Layan Damanhouri
Saudi Gazette
The American International School of Jeddah has enriched the heritage of the city since its establishment in 1952. Thousands of students have graduated from the school and are pursuing successful careers all over the world, says superintendent of AISJ Monti Hallberg.
In 1983, he was a math teacher at AISJ, previously named the Parent Cooperative School (PCS), for 8 years. In 1991, he moved to the American International School of Riyadh where he became a director of instruction and curriculum and later on principal. Afterward, Hallberg continued working in education in different countries until he returned to AISJ two years ago to serve as head of the school.
Currently, AISJ has a total of 1,200 students. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Hallberg says, “AISJ is growing. The highest population we’ve had in the last 20 years is this year.”
AISJ is set to relocate to a new and larger campus by 2017. Zuhair Fayez Partnership Consultants is the architect and engineering firm executing the planning and overseeing of the project.
Hallberg says the new campus is built on a 50,000 square meter plot, almost 66 percent bigger than the current campus. He further says, “The new school has beautiful spacious classrooms, science laboratories that are modern, and computers that are fully integrated with wireless technology”.
He adds there will be natural lighting to the new buildings. In addition to a theater that can accommodate 750 students, the campus will have a spacious library, a full-size soccer field, running track, swimming pool, three gymnasiums and other recreational facilities.
“It’s built for an increase of enrollment up to 1,750 students,” he adds. “It’ll be a state-of-the-art school that’s very well-designed.”
“One of the main reasons we’re looking for a new campus is that the buildings are somewhat crowded and we need more space. It also has buildings that are older and needed renovation”, says Hallberg. “We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be one of the nicest schools in the Middle East”.
Last spring, an official from the Saudi Ministry of Education visited AISJ where Hallberg met with him. Hallberg says, “The minister was so amazed to see people so happy and wanting to come to school. As he left, he said, ‘How can I get this in all of our schools in Jeddah? That happiness and that desire to come to school.’”
Hallberg adds, “I think the memories that our alumni hold are some of those dear memories that wanting to come to school and being with friends and learning at the same time”.
“We’re very proud of our alumni. We have people that are very successful throughout the world, including a director at the medical school at Harvard University, a doctorate from the Harvard law school, and some who own their own businesses. Some are working back here in Saudi Arabia as well”.
