- Atlanta International School
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Atlanta International School Location Atlanta, GA
United StatesCoordinates 33°50′00″N 84°22′43″W / 33.833227°N 84.378499°WCoordinates: 33°50′00″N 84°22′43″W / 33.833227°N 84.378499°W Information Type Private Motto "Making a World of Difference" Established 1984 President None Head of school Mr. Kevin Glass Staff 27 Faculty 112 Grades K-12 Color(s) Blue and White Mascot Eagles Affiliation International Baccalaureate Website Atlanta International School Atlanta International School is a private primary and secondary school located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The more common name for Atlanta International School is AIS. AIS is based on the International Baccalaureate Programme. The school has about 14 acres (57,000 m²) of land and has all of its 4K (pre-kindergarten) to 12th grade buildings on one campus. The school is on the former North Fulton High School campus.
Contents
History
An outline of the school's history is as follows:[1]
1985
The school opened in September in a schoolhouse rented from Sardis United Methodist Church in Buckhead with 51 students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade.
1987
In July, AIS moved into facilities located on Long Island Drive, acquired from the Fulton County Board of Education. By September the roll had grown to 193 students in four-year-old kindergarten through eighth grade. Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 were added in subsequent years, with the first graduates receiving their high school diploma in June 1992. Enrollment increased throughout, exceeding 780 students in 2000.
1995
Under a long-term agreement with the Atlanta Board of Education, valid through the year 2045, AIS moved its campus to its current location, site of the former North Fulton High School. Its address is now 2890 North Fulton Dr. Atlanta, GA 30305. The campus offers a full range of modern educational facilities, including science laboratories, campus-wide fibre-optic data wiring, a large library with computer facilities, an auditorium, The Lademacher Performing Arts Center, fine arts areas and an athletic complex including a gymnasium and a soccer field.
2001
As part of the school's master plan, AIS secured a 50-year lease of the North Fulton Drive campus and purchased contiguous acreage.
School Administration
Office hours are officially from 8 am to 4:30 pm Class hours are from 8:25–3:30. Every Wednesday, class starts at 8:45, and on last Wednesday of every month class hours are from 8:45–12:30, due to faculty meetings.
Headmaster
Mr. Kevin Glass is the headmaster of Atlanta International School, previously serving the international school community in Tashekent, Uzbekistan, where he served as head of the Tashkent International School. He was appointed as headmaster of Atlanta International School in July 2009.
Head of the Primary School
Currently the primary school has two heads. Dusty Fretwell is the head of lower primary school while Alan Poiraud is the head of upper primary school. – The Primary School includes 4–5 year old kindergarten and grades 1 through 5. It operates using the Primary Years Programme.
Head of the Middle School
Jennifer Weyburn is the Head of Middle School, which contains grades 6 through 8. It teaches using the Middle Years Programme.
Head of the Secondary School
Patrick Hurworth is Head of the Secondary School which includes grades 6 through 12. He arrived from the International School of Geneva in 2002. The Upper School (grades 9–12) operates using the Middle Years Programme and the IB Diploma Programme.
Heads of Year
Each grade level at AIS also has a head of year. The head of year works together with other teachers of the same grade level to organize activities and events throughout the school year.
Accreditation
AIS is accredited wholly or in part by four distinct accrediting bodies. AIS is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). The Primary School has also been recognized by the French Ministry of Education as having programs equivalent to those in French schools.
By the end of the fifth grade, more than 40 percent of AIS students achieve an "intermediate-high" level in French, German, or Spanish on the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) proficiency exam. This is the same level of proficiency required by most states to become a certified high school teacher of a foreign language.
The Campus
The AIS campus is located on the former North Fulton High School campus, which was designed by Phillip Trammel Shutze. The campus is located in the Garden Hills section of Buckhead, Atlanta. There are four buildings on the campus: The SAC, or Sports & Activities Center, the Primary School building, the Art, Science, and Design Building, or ASD, and the Secondary School building. The SAC contains the Welcome Cafe, the music department, and the P.E. department. Both gymnasiums and the locker rooms are also located in the SAC. There is also a slightly smaller building in between the Primary School Building and the Secondary School Building. This building includes the library on the top floor and the 4K kindergarten rooms on the bottom floor. Due to an unprecedented amount of growth in the number of students attending AIS, a new set of Educational Mobile Units (EMUs) have been installed behind the pavilion area adjacent to the cafeteria.
Diversity at AIS
AIS has always prided itself on the national and ethnic diversity represented by its faculty and staff. Approximately 50 percent of AIS students come from families with two American parents, 20 percent from families with one American parent and one international parent, and 30 percent from families with two international parents. Sixty percent of students come from families where only English is spoken at home. Students are admitted to the school without discrimination because of sex, race, ethnic background, or religion. Seventy-two countries are represented by the school's student body, with 35 countries represented by members of faculty and staff.[2]
CAS
CAS Overview
CAS stands for Creativity, Action, and Service. Each student must submit a required number of CAS hours by the end of each year, starting in Middle School, or complete the hours over the summer. If a student fails to complete his/her CAS hours, he/she will not be allowed to graduate to the next grade. Submitted CAS hours show that students have done extracurricular activities involving creativity, physical activity, and service. Students are required to complete 30 CAS hours each year in Middle School, 60 in 9th and 10th grade, and 150 hours in the IB (11th through 12th grade).
To receive CAS hours, students often join 'CAS groups', which have a common activity or goal. For example, the Food Bank CAS group earns Service hours by sorting food at the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Each CAS group has an adult leader (a teacher), or an older student leader, who organizes and runs the group, and in whose room the group meets. The CAS Coordinator at AIS is Brenda Hashams.
