The Awty International School is a private school located in Spring Branch, western Houston, Texas, United States, for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. With a bilingual program for French-speaking students from France and other countries, Awty is the largest international school in the United States and the largest private school in Houston.
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History
Awty opened at 3736 Westheimer Road on September 10, 1956. Originally a pre-school, it was founded by Kathleen "Kay" Awty. The school initially had 27 students at the kindergarten and prekindergarten levels.
The school moved to 1615 Garrettson Street in 1960. It served grades preschool through six by 1970, and by that same year there were 250 students. The upper school division opened in 1975, and in 1976 four female students graduated from high school, forming the first graduating class. In 1979, Awty merged with the French School of Houston and began offering a bilingual program. That year, the school moved to its current campus.
In 1984 the school received its current name, the Awty International School. A preschool facility opened in 1990. Kay Awty died in 1996.
On the school's 50th anniversary in 2006, a $5 million athletic complex including a 1,400-seat stadium, 85 parking spaces, and tennis courts was constructed.
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Affiliations and accreditation
Awty is affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française. Agencies accrediting Awty include the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the Council of International Schools (CIS), the Ministry of National Education of France, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands.
Awty is also a member of National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), and Texas International Baccalaureate Schools (TIBS).
Curriculum
The school offers the IB Diploma, the French Baccalaureate diploma, and the American diploma. As of 2014 Awty is the only school in Greater Houston that offers the French Baccalaureate diploma.
The school has programs tailored to students who speak specific native languages. The school has English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch, German, and Italian native language programs. All Awty students are required to take foreign languages. The foreign languages available include French, Spanish, and English.
Campus
The campus, with 15 acres (6.1 ha) of land, is in Spring Branch in western Houston. It is in proximity to the intersection of the 610 Loop and Interstate 10, and is northwest of it. The campus buildings together have 120 classrooms.
A three story, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m2), 33-classroom facility, called the Levant Foundation Building, is located near the school's entrance. Opened in 2012, the building includes administrative offices, a dining hall, two art rooms, and a digital photography room. This new facility replaced many temporary buildings. It and a five story parking garage were the first phase of a four-phase, $50 million building program consisting of facilities designed by Bailey Architects. The second phase of the project was completed in 2014 with the opening of a new elementary building, which includes a computer lab, a media room, an infirmary, two art rooms, and a teacher's lounge and workroom.
Awty historically relied on the use of temporary buildings, and elementary school classes were originally located in the school's original building, "Big Blue." Demolition of "Big Blue" was completed in August, 2014 to make way for the new Student Services Center.
The former campus on Garrettson Street was west of the 610 Loop, in what is now the Uptown Houston district. It was in proximity to River Oaks and Tanglewood.
Student body
As of 2014 the school has over 1,550 students. This makes it the largest international school in the United States and the largest private school in Houston. As of that year the students originate from the United States, France, and 48 other countries. About 40% of the students are American, 30% are French, and the remainder originate from other countries.
Athletics
Coach Lindsay Youngdahl is the head of Awty's athletic department. The athletic campus, Awty Field, is located at 1255 North Post Oak, adjacent to the main campus. Its opening ceremony was held on April 22, 2008. The athletic compound includes a stadium with 1,400 seats, four tennis courts, a press box, a polyethylene soccer pitch, 80 parking spaces, locker rooms, a storage facility, offices of coaches, and a concessions stand. In addition it has a running track that circles around the other facilities. The track is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and has eight lanes. It has wide turns and a Beynon 1000 urethane surface. Stuart Holden, a midfielder for the Houston Dynamo and an alumnus of the school, attended the 2008 opening ceremony.
Prior to the opening of the athletic compound, each athletic team practiced in a different place. The tennis team played home games at tennis courts of other schools in the 5A district of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, and the tennis team practiced at the Memorial Park Tennis Center at Memorial Park. The track team historically practiced at several different stadiums of TAPPS 5A schools; in 2008 the team was practicing at the St. John's School. The soccer teams played only "away" games (games held at other schools or stadiums) before the opening of the new compound, and they practiced in a soccer field on the Awty premises. Annette Baird of the Houston Chronicle describes the former soccer field as "an undersized bumpy pitch".
Currently, students competing in swimming at Awty practice at Dad's Club.
Awty Athletics Team Championships
Notable alumni
- Stuart Holden (Class of 2003) - midfielder for the Houston Dynamo and Bolton Wanderers.
Notable faculty
- J. Fred Duckett (coach and history teacher)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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