American Embassy School, New Delhi
| American Embassy School | |
|---|---|
| Address | |
 | |
American Embassy School, Chandragupta Marg, Chanakyapuri , 110021 | |
| Coordinates | 28°35′57.15″N 77°10′56.25″E / 28.5992083°N 77.1822917°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Independent |
| Established | 1952 |
| Head of School | Mr. Paul Chmelik |
| Faculty | 146 122 full-time 24 part-time |
| Grades | KG-12 |
| Number of students | 1,400 total 650 5PK-grade 5 350 middle 400 high |
| Average class size | >12 students upper 18 students middle |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Color(s) | Black and gold |
| Mascot | tiger |
| Annual tuition | $19,020 |
| Website | [1] |
The American Embassy School, South Delhi, India, is an independent, co-educational day school which offers an educational program from prekindergarten through Grade 12. The school was founded in 1952. Its English-language motto is "Enter to Learn, Leave to Serve," while its Latin motto is "Domi ac foris," meaning "At home and abroad."
Admission and demographics
AES ensures that seats are available for US citizens, provided the applicant meets the school's eligibility criteria. Eligibility in all other cases is limited to children whose parents or legal guardians hold a foreign passport, are temporarily resident in India and based in New Delhi. An Indian citizen applicant must meet all three of the following criteria to be eligible to apply for admission:
- the parents of the student are likely to stay in India for a period of 2 to 3 years,
- the student should have come from an American/international system of education (outside of India with the exception of the American School of Bombay and the American International School of Chennai) and has to return to the American/international system of education,
- the student is in a critical stage of education and studying in the AES is important for the student’s education. The American Embassy School defines ‘critical stage of education’ as Grades 9-12. 39 percent of the school's 1400+ students in Pre-School to Grade 12 are Americans, the majority of students represent 53 nationalities. The school director is Mr. Paul Chmelik
At the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, enrollment was 1,430 (PK-Grade 5: 715; Grades 6-8: 340; and Grades 9-12: 375) and there were 187 faculty members.
Organization
The school is governed by a nine-member Board of Governors, seven of whom are elected for two-year terms by the American Embassy School Association of New Delhi, with an additional two non-voting US Embassy Representatives. There are also non-voting representatives from the faculty and student body.
Curriculum
The curriculum is that of general academic, college-preparatory school. The school's testing program includes the College Board and American College Testing tests. Instruction is in English. French, Spanish, and Mandarin are taught as foreign languages. English-as-an Additional Language services are offered for non-native English speakers. The school also offers the International Baccalaureate Diploma and Advanced Placement courses. Most of the graduates go on to universities in the United States and other countries. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
Facilities
The school includes two libraries, one swimming pool (plus a diving pool and toddler pool), a physical education center, computer labs, playgrounds, tennis courts, soccer pitches, and a performing arts center (including a full sized theater). The school campus is spread over almost 13 acres.
School activities and Sports
Extracurricular activities include sports, performing arts, dance, visual arts, academic games and other interests such as chess and climbing. The school is a member of MESAC (Middle East South Asia Conference) for Grades 9-12 and ASIAC (American Schools in India Activities Conference) for Grades 6-8.
The American Embassy School used to be part of The South Asian Inter-Scholastic Association (SAISA). During this time they were known as the AES Falcons and the school colors were red and white.
The school's community goals are also realized through extra activities. The Reach Out program enables students to interact with people from the "jugghi" or slums near the school. In this, the school has helped construct and staff a library, and studying area to promote literacy. The students may also participate in Salaam Delhi, Amnesty International, Habitat for Humanity, Operation Smile, and other community services.
Technology
Nearly every classroom has a ceiling-mounted projector and a SmartBoard interactive whiteboard. There are cameras, digital microscopes, digital cameras, data probes, video cameras, audio recording devices, GPS devices and scanners.
Most of the 1200-plus computers are laptops. There is a technical support team to help ensure that the technology is working. Most of the computers now are Macs, starting from 2012-2013.
Library
The collection of books includes over 30,000 fiction, non fiction and reference books, 138 magazines and 2400 videos.
Notable alumni
- Hollywood actress Uma Thurman attended the school in 1979 while she lived in India.[1]
- Hollywood actress Hannah Simone attended at age 16.
- Timothy Geithner, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, attended AES and has visited the school in his official capacity while in India [2]
- George A. Sgouros, Inventor, Industrial & Graphic Designer, Photographer, Independent Candidate for Mayor of Roanoke City, VA (2004 & 2008) attended the school in 1959 while he lived in India.
Controversy
In January 2014 the school was placed under investigation by the Indian government for alleged tax and visa fraud by its faculty. A report in the New York Times described a handout provided by the school to new teachers which instructs how to lie on Indian visa application forms to circumvent the need for a work permit, and to avoid paying income tax.[3] The Indian investigation followed the Devyani Khobragade incident in the United States.[3]
Notable Alumni
- Alankrita Sahai, model and Miss Diva Earth 2014.