Barcelona Mum

Interview with Mark Pingitore, Director of the American School of Barcelona

When and why was the American School of Barcelona (ASB) founded?
ASB was founded in 1962. It was originally created to provide an American education, in English, to Spanish students. Over time, it evolved to become the international school that it is today, with students from over forty countries. Now, about fifty percent of our families are international and fifty percent are Spanish.

What is the mission /philosophy of the ASB?
The mission of the American School of Barcelona is to fully develop each student's unique potential by providing a high-quality American/Spanish curriculum in an English language-based, respectful and diverse environment. ASB is an international community of learners dedicated to academic excellence, committed to lifelong learning and empowered to create a better world. We engage and challenge students to become caring and educated citizens of the world through varied learning activities that emphasize critical thinking, inquiry-based knowledge, artistic appreciation and multiple perspectives. ASB strives to be a leading international school in Europe, offering a premier education to internationally-minded families (expatriate and local) in Barcelona and serving as a resource for others in the global educational community.

What curriculum does the ASB follow?
ASB is a college preparatory, American international school. Most of the curriculum is similar to that in college preparatory schools in the US. However, in grades eleven and twelve, students have the option of doing the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) or the Spanish university Homologación program that prepares students for the Selectividad exams in Spain. The majority of our high school students choose the IB program which is recognized by the finest universities in countries around the world. We are extremely pleased with our students’ performance in both the IB and Selectividad exams. These results support our conviction that we have highly qualified teachers and a rigorous academic program.

Are the children taught Spanish/Catalan and if so to what level?
All international students at ASB are taught Spanish from kindergarten to grade twelve. Generally speaking, they start with two years of Spanish as a foreign language in small groups (beginner and intermediate levels) and then the students are integrated into the mainstream Spanish classes with the native speakers in their third year. Catalan is offered in all grades to students from Spain, allowing them to obtain the “nivel C” recognized by the Generalitat.de Catalunya. International students who already speak Spanish well have the option of taking Catalan.

From which countries do the students come from? What is the ratio of Catalan students to foreign students?
About half of the students at ASB are from Barcelona. The other half are from all over the world. The most represented countries are: the USA, the UK, the Netherlands, Argentina, Sweden, and France.

What percentage of students stay at the school for the full duration of their education?
Most of our local students stay for the full duration of their studies. In other words, just under half of our total student body starts in PK3 and graduates from grade twelve fifteen years later.

For children not from the local community, does the school have any specific strategy to ensure they are somehow integrated into the local community?
Due to our unique balance of international and Spanish families, our international students have the opportunity to integrate with local families and children in the community. Our students don´t feel like they are in an international bubble, cut off from the local society. The rich Spanish and Catalan culture are immersed naturally in our classrooms and community events along with our international flavor. For example, we celebrate local holidays such as Sant Jordi Day and teach our students their cultural significance. Students also go on field trips and excursions around Barcelona and we have a ski week in Andorra. Our sports teams participate not only in international tournaments; they also play in local leagues against local teams. A key aspect of integrating into the local community is learning Spanish and, if possible, Catalan. In addition to the classes offered in those languages outlined above, we have created a document for parents called “Tips on How to Help Your Children Learn Spanish”. The main idea is that in addition to the courses we have, parents should model a positive attitude about adapting to life in Barcelona and provide their kids with lots of opportunities to practice the languages. We give practical suggestions on how people can do this. We realize that some students benefit from taking part in after school activities provided by sports teams, dance studios, music academies and the like that are not connected to our school – and we recommend such activities. Another way that our students integrate into the local society is through community service. We have recently developed a number of programs: we have “adopted” a parcel of land in Collserola Park and students in all grades form ASB spend time throughout the year helping conserve the land. About twenty ninth and tenth graders at ASB are acting as teaching assistants for English on a weekly basis in public pre-schools here in Esplugues and in neighboring Sant Joan Despi. These are just a few examples – we require all high school students to do community service and many of them create their own programs.

How does the school select teachers?
The vast majority of teachers are hired from North America and English speaking countries. Due to the quality of ASB and its fantastic location, we can be extremely selective in hiring energetic and high performing teachers with strong experience and excellent references. We hire native-speaker teachers with valid teaching certification, excellent references, and the love of their vocation.

What are the class sizes?
Most classes have between fifteen and twenty students. The largest classes have twenty four students. Currently, the average class size is 17 students per class. However, this class size may range related to age group. We have smaller classes for services such as Spanish Language Learning and English Language Learning as well as for our IB and Selectividad classes.

What is the total number of pupils at the school?
There are currently 660 students from Pre-K.3 to grade 12.

What extracurricular opportunities (sports, clubs, community service etc) are available for students?
We are extremely proud of our extensive options in all of the areas you mention. First of all, we have an extensive optional after-school activities program that runs from Monday to Thursday, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm. There are activities of all kinds and for all grade levels. Some of the activities are more cultural or intellectual, while others are more physical. Speaking of sports, all ASB students participate in physical education classes from Pre-school to grade ten. PE includes one day per week of swimming for students from pre-kinder to second grade at a wonderful public pool nearby called the Bonaigua in Sant Just. Students in the IBDP in grades eleven and twelve must do fifty hours of sports over their two years in the program. And we have competitive soccer, basketball, volleyball and swimming teams for middle and high school students: our students participate in local leagues and in annual international tournaments as part of the Atlantic Mediterranean Athletic Conference. One of our most popular clubs is the Model United Nations (MUN). Students from ASB role play mock UN meetings. They go to tournaments in Lisbon and The Hague every year. It is a fantastic way to learn about current affairs and how the UN works, in addition to honing research, presentation and debating skills. Community service has become more important at ASB over the years. I have outlined some of the programs above.

