American School of Barcelona

American School of Barcelona
File:Asblogo.jpg
Location
Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona Spain
Information
Type	Private
Established	1962
Principal	Mark Pingitore
Grades	K-12
Enrollment	660
Mascot	Lynx
Elementary School Principal	Nancy Boyd
Secondary School Principal	William Volchok
Website	American School of Barcelona Website

The American School of Barcelona was the first and largest trilingual school in Barcelona, Spain.

It was established in 1962 by Dr. Josep Maria Poal, an eminent physician and co-founder of the North American Institute in 1951. Ever since it has been a non-profit organization owned and run by a parent's association which elects a Board of Governors. The school was established to provide an American education to students from the local and international communities of Barcelona. The American School of Barcelona is authorized by the Spanish Ministry of Education and accredited by Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges. The school provides a basic American instructional program. The nature of the school permits its students to follow the US curriculum from preschool to twelfth grade while at the same time enables them to become integrated in the culture and language of the host country.

Faculty

The school's experienced faculty is predominantly North American, with degrees from North American universities and certification in their respective areas. Fifteen percent are recruited hires who usually remain from two to four years. The school boasts an average of 20 students per class, making individualized attention one of the primary objectives of the Education offered by the School.

Program

The school curriculum is a US based one. In upper level classes, and until this year, the school offered two curricular options: the Spanish national convalidation Selectividad program (which also granted the US Diploma to students) or the US Diploma one. Starting the 07/08 academic year, ASB will start to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB Diploma). As of 2007 it is one of the few that offers this diploma in Barcelona and the only one that does so in English. The language of instruction is English, except the Spanish and Catalan requirements. Staff specialties range from Counseling to Learning Disabilities and the school offers many special programs and extracurricular activities: dance, drama, PE, newspaper, student council, community service, soccer, golf, basketball, tennis... Furthermore, it offers the following examinations: AP, IOWA, PSAT, SAT, TOEFL, Michigan, and Selectividad.

Traditions

Being a multicultural school, it has a number of traditions which repeat regularly each academic year:

Sant Jordi

Every year, and coinciding with the international Book Day, April 23rd, ASB organizes a writing contest in each grade from 4th grade up. The categories are always Prose and Poetry, and students are allowed (and encouraged) to write in English, Spanish, and Catalan. Once the winners and their pieces have been determined, a book is published each year which recollects them.

Halloween

Following the American tradition, the school organizes a Halloween parade the Friday of or before October 31st, where students get to dress up and compete for the best costume prizes. For the smaller grades, Halloween Day is an event in itself, as students get to have fun with their classmates and activities organized by the PTA. In these grades students tend to dress up individually. As students reach the secondary school, activities are progressively cornered to the last hour of class, which is when the several parades take place.

Winter Concert

Previously known as Christmas Concert, it is the chance Elementary and Middle Students get to show their parents and friends the songs they've prepared in their music classes throughout the first trimester.

Sports Day

Possibly one of the most fun days at ASB. As it name implies, students are separated into four teams divided by colour and compete in a number of sports and activities. The overall atmosphere is one of joy and students always look forward to this day. This involes a lot of team spirit, and the teams have to work together in order for them to be able to win.

MUN Conferences

MUN has a great tradition at ASB. Currently organized by Mr. Joe Maas, the school sends delegations to the Iberian Model United Nations (IMUN) and to the The Hague International Model United Nations (THIMUN).

External links

• American School of Barcelona Website