“It’s been incredibly nostalgic to return to Kodaikanal International School after 17 years of graduating,” saysTaira Malaney, alumna and documentary film maker from Goa. Kodaikanal International School (KIS), one of the earliest IB schools in Asia, has occupied a distinctive place in the Palani Hills as a multi-cultural, multi-national institution that has shaped generations of students from India and across the world. This year, as it completes 125 years, celebrations have begun with a host of events.Established in 1901 as Highclerc School under the leadership of Margaret Eddy, the institution began with a practical need: an English-medium residential school where children of missionary families working across South India could study in the pleasant weather of the hills. In 1900s when Margaret traveled to India to visit her son Sherwood, who worked as a missionary in Batlagundu, she saw that children of missionaries suffered from tropical illnesses and lacked a proper local school. But over the decades, the school’s vision expanded to empowering young people from diverse backgrounds.“Kodaikanal is not simply where KIS happens to be located; it is part of our identity,” says Keith Ribeiro, director of Admissions and Advancement, adding that the Western Ghats provide an extraordinary living laboratory. “Hiking, camping, field studies, environmental research, outdoor sport and service have taught generations of students resilience, independence, teamwork and stewardship. Our 135-acre Poondi wilderness campus expands that learning even further,” says Keith.