Greengates School

Greengates School is a British-style international school located in San Mateo in the northwest of Mexico City, Mexico. It was founded in 1951. As of 2005, it has approximately 1,150 students of some 50 nationalities, derived mainly from the diplomatic and international business communities. [ [http://www.greengates.edu.mx/wel_welcome.htm Greengates School - Mexico City ] ]

In the senior school years 4 and 5 study for IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations, which in the sixth form students prepare for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.

The school preserves the philosophy of its founding statement: "...to provide an education for students which seeks not only to impart knowledge by the means of acquiring knowledge; to develop character and personality through self-discipline and service; to equip its pupils not only to earn their living but also to live creatively and happily in the world which they must inherit."

History

Greengates School was founded in 1950 at Avenida Chapultepec 490, Mexico City. It had two founding partners, Edward Foulkes and Frank Whitbourn with Henry Coelho joining the school as a teacher. In the beginning there were just 60 students, 6 teachers, one matron, and one secretary.

Originally, the school had no uniform and only one school bus. As the school grew steadily it moved several times over the next few years. Eventually in 1964 the present piece of land on Ave. Circunvalacion in the city of Naucalpan, Edo. de Mexico, was purchased.

The architect for the building was Innes Webster and the initial building work was completed in 1970. The school campus has been expanding ever since and today includes a large gymnasium, a theater, two libraries, a swimming pool, a small goodies-shop/restaurant (The Tuck Shop), and a playing field. At this point Andre Desouches also became a partner in the school.

Currently, Henry Coelho is the main owner of the school, with the Desouches family owning the second largest interest. Small shares are also owned by several private investors, including staff and teachers.

Today Greengates has over 1000 students on role, employs 90 teachers, 1 nurse and over 15 administrative staff.

Grade equivalence

[ [http://www.greengates.edu.mx/year_comparisons.htm Greengates School - Mexico City ] ]

Infant School

Kinder 1-3, as well as Junior 1, form the Infant school. The Kinders finish school at 12:30 hrs., while the rest of the school ends at 14:30 hrs. They follow the IB's PYP (Primary Years Program) and study subjects like basic mathematics, simple english, etc.

Junior School

Junior School consists of the years Junior 2-5, and also follow the PYP. In these years, a number of "firsts" are achieved. For example, the first overnight trip, the first play, first "museum" show, among others. The Junior fives enjoy an "Experience Day", where they get a taste of Form I.

Intermediate School

Forms I-III take part of the Intermediate School, and study pre-IGCSE subjects, like Mathematics, Music, Art, and many more.

Senior School

Forms IV-V, as well as Lower/Upper VI, encompass the senior school. The Form III choose their IGCSE subjects towards the end of the year, and are studied over the next two years, with exams taking place at the end of Form V (Except for Advanced Mathematics, who take the Extended IGCSE Mathematics exam at the end of Form IV, and then study Additional Mathematics).The Lower/Upper VIs study the IB

Events and Activities

There are four school houses named: Whitbourne (yellow), Foulkes (white), Brightman (blue) and Edinburgh (red). Every year, students compete in sports such as football, basketball, swimming, rugby, and track for the House Cup, which is awarded on Speech Day, the last day of school.

One of the most important annual events the school caters is the International Fair, where hundreds of students, teachers, and parents from different nationalities unite to create a day filled with music, dancing and food coming from all around the globe. Each stand offers clothing, toys and trinkets for sale as well as the country's cuisine. Some of the permanent stands include the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Israel, Vietnam, Argentina, Poland,United States, India, Korea, Spain, France, Sweden, and Canada. Other stands change every year such as Nigeria, Pakistan, Switzerland, and Chile.

Recognition

Greengates School is distinguished from all other schools in Mexico by the high quality of its teachers, it's students' high scores on the IGCSE and IB Diplomas, and its graduates' acceptance to top universities all over the world such as Princeton, Berkley, Harvard, MIT, and Yale in the United States and Oxford and LSE in the United Kingdom, among many others. At the end of each school year, a special guest goes to give the Upper Six (Last Year) a special prize according to effort, progress, or achievement.

AstroTurf Controversy

On March 2008 the School's administrators decided to remove the natural grass Football field and replace it with an artificial turf. Students and many teachers were outraged for various reasons (e.g. harder, ecology, noise, etc.), and spent one day sitting in the field, as a form of peaceful protest. Some Middle- and High-School pupils formed a mock lawsuit, "Students, Teachers, Staff, and Headmasters of Greengates School and Mother Nature v. Desouches", with a make-believe jury, attorneys, and even an "official" transcript. The Administrators (Henry Coelho and Clarissa Desouches) then decided to start proceedings, scheduled from March 14 to April 2. The finishing date was, in fact, the "starting" date and, after several delays, the two managers promised to inaugurate the new field on June 1, which wasn't fulfilled. As of June 24th, the field is still under "repair" (cutting out strips of turf, rolling them, and sticking them in exactly the same place. The field is now finished, students able to use it and play.

References

External links

* [http://www.greengates.edu.mx Official Site]