History
Wuhan Yangtze International School opened in the fall of 2003 in Wuchang, on the East side of town near South Lake. With seven students (grades one through five), six foreign teachers and six Chinese staff members, South Lake International School (SLIS) began. Classes assumed half of the third and the full fourth floor of the South Lake Village housing complex.
In the Beginning
The school provided a place where expatriate families could educate their children in English, and the student body included representatives from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Iraq, Russia and the United States. In February of 2004, SLIS opened a kindergarten for four and five year olds, and by the end of the school year, the total number of students was twenty-five.
With the influx of new students during the second school year, it was clear larger facilities were needed. The administration decided to move the school to the west side of the Yangtze River. In August of 2005, the school moved to a Chinese elementary campus (San Jiao Hu Xiao Xue) in Wuhan Economic and Technology Development Zone of Hanyang (Zhuan Kou Kai Fa Qu). This location provided students with many benefits including a soccer field, rubberized track and abundant classrooms. The new location proved to be successful and the school continued a healthy growth rate, concluding the 2005-2006 school year with over fifty students.
A Season of Change
Both the 06/07 school year, and 07/08 school year, was a time of many changes in the way of facilities, educational programs, faculty and staff. For family reasons, the original principal left China, and a new principal from the ISC sister school, Qingdao MTI International School (QMIS), replaced him. With the new principal came a new secondary science teacher, an art and music teacher, a new Chinese language teacher and a science program assistant. With the new staff came a new K-12 science program, an elementary music program and a K-12 art program. In 2007 we ended the school year with over 15 foreign teachers, 20 Chinese staff and an enrollment of 92 students members. In the fall of 2007, a new PE/activities coordinator and a secondary math teacher were hired. Students at the school now have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities such as art, music, drama, band, chess, volleyball, basketball, soccer and dance. Students from grades 6-12 now compete in ISC tournaments for chess, volleyball, basketball, and soccer. They can also participate in the annual ISC choral concert in Tianjin.
WYIS Today
We have just come to the end of a comprehensive accreditation process. We systematically evaluated 12 categories of our school as prescribed by our accreditation agency (CITA). We completed the process and have now become a fully accredited school. With accreditation has come more improvements. A comprehensive ESOL program for secondary students was established. We have appointed our first guidance counselor who received training through the College Board™ at Georgetown University and who has developed a college preparatory class which is taught to all juniors. The course is available to sophomores and seniors as well. Already acting as an ACT testing center, WYIS became an official College Board testing site and now offers the full battery of tests: AP, PSAT, SAT, and ACT. An Advanced Placement (AP®) program was established and AP classes are being introduced incrementally (Chinese, Art, Calculus, Chemistry, English, Social Studies). It is planned that by the 2009-2010 school year, all graduating seniors will have the opportunity to graduate with an Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID™) if they so desire. We will begin the 2008-2009 school year with new staff, improved facilites, and enrollment in excess of 110 students.