AISG 40th Anniversary

As we come to the close of the school year of our 40th anniversary, it is important to reflect on AISG’s transformation to date and get excited about the strategic vision that will extend us another 40 years and beyond!

As the oldest international school in South China that was established in 1981, AISG has over 40 years of growing and transforming lives in several key areas, such as our physical presence, our demographics, our expertise in education and our local and global community reach. Here’s a quick overview:

 

Our Growing Campuses

In 1981, AISG was established with just seven American students of consular employees from the U.S. Consulate of Guangzhou in a hotel room in the Dong Fang hotel. The community soon expanded and grew needing more space, so we moved to larger facilities in the Garden hotel. In 1994, we moved into our first purpose-built educational space in the Greenery in Tianhe. Just a few years later, we outgrew the space and moved to a brand-new site on Ersha Island, and a few years after that, our Secondary division moved to a new purpose-built campus in Science Park. We are currently undergoing a Master Facilities Plan that was intentionally designed with the future of learning in mind with state-of-the-art facilities that will transform educational spaces into world-class learning environments. This includes large, bright, open learning spaces to promote collaborative and transparent learning.

 

Our Growing Diversity

AISG started as a school with seven students from US embassy families. Four years later, in 1985, the school expanded to include students from other nations. In 1994, we grew to over 100 students from 21 different nations. This year, we have over 1000 students across our two campuses from over 40 nations. Our faculty also comes from all over the world, bringing a rich, cultural milieu of experiences to our students. We teach our students to understand diverse perspectives, to develop empathy and compassion, and ultimately, to become honorable and ethical young people.

 

Our Growing Accreditations and Memberships

The extent of our professionalism and expertise in education has grown tremendously, which has led to our reputation of being one of the top international schools in Asia. An accredited school is one which has undergone a very thorough evaluation of all its programs, facilities, policies and personnel. In 1987, AISG was accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and continues to be routinely assessed. In 2004 we received authorization from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Office to offer the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP), which also consists of routine assessments. Our memberships have grown both locally and globally, offering an array of opportunities to extend our professional knowledge, build relationships and provide unique experiences. Academic memberships: EARCOS, WIDA, CIS, ACAMIS, AAIE. Athletic memberships: APAC, PRC, SDRC, GSAC, GZCUP. Member of chambers of commerce: AMCHAM, British Chamber of Commerce, European Chamber, CCI France Chine.

 

Our Growing Impact

AISG has been a part of the Guangzhou community since our founding as an embassy school. Part of our mission is that we contribute, and we strive to be a leader in our community with our corporate social responsibility efforts, students in service, volunteerism, charity work, research, and mentoring. Our impact is evident with AISG employing faculty and staff from all over the world, our engagement in cultural exchanges with other schools in Guangzhou, and we have just launched our social practice and training center programs. With our continued growth, we will continue to make an impact with our global reach and our local community, our home of Guangzhou.

 

The Next 40 Years and Beyond

Celebrating 40 years is no small feat and we will continue to be the premier international school in Guangzhou, inspiring both local and global communities. We have developed a strategic vision framework to guide us for the next 40 years, with our priorities being school improvement, expansion, corporate social responsibility, and training and consulting. We have many exciting developments already in the works and look forward to many years to come with AISG’s further transformation of lives.