Colegio Americano de Quito

Colegio Americano de Quito
Location
Quito, Pichincha
Ecuador
Information
Type Private school
Established 1940
Director Susan Barba (2011)[1]
Number of students c,2,800 students[1]

The Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito or Colegio Americano de Quito (American School of Quito) is a private college preparatory school in Quito, Ecuador.[2] In 1940 it was founded by the former president of Ecuador and the president of the Organization of American States (OAS) Galo Plaza Lasso,[3][4] and Boaz Long.[5]

History

The American School of Quito opened its doors on October 14, 1940[5] to 162 students.[6] It was scheduled to have mixed-sex classes in Kindergarten through first grade. The first directors were Robert E. and Mrs. Hazel J. Tucker, who had just arrived from the United States. The founders of the school lived in a time characterized by the fascist movements in Europe, represented in Ecuador and other South American nations by the German and Italian schools operating there.[3] The two founders wanted to counter this. They had a vision of educating the youth of Ecuador in democratic values[7] knowing these students would become the future leaders. Boaz Long, the U.S. minister to Ecuador, helped get supplies from the U.S. to establish the school. The school hired English-speaking, U.S.-educated Ecuadorian teachers to teach civics, geography, history of Ecuador, and Spanish classes, while Americans taught the other classes. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Education cooperated with the foundation of the school. The U.S. and Ecuadorian governments did not have plans to financially aid the school. The school used an educational program derived from the Santa Barbara, California public schools and the Columbia University Lincoln School.[3]

In 2011 the American School had over 2,800 students from Pre-Kindergarten to Twelfth Grade.[1] Among these students are the children and grandchildren of founding families. The school is co-educational, non-religious and is a non-profit foundation. It is accredited by AdvancED and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education and Culture. It is recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization and offers both I.B. Programmes: Middle Years and Diploma. American School graduates can obtain three diplomas: a high school diploma accredited in the United States, the Ecuadorian Bachillerato and the I.B. Diploma.

Student Council

Every year students from high school vote for the Student Council. The student Council is a group of representatives for high school that run activities and organize events. Candidates from the Student Council come from 10th (Secretary), 11th (Vice-President) and 12th grade (President and Treasurer).

Model United Nations

The School hosts the largest Model United Nations in Spanish each year, which include local schools, thus contributing to the practice of democratic principles and the analysis of global and local issues in Ecuador.

Notable alumni and staff

Barbara Morgan taught here from 1978 to 1979. She taught English and science for one year. She was later an astronaut on the Space Shuttle.[8]

External links

Further reading

Bibliography

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Bosberry-Scott, edited by Wendy (2011). John Catt Guide to International Schools 2011/12 : the Authoritative Guide to International Education. Suffolk: John Catt Educational Ltd. p. D146. ISBN 1908095253.
  2. ↑ "Contáctenos" (Archive). Colegio Americano de Quito. Retrieved on April 3, 2015. "Manuel Benigno Cueva N80 - 190 Urb. Carcelén"
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Ecuador to Get New U.S. School; Plan Is Adopted in Attempt To Offset Rising Influence Of Totalitarian Ideas." The New York Times, 29 September 1940, section 2, p. 5. col. 8. "The first American school in Ecuador will be opened here next month through the initiative of the former Minister of War, Galo Plaza Lasso, and cooperation of the Ministry of Education"
  4. ↑ O'Shea, Michael Vincent. The Nation's Schools, Volume 43. McGraw Hill, 1949. p. 52 (View #2, Search result). "That experiment, the American School of Quito, was begun in 1940 by Senor Plaza, and he continues to play a leading role in the school's development, despite his new duties as president of Ecuador. In the article Senor Plaza expressed his[...]
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Princeton Alumni Weekly vol 49. 1948. p. xiix. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  6. ↑ "History" (Archive). Colegio Americano de Quito. Retrieved on April 4, 2015.
  7. ↑ Colegio Americao Quito, DavidGleason.com, retrieved 3 April 2015
  8. ↑ Ellis, Lee (2002). Who's who of NASA astronauts (1st ed. ed.). River Falls, WI: Americana Group Pub. p. 131. ISBN 0966796144.
  9. ↑ Cook, portraits by Mariana (2009). Mathematicians an outer view of the inner world (Online-Ausg. ed.). Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press. p. 110. ISBN 1400832888.