The Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito or Colegio Americano de Quito (American School of Quito) is a private college preparatory school in Quito, Ecuador.[2] In 1940 it was founded by the former president of Ecuador and the president of the Organization of American States (OAS) Galo Plaza Lasso,[3][4] and Boaz Long.[5]
History
The American School of Quito was founded on October 14, 1940[5] to 162 students.[6] The first directors were Robert E. and Mrs. Hazel J. Tucker, who had just arrived from the United States. The founders of the school lived in a time characterized by the fascist movements in Europe, represented in Ecuador and other South American nations by the German and Italian schools operating.
The school hired English-speaking, U.S.-educated Ecuadorian teachers to teach civics, geography, history of Ecuador, and Spanish classes, while Americans taught the other classes. The Ecuadorian Ministry of Education cooperated with the foundation of the school. The U.S. and Ecuadorian governments did not have plans to financially aid the school. The school used an educational program derived from the Santa Barbara, California public schools and the Columbia University Lincoln School.[3]
In 2022 the American School had over 2,200 students from Nursery to twelfth grade.[1] Among these students are the children and grandchildren of founding families.[citation needed] The school is co-educational, non-religious, and is a non-profit foundation. It is accredited by Cognia and the Ecuadorian Ministry of Education and Culture. It is recognized by the International Baccalaureate Organization and offers both I.B. Programmes: Middle Years and Diploma. American School graduates can obtain three diplomas: a high school diploma accredited in the United States, the Ecuadorian Bachillerato, and the I.B. Diploma.
Student Council
Every year students from high school vote for the Student Council. The student Council is a group of representatives for high school that run activities and organize events. Candidates from the Student Council come from 11th or 12th (Secretary, Treasurer and Vice-President), and 12th grade only (President).
Model United Nations
The School hosts the largest Model United Nations in Spanish each year, which include local schools, thus contributing to the practice of democratic principles and the analysis of global and local issues in Ecuador.
Hymn
Gloria a tí, Colegio Americano
Notable alumni and staff
Barbara Morgan taught here from 1978 to 1979. She taught English and science for one year. She was later an astronaut on the Space Shuttle.[7]
Carlos Larreategui, former Minister, Chancellor of UDLA (Universidad de Las Americas)
César Montúfar, presidential candidate, former Member of the National Assembly, Ph.D. in Political Science
Verónica Montúfar, secretaria ejecutiva Amnistía internacional Ecuador (1991-1996), Responsable de Igualdad de género y de trabajadores con discapacidad (ISP Ecuador).
"Education: Cooperative Style The American School of Quito. The Grace Log, Volumes 18-21. W. R.Grace & Company, 1935??. p. 14-15-?
Ward, Douglas S. "The American School of Quito." Intellect, Volume 64, 1946. Start p. 385.
"La Cooperativa Colegio Americano de Quito." El Año ecuatoriano. 1952. p. 120-122-? (Search page). "El mes de octubre de 1940 el Colegio Americano de Quito abría sus puertas a cien alumnos matriculados en su primer año escolar, como culminación de un esfuerzo y de un ideal de asociación propugnado por un grupo de caballeros que[...]"
^O'Shea, Michael Vincent. The Nation's Schools, Volume 43. McGraw Hill, 1949. p. 52 (View #2, Search result). "That experiment, the American School of Quito, was begun in 1940 by Senor Plaza, and he continues to play a leading role in the school's development, despite his new duties as president of Ecuador. In the article Senor Plaza expressed his[...]