SSIS Celebrates Recognition as an Apple Distinguished School

This week, SSIS marked an exciting moment in our journey to provide the best learning experiences for our students. Representatives from Apple visited to officially recognize us as an Apple Distinguished School for 2024–2027 for inspiring, imagining, and impacting teaching and learning schoolwide through continuous innovation.

Apple Distinguished Schools are centers of innovation, leadership, and educational excellence. They use Apple technology in innovative ways to inspire, imagine, and impact teaching and learning. The recognition connects SSIS to some of the most forward-thinking schools in the world, with whom we will explore new ideas and approaches to enhance our students’ learning, and studying.

With this recognition, SSIS joins a network of innovative schools across the globe. And, of course, we have had no shortage of innovative educators, including Apple Distinguished Educators Rebecca Jardin, Danai Maramba, Ceci Galvez, and Phú Hua, who continue to push boundaries and initiate and lead impactful initiatives at SSIS. 

“This recognition as an Apple Distinguished School honors our dedication to creating meaningful, technology-enhanced learning experiences for students,” shared our Head of School, Dr. Catriona Moran. “SSIS is well-positioned to connect with like-minded schools worldwide, all working to help students succeed and prepare for tomorrow’s world.”

Giving Back to the Community

Being an Apple Distinguished School also means sharing our knowledge with the wider community. As such, SSIS will expand last year’s Vietnamese Educational Leadership symposium to support even more local educators with two half-day sessions this school year. At the symposium, sessions focus on practical strategies for using varied modes of technology to make classrooms more engaging and effective.

“Being part of the Apple Distinguished Schools community is about leveraging and expanding our skills and resources to create real impact,” explained Don McNamee, our Director of Educational Technology (pictured at left in the cover image) who will present at the Apple Global Leadership Academy in November, where SSIS has been selected to showcase our story as the only Apple Distinguished School in Vietnam.

As part of that ethos, SSIS will also host the inaugural “Full STEAM Ahead,” conference in February 2025. The two-day conference will bring together experts to discuss the latest advances in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) education, as well as offering practical hands-on workshops. This conference will give SSIS the chance to serve as a lighthouse of rich teaching and learning practices in Southeast Asia to help shape the future of education.

Our Commitment to Student Success

Earning Apple Distinguished School recognition reaffirms SSIS’s commitment to using technology thoughtfully, keeping students’ growth and well-being at the center of every decision. We are grateful that as a not-for-profit school, we can continue to dedicate our resources to enhancing our students’ education. With this additional access to world-class resources and a global network of like-minded educators, we are preparing students to thrive in a future full of possibilities.

We look forward to the many ways this recognition—and the opportunities it presents—will help us support our students’ learning journey for years to come.