The American School of Tegucigalpa is a private, co-educational, non-profit school provides educational services for students from Nursery through Grade 12. AST was founded in 1946. Both the Honduran Ministry of Eduction and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredit AST. The school is an IB World School with authorization to use the IB Diploma Programme.
AST has over 1,100 students that represent 19 countries. There are 101 faculty members; most teachers are Honduran although about 25% are from the United States.
image: LeRoc
The American School of Tegucigalpa’s mission is to provide a college preparatory education that is student oriented and emphasizes social responsibility within a bicultural environment.
Facilities
The school is located in a wealthy neighborhood of Lomas de Guijarro, just above Tegucigalpa, Honduras. AST has 80 classrooms, 5 science labs, 4 computer labs, a media center, a computer technology center for teachers, 2 libraries, music rooms, a gym and athletic fields.
Curriculum
AST has a college preparatory curriculum with English as the primary language of instruction. The school is committed to a student-centered approach to teaching and learning. Students that graduate receive the Honduran Bachillerato, an American High School Diploma and may receive the IB Diploma as well.
Extracurricular Activities
The school offers a wide range of extracurricular activities including yearbook, National Honor Society, student council, music and drama, cheerleading, an assortment of clubs, Habitat for Humanity, soccer, basketball and volleyball. The school athletic teams compete with other schools in the Association of Bilingual Schools in Honduras and the Association of American Schools of Central America. Teachers that sponsor after school activities receive a stipend.
Technology
AST has four computer labs with 30 terminals in each lab. Computer classes are taught as part of the school curriculum.
Professional Development
The school has a professional development plan that includes a teacher performance appraisal program.
Employment
The school has an interesting teacher handbook available online. I say interesting because it has a list of teacher standards that include forbidden activities for teachers, such as chewing gum in class, possessing or selling weapons and punishing students by requiring repetitive copying assignments. Hmm. Teachers get paid once a month; Honduran Social Security (3.5%) and Honduran Teacher Retirement (7%) is taken out of your salary each month. No information is available on employment opportunities or salaries and benefits, which I find rather curious. The school does, however, attend the ISS recruitment fairs.
About Tegucigalpa
Tegucigalpa is an old colonial city and the capital of Honduras with a population of around 1.1 million. The city is located in a valley encircled by mountains. Tegucigalpa has fourteen museums for teachers with an interest in history, including the National Anthropology and History Museum, the National Art Gallery and the Archaeological Museum. The National Zoo is located in the city and has the usual collection of tropical animals and birds. The city has many shopping centers and malls. There are a variety of restaurants around the city offering international and local cuisines. For those teachers with a mad desire for eating fast food, Tegucigalpa has McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s and Subway.
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