A Progressive Spirit Continues: The Overseas School of Colombo Strikes Gold at The Oscars of Annual Reports!

The Overseas School of Colombo (OSC) has done it again, this time winning the coveted Gold at the prestigious International ARC Awards for its 2022/23 Annual Report themed ‘1957 – 2022: Our Progressive Spirit Continues’. 

Go ahead, take a moment and let that sink in.

This win propels OSC onto the world stage, standing tall alongside the globe’s most esteemed institutions, recognised for its commitment to transparency, excellence, and world-class standards.

Organised by MerComm, Inc. in New York, and celebrating its 38th year, the ARC Awards are hailed as the ‘Academy Awards of Annual Reports’, attracting over 1,000 entries annually from more than 30 countries worldwide – the ultimate accolade in awarding next-level, top-tier corporate communication. And there’s a reason for that. MerComm is the world’s only independent awarding body dedicated to recognising outstanding contributions in the field, ensuring a fair, unbiased judging process by an elite panel of over 200 communication professionals from around the world, with only the top 30% of submissions receiving honours.

So, to merely bellow from the rooftops that this win is significant, would be an understatement!

This achievement makes OSC the first educational institution in Sri Lanka and the first IB World School globally to snag a Gold at the ARC Awards – a testament to OSC’s relentless pursuit of excellence in governance, sustainability, communication, holistic education, and community engagement.

Jehan de Silva, who leads the school’s branding, marketing, and communication efforts and was the driving force behind this project, radiated well-deserved pride: “Winning Gold at the ARC Awards celebrates our unwavering dedication to transparency, excellence, and innovation. It’s a tribute to our collective effort, creative vision, and the vibrant spirit that defines OSC.”

OSC’s 2022/23 Annual Report isn’t just an award-winner: it’s a living, breathing reflection of the school’s forward-thinking ethos. It celebrates OSC’s legacy as Sri Lanka’s oldest internationally accredited educational institution, while embodying the school’s commitment to growth, evolution, and adaptable spirit to stay well ahead of the curve, as a future-focused sanctuary for holistic, experiential learning. With the IB curriculum at its core, the report captures OSC’s spirit of relevance, creativity, and adaptability – teaching what is timely, resonant, holistic, and prolific.

This accolade pays homage to the visionary leadership of Dr. Michelle Kleiss, who steered OSC through tumultuous times and numerous challenges from the period following the Easter Sunday attacks to the crippling global COVID-19 pandemic, and the recent economic crisis in Sri Lanka. Under her guidance, the school laid a robust foundation for the next decade and beyond, emphasising resilience, adaptability, and best practices in everything from child safeguarding to sustainability.

OSC prides itself receiving the prestigious Gold award in the ranks of such global giants like BMW, Puma, Alibaba Group, Abbott, Samsung, International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Save the Children, all of whom took home awards this year. The Gold win reaffirms OSC’s competitive edge in international education, showcasing its purposeful drive to remain innovative, with emphasis on governance, sustainability and communication.

As the school basks in the glow of this incredible achievement, celebrating this major milestone, OSC remains resolute in its commitment to continual improvement.

OSC is further inspired to set the ‘gold standard’ for holistic, experiential education, inspiring schools across Sri Lanka and the globe to reach beyond excellence in every endeavour.

To sum it up, Jehan de Silva remarked: “At OSC, we don’t just show up – we set the standard. Our commitment to excellence is unwavering, and that’s why our progressive spirit continues to lead the way.”