Avenues: The World School Announces Global Expansion; São Paulo Campus To Open August 2018
NEW YORK, Dec. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- First the world's best athletes came to Brazil for the Olympics. Now the "world school" is following suit.
Avenues: The World School, which opened its first campus in New York City in 2012 as part of a planned global network of multiple nursery through 12th grade schools in major cities worldwide – all connected by a distinctive mission – announced today the opening schedule of its campus in São Paulo.
The 300,000 square foot campus, now under construction, will open its doors to its first students in August 2018. Avenues has entered into a long-term lease with São Carlos, one of the leading commercial real estate investment and management companies in Brazil, to occupy the former SulAmerica building located in the vibrant Cidade Jardim neighborhood of São Paulo. As part of a more than $50 million investment by Avenues to launch the São Paulo campus, the building will be completely renovated and improved to become a world-class school facility designed by the award-winning firm Aflalo & Gasperini. At full capacity, the campus will house 2,100 students and 300 leaders, faculty and staff.
"Avenues vision has always been one school with many campuses, located in the great cities of the world," said Jeff Clark, president and COO. "That vision takes a big step toward fruition with the announcement of our campus in São Paulo, the cultural and financial center of Brazil and the largest city in South America."
Avenues São Paulo will hold an official launch event on March 16, 2017, which will mark the start of the school's marketing and admissions efforts to enroll students for the 2018-19 school year.
Alan Greenberg, co-founder of Avenues who has been spearheading the South American initiative, noted that the school has assembled a "world-class" leadership team for Avenues São Paulo. The head of school will be Hamilton "Ham" Clark, one of the most respected independent school leaders in the U.S. who is serving as Head of School for Avenues New York for the 2016-17 school year. Previously, he served for 11 years as head of school at Episcopal Academy, a private co-ed K-12 school in Philadelphia, where he led efforts to raise the $100 million necessary for the school to move from its historic campus to a brand new site; and 15 years as headmaster of Sewickley Academy, a coed pre-K–12 school located outside of Pittsburgh.
His international experience includes three years as head of school at the American Community School at Beirut, one year as assistant director at the American International School of Zurich, and six months on sabbatical to visit schools throughout Asia and Australia and serve as a resident at Central Coast Grammar School in Australia.
Clark will be joined in São Paulo by Anne Baldiserri, who will serve as head of the primary division and who comes to the position after nearly 20 years as a teacher and administrator at St. Paul's School, one of São Paulo's leading schools; John Ciallelo, who will be head of the secondary division after three years at Avenues New York and 25 years in São Paulo, including 10 as head of Escola Maria Imaculada; Lyle French, who will be director of teaching and learning after serving in a number of bilingual schools in São Paulo over the past 15 years; Lisa Peixoto, who will be director of admissions, spent the past decade as head of enrollment management at Graded, the American School of São Paulo, one of the city's most esteemed schools; and Luciana D'Angelo, who will serve as the chief administrative and operations officer after 30 years with such companies as Pearson and Rosetta Stone in São Paulo.
"A world-class school requires a world-class leadership team, which we have assembled," Greenberg said. "Together, they will work to build culture, develop people, lead instruction, and create the future so that students thrive in São Paulo and across the campuses that comprise Avenues: The World School."
Greenberg explained that over the next two years the team will spend a good amount of time at Avenues New York to learn, observe, contribute and prepare for the São Paulo opening, and ensure that the new campus is aligned with the shared world school priorities of Avenues.
Clark noted that the São Paulo campus is just one of a number of other expansion efforts currently under development for Avenues. Plans for campuses in China, London, Mexico City, Doha, Dubai, Silicon Valley, Miami, Washington DC and San Francisco are also being developed.
ABOUT AVENUES: THE WORLD SCHOOL
Avenues: The World School (www.avenues.org) is building a global school with multiple interdependent and interconnected campuses located in some of the world's great cities and serving nursery through 12th grade, with an emphasis on global preparedness and second language fluency. "A New School of Thought" captures the mission of Avenues and centers on graduating accomplished students who are at ease beyond their borders; sharing the school's prosperity; providing faculty and staff a setting where they can flourish; and advancing education. Avenues' first campus opened in New York City in September 2012 to an unprecedented demand of 750 students. Today, Avenues New York serves more than 1500 students and graduated its first senior class in June of 2016. Backed by significant equity sponsors, the number of campuses will grow in the years ahead. Avenues is currently developing new campuses in China, Brazil, Europe and the United States.
SOURCE Avenues: The World School
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