Association of American Schools in Central America
The Association of American Schools of Central America (or AASCA) is an association of twenty-two private schools "formed to support and encourage academic, artistic, athletic and cultural interaction between international schools that offer a US type education in Central America.[1]"
Association Guidelines
Vision
"AASCA will be a model association that develops democratic leadership for today and tomorrow."
Mission Statement
"AASCA provides opportunities for schools communities to participate in activities to develop their full potential, social responsibility, and global citizenship."
Core Values
- Principles of democracy.
- Community service and service learning.
- Providing English and host country instructional programs that empower learners to reach their full potential.
- Education for success in a diverse global economy.
- Formal external accreditation as a standard for educational excellence.
- Building community through a variety of activities and experiences.
- Fostering behaviors leading to conservation of resources.
Goals
- Facilitate professional development opportunities and resources to enhance the teaching-learning process.
- Provide a broad range of activities for students with social, learning, and performance objectives.
- Promote community service and service learning in all member schools.
- Strengthen AASCA’s organizational identity and sustainability
Membership
- American International School of Costa Rica
- Country Day School
- Costa Rica International Academy (CRIA)
- Lincoln School
- Marian Baker School
- Pan-American School
- Colegio Internacional de San Salvador
- Escuela Americana
- Escuela Panamericana
- Colegio Maya, El Salvador
- Colegio Maya
- American School of Guatemala
- Colegio Americano del Sur
- Colegio Decroly Americano
- Colegio Interamericano
- Village School
- Balboa Academy
- International School of Panama (ISP)
- Crossroads Christian Academy
AASCA Events & Tournaments
- Basketball
- Volleyball
- Soccer
- Cross-Country Invitational
- Knowledge Bowl
- Drama Festival
- Music Festival
- Leadership Conference
- Media / Film Festival
Each sport tournament is generally scheduled two years consecutively followed by a one year break. This means that schools usually participate in two AASCA sports tournaments per academic year. As basketball, volleyball and soccer are the most popular events and most teams consist of students who participate in more than one of these sports, this system helps decrease the chances of scheduling conflicts within the schools themselves and between AASCA member schools.
AASCA tournaments and events vary in participation based on school size. "Big schools" are those that have a total of students, grades K-12, totaling over one-thousand. "Small schools" are those with a total enrollment under one-thousand (although these rules may be under review). Basketball, volleyball and soccer have separate tournaments based on school size. However, some host schools of "big school" tournaments have invited "small schools" to participate in their tournaments, sometimes resulting in upsets like Country Day School's basketball championship triumph over the Escuela Americana in 2005. Most invitational tournaments and other events are open to all member schools.
Big Schools
1. American School of Guatemala 2. Colegio Decroly Americano 3. Colegio Interamericano 4. Escuela Americana 5. American School of Tegucigalpa 6. Escuela Internacional Sampedrana 7. American Nicaraguan School 8. Lincoln School 9. Village School 10. International School of Panama
Small Schools
1. American International School of Costa Rica 2. Balboa Academy 3. Colegio Americano del Sur 4. Colegio Maya 5. Colegio Maya El Salvador 6. Colegio Internacional de San Salvador 7. Country Day School - Guanacaste 8. Country Day School 9. Escuela Panamericana (El Salvador) 10. Lincoln International Academy 11. Marian Baker School 12. Mazapan School of La Ceiba 13. Pan-American School (Costa Rica)