Accreditation and Memberships HIS is fully accredited by both the Council of International Schools and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The school has active membership in the Association of International Schools in Africa, the Council of International Schools, the Association for the Advancement of International Education and the Association for School Curriculum and Development. HIS is authorized to offer both the IB Primary Years and IB Diploma Programmes.
School Year
The school year runs from early August to early June and has a minimum instructional period of 180 days divided into two semesters.
Facilities
The school consists of fourteen buildings on twenty-one acres of beautiful land in Mount Pleasant, a suburb of Harare. There are fourteen elementary and twenty-three secondary school classrooms. The secondary school has four classrooms designated as science labs and two as computer labs. The elementary school has one computer lab. The elementary and secondary school each have a fully equipped art room and the elementary school has a music room, two outdoor playing courts and a playground. The HIS library houses approximately 30,000 volumes supported by an electronic database and twelve computers with Internet access. The physical education facilities include a first-rate gymnasium, a multipurpose room, a fitness center, a classroom and shower/changing facilities. The performing arts center consists of a state-of-the-art 700-seat theatre, music and drama classrooms, music practice rooms, support facilities for the theatre including make up/changing rooms and a stagecraft workshop.
Students:
For the current academic year, Harare International School has an enrollment of aproximately 400 students: 204 are in elementary school, 90 are in middle school and 106 are in high school. Typically, the student body represents fifty-five nationalities with 24% from Europe, 21% from the United States and Canada, 42% from Africa, 7% from Asia and 6% from other areas of the world. The class of 2009 consisted of 32 seniors and was the tenth graduating class at the school.
Faculty:
The diverse student body demands a flexible and creative faculty. Typically, there are ten to twelve nationalities represented in the teaching faculty. The certified, professional staff is selected from among the best candidates in the highly competitive overseas teaching market. The average teaching experience of the faculty is approximately ten years and over 50% hold advanced graduate degrees.
Curriculum:
The curriculum is based on American and international programs of education and incorporates the best educational practices from around the world. There is a strong emphasis on a commitment to global and intercultural education. The school strives for academic excellence, a well-balanced development of all aspects of the student’s personality and an appreciation for lifelong learning. The elementary school is an authorized IB Primary Years Programme member and the high school is an IB World School. IB Diploma exams were administered to high school students for the first time at the school in May 2006.
SCHOOL DESCRIPTION, MISSION, PHILOSOPHY, AND GUIDING OBJECTIVES
Description: Harare International School is an accredited, independent, non-sectarian, non-profit, co-educational day school incorporating the best internationally-recognized educational programs and best practices from around the world. It is governed by a Board of Directors, five of whom are elected from the HIS Association, composed of all parents with children attending the School, and two of whom are appointed by the U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe.
Vision Statement: Where we thrive and reach for excellence.
The Mission:
Harare International School teaches the personal values, academic qualities and sense of responsibility needed for life-long learning, community service and world citizenship through educational programs that are relevant, challenging and engaging.
The Philosophy:
Harare International School is committed to educating the whole child - intellectually, physically, and aesthetically - in an academically challenging, nurturing, and child-centered environment. We foster freedom of expression, independent thinking, and positive personal values and qualities while maintaining a sense of responsibility to others through respect and cooperation. The educational framework of Harare International School supports a balance between the processes and outcomes of learning.
The curriculum is based not only on the acquisition of knowledge but also on the development of problem-solving and critical-thinking skills. Using a broad, research-based, and culturally-diverse curriculum, we emphasize literacy; written and oral communication; the creative process of the arts and music; the acquisition and mastery of multiple languages; reasoning in the sciences and mathematics; the pursuit of a physically active and healthy lifestyle; and, technology to enhance the learning and discovery process.
We believe that for students to be effective, fully contributing members of society, they must possess social and moral responsibility, and demonstrate this through understanding and respect for others and service to the community. Harare International School strives to enhance each student’s self-worth, confidence, and pride by providing programs that make the most of our multi-cultural school community.
This school environment is created through a partnership involving students from the international community, faculty, administration, parents, and the Zimbabwean community.
Guiding Objectives
Guided by our School philosophy, the School shall be accountable to exert every effort to:
Maintain the status of an International Baccalaureate World School and accreditation with the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).
Provide a well-planned educational continuum and implement effective developments in educational practice including regular curriculum review.
Provide a safe and welcoming school environment that encourages students to participate in a wide range of curricular and extra-curricular activities.
Foster healthy emotional and social development of the individual.
Encourage and develop teacher best practices through professional development based on recent research, participatory classroom instruction, and instructional differentiation.
Encourage input and participation among faculty, staff, administration, parents and students in order to foster productive relationships.
Provide facilities and resources for the development of student and faculty skills to apply modern information and communications technology for learning, collaboration and career applications.
Engender healthy competition, adaptability, invention and a striving spirit through participation in creative activities.
Foster environmental citizenship through active care of the environment, developing a green campus and implementing green practices.
Encourage understanding, appreciation and interaction with Zimbabwe’s people, culture and environment.
Practice understanding and respect for all people.
Develop and promote a culture of leadership and service to others.
Develop students’ understanding of teamwork and sportsmanship by encouraging participation in team and individual sports, and other physical activities.
Counsel and prepare students to make the best decisions regarding life pursuits and further education.
Foster and celebrate a positive community spirit and school pride.
Based on the school’s vision, mission, philosophy and guiding objectives, and the International Baccalaureate’s Learner Profile, Harare International School seeks to model and educate students to be:
Inquirers: They develop their natural curiosity. They acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. They actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.
Thinkers: They exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.
Communicators: They understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. They work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.
Risk-takers: They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. They are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Knowledgeable: They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Principled: They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.
Caring: They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.
Open-minded: They understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.
Well-balanced: They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Reflective: They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.
Responsible: They are able to make choices for which they are prepared to accept personal responsibility.
Self-directed: They can set personal goals and plan and execute strategies towards achieving them.
