This week at CDL, we embarked on a culinary journey to Lebanon! Students and staff had the chance to experience the rich and diverse flavors of Lebanese cuisine, bringing a taste of the Middle East right to our community.

From delicious mezze platters to aromatic spices and traditional dishes like hummus, tabbouleh, and kebabs, the dining hall was filled with incredible scents and flavors. More than just a meal, it was an opportunity to celebrate Lebanese culture, its traditions, and its warm hospitality.

Food has the power to bring people together, and this experience was no exception. A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible, it was truly a feast to remember!

From the Olympus blog, we would also like to highlight the important presence of our House Tutor, Callum, on stage. He led the presentation of Pillar II, “Anti-Bullying and Diversity,” summarizing what this pillar has meant for our community.

Key topics such as bullying and diversity are essential in an environment like CDL, where we believe that respect and multiculturalism form the foundation of a good education and harmonious coexistence.

Thank you Callum and Victor for leading this Pillar and helping to make students feel more confident and aware of these important issues.

What better way to start our February assembly than with a beautiful performance of the Chinese zodiac myth by a large group of students, including Edison? Bravo! No doubt, all that effort prior to the premiere was reflected on stage.

A nice representation in which we learned a bit more about which animals are included in the horoscope and the reasons, always with a moral behind them.

Edison took a long time to appear, as his character the pig, the last animal to arrive at the call to form part of the zodiac, required it. But he gave a brilliant and critically applauded performance at CDL.

Most importantly, everyone present had a good time and enjoyed learning a little more about international culture.

As every weekend our Olympians embark on different activities to give their best, discover new hobbies or just relax.

But how nice it is when connections are generated that go beyond that, for example Lorenzzo had a strong connection with his horse, enjoying horse riding during the Saturday morning, or in the kitchen, working as a team and making delicious dishes like Nicolas, or also a great connection, often forgotten, the connection with oneself as for example Bohdan reaches on the climbing wall challenging himself every weekend.

In sports slang, a derby is a match in which two teams with a maximum rivalry face each other, usually due to a shared history, geographical proximity,y or who knows what other reasons we can find, for example here in CDL Boarding, this year the two teams that are playing best in the internal league are the Galacticos FC (with students from various houses playing together, highlighting the goalkeeper Sebastian and the playmaker Nicolas, from Olympus) and the Staff Team.

Everyone had been waiting for this match for many days and today it was finally played, the match had what spectators love but coaches hate: goals.

Galacticos started with a good approach, taking a 2-0 lead, with an attractive game and solid defense with a great Estaban at the back. But the potential of the staff team and good cohesion as a team equalized the game 6-6, taking the game to extra time, exciting until the last minute.

The staff team got the win with a golden goal, but we are certainly looking forward to the next game to see these two teams face each other.

Many thanks to referee and tournament organizer Spencer.

At our monthly assembly, Ikuma took the stage with two other colleagues to present in front of the whole Boarding how the new year is celebrated in Japan, his part was very much listened to as it was about the typical dishes that accompany the celebrations, we have certainly learned that the choice of dishes apart from their taste are chosen for their meaning and tradition.

Leave in the comments what is the typical food of your country or community to celebrate the new year.

Well done Ikuma! And once again Happy New Year to you all!

International dinners are back! This week we have traveled to North Africa to savour the Moroccan culture from the warmth of its dishes.

We have discovered couscous which is mixed with some tasty meat and vegetables can be a great combination, and can always be accompanied with a mint tea which always invites you to have a good conversation with friends.

Come and see, the performance is about to begin!

Yesterday, Fernando, one of our IB1 students, and his classmates from the Literature and Performance subject delivered a spectacular theatrical performance. It was truly a brilliant showcase of their skill development, as they confidently took the stage to bring their dialogue to life.

Bravo to the entire cast!

The moment we’ve all been waiting for this semester is finally here, the Boarding Awards!

This event is all about recognizing students who have stood out in academics, activities, and Boarding life.

This semester, the awards were especially exciting because of the amazing grades across all grades and programs. Many students are so close to excellence! A big shoutout to everyone working hard to improve every day—and, of course, to our winners.

The Activities category was also super competitive, with so many students showing real passion and skill in their hobbies. And let’s not forget the Boarding Life award, which celebrated students who are truly connected to their house and the CDL Boarding community.

Congrats to all the winners, and good luck to everyone aiming for an award next semester! Keep pushing, you’ve got this!

David, Artem, and Jamil who won the Activities Awards.

You-How and Karim who won the Academic Awards.

Tristan, Edoardo, Christian and Nikolai who won the Boarding Life Awards

Today, our 9th and 10th graders participated in a well-being session as part of our programme to conclude Pillar I: Online Safety. The session included a presentation covering various topics related to using new technologies. While it was clear that our students, as a generation raised in the digital age, possess a broad understanding of the online world, the session highlighted that there is still much to discover and learn.

… and most importantly, there are many aspects to be cautious about and protect themselves from.

Our three key takeaway points were:

• Have you heard of sextortion?
• Do you know what it means to be blackmailed?
• What would you do if someone threatened you online?

This session served as a valuable reminder of the importance of navigating the digital world responsibly. We hope that by fostering these discussions, our students will feel more confident and better equipped to protect themselves online, promoting a safer and more informed approach to technology use.