History

The American International School of Kingston opened its doors to 27 eager students in September of 1994.  During the previous year, five capable women collaborated and made their dream school come to life.  Alida Vessey  (the Dutch wife of the then Deputy Ambassador of the U.S.A.) emerged as the leader and first principal of AISK.  The school began with four teachers, a principal, and secretary and, of course, our House Master, Anthony Morgan, who has been with us from the very beginning.

The school began with teacher taught classes from grades Kindergarten to five.  Grades six through twelve were supervised in correspondence courses offered by the Calvert School and the University of Nebraska.  Each academic year, the correspondence courses were phased out until the whole School benefited from teacher-taught classes in the 2001-2002 academic year when AISK gained its accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

We quickly collected many accolades. Our Junior and Senior Debate teams were amongst the best in the nation.  The performances of Fiddler on the Roof, Grease and My Fair Lady left audiences stunned by the talent of our small student body.  Our students were and still are routinely admitted to top colleges and universities in the United States and around the world.

On August 2009, the school year began like none other, at our new, permanent and beautiful campus on College Green. Our custom built school, equipped with technology vital to 21^st century learning is an exciting place to learn.  Our school continues to grow by leaps and bounds.  The 1:1 laptop program facilitates technology integration into all aspects of school life.  Our students participate in the Model United Nations in New York and Boston.  Our juniors and seniors are fully engaged in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, either as part of the program or participating in many of the challenging courses.  We boast a comprehensive music and arts program culminating with the annual Evening of the Arts where the talents of our students are proudly showcased.  There is a great deal going on at AISK!  We are so proud of what has been accomplished and very excited about the future.

We have laughed and cried, struggled and excelled.  Our alumni, now graduates of university and the world, come by or e-mail every so often and let us know about their latest adventure.  Whether they are working in Japan, getting their doctorates in Biology, a part of the international banking sector in New York City or back home in Jamaica giving back some of what they have learned to the country they love, they remember AISK fondly, their home away from home.