International School of the Americas

Not to be confused with the School of the Americas, now called Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation
International School of the Americas
Address
1400 Jackson-Keller Road
San Antonio, Texas, 78213
Information
School type Public, magnet high school
Founded 1994
School district North East ISD
Director Kathy Bieser[1]
Grades 9–12
Enrollment 463 (2008-2009)
Language English
Campus Suburban
Color(s) Kelly Green and Royal Blue          
Mascot Globie
Website http://www.neisd.net/isa/index.html

The International School of the Americas (ISA) is a magnet school in the North East Independent School District in San Antonio, Texas in Bexar County. It is located on the Robert E. Lee High School campus at 1400 Jackson-Keller Road. It places a focus upon learning from a global perspective as opposed to an Americo-centric worldview. The school is notable for its small student body and for its Model United Nations conference, named Model United Nations San Antonio (MUNSA), which is the largest such student-run conference in the nation.[2]

Origins

ISA's basic premises stem from a concept paper written by Dr. Thomas J. Sergiovanni,[3] a professor of public education at Trinity University. Its founding was prompted by the creation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which, economically connecting the United States with Mexico and Canada, raised the issue of international relations. Originally envisioned as a professional-development school for Trinity University,[4] ISA began as a magnet program before becoming a full-fledged school.[5] ISA maintained strong ties with Trinity: university students majoring in education may complete internships at ISA as teachers, many ISA teachers are former Trinity students, and many major school events, most notably the annual ceremony for graduating seniors, are held at Trinity.

Activities

With a student body size of around 450, ISA does not have enough students to host its own sports teams, although it does host smaller clubs such as International Food and Film Club, the Arena Football Club, Coffee Club, the International Book Club and the Spanish Honor Society. Instead, students participate in activities on the home campus of Lee High School, fostering a bond between the two schools. A large part of ISA culture is the participation in Model United Nations, which became a school-wide event each year with the hosting of Model United Nations San Antonio, a national conference with nearly 1,000 participants. Many students also participate in the North East School of the Arts, another magnet program on the Lee campus, but, starting with the Class of 2012, incoming ISA students are now required to commit themselves solely to ISA.

Recognition

ISA is a member of many educational and international organizations including the Coalition of Essential Schools[6] and the Asia Society.[7] It is, in addition, a member of the Texas High School Project's T-STEM network, and has been awarded "Exemplar" status by it. ISA has also been noticed and lauded by such organizations as the Goldman-Sachs Foundation.[8] In 2012 ISA was listed as the Number 2 High School in San Antonio by Children at Risk .

Notable alumni

External links

References

  1. ↑ "International School of the Americas: Leadership Team". Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ Whatkidscando.com
  3. ↑ Trinity University Department of Alumni Relations
  4. ↑ A School with a Worldview: Teens Learn Beyond Borders
  5. ↑ Texas High School Project
  6. ↑ The Coalition of Essential Schools
  7. ↑ The Asia Society
  8. ↑ The Goldman-Sachs Foundation
  9. ↑ MySA.com
  10. ↑ imdb.com
  11. ↑ LettingUp.com

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