American School of Brasília: 60 years of history in the federal capital

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After 60 years in operation, the institution has done much more than just train thousands of students over 6 decades. Blending welcoming simplicity and tradition, EAB has become a standard reference when it comes to education with an international curriculum.

From the initial years of kindergarten to the last year of high school, the school is different because it is truly a multicultural space. With students from approximately 40 nationalities, the interactions and learning that take place within this kind of student community are as diverse as they are unique. In addition, EAB has the highest percentage of international faculty in Brasília and the second highest in the country.

Since 1961, when it was founded by U.S. embassy employees who wanted to ensure quality education for their children, the school has been reinventing itself year after year to serve the capital’s international community, as well as Brazilian families who intend to offer globalized education to the new generations.

For Lesley Tait, acting director-general, the institution’s long history with Brasília is a source of pride. “Today we have become much more than a school for North Americans. We are an educational institution truly focused on the future of children of all nationalities,” she says. Tait recalls that the thing that struck her most when she first arrived at the school was the strong sense of community. “It is a place where everyone works together to ensure learning for each of our students,” she says. “That inspires me every day,” she says.

It is values like these that have permeated the school’s trajectory since its foundation. One of the main ones is plurality among students and teachers. Tait explains that this is part of the institution’s mission to develop global citizens, capable of engaging with local and world communities, striving for a more dignified, sustainable, and egalitarian humanity.

After a year in the role – especially challenging amidst the pandemic – she is preparing to make the transition in July to a new principal, Grace McCallum, coming from the Frankfurt International School (FIS) in Germany. Tait will take over a school in Africa, where she intends to strengthen the same sense of community she found in the federal capital.

Teaching as a mission

Naturally, EAB is made of stories so great that they are intertwined with that of the city itself. People who have chosen to dedicate themselves to teaching others as a life mission. Such is the case with Kevin Meklin, one of EAB’s longest-serving employees on the current staff. He started his journey as a math teacher more than 3 decades ago after participating in a selection process in Maine, U.S.A. He recalls that in the beginning it was not easy to make the decision to stay in Brazil. “I thought: just one more week,” he says.

The experience in Brasília was totally new, especially because of the culture shock. Kevin tells that the first time he returned to the United States to spend Christmas with his parents, they were surprised because he had lost a lot of weight. “At the time, there was no fast food in town,” he laughs. Despite the initial challenges and language barriers, he decided to stay in the city, where he remained to this day. “The school was what made me stay. The campus had so much charm. It was the place I felt safest. Always welcoming and with friendly people,” he concludes.

During her 28 years at EAB, Paola Zanetti has held different positions within the institution. For almost 3 decades she has been a receptionist, classroom assistant, and in other departments. For the past 15 years she has worked as a secretary. She explains that the most rewarding thing is to be able to contribute to the children’s education. “I want to give them the feeling that here they are safe to make mistakes and get things right,” she says.

In order for everyone to be able to study and work every day, there is someone in the background who helps to make it all happen. Valdir Joaquim da Silva has been in the school’s maintenance department for 26 years. Loved by everyone, he is one of those indispensable parts in the success of the institution. “What I like most about my job is to attend well to the requests that come to me,” he says. “That is my duty,” he points out. Today he feels even more gratitude for accompanying his son Luis Felipe, an EAB alumnus interning there as a teacher’s assistant.

Education and music

EAB is highly innovative. “We are not a school where children need to simply transfer information to paper at exam time. Here we encourage critical thinking,” argues the acting principal. “The academic side, of course, is highly valued, but we want to develop complete citizens who are adapted to the world,” she concludes.

Accepted in more than 150 countries, the school’s international curriculum helps. There are spaces for the development of all kinds of talents, with a huge variety of subjects that take into account the students’ aptitudes. The grid ranges from elective classes in music, languages, and sports to preparation focused on selection processes for universities around the world.

In fact, due to the investment in music for an eclectic educational training, the institution strengthened, throughout the years, the bonds with Brasília even more. Members of famous bands such as Plebe Rude, Scalene, Capital Inicial, and Aborto Elétrico – which would later become Legião Urbana – attended the school.

The institution was ultimately included in the tourist Brasília Capital of Rock Route. The map, implemented by the Federal District Government in March this year and drawn up under the curatorship of Plebe Rude’s lead singer Philippe Seabra, aims to offer residents and visitors a unique experience when exploring Brasília through the musical perspective established in the city’s history.

Source: Metropoles