They’ve gone dark: Afghans who helped the U.S. military, trained as American-style journalists and rode the wave of women heading to higher education are destroying the diplomas, transcripts and résumés that prove how they built civil society in the country that the U.S. has left behind.
New environmental science course coming to American School of Barcelona
Our newest correspondents, from The American School of Barcelona, belong to an international learning community that began in 1962 during Franco’s rule. But since then the school has grown, with more changes in store for next year. Correspondent Darya Podgoretskaya reports.
By Darya Podgoretskaya
American School of Barcelona
GSS correspondent
A lot has changed at the American School of Barcelona throughout its 53-year history. The school started as a small community of local students, and is now an international school drawing students from all over the world. But there are also plans for its improvement.
ASB’s history is unique. In 1962, when the school was established, Spain was ruled by a dictator, General Francisco Franco. Schools were austere and traditional. There was a strict separation of boys, who received a better education, from girls.
But from its inception, ASB was different. Dr. Josep Poal, a Barcelona physician, had studied medicine in the United States and was impressed with the style of education offered there. Returning to Barcelona, he founded the school in order to provide a free-thinking, innovative education for his children and local youth.
On Oct. 2, 1962, the gates of a villa in Pedralbes, a neighborhood north of Barcelona, opened to admit students from kindergarten up to the 5th grade. ASB is now located in Esplugues de Llobregat, closer to the center of Barcelona.
A lot has changed since that October day but the high standard of education remains.
“As a student, I have seen teachers improving quite a lot. However, the school is maintaining its philosophy of education,’’ said Jose Manuel Calahorra, a former ASB student who now is information technology and facilities manager.
The most important part of the school is, of course, students. ASB has grown from just 80 students in 1962 to about 800 students in 2014. The international baccalaureate (IB) program introduced in 2007 is believed to be behind this growth. Before 2000, most ASB students came from Barcelona.
“There weren’t as many international students before,’’ said Ana Mercadal, a former student who is now human resources & alumni coordinator. “If you had a class of 20, most of them would be from Barcelona and maybe about three or four would be international.” But today students come from all over the world, she said, creating a unique environment.
“Studying at the school with such a great history is amazing. I feel like I am a part of something big and important,” said Alina Petrosyan, a freshman.
ASB Director Mark Pingitore said changes are underway next year both in ASB’s curriculum and possibly the campus.
For example, ASB has already hired more language learning support for the secondary school.
“We have a lot of kids that don’t speak English at home and they need some extra help with their writing and reading,’’ said Pingitore. ASB also plans to hire more staff to help children with learning difficulties in the elementary school, he said.
The other innovation at ASB will be a new IB elective in environmental science course, to be offered during the upcoming 2015-16 academic year, Pingitore said.
With all of these new opportunities, ASB will need more space.
“We are looking to do an additional building project that will give us about 16 more classrooms and a gym auditorium in the 2016-2017 academic year,’’ Pingatore said.
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