ISL Director Nicki Crush Retires after 26 Years at the School

The International School of Luxembourg (ISL) has announced the retirement of its Director, Nicki Crush, after 26 years at the school.

ISL Director Nicki Crush announced her retirement plans back in September 2020. As she retires at the end of the 2020-2021 school year, Ms Crush passes the baton to D. J. Condon, who will take office on 1 August 2021.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Nicki Crush moved to Luxembourg back in 1991 for what she intended to be a five-year period. Little did she know that she would retire here 30 years later, after a successful career and having adopted the Luxembourgish nationality.

When she joined the American School of Luxembourg in 1995, as it was then named, the school was based in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg and counted only 300 students. Ms Crush fondly remembers the convent building where art classes spilled over into the corridors, music lessons took place in the attic and the Booster Club mothers cooked a hot lunch for the students twice per week.

In 1996, Nicki Crush became Upper School Principal only a few years before the school moved to the Geesseknäppchen Campus in Luxembourg-Hollerich to accommodate its growth. In 2015, she became the first female Director of ISL.

As one of her first actions as Director, Ms Crush invited all members of the ISL community to take part in a strategic reflection on the school’s identity, ambitions and purpose. The collaborative process gathered thousands of pieces of data and led to ISL’s new mission statement and values.

Although the pandemic has affected the school’s normal operations during the last 18 months, Nicki Crush sees the future with confidence: "New initiatives will continue at ISL as the skills students need for life keep evolving. The school is a unique kaleidoscope of opportunities for learning, for that is ISL, a school where students learn for life".

She added: "The diverse, multilingual and multicultural environment is an extraordinary opportunity that cultivates international mindedness as a way of thinking, which we trust will influence our young people for the rest of their lives. Bridging the gap in understanding between different cultures, languages and beliefs must surely be an even stronger priority for 2021 and beyond".

She now leaves a school with over 1,300 students with more than 50 nationalities, one which is well known in the international school community, both in Luxembourg and beyond. 

Nicki Crush concluded: "it has been a privilege and a pleasure to be a part of ISL’s growth. I look forward to seeing the School’s continued success and encourage everyone at school to embrace the changes that will come, to encourage and challenge our students to think big and to develop the passions and skills they will need to be future ready. To keep cultivating the special relationship that exists between students and staff, to focus on the importance of every individual".