Robert College served as the proud host of the 27th annual Autumn Teacher’s Conference (ATC) on Saturday, October 18th. ATC originated in 1997 with the aimof teacherssharing their best pedagogical practice within Türkiye. Since that time, it has been held on a Saturday, in the autumn, and only Covid has interrupted this tradition.
Our own, Cyrus Carter, co-founded ATC with the then UAA Head of School, John E. Heard. The idea was sparked by an Educational Collaborative for International Schools (ECIS) Conference held in Istanbul in 1996. After attending the conference, Cyrus and John reflected on how impactful that professional development experience was, and they believed a similar event was needed to enhance teaching and learning in Türkiye. According to Cyrus, they hoped to, “create a group of like minded people who like to share ideas.”
There are three foundational principles which are honored at every ATC:
- Fostering an international perspective
- Inspiring teachers to teach other teachers
- Setting a productive venue for professional and social networking
From the outset, there have been five schools who rotate the hosting responsibilities:
Enka, Eyuboğlu, Koç, RC, and UAA. The schools were selected based on their academic standing and their English-based programs. Representatives of these schools serve on the ATC Steering Committee which meets regularly to oversee the annual conference and to support the current host-school.
RC has hosted ATC every five years since 1997 with a few exceptions due to external factors. Most recently, ATC was hosted at RC in 2018 and before that in 2013. This year was our fifth time serving as the host-school. Hosting offers us the opportunity to share the great things that are happening at RC. We showcase our teaching and learning practice, our students’ accomplishments, and our commitment to maintaining the ideal campus and facilities to foster the learning and development of the RC community.
This year, the day proved a well-deserved success. The gates opened starting at 7:00 a.m. to 1,200 educators attending from 18+ schools from around the country. With just under 300 presentations offered on a variety of subjects suitable for primary, middle, and secondary grade levels, as well as a leadership strand, it was a busy and rewarding experience.
The theme of this year’s conference was “Cyrus to Cyrus.” Drawing inspiration from our founding president, Cyrus Hamlin, who espoused an ethos of democratic ideals and rigorous scholarship, we directly linked that heritage to our beloved, contemporaneous school leader, Cyrus Carter. RC’s heritage of staying commited to innovative teaching and learning that inspires students to actively engage with their lives and the world beyond was celebrated.
Organizing the conference was a whole school effort. Planning started last spring and intensified at the start of this year. RC’s Steering Committee members: Tonguç Ozdaş, Dogan Aydenk, Emre Firat, and Maura Kelly invited key faculty and staff members to serve on subcommittees. Tirelessly, the Plant Office prepared the grounds and buildings to look their best, the Institutional Advancement Office promoted the conference, found vendors and sponsors, and coordinated the refreshments, the Business Office managed the fees and financing, the Technology Office secured the Wifi and tech needs of the day, and the Security team manned the gates and ensured the safety of all. Within the faculty, we had the essential help of our Level Deans, Head of SEIC, Head of Educational Research, and Dean of Regenerative and Innovative Education. Of the over 80 RC faculty members who attended around 45 presentations were offered.
The true superstars of the day were our RC students. 95 students served as ambassadors wearing bright blue t-shirts stating, “I can help.” They were carefully trained by Patricia Deo and J.T. Rehill to support tech needs, location finding, and overall guidance of our guests. For the first time at ATC, there were student presenters. Several of the RC faculty recruited students to co-present which greatly impressed the attendees.
The day opened with a ceremony in the Suna Kiraç Theater that was emceed by two confident and composed RC students, L11 Cemre Sanlav, and L11 Kubilay Suat Eren. The flag bearers were L9 Inanç Kayan, and L10 Narin Aslan. Head of School, Whit Shephard, and Turkish Director, Nilhan Çetinyamaç, gave speeches that echoed the theme of the day: inspirational teaching makes a difference. A shining moment of the ceremony was the RC Singers performance under the direction of Koray Demirkapı. On that day, we highlighted that students are the heart of Robert College.
We are all proud to have fulfilled the legacy and expectations of our two Cyruses. The teaching community of Türkiye was welcomed warmly to our school where they were able to, in the words of Cyrus Carter, “create a connection, a bond among cities, and not just within branches but outside of their own sphere of teaching.” The tradition of great teaching and learning remains strong and central to the on-going story of Robert College.
Maura Kelly
Dean of Faculty
October 24, 2025
