American School of Milan

American School of Milan
American School of Milan
Location
	Via Karl Marx, 14 - Noverasco di Opera (MI); Italy
Information
Type	International School
Motto	Aim. Succeed. Become More.
Established	1962
Head of school	Mr. Wayne Rutherford
Faculty	107
Grades	EC - 12
Enrollment	915
Mascot	Panthers
Affiliation	Non-profit
Website	http://www.asmilan.org

The American School of Milan (ASM) is a non-profit college preparatory day school located south of Milan, Italy. ASM has been educating international students from more than 50 countries for more than 55 years.

The school offers instruction in English from Early Childhood through High School and ASM's student body is composed of around 900 children aged 3–18.

Campus History

Back in 1962 a small group of English speaking parents in Milan decided that they wanted to provide their children with an Anglo-American education. They formed a non-profit association dedicated to providing an American-style education for their children and The American Community School of Milan was launched. The association was financed through the School's small but growing community. In the early years, ASM had many different homes in Milan but in 1976, the building committee reached an agreement with a local real estate developer who donated a 9-acre property to the school in Noverasco di Opera, just south of Milan. The school was built on this site where it still stands today. It is flanked by a golf course and there is a community tennis center and pool across the street. The school has spacious, modern facilities due to several expansions and renovations since its establishment, the most recent in 2018. Currently, the school is adding an external theater which will open in the 2019-20 academic year.

Affiliations and accreditations

ASM offers an American-international curriculum to its students with a mix of programs that combine American programs and standards with international ones. ASM has been an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School since June 1983. It offers the Diploma Programme (DP) in grades 11-12. ASM is also accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

School Governance and Board of Trustees

ASM is an association under Italian law and is a nonprofit organization run by a Board of Trustees elected by the parent community. The ASM Board of Trustees is composed of twelve members, all volunteers. The Board appoints the Director to carry out the school's day-to-day operations.

School System

ASM is divided into different scholastic areas: the Early Childhood, Elementary and Upper School.

Early Childhood (ages 3–4), a full day pre-school program where children learn through play and exploration
Elementary (grade Kindergarten-5): American International Program with specials that include science lab, art, music, gym, library and Italian lessons.
Middle School (grades 6-8): ASM designed program aligned to US common core standards, mixing required and elective classes.
High School (grades 9-12). The High School program is composed a Diploma Preparation Program in grades 9-10 (to prepare students for the IB Diploma programme). The program offers a mix of core subjects and elective courses in the arts, technology and other academic areas; Grades 11-12 follow the IB Diploma programme and students also finish with an American High School Diploma.

Technology

All classrooms are equipped with interactive whiteboards and there is wi-fi throughout the school. In the Elementary school, students use iPads as part of their school day, while from Grade 6 and up, students use personal laptops.

After-School Activities

ASM offers a variety of after-school activities. Active or sport activities include swimming, tennis, golf, gymnastics, rock climbing, karate, taekwondo, soccer, middle school and varsity sports (basketball, athletics, soccer, volleyball, golf, badminton, tennis...). Creative options include yearbook, the elementary and upper school musicals, violin and band/orchestra, while academic options include chess, Model United Nations (MUN), technology, SAT Math & English Prep and Italian Math Prep for Italian Terza Media Exam.

Volunteering

After the recent earthquake in Central Italy, ASM organized a fundraising event to help the victims of the Amatrice earthquake. In June 2016 and 2017, a group of students went to Nuwakot District in Nepal to help rebuild a school that was devastated by the Gorkha earthquake in 2015. Most recently in June 2018, students traveled to Puerto Rico to help communities rebuild following Hurricane Maria.

PTO

The PTO is the Parent Teacher Organization and its purpose is to enhance the students' academic, cultural, physical and social development as well as foster a sense of community for all ASM families and staff members. The PTO organizes many fun events during the school year including a Halloween party, International Night and Back-to-School Picnic.

References

^ ASM on the IB official site http://www.ibo.org/school/000261/.
^ The American School of Milan chooses Dell Premier Page http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/casestudies/FY2008_Q2_id350.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.