International School of the Americas

Infobox Education in the United States
name= International School of the Americas


motto=
streetaddress= 1400 Jackson-Keller Road
city= San Antonio
state= Texas
zipcode= 78213
url= http://www.neisd.net/isa/index.html
district= North East ISD
principal= Kathy Bieser
assistant_principals= Jeannie McDaniel and Paul Smith
staff=
fundingtype= Public
schooltype= magnet high school
grades= 9–12
language= English
communities=
feeders=
campus= Suburban
mascot= Globies
colors= Kelly Green and Royal Blue color box|green color box|blue
founded= 1994
enrollment= 463
enrollment_as_of= 2008-2009
bgcolor_section= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_label= #BBDDBB
bgcolor_value= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_address= #EEEEEE
bgcolor_url= #EEEEEE

The International School of the Americas (ISA) is a magnet school in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas in Bexar County. It is located on the Robert E. Lee High School campus at 1400 Jackson-Keller Road. It places a focus upon learning from a global perspective as opposed to an Americo-centric worldview. The school is notable for its small student body and for its Model United Nations conference, named Model United Nations San Antonio (MUNSA), which is the largest such student-run conference west of the Mississippi River. [ [http://whatkidscando.org/archives/featurestories/MUNSA.html Whatkidscando.com] ]

Origins

ISA's basic premises stem from a concept paper written by Tom Sergiovanni, [ [http://www.trinity.edu/departments/alumni_relations/profiles/0608_kathy_bieser.htm Trinity University Department of Alumni Relations] ] a professor of public education at Trinity University. Its founding was prompted by the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which, economically connecting the United States with Mexico and Canada, raised the issue of international relations. Originally envisioned as a professional-development school for Trinity University, [ [http://www.edutopia.org/school-worldview-teens-learn-beyond-borders A School with a Worldview: Teens Learn Beyond Borders] ] ISA began as a magnet program before becoming a full-fledged school. [ [http://thsp.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=274785&pageId=521709 Texas High School Project] ] ISA maintains strong ties with Trinity: university students majoring in education may complete internships at ISA as teachers, many ISA teachers are former Trinity students, and many major school events, most notably the annual ceremony for graduating seniors, are held at Trinity.

Activities

With a student body size of around 450, ISA does not have enough students to host its own sports teams, although it does host smaller clubs such as the "International Book Club" and the "Spanish Honors Society". Instead, students participate in activities on the home campus of Lee High School, fostering a bond between the two schools. A large part of ISA culture is the participation in Model United Nations, which becomes a school-wide event each year with the hosting of Model United Nations San Antonio, a national conference with nearly 1,000 participants. Many students also participate in the North East School of the Arts, another magnet program on the Lee campus, but, starting with the Class of 2012, incoming ISA students are now required to commit themselves solely to ISA.

chool trips

As part of its focus on international education and preparation for global citizenship, ISA offers it students the opportunity (which most students take) to partake in trips every year. In their freshman year, students travel to Heifer International's education center near Little Rock, Arkansas and participate in a simulation of life in developing nations. In their sophomore year, students go to Zacatecas, Mexico in order to better understand Mexican culture as well as that of San Antonio. In their junior year, they travel to the state of Alabama and journey along historically significant points in the American Civil Rights Movement in an investiagtion of the concept of justice. In their senior year, they go to Washington, D.C. in order to fully understand their country and its government.

Recognition

ISA is a member of many educational and international organizations including the Coalition of Essential Schools [ [http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/schools/view/ces_sp/678 The Coalition of Essential Schools] ] and the Asia Society [ [http://www.asiasociety.org/education/issn/isa.htm The Asia Society] ] . It is, in addition, a member of the Texas High School Project's T-STEM network, and has been awarded "Exemplar" status by it. ISA has also been noticed and lauded by such organizations as the Goldman-Sachs Foundation. [ [http://internationaled.org/prizes/ISA.html The Goldman-Sachs Foundation] ]

Notable Alumni

Lowell Galindo, signature anchor of ESPNU since 2007. [ [http://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/tv/stories/MYSA090107.WhatToWatch.EN.8cabedba.html MySA.com] ]

External links

* [http://www.neisd.net/ North East Independent School District Homepage]
* [http://www.edutopia.org/isa/ Border Crossing: The International School of the Americas Makes a Connection. Edutopia]
* [http://internationaled.org/prizes/ISA.html/ The Goldman Sachs Foundation]
* [http://www.mysanantonio.com/salife/stories/MYSA113007.01P.modelUN.2fab0e.html/Model United Nations San Antonio Article]

References