Discovery School... An International School with A Unique Learning Environment

As follows from its name, the Discovery School is built around the concepts that learning is a process of discovery and that teaching and learning are developmental and lifelong passions. The School believes that the most meaningful education takes place through first-hand experiences based on themes that cut across subject lines and integrate knowledge. This implies a progressive approach to learning that is distinct from many traditional schools in its focus on exploration and inquiry, open-ended questions, hands-on experiences, simulations, experimentation, active participation, and collaborative student-teacher relationships. The Discovery School chooses to be different and consciously creative and innovative in its curriculum and approach in an effort to make learning fun, exciting, and challenging. This focus on discovery can be seen in the following areas:

Student-Centered Learning
Development of the Whole Person
Rich Learning Environment
Emphasis on Learning Skills
Experience Beyond the Campus
Dynamic, Enthusiastic Teachers
Nurturing Social Dynamics
Supportive Community
International and Cultural Diversity

At Discovery School we have four school divisions: Early Childhood (Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten); Elementary School (Grades 1-5); Middle School (Grades 6-8); and High School (Grades 9-12). Each grade level from Kindergarten through Grade 7 has two sections and the teachers as a team in planning and delivering instruction. Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten classes had teaching assistants assigned to help the teachers supervise and provide lessons for the students.

The Head of School directs the entire school; the Assistant Secondary Principal has direct supervision and management of the Middle School and High School; and the Elementary Coordinator provides guidance for the Early Childhood and Elementary School. The Counselor provides guidance for students, parents and teachers of all grade levels. The Technology Coordinator is responsible for providing oversight and leadership of all technology on campus.

At the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year, we had 230 students enrolled in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. Approximately 25% of our students are American, 47% Honduran, and 28% from over 20 other countries. Following our philosophy of maintaining small class sizes, the elementary classes are limited to 15 students, with exceptions being made for families who enroll siblings. In the secondary classes, up to 18 students per class are permitted. English is the language of instruction in all classes except Spanish and Spanish Social Studies.

Elementary and Middle School Subjects: In the Elementary and Middle School, students are given instruction in the core areas of Language Arts, Math, Science and Social Studies, plus Specials Classes of Art, Computers, Spanish, Spanish Social Studies, and Physical Education.

High School: At the current time (2009-2010), the following courses are offered in the High School:

The school year consists of 180 student contact days, beginning in Mid-August and closing in early to mid-June. Instructional time is divided into four quarters, which are grouped into two semesters. Formal Report Cards are sent home at the end of each quarter and Progress Reports are sent home at the mid-point of each quarter to keep parents informed of their child's progress. Conferences with participation by students, parents and teachers are conducted at the end of the first quarter for all students and as-needed throughout the rest of the year. The school observes both American and Honduran holidays. Classes are held from Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., with the exception of Pre-Kindergarten, which is from 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 noon.

After-school activities are offered for students from Grade 2-12 to help enhance the students' school and social experience. Some examples of activities are Model United Nations, Student Council, Sports, Presidential Classroom, Yearbook, Medical Brigade, Jóvenes in Acción, Operation Smile, Cooking Club, and Art Club. In addition, we offer a variety of field trips and excursions within Honduras to provide students with an appreciation of their host country.

The following information is quoted from an original document that was provided by the founders of the school in 1994:

"The Discovery School was opened in 1994 by a small group of parents and teachers who believed, among other things, that teaching is an act of love; that its purposes are to develop literate and personally concerned citizens who are able to think and act rationally and who see learning as a life-long pursuit; that the most meaningful education takes place through first-hand experiences based on themes that cut across subject lines and integrate knowledge; that it is necessary to assist children in developing the skills of reasoning, empathizing, valuing and the creative resolution of conflict; that it should encourage curiosity, open-mindedness, persistence, respect for the opinions of others and cooperation; that it should develop in children the ability to think abstractly, critically, and creatively; that it should provide for individual growth by presenting a wide range of learning activities and challenging experiences based on an intimate knowledge of the children's abilities, interests and needs and that through the use of inquiry, discovery, open-ended questions and experiments, both content and process should be taught.

