![\"http:\/\/www.aib.edu.pa\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Vista-Primaria.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/www.aib.edu.pa\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Vista-Primaria.jpg\")
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When we first came here in 2006, my son was too old to go to AIB as they were just open to grades 1-5.\u00a0 He was a sixth grader then so we could not get him in.\u00a0 Now after many years and tremendous growth,\u00a0 AIB will offer a high school education up to the 10th grade and will eventuality have 1-12.\u00a0 It is an exciting time for Boquete as they break ground on the new campus and it will attract a lot of new people to Boquete who want to bring their children up in a safer and international community.\u00a0 It reminds me of Seoul Foreign School where I grew up in Korea and graduated from high school in a class of 24 students.\u00a0 Ah yes, I was in the top ten!!<\/p>\n
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ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL BOQUETE BREAKS GROUND ON THE SITE OF ITS NEW HEADQUARTERS <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL BOQUETE (AIB), FOUNDED IN AUGUST 2009, IS THE FIRST SCHOOL IN PANAMA TO ADHERE TO THE ECOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE OF BECOMING ENTIRELY GREEN<\/em>, BOTH IN ITS EDUCATION AS WELL AS IN ADMINISTRATION.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Although it has been operating for just a few years, the AIB is firmly on the path to becoming one of the best schools in the country, committed to providing, promoting, practicing and managing a modern and entirely GREEN form of education. <\/span><\/strong>The academy offers parents across the country the opportunity of finding an alternative suburban solution that improves the environmental quality of their lives, different from that prevailing in the most congested urban centers of the country.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW SCHOOL<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n DRIVEN BY THE RAPID SUCCESS OF ITS CURRENT SCHOOL, AIB\u2019S FOUNDERS HELD ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12th , THE GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY<\/span> FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE ACADEMY\u2019S NEW HEADQUARTERS, MUCH GREATER IN BOTH SIZE AND ACADEMIC SCOPE.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In 2009, Melissa Vallarino Bernat<\/span> and Carla Rigau de Pretto<\/span><\/span><\/strong>, Panamanian professionals and mothers, ventured the bold dream of creating a school that would meet the need of a higher pedagogical caliber of schooling for the children of Boquete in Chiriqu\u00ed Province. In just short of four years, since AIB opened its doors in a rented building in the center of Boquete, enrollment growth has far exceeded expectations. In response, the founders are now at the verge of inaugurating the construction of a new and much larger school in the outskirts of town, just 20 minutes from the sprawling city of David.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n THE HONORS OF THE BREAKING GROUND CEREMONY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW SCHOOL (WHICH WILL NOW COVER PRESCHOOL TO 10TH GRADE) WAS\u00a0 SHARED WITH THE WELL-KNOWN ENTREPRENEUR, RICARDO P\u00c9REZ<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>The event was held on <\/span><\/strong>Wednesday, June 12th in the area of the school\u2019s new site, located in the sector of El Franc\u00e9s, <\/strong>just a few minutes drive from Boquete. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n RICARDO P\u00c9REZ<\/span><\/strong> JOINS PURPOSE AND COMMITMENT WITH AIB IN ORDER TO APPLY HIS URBANISTIC VISION TO THE SECTOR OF EL FRANC\u00c9S (WITHIN THE BOQUETE DISTRICT), <\/span><\/strong>creating a brand new commercial and residential suburban community strategically located to benefit the people of the area, and with the exclusive added value of offering for the peace of mind of parents, a first-rate school for their children. The new school will be within easier reach for students who currently travel from Dolega, Potrerillos, David, Bugaba and Volc\u00e1n to study at AIB.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The inclusion of a school of high academic standards as part of the development project is one of the fundamentals on which the attractiveness of the project is based. <\/span><\/strong>Panamanian and foreign resident couples and families in search of quality of life conditions that include tranquility, close proximity to nature and other suburban benefits take their children\u2019s school (and its location) as a primary determinant in their decision regarding where to live. With his development project, entrepreneur P\u00e9rez provides a model response to this concern.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n ACADEMIC AND <\/span><\/strong>GREEN<\/span><\/strong> LONG TERM GOALS<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The construction process of AIB\u2019s new headquarters is ambitious, forward-looking and the result of thorough analysis and planning. <\/span><\/strong>The costs and the use of school resources are applied centrally to the pursuit of academic excellence and environmental awareness. The inauguration of the first phase of the new school is planned for early next year (2014). Following phases of expansion are estimated to be completed in 5 years, during a period of continuous development in synch with the growth of the Academy. In its final stage, AIB <\/span>will consist of 6 buildings: for classrooms, administration, gymnasium, cafeteria, auditorium and library. A soccer field, swimming pool and Recycling Center are also in the planning. Furthermore, as a school that seeks to be the first nationally to be certified as 100% Green, it will have an area designated for agriculture. The new facilities will include rainwater collection systems, biodigesters, 3 classes of plumbing systems, natural lighting and cross ventilation to maximize the use of natural light and air, as well as solar energy systems and other benefits of green technology.