Gyeonggi Suwon International School
| Gyeonggi Suwon International School | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Suwon, Gyeonggi-do South Korea | |
| Information | |
| Type | International School |
| Religious affiliation(s) | Christian |
| Established | 2006 |
| Head of school | Interim Head: Dr. Harlan Lyso |
| Grades | PreK-12 |
| Enrollment | 600 |
| Campus type | Campus |
| Color(s) | Purple and Gold |
| Mascot | Knight |
| Website | http://www.gsis.sc.kr/ |
The Gyeonggi Suwon International School (GSIS) opened its doors to 108 elementary and middle school students on September 16, 2006. The school is the result of a partnership between the Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Suwon City with Dr. Thomas J. Penland, Headmaster of Taejon Christian International School. The school not only serves the children of Samsung Corporation foreign employees headquartered in Suwon, but also a variety of other international families based in Suwon City and neighboring communities.
GSIS educates the whole child, providing its students an internationally based education within a Christian environment.
Academics
GSIS currently serves 600 students in grades Pre-K-12. In spring of 2010, the school's accreditation was extended through 2016 by the US-based Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). GSIS is also an International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) World School, offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP, Grades Pre-K-5, authorized in 2011), the Middle Years Programme (MYP, Grades 6-10, authorized 2012), and the Diploma Programme (DP, Grades 11-12, authorized in 2009) as its overall educational framework. GSIS holds the distinction of being one of two schools in South Korea accredited in the PYP, MYP and DP.
GSIS offers a 1:1 Mac laptop-based educational environment to its secondary students (Gr. 6-12). The school advocates for 21st century learning approaches.
Facilities
Secondary school science labs and classrooms support the curriculum and enable hands-on instruction. Adjacent to the academic building is a 400-seat multipurpose auditorium with choral and instrumental classrooms, music practice rooms, and drama and visual arts classrooms.
A recreational and fitness educational center includes a regulation-size soccer pitch, two full-size gymnasiums, tennis courts, a six-lane 25m swimming pool, and other facilities for physical fitness development.
Co-curricular activities
GSIS offer co-curricular activities in the areas of athletics, fine arts, service and social involvement, and student leadership, along with a variety of clubs reflecting other student interests.
The school's fitness and athletic program features the competitive sports of basketball, cheerleading, cross-country, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball. Club activities include ballet, dance, taekwondo, and weightlifting.
Fine arts opportunities include drama, music (band, orchestra, strings, worship band), and the visual arts.
The school's service component is built not only around activities that create local connections (ministering to orphans, the underprivileged, or the homeless), but also around international mission trips to other Asian countries (2011: India, Myanmar, Nepal, The Philippines, Saipan, Thailand).
Student leadership opportunities include both Lower Secondary School and Upper Secondary School Student Council Associations (SCA) as well as external affiliations, such as Model United Nations (MUN), National Honor Society (NHS), and National Junior Honor Society (NJHS).
The Three Musketeers
Jeff Jin - Class of 2016: Professional football player and tennis ball manufacturer
Victor Jeong - Class of 2016: Youngest Pulitzer Prize winner at age of 20
Michael Eum - Class of 2016: First person to stabilize Earth's rotation by breakdancing