"The school, housed in a large, private residence, has six classrooms, a library, two kitchens, an audio-visual room, an office, and two outdoor areas used for recess, performances, and physical education. The P.E. program also makes use of a local swimming pool and a local park…

"The classrooms are multi-graded. The enrollment in each class is limited to fifteen students so as to insure the actualization of the school's philosophy…

"Friday afternoon creativity time (F.A.C.T. clubs) was initially developed in order that the founding teachers might have an opportunity to meet and plan together and so that the special talents of the parent body as well as local area talent might be experienced by the students. Classes end at one o'clock and the students go to the club that they have chosen…

"Each year an area of study is selected by the staff for school-wide implementation. Since it is presented in the spring, it has focused on Earth Day and environmental issues. Last year we chose the coral reef. Each class studied the formation of a reef and the life that abounds in such an area. As a culminating event, the entire school, including parents, spent a weekend on Roatan, one of the Bay Islands located off the coast of Honduras. The children had an opportunity to snorkel and scuba dive on the reef, visit an area museum and watch the resident dolphins, and then take part in experiments, fish identification, and a group clean-up of the area…

"Last year, the Discovery School hosted an educational forum with professors from Purdue University. Local school s and staff were invited to participate. Visiting teachers from throughout Honduras have come to the school to see our operation and tae part in an informal discussion of techniques, procedures and methods implemented by the school. It is the intention of the school to continue its outreach to other educational facilities, both in the country and abroad, in the hope that we can share and learn from one another..."

From reading about the school's earliest days, we are reassured that we have been able to maintain the philosophy, approach to education, and sense of 'family' that have been so evident since the beginning.

Discovery School began as an elementary (KG-Grade 6) school with five full-time teachers and a unique philosophy of education. The original student body consisted of approximately 40 students. Today, we have grown into a full Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 educational institution that has maintained its earliest roots as it has grown and developed, and today we have 230 students and 32 full-time teachers and 3 part-time teachers. The Elementary School has existed since 1994, and the Middle School and High School have existed since the year 2000. Our current facilities were purpose-built in 2006 and can accommodate up to 350 students. One of the defining characteristics of our school is the small class sizes. Our classes are limited to 15 students, although in some cases exceptions are made to admit siblings to the school.

The future of Discovery School and its students is bright. One of our major goals is strengthening the High School program so that the students who graduate from Discovery School will have the option of attending university wherever they choose throughout the world. This year we are introducing the AP Program, with the goal of offering our students the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) upon graduation. Depending on the student's choice of university, acquisition of the APID will provide a variety of benefits that may include priority of admission, credit for university courses, or enrollment in advanced university courses. The foundation of a good AP program is the quality, training, and commitment of the teachers who are delivering instruction. For that reason, all teachers of AP classes will participate in training by the College Board, which is based in the United States.

We have begun the process of supplementing and updating the secondary library, including not only an improved selection of books but also improved Internet access and updating our list of periodicals and reference materials. We are also considering semester electives for our Grade 11 and 12 students to give them a broader range of knowledge. Although we are a small school, the quality of our teaching staff is excellent and the students are well prepared for the rigors of university life.

In 2006 Discovery School moved to a new purpose-built facility on the outskirts of Tegucigalpa. After receiving input from students, parents, faculty and staff, the school was designed to maximize the learning styles and needs of the various age groups. In total we have 28 classrooms and 8 administrative offices. There are play areas and equipment for the Early Childhood section and the Elementary section, as well as a green commons area. In addition, we have an open-air gymnasium, basketball court, soccer field, and cafeteria. All of the rooms on campus are networked to the server, all have Internet access, and wireless Internet is available in the Secondary and Administration buildings.

Early Childhood and Early Elementary (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 2): From the outside, the Early Childhood section resembles a castle with turrets and flags. There are seven classrooms in this wing. Each individual class has a large room that includes a carpeted area for Circle Time and floor activities, a round turret area for reading space, and tables where the students can develop their skills such as using scissors and pencils properly, coloring, matching activities, puzzles, classwork, etc. depending on the grade level. We have two sections of each grade level, and the classrooms for those sections are adjacent to each other to facilitate interaction and collaboration between the teachers and classes.

Upper Elementary (Grades 3-5): The six classrooms in the Upper Elementary building were specifically designed to provide opportunities for classes to interact and work together. They share a common outdoor patio area with picnic tables and a common entrance area. These spaces are used for such things as whole group instruction, small groups and teams of students, and individual work. Inside, the classrooms have tables that can be grouped in a variety of ways to facilitate instruction.

Secondary (Grades 6-12): The seven classrooms in our secondary are modeled after traditional classrooms in the United States. The building is on two levels and the rooms are spacious to allow the teachers and students to work individually and in groups. There is a Science Lab in the building, as well as the Secondary Assistant Principal's office. The Student Council provided a 'champa' or outdoor thatched area where the students can congregate outside of class time.

Foreign Language Wing: The Spanish and Spanish Social Studies teachers are located in their own wing, which has five classrooms. This allows the teachers to group the students according to their familiarity with the language in order to maximize instruction. The Teacher's Lounge is also located in the Spanish Building.

Administration Building: The Administration Building is located on three levels. On the first floor, with access to the classrooms, are the Elementary Library, Art Room, and Music Room. The second floor houses the Secondary Library and Computer lab with access to the classrooms, IT Server room, and the Receptionist, Guidance Counselor, Storage Room and Clinic. Upstairs you will find the office of the Head of School, Administrative Assistant, the Finance offices, Conference Room, three Storage Rooms, and space for support personnel.

