Greengates School
| Greengates School | |
|---|---|
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| Address | |
| Circunvalación Poniente #102 Balcones de San Mateo Naucalpan C.P. 53200 Mexico State, Mexico |
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| Information | |
| School type | Private, coeducational |
| Religious affiliation(s) | None |
| Established | 1951 |
| Founders | Edward Foulkes and Frank Whitbourn |
| Status | Open |
| Director | Johnathan Robins |
| Principal | Johnathan Robins |
| Principal | Kim Holmes |
| Principal | John Hill |
| Faculty | aprox. 110 |
| Grades | 15 |
| Years offered | Kinder 1 to Upper VI |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 3 to 19 |
| Sixth Form Students | 50 (Class of 2012) |
| Average class size | 12 |
| Education system | PYP, IGCSE, IB |
| Language | English, Spanish, French |
| Hours in school day | 6 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Campus size | 2.9 ha (7 acres) |
| Houses | Foulkes, Whitbourn, Brightman, Edinburgh |
| Colour(s) | Green, Gold & White |
| Slogan | An Education with a Global Perspective |
| Sports | Main: Football, Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball, Cricket |
| Nickname | GG |
| Team name | Lions |
| Rival | ASF, Edron, Liceo |
| Average | 93% |
| Newspaper | The Roar |
| (2011) Graduates | 48/50 |
| Website | Official Website |
Greengates School is a British-style international school located in the Balcones de San Mateo neighbourhood in Naucalpan, located north-west of Mexico City, Mexico. As of 2005, it has approximately 1,150 students of some 50 nationalities, derived mainly from the diplomatic and international business communities.[1] During Forms 4 and 5 (Grades 9 and 10 in the American System), students study for the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education) examinations, while in their last two years of high school (Sixth form), students prepare for the International Baccalaureate Diploma.
The school preserves the philosophy of its founding statement: "...to provide an education for students which seeks not only to impart knowledge by the means of acquiring knowledge; to develop character and personality through self-discipline and service; to equip its pupils not only to earn their living but also to live creatively and happily in the world which they must inherit."
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History [edit]
Greengates School was founded by Edward Foulkes and his partner Frank Whitbourn in a house in Lomas de Chapultepec in 1951. Originally, the school had no uniform and only one school bus. Over the years, it moved several times to accommodate an increasingly larger enrolment. The school, originally meant to cater to the sons of British and Commonwealth diplomats and citizens in Mexico City, was becoming more popular with wealthy Mexicans living in Lomas de Chapultepec who sought a high standard of education for their children, which they found at Greengates.
In 1961, Foulkes left to start a new school, what would become the Edron Academy in the south-west of the city. Henry Coehlo bought his stake and began transforming the school. Soon afterwards, Andre Desouches was given Whitbourn's stake, and the Coehlo and Desouches families continue to own the majority of the school. Henry Coehlo stepped down as managing director in 2007, a post he held for over 40 years, and was replaced by Clarissa Desouches, the daughter of Andre Desouches and a PhD graduate of the Universidad Iberoamericana in Latin American Literature.[2]
The initial parcel of land upon which the current San Mateo campus was built was bought in 1964. The project, designed by architect Innes Webster, broke ground December 1969, with the first brick laid by HE the British Ambassador, Sir Peter Hope. The final project was completed in 1971, although the school has undergone major renovation and expansion. A domed room, called 'The Dome', used as an alternate concert venue to the gymnasium due to its excellent acoustics and as the biggest examination hall, was built as a third floor on top of the science labs in 1997. In 2001, a six room expansion was made at the back of the Senior Block.
In 2010 a 3000 m2 plot of land was purchased at the end of the school to supplement the lack of green spaces. The land underwent turfing and several picnic tables where placed on the new lawn. In addition, a huge sculpture, named Moctezuma's Lion was placed to the right of the lawn and was designed to integrate a piece of art with a playground so children can climb and play on its stylized benches, steps and slides, which variously represent the arms, legs and body of the lion.
