Greengates School

Greengates School
Address
Circunvalación Poniente 102 Balcones de San Mateo Naucalpan Mexico City, Mexico, Mexico
Information
School type	Private, coeducational
Religious affiliation(s)	None
Established	1951
Founders	Edward Foulkes, Frank Whitbourn and Henry Coelho
Status	Open
Director	Clarissa Desouches
Principal	Johnathan Robins
Principal	Kim Holmes
Principal	John Hill
Faculty	About 110
Grades	15
Years Offered	Preschool to Year 13
Gender	Coeducational
Age	3 to 19
Age range	3-19
Sixth Form Students	50 (Class of 2012)
Average class size	12
Education system	PYP, IGCSE, IBO
Language	English, Spanish, French
Hours in school day	6
Campus	Suburban
Campus size	2.9 ha (7 acres)
Houses	Foulkes, Whitbourn, Brightman, Edinburgh
Slogan	An Education with a Global Perspective
Sports	Main Sport: Rugby and Soccer
Mascot	Lion Lion holding a tourch
Nickname	GG
Team name	Lions
Rival	American School, Kipling
Average	93%
Newspaper	The Roar Newspaper
(2011) Graduates	43/50
Website	greengates.edu.mx
Website	Official Website

Greengates School is a British-style international school located in San Mateo, in the northwest of Mexico City, Mexico, founded in 1951. As of 2005, it has approximately 1,150 students of some 50 nationalities, derived mainly from the diplomatic and international business communities. 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."

History

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 purchased 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.

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.

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.

Grade equivalence

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

Kinder 1-3, as well as Junior 1, form the Infant school. The Kinders finish school at 12:30 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

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

Forms I-III take part of the Intermediate School, and study pre-IGCSE subjects, like Mathematics, Music, Art, and many more.

Senior School

Forms IV-V, as well as Lower/Upper VI, encompass the senior school. 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 study Additional Mathematics). The Lower/Upper VIs study the IB

Events and Activities

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 hundreds of students, teachers, and parents from different nationalities unite to create a day filled with music, dancing, food and culture coming from all around the globe. Each stand offers clothing, toys and trinkets for sale as well as the country's 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.

Recognition

Greengates School is distinguished from all other schools in Mexico by the high quality of its teachers, its students' high scores on the IGCSE and IB Diplomas, and its graduates' regular acceptance into top universities all over the world such as Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Princeton and Stanford 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.

At the end of each school year, a special guest goes to give the Upper Six (Last Year) a special prize according to effort, progress, or achievement.

External links

• Official Site
• College Acceptances List for 2010
• College Acceptances List for 2009