From 24–28 September, a Park Lane delegation consisting of Whole School Principal Paul Ingarfield, IB Diploma Programme Coordinator Jan Čihák, and Director of Operations Karolína Schreiberová travelled to New York City to attend the Truth Prevails gala hosted by the Václav Havel Center (VHC) and the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association (BBLA).
The event celebrated the enduring legacy of Václav Havel, honouring voices that champion freedom, human rights, and the arts as tools for change. Participating in this gathering was a meaningful opportunity to extend education far beyond our campus borders, demonstrating to our community that the principles we discuss in our classrooms, such as empathy, critical inquiry, and civic courage, are not abstract concepts but are actively being defended on an international stage.
During our visit, we were joined by Simon Ilinčev, a proud Park Lane alumnus (Class of 2023) who achieved the maximum 45 points in the IB Diploma Programme and is now a third-year Computer Science major at Cornell University. Seeing Simon thrive and represent our school community abroad was a truly special moment.
Exploring Future Collaboration
Following the gala, the Park Lane team met with Jana Krupková, Director of the Václav Havel Center, to explore opportunities for future cooperation between Park Lane International School and the VHC.
Connecting with the United Nations International School (UNIS)
During their stay, the team also visited the United Nations International School (UNIS), where they met with Dr. Dan Brenner (Executive Director) and Adam Archer (Director of Technology). The discussions focused on innovation in education, technology and AI, and sharing experiences from global community projects.
Both schools support educational initiatives in Africa — Park Lane in Zambia, UNIS in Nigeria — and the teams explored potential collaboration in this area, as well as future cooperation through Model United Nations (MUN) activities.
Looking Ahead
These meetings have opened exciting possibilities for cooperation and student engagement across continents. We look forward to sharing more about these developments as our collaborations internationally continue to grow.