In May 2011, the school purchased after more than thirty years of offers a 0.8 ha parcel of land adjacent to the school's multi-storey parking lot. As of August 2011, the school has not announced what it plans to do with the site.[3]
On Friday August 13, 2010, Susan Mayer MBE, the school's principal, tragically succumbed to a ten-year battle with cancer. A memorial was held and the post of principal remained vacated in her honour. The school is now run under the administration of Dr Clarissa Desouches, heir to the Desouches family's stake in the school, and the heads of school; Jonathan Robins, head of the Infant and Junior School; Kim Holmes, head of the Intermediate School, and John Hill, head of the Senior School.[4]
Grade equivalence [edit]
| Mexico | US | UK | Greengates School |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-Kinder | Daycare | Nursery | Kinder 1 |
| Kinder | Pre-School | Reception | Kinder 2 |
| Pre-primaria | Kindergarten | Year 1 | Kinder 3 |
| 1° de Primaria | Grade 1 | Year 2 | Junior 1 |
| 2° de Primaria | Grade 2 | Year 3 | Junior 2 |
| 3° de Primaria | Grade 3 | Year 4 | Junior 3 |
| 4° de Primaria | Grade 4 | Year 5 | Junior 4 |
| 5° de Primaria | Grade 5 | Year 6 | Junior 5 |
| 6° de Primaria | Grade 6 | Year 7 | Form I |
| 1° de Secundaria | Grade 7 | Year 8 | Form II |
| 2° de Secundaria | Grade 8 | Year 9 | Form III |
| 3° de Secundaria | Grade 9 | Year 10 | Form IV |
| 1° de Preparatoria | Grade 10 | Year 11 | Form V |
| 2° de Preparatoria | Grade 11 | Year 12 | Lower VI |
| 3° de Preparatoria | Grade 12 | Year 13 | Upper VI |
Infant School [edit]
Kinder 1-3, as well as Junior 1, form the Infant school. The Kinders finish school at 13:30 hrs., while the rest of the school ends at 14:30 hrs. They follow the IB's PYP (Primary Years Program) and study subjects like basic mathematics, simple english, etc.
Junior School [edit]
Junior School consists of the years Junior 2-5, and also follow the PYP. In these years, a number of "firsts" are achieved. For example, the first overnight trip, the first play, first "museum" show, among others. The Junior fives enjoy an "Experience Day", where they get a taste of Form I.
Intermediate School [edit]
Forms I-III take part of the Intermediate School, and study pre-IGCSE subjects, like Mathematics, Music, Art and English Literature.
Senior School [edit]
Form IV, Form V, Lower VI and Upper VI encompass the Senior School, equivalent to a four-year High School in the American system. The Form III choose their IGCSE subjects towards the end of the year, and are studied over the next two years, with exams taking place at the end of Form V (Except for Advanced Mathematics, who take the Extended IGCSE Mathematics exam at the end of Form IV, and then take the Additional Mathematics exam at the end of Form V). Students are expected to sit eight to ten IGCSE's, and must pass five in order to continue studying the IB at the school, otherwise they are asked to leave.
The Lower/Upper VIs study the IB. They choose six subjects according to the IB programme, and many students opt to take four Higher Level courses, as opposed to the standard three. This is encouraged at the school. Subjects offered at the IB level include French Literature, Japanese Literature, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, Computer Science, Economics, Psychology and History, among others. Other subjects, such as Anthropology, Film Studies and Business & Management, are offered based on teacher availability and sufficient student interest.
Events and Activities [edit]
There are four school houses named: Whitbourne (yellow), Foulkes (white), Brightman (blue) and Edinburgh (red). The first two are named in honour of the founders, the third in honour of the first Headmaster and the fourth in honour of the Duke of Edinburgh, who visited the school at its original Lomas de Chapultepec location in 1965. Every year, students compete in different sports such as football, basketball, track and field events, rugby and swimming competitions for the House Cup, which is awarded on Speech Day, the last day of school.
One of the most important annual events the school caters is the International Fair, where thousands of students, teachers, and parents from different nationalities unite to create a day filled with music, dancing, food and culture from all around the globe. The Fair features national stands, staffed by the school's families and teachers, which offer national clothes, toys and trinkets for sale as well as the country's culinary delicacies. Some of the permanent stands include the United Kingdom, Mexico, Japan, Thailand, Brazil, Israel, Vietnam, Argentina, Poland, United States, India, South Korea, Spain, France, Sweden, and Canada. Other stands change every year, such as Chile, China, Denmark, Nigeria, Pakistan and Switzerland, due to the smaller presence of these countries at the school.
Recognition [edit]
Greengates School is distinguished from all other schools in Mexico by the high quality of its teachers (many of whom hold doctorates), its students' high scores on the IGCSE and IB Diploma programmes, and its graduates' regular acceptance into top universities all over the world such as Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Stanford and UC Berkeley in the United States and St Andrews, Cambridge, Imperial and LSE in the United Kingdom, among many others. For a full list, please refer to the external links below.
References [edit]
- ^ Greengates School - Mexico City
- ^ Greengates History
- ^ New Land Purchase
- ^ Susan Mayer: In Memoriam
- ^ Greengates School - Mexico City
External links [edit]
