International School (Bellevue, Washington)

Infobox US school
name = International School

| image caption =
motto =
established = 1991
type = Public Middle School and High School
district = Bellevue School District
grades = 6-12
principal = Peter Bang-Knudsen
location = 445 128th Ave. SE Bellevue
flagicon|Washington|size=20px Washington
flagicon|USA|size=20px USA
campus type = Suburban
campus size =
enrollment = 509
faculty = 23
mascot = Titans
mascot

colors = green & silvercolor box|green color box|silver
website= [http://www.bsd405.org/Default.aspx?tabid=121 District Home Page for IS] [http://curriculum.bsd405.org/sites/schools/InternationalSchool/default.aspx International School Home Page]
information=[phone]|

International School (IS) is a 6-12th grade school in the Bellevue School District. The mascot for Bellevue International School is the Titan, and the logo is a Greek tripod with an ascending flame. International school is not a "true" international school with students from across the globe, but rather challenges students to think globally. Admission is based on a lottery of all incoming 6th graders who apply. International School is not affiliated with the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), and students participate in sports at their home school within the district.

History

International School was founded in 1991 by Bellevue teachers Rick Hart, Patricia McLean, Rita Lowy, Bruce Saari, Terry LaRussa Banton and Karen Kurle [ [http://www.topschools.com/InternationalModel.htm Bellevue International School, Lake Washington International Community School: creating small learning communities designed for student achievement. Bellevue International School co-founder Bruce Saari discusses the second order change behind the success of small learning communities such as Lake Washington International Community School and Bellevue International School ] ] . Founded with a competitive $300,000 grant from the "Schools for the 21st Century" Commission, the six were granted a half year of release time to develop and recruit for the program. International School opened with 150 sixth and seventh graders in the fall of 1991, housed in an old elementary school. Later the school was moved to its current location in an unused junior high [ [http://www.topschools.com/StartUpFAQ.htm Avoiding problems with small learning communities. Small learning community failures: converting high schools into small learning communities: starting small learning communities where student achievement is an outgrowth of second order change in the high school. Converting high schools into high performance small learning communities ] ] .

Academics

Bellevue International offers a seven year, seven subject curriculum, in which students take seven years of humanities (language arts), international studies, math, science, PE/health and fine arts. Additionally, students study a foreign language, French or German, for seven years, with the intention of achieving fluency, and ultimately studying subjects such as literature, history and social studies in that language .

As seniors, students are required to complete a "Senior Project", which according to the school website, they must complete through "integrating, demonstrating real-world application" [http://www.bsd405.org/Default.aspx?tabid=121 International School : Middle Schools : Schools : Bellevue School District ] ] . One class is dedicated to this project senior year.

Students of the International School, none of whom are enrolled in occupational education classes, also participate in a "Week of focused study outside formal classroom structure". This Focus Week was designed as a way for students to earn their Occupational Credits or elective credits required to graduate high school. Many of the Focus Weeks involve going on overnight trips to other parts of the state such as Washington Pacific Ocean beaches, to other states, and sometimes outside of the country, including a three-week long exchange program to either France or Germany. Although Focus Week is required, students must pay a fee that varies based on the specific activity chosen.

As of the 2006-2007 school year, IS had an enrollment of 501 students. Because of the limited enrollment, students are chosen from applicants from Bellevue School District's 6th grade class by lottery.

Achievements

The International School ranked 12th in the nation on Newsweek Magazine's list of the best high schools for 2007 [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/39380 America's Top Public High Schools | Newsweek Best High Schools | Newsweek.com ] ] in which rankings are determined by the number of AP tests taken by all students at a school divided by the number of graduating seniors. International School was also selected as a Blue Ribbon National School of Excellence in 2004 by the U.S. Department of Education [http://www.ed.gov/programs/nclbbrs/2004/public-pdf] .

Bellevue's International School has received a top grade in U.S. News & World Report Gold Medal Schools list. The weekly American newsmagazine ranked high schools nationwide based on college readiness and quality-adjusted exams per test taker. The International School ranked fifth best high school in the country. [ [http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2007/11/29/gold-medal-schools.html Gold Medal Schools - US News and World Report ] ]

The School is also well known for its FIRST Robotics team, the [http://www.titanrobotics.net/ Titan Robotics Club] .

Curriculum

The school has had two new principals in the last four yearsFact|date=May 2007. In addition, International School offers a wide range of only Advanced Placement courses that are available to all students.

A few of the changes that have been made in recent years by the new principals include, but are not limited to: The implementation of a tardy policy, the implementation of warning bells before certain classes, forced AP classesFact|date=November 2007. The original "Student as Worker" phrase supported the idea that it was the students responsibility to learn, to write down their homework, and to be to class on time, which means no necessity for bells reminding students to be to class on time. This concept has been discontinued and removed form the school mission, and is now replaced with focusing on creating "global citizens", although that has changed, the International school still does not implement the use of warning bells Fact|date=November 2007. As of 6/4/08 several key staff members have left or have been "transferred". Very few staff meetings have been held and, when held, little input from teaching staff was requested. IS started on the European model as a school that ran itself with no administrator. It has now evolved to the same teaching methods as other schools in the District, top-down administration thus, the constant change of principles. Teachers used to collaborate regularly about the needs of individual students, now the teachers are no longer doing so. The premise under which IS was founded on which has brought IS to be one of the Top 10 schools in the Country is no longer in play. the Bellevue School District has begun deployed Standardization at IS. The premise that every student should be challenged as much as possible every day and that every student receive the appropriate instruction that s/he needed every day has been ignored. Now, every instructor is [forced] to teach the daily scripted lesson regardless of the needs of the students in the classroom.Fact|date=June 2008

Houses

Demographics

In the 2007-2008 school year, the total student enrollment for the high school (grades 9-12) was 262. The racial demographics are: 0% African American, 23% Asian, 1% Hispanic, 8% Multiracial and 68% White. 20% of students speak another first language besides English. 3% qualify for free or reduced lunches.cite web |url=http://www.bsd405.org/portals/0/aboutBSD/0708demographics_oct07.pdf |title=2007-08 Demographics At A Glance |accessdate=2008-02-08 |format=html |work=bsd405.org ]

In the 2007-2008 school year, the total student enrollment for the middle school (grades 6-8) was 247. The racial demographics are: 0% black, 24% Asian, 2% Hispanic, 9% multiracial and 66% white. 23% of students speak another first language besides English. 5% qualify for free or reduced lunches.cite web |url=http://www.bsd405.org/portals/0/aboutBSD/0708demographics_oct07.pdf |title=2007-08 Demographics At A Glance |accessdate=2008-02-08 |format=html |work=bsd405.org ]

References

External links

* [http://www.topschools.com/InternationalModel.htm Founding Bellevue International School]
* [http://www.bsd405.org/Default.aspx?tabid=121 International School]
* [http://www.internationalgerman.com/ German at the International School Promotion Site]