News

EB's French Program Coordinator, Elodie Resurreccion, asks the question, "How can we help children become allies?" as they navigate their differences both at school and at home?

Meet Ala Ebtekar: Painter, illustrator, contemporary visual artist, distinguished alumnus from the class of 1993 and recipient of this year's EB Alumni Spotlight Award. A Berkeley native with Persian roots, Ala Ebtekar’s educational journey began at right here at EB. Hear more about that journey in this interview, recorded during his campus visit in October.

In the vibrant educational landscape of Berkeley, École Bilingue de Berkeley (EB) stands out as a shining example of international middle school education. At the forefront of this multilingual school is the opportunity for 6th Grade students, with no prior French exposure, to join the international academic program and receive an accelerated bilingual education. 

Bonne rentrée ! Take a walk through campus with Head of School, Sebastien Robert, and see the new improvements! From the new solar panels on the Lower School roof to the newly constructed stage at the Middle School, these important investments reflect our EB values.

We are pleased to announce that Ala Ebtekar, painter, illustrator, contemporary visual artist and distinguished alumnus from the class of 1993, has been chosen as the recipient of this year's EB Alumni Spotlight Award. Ala’s exceptional contributions to the world of visual arts, civic spaces and academia make him an inspiring and multifaceted role model for our community. From his exploration of cosmic themes and the phenomenology of light, to his merging of ancient traditions with cutting-edge technology, Ala's relentlessly curious and creative embrace of the world is a poignant example of what it means to "belong in the world," a concept so central to EB's ongoing educational mission.

May brought the successful conclusion to another innovative EB initiative, the Alternative Chronicles (Chroniques Alternatives) contest, an international, multi-school, classroom-led AI competition, jointly developed by EB Middle School Head, Fabien Lombard and his French counterpart, Paul Fermon, history-geography teacher at Raynouard High School in France.

After consideration by a diverse 11-member jury of educators, technologists and artists, three grand prize winners were chosen from 16 finalists. The second edition of the contest is already scheduled to launch in October 2024, promising another exciting opportunity for innovative educational projects from next year's students.

EB offered another provocative and engaging Parent Enrichment Night for May, this time focused on the hot topic of artificial intelligence. The panel discussion, led by Mathilde Cerioli, a doctor in neuroscience, positive discipline educator and the chief scientist at everyone.AI, is now available to view online. 

Lorsque la plupart des gens pensent aux évaluations des élèves, leur esprit va directement aux tests formels d'une agence de tests comme NWEA (MAP Growth), ou le ministère français de l'éducation (Evaluations nationales). Ces tests sont d'une grande importance et fournissent des informations précieuses, mais ce ne sont pas les seuls types d'évaluations qui ont lieu dans la classe !

As part of April’s focus on sustainability in celebration of Earth Day (which included La Semaine Verte (Green Week) Zero Waste Challenge and a Swap Meet), the month closed out with a PEN (Parent Enrichment Night) focused on native plants, sponsored by the EB Eco-Elders.

Middle School students in Mr. Bourhais' Geography and Social Studies classes got a chance to creatively look backwards and forwards this spring, creating models of cities from the Middle Ages and "The City of The Future." Take a look at this photo journal of their work.

EB put the spotlight on sustainability with "Green Week" (La Semaine Verte) during April, posing a Zero Waste Challenge to the school community. How did we do? Read on!

From cruciferous vegetable tastings, to understanding the different parts of a flower, to the poetry of spring, the EB gardens are always full of hands-on learning with Garden specialist, Florence Joliff.

EB was buzzing with excitement April 8, as students and staff came together to witness the partial solar eclipse. The event not only mesmerized us, but also provided a rich opportunity for experiential learning.

The Culture & Connections Expo on March 12th was a vibrant celebration of diversity, learning, and community as our 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade IT students presented visual storyboards of the cultural influences shaping their identities.

Each month, librarian Genevieve Geant and DEIJ coordinator Carla Maia collaborate to offer a knowledge base of reading materials in both English and French, for beginning to advanced readers.

The annual production of TEDxYouth@EB, originally begun by a handful of motivated EB parents and teachers in 2015, remains an enduring legacy at the Middle School. On January 25, a packed in-person audience attended our ninth TEDxYouth@EB event, where the them was "Possibility." The talks are now live, and available worldwide from the official TEDxYouth@EB website.

EB's "budding ambassadors" from G5, G6 and G7 honed their critical thinking and language skills, delivering their arguments in French and English before a panel of judges for the AEFE's Ambassadeurs en Herbe competition.

Everyone has their own unique brain and personality, with distinct interests opinions, and communication styles. As part of Middle School advisory for Neurodiversity Week, students learned how awareness of individual communication styles is key to building strong relationships & better interactions with peers.

In January, third and fourth graders collaborated in teams to tackle a series of mathematical and logic puzzles inspired by the theme of the Olympics, in celebration of the upcoming games in Paris this summer. This yearly event is known as Défi Maths, or Math Challenge. EB was one of many schools that participated. Our students joined numerous bilingual schools within our AEFE network in this activity. All schools participating worked on the same set of problems in French, with the common goal of collaborating to find solutions within one hour.

March is Women's History Month and March 8 is International Women's Day! Today, these commemorations are part of the larger movement advocating for gender equality. It serves as a reminder of the progress that has been made, the challenges that still exist, and the work that remains to be done to break down stereotypes and challenge gender biases.

Lunar New Year is a traditional festival celebrated in many East Asian countries and communities. The date of the Lunar New Year is determined by the lunar calendar, and it usually falls between January 21 and February 20. This year Lunar New Year falls on February 10th (a Saturday), so EB students will celebrate on Friday with activities like receiving red envelopes, storytime, arts and crafts and tasting yummy treats. After-school, EB Parent's Association and the Families of Color Affinity Group will be hosting a very special Lunar New Year Celebration!