What strategies are used to teach students who are not fluent in English?
A limited number of international students who need some English support but who demonstrate the potential to succeed during the application process are accepted. Language support is provided by specialist teachers in the form of “pull out” from the main classroom or by “push in” to the classroom.

For which countries are students prepared for further education at 18?
Most ASB students who are from Spain remain in Spain for their university studies. However, more and more local students are opting to go abroad after graduation. Our international students generally go to university in the US, Canada or the United Kingdom.

What kinds of support or resources does the school offer parents?
ASB has a warm and welcoming community and a lot of emphasis is placed on keeping open good lines of communication. New families, parents and students alike, are welcomed at a “new family” orientation day the day before the first day of school. Our extremely active Parent Teacher Association organizes a number of events, some of which focus on the kids, but many also focus on parents, such as their monthly guest lecture series. Experts in fields such as health and child psychology hold workshops for parents every month. Parents are able to get to know each other at these events and create their own informal support networks. We also communicate directly with parents through our weekly online news bulletin, The Lantern: all important school news and upcoming events are posted on it. And I have morning coffees and evening chats open to every parent every month and I keep them up to date with all of the latest happenings at the school, and address any of their concerns.

Is there an admissions policy - what is it and why does it exist?
Admissions requirements are demanding and we screen all students for language and academic skills. Elementary and secondary students must show academic potential and good character.

What is the application process and do you have a waiting list?
Parents of prospective applicants should meet with our Admissions Coordinator and have a conversation about both the child and our school. If it looks like there is a good fit, then the family is encouraged to apply. The first step in the application process is to pay the application fee and submit supporting documents (the application form, report cards, and references, among others). We then decide whether or not to accept the child immediately, or to ask for more documents and/or to test the applicant for English and mathematics. We only have waiting lists for grades that are full. To get on a waiting list, applicants have to have gone through the full application process, so any waiting lists that we have are usually very short. .

Congratulations, on being appointed the new Director. What changes/improvements do you hope to implement?
I am extremely fortunate to be joining a motivated and dedicated staff and to be working for Board that is committed to continue on our path to become one of the premiere international schools in Europe. It is apparent to me that we are a reflective community that values deeply the relationships and communication between all of our members. There are three main areas that we are focusing on to improve in the coming years:

1)Learning Community and Transparency -- We have weekly staff meetings and regular professional half days. With the goal of improving instruction, we have embarked on a journey of teachers looking at student work collaboratively to reflect on what our students are learning and how we can improve instruction. We do this in small teams of six teachers on a regular basis. This work makes the teaching and learning in the classrooms more transparent and creates a norm of reflection and collaboration. We also plan on having students visit each other´s classrooms as the next step in opening up our classrooms to each other. ASB has recently presented this staff work to other international schools at international conferences. Unfortunately, in most schools, teachers are isolated from each other and structures like the ones we are creating here do not exist for them to share good practices. After all, learning is at the core of what we all do in our community.

2)New and Renovated Facilities – We have hired a prestigious architectural firm, Mestura, to plan a facilities project that will create new common spaces and renovate others such as the library, gymnasium, auditorium, laboratories, and an entrance to the school. We hope to have approval to start this project this coming summer. We are fortunate to own the land on our large campus and look forward to improving our existing facilities in the coming years.

3)Thinking Globally and Acting Locally – We are looking to increase the international experiences our students as they prepare to be global leaders. We will augment our existing international trips such as our Model UN Program in Lisbon and the Hague and Mediterranean sports competitions with international student exchanges. Our secondary students are planning to go to New York City as guests and host American students from New York this school year. We are looking to have another trip to China. Furthermore, we are planning to have more school projects in which we share projects and experiments with students in different locations around the globe. Students want to be fully immersed in the global community and with today´s technology we can achieve this goal.

With increased awareness of international issues, we want to exercise our global citizen ideals in the local community. This year we have created a partnership with local schools to help young public school students learn English. Furthermore, we are promoting the awareness of global issues with promoting the idea of sustainable communities that are green friendly. For instance, teachers have launched an effort to make recycling more effective in our school as well as promoting evening chats and videos around this theme of sustainability with people in the local community. Furthermore, ASB students this year will be working on a Habit for Humanity project in nearby Portugal to make shelter more achievable for all citizens. We intend to increase these types of social justice projects in the coming years. Acting locally also means, immersing yourself in the local culture and learning from those around you. We are planning more projects with the Barcelona cultural institutions such as MACBA and joining local sports leagues. We are doing more collaborative projects with schools in which we showcase our artwork together in local galleries. We believe an international school should have a symbiotic relationship with the community in resides in. We are all enriched by such a relationship.

November 12th 2009