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n To ensure effectiveness in the student\u2019s learning experience, AIB limits class size to 24<\/span><\/strong>, and homework is not done at home, but in school. The use of a number of online books is also an integral part of the modern educational techniques employed by the academy.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Academia Internacional Boquete is affiliated with the REAL Boquete recycling program, with a 4 star rating (of a total of 5) in the Bandera Azul Ecol\u00f3gica (Ecological Blue Flag) project, led by the Office of the First Lady of the Republic<\/span><\/strong>. The fifth star will be obtained when it has its own building.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n THE DREAM OF TWO MOTHERS FROM THE CAPITAL CITY WHO MIGRATED TO CHIRIQU\u00cd<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n From the day they met in 2008 Melissa<\/span> and Carla<\/span> exchanged ideas about the need for the availability of world-class education for the children of Boquete, where they had chosen to live. <\/span>It wasn\u2019t long before they began to investigate the possibility of themselves establishing a new school for the kids of the Boquete community, whose aim was to provide a modern education based on developing social and ecological sensitivity. <\/span>In 2009 AIB opened its doors.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Starting with 89 students, today, 4 years later, AIB has over 200 students in its roster, including children whose parents, seeking educational excellence, send their children to Boquete every day from the city of David and other sectors. AIB, a bilingual school specialized in teaching the principles of critical thinking and ecological sensitivity (central to the education of children around the world), is today a world-class school.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Their reference point being educational high standards and successful teaching methods, the Academy\u2019s founders adopted the use of the curriculum employed by Panama City\u2019s prestigious and well accredited Colegio Brader<\/span><\/strong>. AIB\u2019s original teachers were trained in the use of Brader\u2019s Study Methodology program.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n VISION AND GOALS OF THE ACADEMY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL BOQUETE strives to be a leader in the comprehensive education of self-motivated and productive citizens<\/span><\/strong>, by offering its students a holistic educational experience based on academic discipline and values and development of environmental awareness, in order for learning to have a primary meaning in their lives. The central educational goal of the Academy is to offer its students an intellectually challenging environment that encourages a successful educational outcome. This environment allows for individual differences, adjustment to different learning styles and prepares the student for real life competitiveness. Among the Academy\u2019s essential priorities is an educational emphasis on Science, Math and English, and encouragement of cultural awareness in students through a variety of art enrichment programs.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n MULTINATIONAL STUDENT BODY<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Aside from its Panamanian students, AIB\u2019s roster includes 20 other nationalities, together coexisting and sharing their cultural heritage in school. Their countries<\/span><\/strong>: Canada, United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Belgium, England, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Romania, Korea, China, New Zealand and Namibia. Within 3 years Academia Internacional Boquete will graduate it\u2019s first generation of upper level pupils, prepared to pursue careers in any university they wish to attend in the world\u2019s stage. This pioneer generation will establish a path of success and inspiration for the generations to follow. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n In a world in constant change, the advantages of the new cultural era will be more readily accessible to students who are taught by their schooling to think critically and learn how to exist positively with the environment. ACADEMIA INTERNACIONAL BOQUETE traces its academic vision over these rails of global educational relevance.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n CONTACT US<\/span><\/span><\/strong> <\/span><\/p>\n For PRESS<\/span><\/em>: Mar\u00eda Sof\u00eda Vel\u00e1zquez<\/span><\/p>\n ms@mariasofiavelazquez.com<\/a> <\/span>\u2014 Tel: 6613 1272<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n For general information about AIB<\/span><\/em>:\u00a0\u2014 aib@aib.edu.pa<\/a> ? Tel: 720-2821<\/span><\/p>\n Melissa Vallarino Bernat – <\/span><\/strong>Director\/President \u2014 mvallarino@aib.edu.pa<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n