HISTORY OF THE GEORGETOWN AMERICAN SCHOOL

The Georgetown American School began in 1971 as a cooperative effort by a group of United States Embassy parents who answered the need for the opportunity of an American style education in Guyana by forming their own school. The school which had an initial enrollment of 11 children was opened in Bel Air Gardens as a "bottom house" operation at the private residence of one of the parents. At this very early stage the parents from among their own number provided both the administrative and teaching staff of the school.

The school soon began to be more inclusive as it expanded to accommodate children of other Americans resident in or on assignment in Guyana. This inclusiveness and consequent expansion continued as British and Canadian personnel also resident in or on assignment in Guyana began to send their children to the American School. Finally, the school began to evolve its present character as parents of other nationalities, who as members of foreign missions or businesses were also resident in Guyana, began also to send their children to the American School. Today the Georgetown American School, if not de jure, is certainly de facto the international School of Guyana and thus in one very important sense has established a base from which to fulfill its stated goal of "preparing students to adapt and adjust to the complexities and challenges of an increasingly interdependent and constantly changing world"

From its inception the school, has existed "under the aegis of the Embassy of the United States of America" and as the result of a verbal agreement with the Government of Guyana which proscribed enrolling Guyanese student, hiring Guyanese teachers, or conducting fund raising or other activities that might tend to raise the school's profile in the community.

Early in its history Articles of Association were adopted by the parents of the children enrolled in the school, and these Articles together with the by-laws govern the school's operations. As Private education in Guyana is still not legal and as the school operates as the result of a diplomatic agreement involving accommodation in other ways outside the framework of Guyana, the school continues to exist as an extra-legal body. However, in 1990 the school upgraded its legal status through the registration of a Deed of Trust which created Trustees for the school who would be capable of owning land and exercising other legal functions in Guyana.

As the school's enrollment has slowly increased over the years the school has made several moves in order to accommodate the growing number of students and well as a wider age range of students.In 1979 the school, which was then K-5, moved to a rented property located at 9-10 Delhi Street. In 1983 the school rented an additional property at 8 Delhi Street in order to accommodate a growing enrollment which then covered graded K-9. in 1989 permission was given for the school's use of City Council land for the purposes of developing a school and community play area, and preliminary work was done in filling the leveling the areas which is located opposite the then rented properties occupied by the school. In the meantime the school's academic programme expanded to include all grades from K through 12. While in the first instance instruction for grades 1012 was provided through correspondence courses from the University of Nebraska, on-site instruction from grades K-12 was provided since 1993, and the school had its first graduate in 1994 followed by another in 1995. There have been graduates every year until the present.

In 1995 the Trustees entered into their first legal agreement by purchasing the present school properties at 9-10 Delhi Street and the adjoining property at 61 Chandra Nagar Street. This act together with the Board's adoption of a development and expansion plan to meet both present and projected future need took the school into an new era of permanence.

Following up on the Board's vision, the school in 1995 embarked on the complete renovation and expansion of the school's physical plant. Concurrently the school began a self-study process with the intention of applying for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Renovation and expansion of the physical plant was completed in 1996 and accreditation was achieved in 1998.