Harare International School (HIS) is an "international" school in Harare

Harare

Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...

, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...

 with around 444 students. 210 are in elementary school, 106 are in middle school and 128 are in high school. from Pre-kindergarten

Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...

 to Twelfth Grade

Twelfth grade

Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...

. HIS is accredited with the Council of International Schools

Council of International Schools

The Council of International Schools is a non-profit association of international schools and post-secondary institutions which aims to improve international education...

, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...

, and the International Baccalaureate Organization

International Baccalaureate Organization

The International Baccalaureate , formerly the International Baccalaureate Organization , is an international educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland and founded in 1968. IB offers three educational programmes for children ages 3–19.The organization's name and logo were changed...

. Graduates have been accepted from numerous universities worldwide, most notably, Yale

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, Stanford

Stanford University

The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

, Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

, Harvard

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

, Columbia

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

, University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

, MIT

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...

, and Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

.

The Campus

The campus is bounded by a main road on one side and residential properties on the remaining three sides. It is entirely surrounded by a pre-cast concrete wall with four entry / exit access points to the site. The site was originally three separate residential plots and four of the original buildings have been incorporated into the School for ancillary use.

The site was acquired in March 1994 and the architects, Pearce Partnership, were appointed in July of that year to prepare a Master Plan for the phased development of the School. The building contractors took possession of the site on 1 November 1994 to commence construction of the first phase of development, which opened to students in September 1995. The sixth phase of development is currently in progress.

Construction is of natural apricot-colored brick walls under pitched tiled roofing, which is consistent with local building styles and construction methods. Maximum use is made of natural ventilation and light wherever possible. With the exception of the four language classrooms and the administration block, all facilities are on one level and access for the disabled can be easily facilitated.

The School is built in three distinct areas: Elementary, Middle and High Schools, with communal indoor and outdoor physical education facilities and a central library. Brick pathways link the various areas and lighting and directional signage has been placed at strategic locations throughout.

The original design brief required 4 square meters of space per child for general classrooms and 5 square meters of space for laboratory areas, which exceeds both Zimbabwe and British design standards for schools. Actual space allocation varies within 20% of these standards according to the class size per grade. The current capacity of the School is approximately 590 based on the current allocation of classrooms to grades.

The Institute of Architects of Zimbabwe recently awarded a commendation to the architects for their design of the School campus.

The Student Body

The student body represents fifty-five nationalities with 26% from Europe, 25% from the United States and Canada, 40% from Africa, 5% from Asia and 4% from other areas of the world. The class of 2010 consisted of 23 seniors and was the eleventh graduating class at the school. The student body was recognized internationally for

School Year

The school year runs from early August to early June and has a minimum instructional period of 180 days divided into two semesters.

Faculty

The diverse student body demands a flexible and creative faculty. Typically, there are ten to twelve nationalities represented in the teaching faculty. The certified, professional staff is selected from among the best candidates in the highly competitive overseas teaching market. The average teaching experience of the faculty is approximately ten years and over 50% hold advanced graduate degrees.

The Mission

Harare International School teaches the personal values, academic qualities and sense of responsibility needed for life-long learning, community service and world citizenship through educational programs that are relevant, challenging and engaging.

The Philosophy

Harare International School is committed to educating the whole child—intellectually, physically, and aesthetically—in an academically challenging, nurturing, and child-centered environment. We foster freedom of expression, independent thinking, and positive personal values and qualities while maintaining a sense of responsibility to others through respect and cooperation. The educational framework of Harare International School supports a balance between the processes and outcomes of learning.

The curriculum is based not only on the acquisition of knowledge but also on the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Using a broad, research-based, and culturally-diverse curriculum, we emphasize literacy; written and oral communication; the creative process of the arts and music; the acquisition and mastery of multiple languages; reasoning in the sciences and mathematics; the pursuit of a physically active and healthy lifestyle; and, technology to enhance the learning and discovery process.

We believe that for students to be effective, fully contributing members of society, they must possess social and moral responsibility, and demonstrate this through understanding and respect for others and service to the community. Harare International School strives to enhance each student’s self-worth, confidence, and pride by providing programs that make the most of our multi-cultural school community. This school environment is created through a partnership involving students, faculty, administration, parents, and the Zimbabwean community.

Curriculum

The curriculum is based on American and international programs of education and incorporates the best educational practices from around the world. There is a strong emphasis on a commitment to global and intercultural education. The school strives for academic excellence, a well-balanced development of all aspects of the student’s personality and an appreciation for lifelong learning. The elementary school is an authorized IB Primary Years Programme member and the high school is an IB World School. IB Diploma exams were administered to high school students for the first time at the school in May 2006.

International Baccalaureate

It has been an IB World school since January 2004, and has been authorised to offer the IB Primary Years Programme since June 2004.

Employment

HIS employs both locally-hired and overseas-hired faculty. Local contracts are issued on an annual basis, whereas overseas hire contracts are issued for an initial two-year period with subsequent annual renewals.

All candidates for teaching positions must be duly qualified, holding the minimum of a Bachelor's Degree and certification/licensing in their subject area. Generally, successful candidates have at least two years of previous professional experience and the majority hold advanced graduate degrees.

Candidates may establish a file at HIS by mailing or emailing a cover letter, a CV of educational and professional experiences, and a listing of references and their contact details. All correspondence should be forwarded to the Director either at his email (polson@his.ac.zw) or in person.

Administration

Director: Mr. Paul Olson

Secondary School Principal: Mr. Russell Menard

Elementary School Principal: Dr. Kathryn Carter-Golden

Director of Student Services: Mrs. Elizabeth Morris

IB Coordinator: Mrs. Theresa Maguire

PYP Coordinator: Mrs. Melisa Bush