International High School of San Francisco

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Location
International High School
San Francisco, CA, USA
Information
Religion	None
Principal	Russ Jones
Enrollment	322
Faculty	65
Average class size	16
Student:teacher ratio	5:1
Average SAT scores (2005)	Verbal 622 Math 637 Writing 626
Type	Private
Campus	Urban
Athletics	8 sports, 13 Teams
Athletics conference	BCL Central
Motto	"Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the French American International School offers programs of study in French and English to prepare its graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to communicate across cultures is of paramount importance."
Mascot	Jaguar
Color(s)	Red/Blue
Established	1962
Homepage	http://www.internationalsf.org/

The International High School of San Francisco is a private high school attached to the French American International School (Lycée International Franco Américan) in Hayes Valley in San Francisco, California, United States. Graduates may earn either the French Baccalaureate Diploma and/or the English and Bi-lingual International Baccalaureate Diploma.

Currently, there are roughly three hundred twenty students enrolled at International.

The French-American International School and the International High School offer courses in both French and English, with its core programs of art, English, math, modern languages, humanities, and science, all comprehensive.

The school is also known for its diversity. Its faculty and student body are diverse, culturally, socially and economically (aided by its Annual Fund and Financial Aid programs), and diverse in nationality and in sexual orientation. There is a substantial number of mixed ethnicity students and families.

The school also is known for its community service projects, most prominently raising the money to build a school in Jemjem Legabatu, Ethiopia. It has also held benefits for the victims of Hurricane Katrina and the 2005 Asian tsunami, and the East African country of Senegal, which included musical performances[1] by its students and faculty. The student body has also been active annually in blood drives for the Irwin Memorial Blood Center[2] and day-long volunteer efforts at the S.F. Food Bank[3]. Its students also participated in a program in which they walked to to a former neighborhorhood public elementary school to read to younger children.

From Pre-K to Grade 8, the French-American International School offers a bilingual curriculum which conforms with the program of the French Ministry of Education.

In grades 9 through 12, students of the International High School choose between two tracks: the French Track leading to the French Baccalaureate, and the International Track leading to the International Baccalaureate (IB ) Diploma in either English or English and French. The curriculum integrates the French Ministry of Education's requirements with the International Baccalaureate Organization. The IB track offers the standard High Level (HL), Standard Level (SL), and Studies (S) level for IB core curricula. Both IB and French Bac grades are recognized by universities and colleges globaly and receive appropriate transcript weighting.

Study of foreign cultures and international foreign trips feature prominently in the IHS programs. The students make culture and language trips to India, China, Russia, France, Italy, Central and South America, most as part of the school's language studies. The students also participate in foreign exchange trips to France, Germany and Tahiti. Indeed a visit to the school, which shares the building with the [4] Chinese American International Shool, immerses the auditory senses with a melange of foreign languages. Most students formally study at least two foreign languages. Because of the ties to the French government and education system, the primary foreign language is French, studied since Pre-K or kindergarden. Since most students are not from naturally French-speaking households, the approximately 75% French portion of the kindergarden studies can be difficult and the school has high early student attrition. The French component gradually eases into approximately 50% within a few years, and, if the student so chooses, decreases dramatically, by high school. At some point in lower school, usually around the fifth or sixth year, the lack of classroom study in English is gradually trumped by an overall learning improvement, as this is approximately the "point of augmenting returns." The French educational system's presentation of mathematics introduces geometry and geometric concepts at an extremely young age, while a focus on algebra would be slightly later, by American standards.

Studies of second and third foreign languages start in middle school. Exchange trips to the countries whose languages are studied are encouraged and often an integral part of the program and curriculum. The very first meeting at the school may greet the parents with a solid hour's presentation in Japanese, to demonstrate the somewhat arduous task they have chosen for their children at this school.

According to its website, International High School's mission states, "Guided by the principles of academic rigor and diversity, the French American International School and the International High School offer programs of study in French and English to prepare their graduates for a world in which the ability to think critically and to communicate across cultures is of paramount importance." The school has a Theory of Knowledge component which involves a three-day retreat in high school. The school features several multiple-day retreats for students in early lower school grades, including snow, hiking, and camping trips, including the Marin Headlands, Jackson ("Gold" country), and Bear Valley.

International sponsors thirteen athletic teams that compete with other high schools throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Of its sports teams, the men's basketball team is the most prominent. While the baseball team is rising with great expectations. It reached the 2008 North Coast Section Class B high school baseball finals, losing to St. Bernard High School in Eureka, California. The lower school hold a European-style Olympics ("Olympiades") competition and festivity in Golden Gate Park, as part of its athletic program.

The school was originally located at the U.C. Extension on Buchanan Street and jointly formed the Nat. Center for Int'l Schools with the Chinese American International School, purchasing, and moving into the former State Transportation Building at 150 Oak Street, San Francisco in 1994. It still shares the building with the C.A.I.S., though they share no school or academic programs. Part of the decision to move to this location was the proximity to the attractions at the city's center -- the new Conservatory of Music, the S.F. Ballet, Davies Hall (Symphony), Main Library, MOMA, Asian Art Museum, City Hall, also near the BART and Muni underground stations.

Many of the members of the school community are fairly politically progressive. The families, faculty, administrators and staff are from all over the world, many from western Europe, and some hailing from countries that have had French influence, e.g., Eastern Canada (Montreal, Quebec) and northern and eastern Africa.

Many of its graduates attend well-known international universities and ivy league schools, with a high percentage of students attending small liberal arts schools. Year 2007 graduates received 133 acceptances from the U.C. school system.

The parents boards/associations are open to all parents aid communications between families and the school, and are more information- and activities-oriented than governance-oriented.

The Head of School (comprising the PK-8 French American International and the 9-12 International High School) is Jane Camblin, who's originally from the U.K.