United Nations International School

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United Nations International School
UNIS
[[1]]
Established 1947
Type Independent, International School
Affiliation United Nations
School Director Dr. Kenneth Wrye
Students approx. 1,450
Grades K-12
Location 24-50 FDR Drive, New York, NY 10010,
New York, NY, USA
Campus Urban
Colors Blue and White
Newspaper UNISVERSE
Website http://www.unis.org
This article is about the UN school in New York City. For the equivalent school in Hanoi, see United Nations International School of Hanoi.

The United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private international school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 by families whose work related to the United Nations. It includes a Kindergarten, elementary school (Junior school), junior high school (Middle school) and high school (Tutorial House, or "Tut" house). As of 2008, it has over 1,450 students representing 119 countries. English is the main language of instruction. Secondary studies aim towards the International Baccalaureate.

The school has two campuses, one in Manhattan, on the East River approximately one mile south of the United Nations Headquarters, and one in the borough of Queens, in Jamaica Estates, the latter being a smaller campus with fewer than 200 students.

Contents

[edit] Notable alumni

Former students include: Kate Burton[2], musician John Zorn, actress/model Yasmine Bleeth, Broadway star Sarah Jones, socialite and business tycoon Vikram Chatwal (the son of Sant Singh Chatwal), author Ishmael Beah and Publisher Joey Rahimi. Many of the school's parents are ambassadors, consuls general and employees of the United Nations. UNIS has students from more than 150 countries.

[edit] Overview

The school maintains a strong relationship with the United Nations, promoting and adhering to its values. For example, school is closed on United Nations Day in honor of the holiday. It also has access to some U.N. facilities, including the UN General Assembly for senior graduation and for the UNIS-UN student conference.

Because of the school's international theme, UNIS has an unusually comprehensive language program that starts as early as Kindergarten when students are offered French or Spanish instruction. In 7th grade, students begin the study of a third language and choose from one of eight modern languages: French, Spanish as well as Arabic, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, and Russian. English as a Second Language is also offered in all grades.

[edit] Membership and accreditation

The school is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents and is accredited by the European Council of International Schools. It is a member of the College Board, the National Association of Independent Schools, the New York State Association of Independent Schools, the European Council of International Schools and the International Baccalaureate Organization.

[edit] Curriculum

Students are taught in relatively small classes, with sizes ranging from 3 students to 25. The curriculum covers a broad range of topics. Emphasis is placed on diversity and preparation for the IB exams in later years.

[edit] Clubs

  • AIDS Awareness
  • Amnesty International
  • Art Club
  • Avifauna
  • Current Events Club
  • Debate Society
  • Gay Straight Alliance
  • Habitat for Humanity
  • Homeless Help
  • Human Rights Committee
  • Make-A-Wish
  • Neel Bagh
  • Millennium
  • Model UN
  • Oxfam
  • Red Cross Club
  • Improvisational Comedy Club
  • (PAC) Prevention and Awareness against Cancer
  • S.A.L. (Students Against Landmines)
  • Science Club
  • Social Justice
  • UNIS-UN
  • UNISVerse Student Newspaper
  • Yearbook

[edit] External links

This New York school-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.