Our school, MIT International School, is not an ordinary school. It is more of a second home for the students, teachers and staff. This school year 2016-2017 will be our school’s 10th anniversary. That’s why, it’s about time we tell you the top 10 things that make our school unique.
#10 Strong bonds
In MITIS, the caring culture is not ever so strong. Students across year levels have many opportunities to build lifelong friendships. In the same way, teachers are mentors who demonstrate both authoritative and parental care for every learner. Such camaraderie is something to be proud of because it can serve as a big help to students who are, for example, having hard times on certain subjects. Relationships like this are now fast becoming rare especially in larger schools. Indeed, for the “small” but happy community of MITIS, this serves as a really unique quality. Indeed, we are more than a school. We are a “home.”
#9 Scholarship Privilges
The school’s first major step when it started in 2007 was to make world-class education accessible to financially disadvantaged but academically deserving Filipino students as an expression of social responsibility. Its initial campaign for qualified beneficiaries resulted in the admission of 20 scholars. Since then, it has set a goal to have at least 20% of the population be scholars. These students are given equal opportunities and attend summer internship where they help the staff/teachers prepare for the next school year. Impressively, the help extended to the scholars go beyond high school. Our scholars have achieved distinction, with Bona Mae Simba, entering Ewha University in South Korea in 2014 with a full scholarship, as a prime example
#8 Small Class Sizes
The classes in our school are kept to a maximum of 20 students. This allows teachers to monitor the students more closely. It also helps keep the students to have a closer relationship with their classmates. Such class size allows for the provision of great learning experience for the students. Kids have fun and learning at the same time.
#7 Creative Social Outreach
CSO activities are done by Grades 9-12 students nearly every weekend. Accompanied by some of the staff, they visit orphanages, homes for the aged, and they also raise funds for them — like hosting a marathon for the MITISzens to join in and for them to also have an opportunity of helping even if they haven’t reached Grade 9 yet. They also help build houses, bring food, and host programs to give fun to both children and adults.
#6 WASC Accreditation
MIT International School has been accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges since 2013. WASC pinpoints schools’ strengths and weaknesses in order to make room for more improvements. Being WASC accredited also helps our students to get into top caliber schools worldwide.
#5 AP Program
Our school provides opportunities to be not only be college ready but also to earn units in advance through the Advance Placement Program for Grades 11 and 12. This is to help and train students for college. It also serves as a big help for students to be accepted in colleges anywhere in the world. If students earn enough units, they can skip one year and save time and money.
#4 ESLRs
Our school has 7 ESLRs. They correspond to the characteristics that every MITISzen must acquire in our school to be embodied not only in school but also outside the school.
#3 STRIPES
The STRIPES (Solidarity, Truth, Respect, Integrity, Perseverance, Excellence, Service) or Core Values are characteristics that every MITISzen embodies or displays in and out of school. These serve as our basis of how a smart and good MITIS student should live.
#2 Teachers and Staff
The MITIS bond is really strong. They are still sticking together and helping each other during challenging times in order to make MITIS the best school for us. Such bond is something to be proud of because what is a school if its staff are easily breakable? More importantly, the teachers are really kind and approachable. You are free to ask them questions about homeworks, quizzes, exams, etc. They are like no other!
#1 Us, The Students!
The students themselves are what makes MIT International School unique. Students are the greatest pride and honor of a school. Graduates from MITIS are now studying all over the world: U.S.A, Australia, Philippines, etc. The students also form strong friendship/camaraderie that even graduation can’t break. Most especially, MITIS students are smart and good. They do not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate anyone amongst them who does so. These words are from our great former principal himself, Dr. Bienvenido V. Santos.
There you go! We love our school for many more reasons but these are our Top 10 Whys.
Contributed by: Rodalyn Gasid & Julianne Lavilla
