International School develops strong citizens - of many countries

by Earl Patrick Watson and Eric Jackson

The Panama Canal Treaties are a done deal now, but looking back, it was a gradual process. One of the first things that changed was the transfer of the old Canal Zone Schools Division to the Department of Defense Dependents' Schools system, and that was a sign that English language education on the isthmus wouldn't be the same. Understand that a schooling in English was not only the norm for Zonian kids and military dependents, but also that many children from Panama's better-off families attended Canal Zone schools, as did the kids of the diplomatic corps and foreign business executives. Moreover, a lot of Panamanians who were educated in the Canal Zone schools wanted an English schooling for their kids, but also wanted them to get a better education than they had received, an education that's relevant to Panama and its international setting.

Thus in 1982, a small faculty and a few dozen parents created the International School of Panama, with the goal of providing quality education with an international emphasis. There were 47 students and eight faculty members at the school's beginning on La Cresta. There wasn't a graduation until 1990, when eight students received their diplomas.

Today the International School of Panama occupies much larger premises on Cerro Viento, which accommodate a faculty of about 100 and a student body of some 600. The student body comes from 40 different nations and the school enjoys the excellent reputation that its founders sought.

The school offers the possibility of an International Baccalaureate (IB) degree, for which a student must study two languages and a balanced course of arts and sciences, study the theory of knowledge and learn the art of the extended essay. Moreover, students must participate in the school's CAS program, which emphasizes creativity, activities and community service outside the classroom setting. The school has a student newspaper and conducts a model United Nations General Assembly, which give the kids a leg up when it comes to learning how to participate in democratic discourse and get along in foreign settings.

While other English-language schools may be more "exclusive" and inward-looking, the International School of Panama has public "sister schools" and working relationships with orphanages, day care centers, hospitals and other institutions, at which the students do community service. International School kids get to know people very unlike themselves.

The casual observer can see the effects at the Theatre Guild of Ancon, at football games in Balboa Stadium, during cayuco racing season and elsewhere. It seems that the International School students are often the leaders among their peers. That's a matter of education, rather than a series of accidents.