MEF International School Istanbul  MEF International School (MEFIS) is a private international school located in the Ortaköy  district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was established in 1998 by Dr. Ibrahim Arikan. There are about 461 students who are enrolled from Preschool to Grade 12. The school's curriculum is centered mainly around the Cambridge and IB Diploma Program. The school's motto is "Building Bridges between Countries and Cultures" and the school's main focus is on being diverse and accepting different cultures. There are 52 different nationalities in MEF International School. As an International School it has a very strong English program for students who come to the school with limited or no English. MEF International School Istanbul (MEFIS) was founded in 1998 by Dr. Ibrahim Arikan, a Turkish entrepreneur and businessman who heads various companies grouped under Arikanli Holding Inc. MEFIS was established following the foundation of the Turkish MEF National School and both schools share the same campus location in the Ulus Neighborhood of Istanbul. MEFIS was created to provide English language education at the Pre-school, Elementary school, Middle school and High school levels for the International Community based in Istanbul. There are three separate curricula: Primary Years Program for Preschool-Grade 5, Cambridge for grades 6-8, IGCSE for grades 9,10 and IB Diploma/IB Certificate for grades 11,12. At MEFIS primary there are approximately 256 students. There are at least 39 cultures. In middle school there is Cambridge curriculum for grades 6-8. The high school IB program started in 1998, 30 years after it was founded in Switzerland. The MEFIS science program uses the Cambridge program, which has an emphasis on human biology, and enables candidates to better understand the technological world in which they live, and take an informed interest in science and scientific developments. Candidates learn about the basic principles of biology through a mix of theoretical and practical studies. Chemistry and Physics are also sciences taught at MEFIS. Throughout the year, students' artwork is showcased in ongoing art exhibits around the school. The end of the year MEFIS Annual Primary Art Exhibition is a favorite school event. Each child has a selected artwork on display for the community to appreciate and reflect upon. For secondary there is an Art Exhibition and an IB2 Exhibition. At MEFIS, students learn many types of sports including soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming, running, ping pong, dodge ball, handball, swimming gala, sports day, cross country run.