Discovery School has well-developed curriculum documents, consisting of standards and benchmarks for every class and every grade level, and curriculum maps that outline what is covered during each quarter of the school year. These documents are available for viewing in their entirety in the office of the Head of School. If a parent wishes to review the documents prior to coming to Tegucigalpa, they can be sent via email upon request.

The standards and benchmarks were developed by the Curriculum Coordinator, in conjunction with the teachers, and are based on research of professional organizations in the United States. They focus on acquisition of concepts and development of skills at all grade levels from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12. One of the hallmarks of our educational program is the dedication to using 'hands-on' and experiential learning. We believe that students learn best that which they experience directly. Our commitment to keeping our class sizes small enables us to provide one-on-one assistance when needed and facilitates the hands-on approach.

At the present time we offer our graduating students either a U.S. diploma or a Honduran bachillerato, or both if they choose. We plan in the future to also offer the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID).

With the exception of Spanish and Spanish Social Studies classes, all of the instruction is given in English. We have students from over 25 countries at Discovery and they come from a variety of school backgrounds and speak many languages. Therefore, we offer English as a Second Language and Spanish as a Second Language instruction to those students who need it. Our Language Arts classes provide instruction and opportunities for the students to develop in reading, writing, grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. In Math and Science, we emphasize critical thinking skills that lead to problem solving and application of the scientific method. The Social Studies curriculum is global in scope and presents a balanced and objective approach to understanding and appreciating current events by studying the past and analyzing the present. The Honduran Ministry of Education provides the approved Spanish Social Studies curriculum that is required for all students who are working toward the Honduran bachillerato.

In the interest of producing well-rounded students, we offer Specials classes in addition to the four core subjects of English, Math, Science and Social Studies and Spanish instruction that is given to all students. Those Specials classes consist of Art, Computers, Music, Physical Education and Health. Our commitment to providing an outstanding educational experience for the students is supported by research and continual professional development.

High School Graduation Requirements: The Board of Education has adopted the following graduation requirements to prepare our students for admission to universities throughout the world:

Step 1.

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

REMINDER - Student is reminded of the school and class rules and informed of the next step.

BEHAVIOR IMPROVEMENT FORM - Student fills out Behavior Improvement Form, which the student, teacher, and parent will sign. The form informs student and parent that the next step will be Detention. An apology letter may also be required, at the teacher's discretion. Teacher will call the parent.

DETENTION - Student is assigned Detention with the teacher after school. A Notice of Detention will be sent home, which the parent will sign. The Notice will inform the parents that the next step in the Discipline Plan is referral to the Principal. The Notice will serve as the student's admission to Detention. Student will be informed of the next step.

DISCIPLINE REFERRAL - Student is referred to the Principal, with Discipline Referral. Student will be informed of the next step.

REFERRAL TO THE DIRECTOR - Together with documentation of previous attempts to rectify the problem

Purpose of Homework: The purpose of homework is to measure the student's understanding and knowledge, as well as to foster the development of each student's ability for independent study and to reinforce skills learned in the classroom setting. The amount of time needed for completion of homework will differ depending on each child's study habits, background, knowledge of the subject matter, and personal standards. A rule of thumb for the elementary grades is 10 minutes per grade level (e.g. 10 minutes for Grade 1, 20 minutes for Grade 2, 30 minutes for Grade 3, etc.) An average amount of time a student in middle school and high school may spend on homework is 2-3 hours each night, depending on the student, with more time being needed for the Advanced Placement (AP) and AP preparatory classes.

It is expected that students who are new to Discovery School and to our academic program may experience more homework at first as they are developing the study habits and laying the foundation for future success. Parents can help the child by offering encouragement and by placing a priority on his/her academic success. Parents may also be asked to provide after-school tutoring for their child if the teachers feel it is needed. If there are any concerns about the homework that is assigned or if the homework seems excessive, the student or parent should speak with the teacher.

It is the parents' responsibility to provide a quiet, well-lit study area away from distractions. The parents should also monitor daily to make sure the student is writing down the homework assigned in class, completing the homework, and returning it to the teacher.

