Indeed, there’s a special kind of creative energy here at AIS that comes from more than just the natural hustle and bustle of children going to and from class; there’s an incredible spirit of community and diversity of perspectives that come from students, families, faculty and staff representing more than 90 nationalities and over 60 languages. Our faculty alone comes from 40 different nations.
At AIS, we recognize that to adequately prepare students for our increasingly complex and interconnected world, we must provide them with new ways of thinking and new ways of collaborating in solving our most pressing global issues. As such, our mission goes far beyond preparing students for good colleges and prosperous careers; we want to create globally-minded and critical-thinking innovators ready to re-shape the world for the better.
Through the IB, we develop the whole human being. A confident young person courageous in their willingness to question what they observe around them. A student able to take complex and often disparate knowledge, concepts and skills and forge these into new and unique ways of solving problems and adding value to their world.
We make learning relevant and exciting for students, as we continually draw connections between what they learn in the classroom and the real world. Perhaps most importantly, we encourage our young people to reflect on their learning—and to act on it in the service of others. We believe learning must be for action and impact.
What AIS is especially known for, and perhaps why I’ve saved it for last, is our approach to language acquisition and immersion. Young people not only learn another language (or two or three) here, they learn through that language. This means they not only become highly proficient in more than one language, they also develop “intercultural competence”, the ability to easily navigate and flow between and among different nationalities and complex cultural situations—and to do so with tremendous empathy, diplomacy and tact.
To meet the challenges and opportunities of our interdependent, fast-changing world as responsible citizens, young people require flexible intellectual competence, self-discipline, and a global outlook. To achieve these goals, they need rigorous academic preparation and a passion to become the best they can be. To thrive in and contribute to this world, they must have a solid sense of self and respect for others—as individuals, as members of a group, as citizens of their nations, and as members of the global community. Extraordinary individuals will be called upon to shape the 21st century. The mission of Atlanta International School (AIS) is to develop such individuals. To fulfill this mission, AIS commits itself to the following goals:
We believe that encouraging each student to discover the intrinsic joy of learning and purposeful effort will help each one to set and achieve high academic standards. Furthermore, we believe it is vital to nurture mutual respect and understanding among all members of our community. Together we cultivate a spirited sense of hope in human potential. We believe the diversity of our community provides an extraordinary opportunity to enable our students to communicate, create, and collaborate in order to build a peaceful future.
The joy of learning and purposeful effort: We want our students to experience joy in their intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development. At AIS we will create a safe, stimulating educational environment, promoting the wonder and curiosity that motivate a student to explore learning in and beyond the classroom throughout life. We believe that achievement derives from sustained, purposeful effort and that our potential is best developed by learning to think critically, debate confidently, and push our limits. Ours is a community that nurtures and celebrates disciplined and myriad intelligences, and we approach teaching with the expectation that every student will be successful.
Mutual respect and understanding in a diverse community: We believe that every human being is valuable and deserves respect. We further believe that respect springs from understanding and that the best way to understand others is by learning to see the world from other points of view. Since each language reflects the values, history, and way of thinking of those who use it, learning another language is a particularly effective means of understanding and respecting others. We believe that a cohesive community of students, faculty, staff, and parents from many backgrounds—socio-economic, ethnic, racial, linguistic, national, and religious—provides an ideal setting for the development of respect and understanding and helps prepare students to thrive in a diverse, interdependent world.
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Atlanta International School has exceeded my expectations in providing a high-quality American curriculum. The teachers are incredibly helpful and supportive, ensuring that my child has made great progress in their education. I am thrilled with the overall experience at this school.
By Aiden Harris (Feb, 2024) |