CAS Groups
There are many different CAS groups at AIS. Some of the larger ones are:
iHOT – The school's FIRST robotics team, the International House of Technology (iHOT). The team started in 2004, and competes every year in FIRST Robotics Competition. They are currently under the lead of Mr. Davenport and Mr. Preis.
ISAL – The International Students Against Landmines CAS groups raised money to donate to organizations that work to de-mine minefields around the world.
Yearbook – The Yearbook CAS group creates a yearbook which compiles photographs of students throughout the year. The school sells the yearbooks to students and faculty.
Newspaper – A school newspaper called "The Nomad" goes out about once every two months. All writing, photography, and editing is done by the students.
Student Athletic Organization – The most fabled C.A.S. group at AIS. The student-members of the Student Athletic Organization (S.A.O.) are known for their courteous demeanor and their relentless pursuit of justice. Recounting the entire history of S.A.O. is unheard of, due to the fact that the founders of S.A.O. were the very Titans themselves. The most important fact about S.A.O. is that, together, the student-members of the group accomplish more work that any other C.A.S. group at AIS, including Habitat For Humanity. The story of the legendary Student Athletic Organization continues to unfold day by day as the group members continue to demonstrate academic brilliance and critical thinking in unfamiliar situations.
H2O Underground – In India alone, there are millions of people effected by water scarcity. Many villages don't have sufficient access to clean and safe drinking water. Health hazards are rampant due to lack of access to a hygienic source drinking water. H2O Underground is a CAS group dedicated to treating waterbourne scarcity around rural India. Our main goal is to raise awareness and build borewells (type of waterwell) around different villages and communities around India. We are a fun group of internationally minded people that plan on making a difference in the world.
Awards
Shuler Hensley Awards
In the 2009 Shuler Hensley Awards, AIS was nominated for 11 awards for their production of Into the Woods. On April 14, 2009, AIS won 4 of those awards. They were Best Supporting Actor: Arsalan Akhavan, Best Costume Design: Sherry Weeks, Best Director: Rob Warren and the highly coveted Best Overall Production.
During the following 2010 season, the fabulous AIS production of Oliver! was nominated again for 9 Shuler Hensly Awards. on April 13, 2010, AIS won 6 of those awards: Best Set Design: Arsalan Akhavan, Best Supporting Actor: Lorenzo Gonzalez-Lamassonne, Best Costume Design: Sherry Weeks, Best Direction: Rob Warren, Best Leading Actor: Arsalan Akhavan, and once again Best Overall Production.
IHOT
The school's FIRST robotics team, the International House of Technology (or "iHOT") has enjoyed great success. In their first year (2004) they were awarded Best Rookie team. In 2006 they won the Peachtree Regional went on to compete in the national competition. From 2004–2007 the team won the best animation award and the team spirit award.
School Trips
In fifth grade, students participate in an exchange trip. Currently, the students in the Spanish track visit Costa Rica, those in the German track go to Berlin, and students in the French track visit Martinique.
Towards the end of eleventh grade, IB Theatre, Music and Visual Arts students have the option of taking an arts-focused trip to New York. The trip comes around the halfway point of the students' IB study, and gives the students a first-hand look into each of the areas on which they are focusing. The activities that highlight the trip are tailored to the individual's area of study. For example, all the students see at least one Broadway show, with the possibility of seeing other off-Broadway pieces. However, the program is tailored in that the group later breaks off to participate in activities that pertain to them. Examples from years past include: Theatre Arts students visiting a sound designer with the Juilliard theatre, Music students taking a backstage tour of the Metropolitan Opera House, and Visual Arts students visiting Vicente Wolf's interior design studio as well as touring the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Most Upper School classes (6th-12th grade) take a yearly class trip. Most last 2–3 days and are to national or state parks in North Georgia or the Carolinas. The 10th grade usually goes to Washington D.C.
Common Abbreviations
- AIS-Atlanta International School
- CAS-Creativity, Action, Service
- DP-Diploma Programme (the IB Upper School program)
- EMU = Educational Mobile Units (These are trailers used by the school as classrooms temporarily)
- ESOL-English as a Second Language or English for Speakers of Other Languages
- FSOL-French as a Second Language or French for Speakers of Other Languages
- GSOL-German as a Second Language or German for Speakers of Other Languages
- IB-International Baccalaureate
- IBPYP-International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB Elementary School program)
- IHOT-International House of Technology (FIRST Team) (a CAS group)
- ISAL-International Students Against Landmines (a CAS group)
- LPAC-Lademacher Performing Arts Center
- MS-Middle School
- MYP-Middle Years Programme (IB Middle School Program)
- PSHE-Physical, Social, and Health Education
- PS-Primary School
- SAC-Sports & Activities Center
- SSOL-Spanish as a Second Language or Spanish for Speakers of Other Languages
- US-Upper School
Notes
External links
Sub-Region B Ben Franklin Academy · Eagle's Landing Christian Chargers · First Presbyterian Vikings · Greenforest Christian Eagles · Landmark Christian War Eagles · Our Lady of Mercy Bobcats · Paideia Pythons · Southwest Atlanta Christian Warriors · Strong Rock Patriots · Tech Titans · W. D. Mohammed · Whitefield Academy Wolfpack · Yeshiva
External Links Categories:- Schools in Atlanta, Georgia
- Elementary schools in Georgia (U.S. state)
- High schools in Georgia (U.S. state)
- International Baccalaureate schools in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Middle schools in Georgia (U.S. state)
- Private schools in Georgia (U.S. state)
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