Awty International School

History

On September 10, 1956 Awty opened at 3736 Westheimer Road. Originally a pre-school, it was founded by Kathleen "Kay" Awty. The school initially had 27 students at the kindergarten and prekindergarten levels.

The school moved to 1615 Garrettson Street in 1960. It served grades preschool through six by 1970, and by that same year there were 250 students. Its upper school division opened in 1975. In 1976 four female students graduated from high school and therefore were the first graduating class. In 1979 Awty merged with the French School of Houston and it began offering a bilingual program. That year, the school moved to its current campus.

In 1984 the school received its current name, the Awty International School. In April 1989 the school planned to start a German program with a similar structure to the French program because it expected to have 20 to 30 German students in the upcoming fall semester. In 1990 its preschool facility opened. Kay Awty died in 1996.

On the school's 50th anniversary in 2006, it was constructing a $5 million athletic complex including a 1,400-seat stadium, 85 parking spaces, and tennis courts.

Affiliations and accreditation

Awty is affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française. Agencies accrediting Awty include the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the Council of International Schools (CIS), the Ministry of National Education of France, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands.

Awty is a member of the following organizations: CIS, IBO, ISAS, National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), and Texas International Baccalaureate Schools (TIBS).

Curriculum

The school offers the IB Diploma, the French Baccalaureate diploma, and the American diploma. As of 2014 Awty is the only school in Greater Houston that offers the French Baccalaureate diploma.

The school has programs tailored to students who speak specific native languages. The school has English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Dutch, German, and Italian native language programs. All Awty students are required to take foreign languages. The foreign languages available include French, Spanish, and English.

Campus

The campus, with 15 acres (6.1 ha) of land, is in Spring Branch in western Houston. It is in proximity to the intersection of the 610 Loop and Interstate 10, and is northwest of it. The campus buildings together have 120 classrooms.

A three story, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m²), 33-classroom facility, called the Levant Foundation Building, is located near the school's entrance. It was scheduled to open in August 2012. Ray Leiker of Bailey Architects designed this building. It includes administrative offices, a dining hall, two art rooms, and a digital photography room. This new facility replaced many temporary buildings. It and a five story parking garage were the first phase of a four-phase, $50 million building program consisting of facilities designed by Bailey Architects.

The current elementary building, with seven classrooms, was built for $5 million and was scheduled for a March 2014 completion. This building includes a computer lab, a media room, an infirmary, two art rooms, and a teacher's lounge and workroom. This, along with a planned preschool building, was the second phase. The new building had its ribbon-cutting ceremony held on April 14, 2014.

In 1998 Brookstone Corp. was building a 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m²) multipurpose performing arts and athletic building. This includes a performing arts platform with a rehearsal room, a gymnasium with locker rooms, and offices.

In 1990 the preschool building opened. In 1991 a science building for secondary students opened. In 1995 preschool classrooms were added, and the following year a multipurpose building opened. This one includes a library, a computer center, and foreign language laboratories.

Originally elementary school classes were located in the school's original building, "Big Blue." This building had the name because it was colored blue. Historically Awty relied on the use of temporary buildings. Demolition of "Big Blue" was completed in August, 2014 to make way for the new Student Services Center.

The former campus on Garrettson Street was west of the 610 Loop, in what is now the Uptown Houston district. It was in proximity to River Oaks and Tanglewood.

Student body

As of 2014 the school has over 1,550 students. This makes it the largest international school in the United States and the largest private school in Houston. As of that year the students originate from the United States, France, and 48 other countries. About 40% of the students are American, 30% are French, and the remainder originate from other countries. French students have parents in Houston working in the oil industry and other professional industries. In 2014 headmaster Lisa Darling stated that there was strong demand for Awty from companies such as Schlumberger, Total SA, and Technip.

The school was founded in 1956. Initially serving 22 students in grades PK4 and Kindergarten, the school rapidly expanded in later years. Currently, the Awty International School student body numbers 1564 students in grades PK3-12.

Admissions and tuition

In April 2014 Darling stated that there are wait lists for all grade levels and that "[l]ast I heard" the number of students applying for 150 spots at Awty was 1,200.

As of 2014 the school e-mails parents of students who were accepted but sends rejection letters and handles inquiries about rejection via the telephone.

As of 2014 the range of annual tuition is $16,000 to $22,000.

Athletics

Coach John Hoye is the head of Awty's athletic department. The athletic campus, Awty Field, is located at 1255 North Post Oak, adjacent to the main campus. Its opening ceremony was held on April 22, 2008. The athletic compound includes a stadium with 1,400 seats, four tennis courts, a press box, a polyethylene soccer pitch, 80 parking spaces, locker rooms, a storage facility, offices of coaches, and a concessions stand. In addition it has a running track that circles around the other facilities. The track is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and has eight lanes. It has wide turns and a Beynon 1000 urethane surface. Stuart Holden, a midfielder for the Houston Dynamo and an alumnus of the school, attended the 2008 opening ceremony.

Prior to the opening of the athletic compound, each athletic team practiced in a different place. The tennis team played home games at tennis courts of other schools in the 5A district of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, and the tennis team practiced at the Memorial Park Tennis Center at Memorial Park. The track team historically practiced at several different stadiums of TAPPS 5A schools; in 2008 the team was practicing at the St. John's School. The soccer teams played only "away" games (games held at other schools or stadiums) before the opening of the new compound, and they practiced in a soccer field on the Awty premises. Annette Baird of the Houston Chronicle describes the former soccer field as "an undersized bumpy pitch".

In 1974 sports teams went by bus to the Post Oak Family YMCA for sports programs. Students taking bowling went to an area bowling alley. Students taking tennis went to the University Club at the Galleria.

Currently, students competing in swimming at Awty practice at Dad's Club.

Awty Athletics Team Championships

Notable alumni

Notable faculty