practice rooms
• The Recording Room is used to record music, such as for IB music examinations
• The String and Woodwind Rooms are a series of eight practice rooms for string and woodwind instruments

Performing and visual arts facilities

• Alumni Hall is a gymnasium and theater, with a large stage and backstage area and a theatrical balcony
• The Bob King Art Studio is a large art studio with an adjacent art room
• The Box is a performing arts center equipped with lighting facilities and a backstage area
• The Darkroom is a photographic darkroom
• The Industrial Arts Laboratory is a woodworking and auto mechanics laboratory facility

Residential facilities

Highclerc Campus has a total of sixteen student dormitories, with 25-35 students each and a live-in dorm parent. All dorms have their own kitchens for out of school needs, and are spread through seven individual residential campuses throughout Kodaikanal, each within ten minutes walking distance of the school. KIS also maintains eight residential compounds for staff, a combination of apartments, duplex ground floor houses and stand-alone residences as well as a variable number of local houses rented on a needs basis.

Boys

• Bartlett East Dormitory
• Bartlett West Dormitory
• Bruton Dormitory
• Claverack Dormitory
• Lochend Dormitory
• Mayvilla Dormitory
• Penryn Dormitory
• Swedish House Lower Dormitory
• Swedish House Upper Dormitory

Girls

• Boyer Lower Dormitory
• Boyer Upper Dormitory
• Kennedy Dormitory
• Phelps Dormitory
• Sherwood Dormitory
• Solvik Dormitory
• Wissy Dormitory
• Westover Dormitory

Staff

• Benderloch Estate
• Central Hill Compound
• East Hill Compound
• Furzbank Compound
• Jaffna-Lookout Cottages
• Loben Compound
• Lochend Estate
• Penryn Estate

Catering facilities

• The Dining Hall is a two-floor cafeteria offering four meals per day (breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner), with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
• The Gymkhana Snack Bar is a fast food and snack bar for students and staff, located on the Highclerc Campus but available to all students
• In-house Kitchens are provided in all student dormitories

Health and medical facilities

• The Dispensary and Infirmary, known as the "Dish", offers 24-hour student care, outpatient treatment, medical procedures and minor surgery, and is equipped with twenty beds, a full-time doctor, four registered nurses, and assisting staff
• Medical insurance is provided by the school upon request
• The Van Allen Hospital is the local hospital, and has laboratory and x-ray facilities, providing surgery and emergency transportation to Madurai

Ganga Campus

Residential facilities

Although tuition is offered to grades P-12, boarding is only offered for grades 5-12. This means that Ganga Campus only requires residential facilities for the middle school (grades 5-8) and therefore only has two student dormitories: Crescent Park Dormitory for boys, and Westover Dormitory for girls.

Catering facilities

• The Dining Hall on Ganga Campus also serves four meals per day (breakfast, lunch, tea, and dinner), with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options
• The Gymkhana Snack Bar is also available to elementary and middle school students, although it is located on Highclerc Campus
• In-house Kitchens are provided in both student dormitories

Health and medical facilities

Elementary and middle school students have access to the same medical facilities as high-school students:

• The Dispensary and Infirmary, known as the "Dish", offers 24-hour student care, outpatient treatment, medical procedures and minor surgery, and is equipped with twenty beds, a full-time doctor, four registered nurses, and assisting staff
• Medical insurance is provided by the school upon request
• The Van Allen Hospital is the local hospital, and has laboratory and x-ray facilities, providing surgery and emergency transportation to Madurai

KIS's emblems

The KIS Seal

File:KIS School Seal.png

The KIS Seal

The KIS Seal, adopted when the school was founded in 1901, depicts a famous view from Kodaikanal (sometimes referred to as Doveton's View, after an early photographer and post-card maker in Kodaikanal), showing Mount Perumal with Berijam Lake and a shola tree in foreground.

The Tahr

A Nilgiri Tahr, 2007

The Palani Hills, being a part of the lower range of the Nilgiri Mountains, once were home to a large population of Nilgiri Tahr. Unfortunately, the endangered species is becoming harder and harder to find in the area.
KIS chose to adopt the Tahr both as a mascot, and as the emblem for the Student Council, as it represents strength, survival, and friendliness to the natural environment. It was a relatively simple choice, as it has been the name of the KIS student newspaper (the Tahr Tribune) for the past three decades. Also, the Tahr Pin is an award given to any student who completes a certain number of hikes, and at least one hike of each level - ranging between level "A" hikes (2–3 hours) to level "D" hikes (12–13 hours). Students who receive the Tahr Pin can participate in the Tahr Camp, a three day long hike down to the plains.

The KIS Song

The KIS Song, adopted in the early 1980s, and written by Bonni-Belle Pickard, was representative of the new multicultural student body that emerged in the late '70s and early '80s.

Words:

Whether Asian, Australian, North or South American,
European, African, or Arabian,
We belong to you, in our hearts and spirits, too.

We are proud of you, Kodai School!

Notable alumni

• Robert F. Goheen, 1936, US Ambassador to India (1977–1980)
• John B. Carman, 1947, Professor of Comparative Religion - Harvard University
• Romulus Whitaker, 1960, herpetologist, conservationist, and author
• Stephen R. Donaldson, 1964, author
• Timothy Lomperis, 1965, Professor of Political Science - Saint Louis University, author
• Christopher A. Sinclair, 1968, CEO of Cambridge Solutions
• Kai Bird, 1969, author
• Chris Granner, 1975, music composer
• Chris Van Hollen, 1977, US Congressman (2003–present)
• Ashok Kamte, 1982, Mumbai Police Commissioner (2006–2008)
• Firdous Bamji, 1983, Bollywood actor
• Sajeeb Wazed Joy, 1989, advisor, Awami League
• Arjun Rampal, 1990, Bollywood actor
• Zayed Khan, 1997, Bollywood actor

• 
  Robert F. Goheen, 1936, US Ambassador to India
• 
  Stephen R. Donaldson, 1964, author
• 
  Chris Sinclair, 1968, CEO of Cambridge Solutions
• 
  Chris Van Hollen Jr., 1977, US Congressman
• Zayed Khan, 1997, actor
  Zayed Khan, 1997, actor

External links

• Official website
• A school's century