| International School of the Americas | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
| 1400 Jackson-Keller Road San Antonio, Texas 78213 |
|
| Information | |
| School type | Public, magnet high school |
| Founded | 1994 |
| School district | North East ISD |
| Principal | Kathy Bieser |
| Assistant principals | Steven Magadance and Paul Smith |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 463 (2008-2009) |
| Language | English |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Kelly Green and Royal Blue |
| Mascot | Globie |
| Website | http://www.neisd.net/isa/index.html |
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 in the nation.[1]
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ISA's basic premises stem from a concept paper written by Dr. Thomas J. Sergiovanni,[2] 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,[3] ISA began as a magnet program before becoming a full-fledged school.[4] 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.
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 Honor 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.
ISA is a member of many educational and international organizations including the Coalition of Essential Schools[5] and the Asia Society.[6] 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.[7]