Grade Level	Name	Nationality
*Early Childhood*
Pre-Kindergarten A	Mrs. Mejía	Honduras
Pre-Kindergarten B	Ms. Medrano	Honduras
Kindergarten A	Ms. Montes	Honduras
Kindergarten B	Ms. Durón	Honduras
Kindergarten Assistant	Ms. Cerrato	Honduras
*Elementary*
Grade 1 A	Ms. Needham	Australia
Grade 1 B	Ms. Tome	USA
Grade 2	Ms. Borjas	Honduras
Grade 3	Mrs. Banegas	Honduras
Grade 4	Ms. Raunelli	Peru
Grade 5	Mr. Grifith	USA
*Middle School*
Grade 6A Homeroom (Middle School Science)	Ms. Bergen	USA
Grade 6 B Homeroom (Middle School Humanities)	Ms. Locke	USA
Grade 6 Math	Ms. Palacios	Honduras
Grade 7A Homeroom (Middle School Humanities)	Mr. Micks	USA
Grade 8 A Homeroom (Middle School Spanish)	Ms. Agurcia	Honduras
Grade 8 B Homeroom (Middle School Math)	Mrs. Ochoa	Honduras
*High School*
Grade 9 Homeroom (Math)	Ms. Lardizabal	Honduras
Grade 10 Homeroom (High School Science)	Mrs. Agurcia	USA
Grade 11 Homeroom (High School English)	Mr. Fenn	USA
Grade 12 Homeroom (High School Spanish)	Ms. Avilez	Honduras
High School Social Studies	Mr. Richard	USA
*Specialists*
Art	Mrs. Campbell	USA
Computers	Mr. Raudales	Honduras
Music, Elementary	Ms. Cruz	Honduras
Music, Secondary	Ms. Lopez	Honduras
Physical Education, Elementary	Mrs. Rodriguez	Honduras
Physical Education, Secondary	Mr. Rodriguez	Honduras
Spanish, Elementary	Ms. Agurcia	Honduras
Spanish, Elementary	Ms. Urquia	Honduras
Spanish, Middle School	Ms. Agurcia	Honduras
Spanish, High School	Ms. Avilez	Honduras
Spanish Social Studies, Elementary	Ms. Suazo	Honduras
Spanish Social Studies, Secondary	Mr. Andino	Honduras

	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
English	English 1	English 2	English 3	English 4
Math	Geometry	Algebra 2	Pre-Calculus	Calculus
Science	Biology	Environmental Science	Chemistry	Physics
Social Studies	World History II	Psychology/Sociology	Philosophy/Political Science	U.S. History/Current Events
Spanish	Spanish 1	Spanish 2	Spanish 3	AP Spanish
Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies
Specials	PE/Health	PE/Health	PE/Health	PE/Health
	Art	Art	Art	Art
	Music	Music	Music	Music
	Computers	Computers	Computers

	Grade 9	Grade 10	Grade 11	Grade 12
English	Intro to Literature	World Literature	AP English Language	British Literature
Math	Geometry	Algebra 2	Pre-Calculus	Calculus
Science	Biology	Environmental Science	Chemistry	AP Biology; Physics
Social Studies	World History	US History	Philosophy/Political Science	Psychology/Sociology
Spanish	Spanish 1	Spanish 2	Spanish 3	AP Spanish
Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies	Spanish Social Studies
Info. Technology	Technology		Elective	Elective
Physical Education	PE/Health	PE
Fine Arts	Art	Choir Art 2

Department	Number of Credits*
English	4.0 credits
Math	3.0 credits
Science	3.0 credits
Social Studies	3.0 credits
Foreign Language (same language)	2.0 credits
Fine Arts	2.0 credit
Physical Education/Health	1.5 credit
Total Required Course Credits	18.5 credits
Additional Electives	6.5 credits
Total Number of Credits Required For Graduation	25 credits

Percent Grading Scale	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
Percent Grading Scale	94-100	90-93	87-89	84-86	80-83	77-79	74-76	70-73	67-69	64-66	60-63	0-59

GPA Scale	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
GPA Scale	4.00	3.67	3.33	3.00	2.67	2.33	2.00	1.67	1.33	1.00	0.67	<.67

Office	Name	Nationality
President and Chair of Policy Committee	Ninoska Glynn	USA
Vice-President and Chair of Facilities Committee and Strategic Planning Committee	Isaac Sherman	Honduras
General Secretary	Manuel Muñoz	Honduras
Secretary of Acts and Chair of Inter-Institutional Relations Committee	Lis Bocanegra	Honduras
Treasurer and Chair of Finance Committee	Anke Afflerbach	Germany
Vocal Member	Douglass Benning	USA
Vocal Member	Kazuhiro Tambara	Japan
Non-Voting Member, Head of School	Debra D. Giles	USA

Position	Name	Nationality
Head of School	Debra D. Giles	USA
Secondary Assistant Principal	Ms. Palacios	Honduras
Elementary Coordinator/ Curriculum Coordinator	Ms. Banegas	Honduras
Guidance Counselor	Ms. Pineda	Honduras
Technology Coordinator	Mr. Ferrera	Honduras
Administrative Asst.	Ms. Gutierrez	Honduras
Administrative Manager	Ms. Salgado	Honduras
Accounting Assistant	Ms. Varela	Honduras
Accounting Assistant	Ms. Moncada	Honduras
Receptionist	Ms. Matute	Honduras