American International School of Guangzhou
The American International School of Guangzhou (AISG, ) is an independent, non-profit, multicultural, and co-educational day school for foreign children from preschool to grade 12. It is located in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, with an Elementary School campus on Ersha Island, Yuexiu District and a Secondary School campus in Science Park, Huangpu District (formerly Luogang District). Founded in 1981, it is the oldest international school in South China. AISG offers an international curriculum guided by American educational standards and principles. History. AISG was founded in 1981 under the auspices of the U.S. Consulate. Originally named  the American School of Guangzhou (ASG), its purpose was to educate the American children of consular employees. The first year, seven students attended classes taught by volunteer teachers in the Dong Fang Hotel (東方賓館). The aim was to enable students to integrate smoothly into the American educational system when they returned to their home country. The children of other consulates' employees were soon admitted and the school relocated to the Garden Hotel in 1985. In 1994, with over one hundred students from 21 nations, ASG moved into a purpose-built school in the Greenery, a housing estate in the Tianhe  District. The school expanded to include high school (grades 9 through 12) during the 1996–97 academic year, and its first three graduates received their diplomas in 1998. ASG was reorganized legally in 1998 as a non-profit corporation in the United States, which then contracted with the school entity registered in China for the provision of educational services. As part of this process, the school changed its name to the American International School of Guangzhou and gained official recognition by the People's Republic of China as a school serving expatriate children. In 2001, AISG received authorization from the International  Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to offer the IB Diploma Programme. In August 2002, AISG moved to a new, purpose-built facility on Ersha Island, and in 2004 received permission from the IBO to offer the Primary Years Program. Grades K–12 were all housed at the Ersha Campus until 2007, when the middle school and high school divisions moved to a separate, purpose-built campus in Science Park, a district in eastern Guangzhou. AISG's Early Childhood Center, which teaches preschool students from age 3, was added to the Ersha campus site at this time. AISG will celebrate its 40th anniversary during  the 2021-2022 school year. Facilities. There are two campuses: Ersha Island Campus (二沙岛校区) and Science Park Campus (科技城校区). Student life. At the Elementary School, activities in the arts, sports, community service, and academic extension are available. Activities include art and crafts, drama, choir, sudoku, language study, lego building, martial arts, student council, and STEM. Middle and High School students are involved in many extracurricular activities. Student may join music and drama clubs as well as Model United Nations, Global Issues Network, Quiz Bowl, student government, science, robotics, and media activities. Community service initiatives include Habitat for Humanity, Roots and  Shoots, and working with mentally challenged adults in Guangzhou. High School and Middle School students also participate in China trips, during which each grade travels to an area in China, including Hong Kong, and Macau. Clubs. Club involvement is considered an integral aspect of the educational experience at the American International School of Guangzhou. AISG has a variety of clubs students may join, many with a focus on community service. Clubs include: Athletics. Elementary School. At the Elementary School, after school sports include volleyball, soccer, floor hockey, taekwondo, table tennis, and badminton. Secondary School. AISG fields sports a large number  of teams at the Secondary School level. Some of the sports that many students participate competitively in are volleyball, basketball, soccer, tennis and badminton, in which they play against other international schools and Chinese universities in the region. In 2008, AISG joined the Asia Pacific Activities Conference, which allows the students to compete against the top international Schools from China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, and the Philippines. APAC also includes activities such as Drama, Forensics and Debate, Orchestra and Band. AISG has withdrawn from ACAMIS for the high school teams since it is member of APAC. The middle school is  a member of the Southern Delta Region Conference (SDRC), which provides opportunities to play other international schools in the region. Asia Pacific Activities Conference sports and Performing Arts. AISG is a member of the Asia Pacific Activities Conference. APAC includes 12 international schools in the Asia-Pacific area, including International School of Beijing (ISB), Western Academy of Beijing (WAB), Concordia International School, Shanghai (CISS), Shanghai American School-Puxi (SAS-PX), Shanghai American School-Pudong (SAS-PD), Hong Kong International School (HKIS), Brent International School (BISM), Taejon Christian International School (TCIS), Canadian Academy (CA), Seoul Foreign School (SFS) and United Nations  International School of Hanoi. APAC sponsors athletic and fine/performing arts events throughout the school year. For each event, Upper Secondary students from participating schools travel to a designated school and are housed by host families. APAC athletics include basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton, tennis, table tennis, baseball, softball, rugby, cross country, swimming, and track and field. Performing arts activities include orchestra, choir, dance, band, and theatre. Food and nutrition. Meals are prepared on-site on each campus, and students use a prepaid lunch card system to purchase them. The cafeterias and cafes serve nutritionally balanced options. Students may also bring  their own food. College admission. AISG promotes a best fit policy, guiding students in finding the best college matches for who they are and what they want to do. With students heading to highly regarded undergraduate institutions such as the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Southern California (USC), Hong Kong University, University College London (UCL), École hôtelière de Lausanne, National University of Singapore (NUS), Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University and Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in  the Classes of 2019 and 2020, AISG is highly respected by many admissions teams.