Our Guiding Statements
Our vision is to be the reason families make Vilnius their home.
Cultivating learners to become culturally proficient human beings.
At first read it’s a mouthful, but at the crux of our mission statement is a simple sentiment that evolved from conversations within our community. We found commonality in our shared desire to raise “nice kids.” It may sound naive, but supporting children to navigate these challenging times is no task for the meek and recognising what makes us human is the most fundamental role a school community can undertake.
As for becoming a culturally proficient human being, that is a journey we take together at VIS.
At Vilnius International School, we aspire to be the reason why families choose to call Vilnius home. This commitment stems from our origin story. VIS was founded in 2004, the same year VIS become a member of NATO and the European Union. Our aim was to encourage Lithuanians who had moved abroad to return to Vilnius. Additionally, we sought to create a nurturing environment that would support the transition for both Lithuanian and expatriate families and this is still relevant to our work with families twenty years later. We are proud of the fact that more than 250 returning Lithuanians have enrolled at our school.
Anyone who is part of an organisation has likely found themselves involved in some rendition of a values elicitation exercise. The same goes for schools.
“When our school stakeholders decided on community, growth and fun as core values, I really struggled. Fun was not on my shortlist, but over the years, fun has become the value I most defer to when communicating with our students, staff and families. One key element of a life well lived is the ability to make one’s own fun. I would be proud if our learners left VIS with that in their quiver of skills.” Rebecca Juras, VIS Director