Yongsan International School of Seoul
| Yongsan International School of Seoul 서울 용산 국제 학교 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | |
|
Seoul South Korea | |
| Coordinates | 37°32′26″N 127°0′2″E / 37.54056°N 127.00056°ECoordinates: 37°32′26″N 127°0′2″E / 37.54056°N 127.00056°E |
| Information | |
| Type | Private School |
| Established |
1990 (ICS Seoul) 2006 (YISS) |
| School district | Yongsan |
| Superintendent | Mr. Ray Johnson |
| Enrollment | ~970 |
| Mascot | Guardians |
| Website |
www |
Yongsan International School of Seoul (YISS) is a private, coeducational Christian school, offering an American curriculum based education to the international community in South Korea. Located in the heart of the nation's capital, YISS encompasses an academic environment that emphasizes the development of character, with a sound foundation for morals, ethics, and values focused on meeting the needs of diverse students within the context of the culture of the host country.
History
The school was founded in August 1990 as International Christian School Seoul (ICS Seoul)[1] with the first graduation being held in 1997.
KFSF
In 2004 the Korea Foreign Schools Foundation was established under the Korean government's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy with the task of establishing and operating foreign schools in order to foster talents and improve the educational environment so as to contribute to attracting FDI in Korea.
YISS was established by the Korea Foreign Schools Foundation in 2006. The project was initiated by financial contributions from the national government and business organizations. KFSF leased the land for the campus from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and provided the school facilities.[2]
School
Location
YISS is located in Hannam, not far from Itaewon, the heart of the foreign community. It is located next to Exit 1 of Hangangjin Station. Seoul Metro Govt provided a free lease on the 23,100 square meters of land, valued at some 50 billion won (US$50 million) in 2005, for 50 years and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy funded the school to the tune of 13 billion won (US$13 million), the largest amount given to any international school. KCCI also financed the rest of construction costs, about 20 billion won (US$20 million), on behalf of the school.[2]
Student Body
The student body at YISS represents about 50 nationalities[3] with 60% of the students being ethnically Korean.[4]
Academics
In 2011 the students SAT scores were above the national average of the United States, with a mean of 1,255, compared to a U.S. average of 1,028.
Students have been admitted to global educational institutions including Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, Columbia University, Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany and Korea University.[4]
Students have an option of choosing a Christian or a secular based curriculum. This is done because the school was funded by KFSF whose requirements were that students of different culture or religion could study at YISS.
1:1 Laptop Program
The 1:1 Laptop Program was started in 2011 with the completion of the High School and Middle School rollout completed in 2012.
Facilities
Facilities at YISS include a modern auditorium, music room, gymnasium, weight training room, indoor swimming pool, playground, soccer field, and basement parking facilities.[4]
Extracurricular Activities
Sports
YISS students participate in sporting activities in Far East and South East Asia through various conferences. The sporting activities include: cross-country, basketball, football (soccer), tennis, swimming, volleyball and cheerleading.[5]
GWAM
GWAM also known as Guardians With a Message is a YISS school program in High School through which students serve others in Korea and other parts of Asia. The Immersion program is the Middle School version of GWAM. Both Immersion and GWAM participate in events in places such as Manila, Baguio, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Yanji, Gunsan, Taebaek and Seoul.[6]
Others
Students participate in Model United Nation events such as BEIMUN[7] and SEOMUN. They also participate in the Chess Tournament.
Controversy
There has been some controversy as to how students are admitted, particularly those of Korean ethnicity. In 2008 the school was accused of admitting unqualified students who were children of Korean staff within the schools. There were also allegations that the children were exempted from paying school fees which was at about US$20,000 per year at the time.
YISS admitted that there were admissions irregularities and that the children were no longer attending the school.[2]
See also
References
- ↑ "Ministry of Education (Korea) International Schools". Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 "National Digest Korea Times". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ "YISS". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- 1 2 3 "Seoul Metro Govt. Features. Yongsan International School of Seoul". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ "KAIAC". Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ "YISS Newsletter" (PDF). Retrieved 30 January 2014.
- ↑ "Beimun". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
