Jerry, as Mr. Selitzer likes to be called, received us with enthusiasm and readiness to talk about the school that has been his life for the last quarter of a century. He explained us that along these 25 years, several crisis have hit the country and that, for a non-profit private school, to have not only survived, but actually thrived under the circumstances, is something that he is particularly proud of.
So, we wanted to know about these circumstances from the beginning, the how, when and why of the American School in Puerto Vallarta; where did the idea come from? How it came to reality? In short, the story of the origins of ASPV…
It was 1985 and “the people that created Marina Vallarta were interested in having a high-quality school as part of the development. The company was called Sidek, and they got in touch with me, as they knew about my background working at other American Schools. So, they put up the seed money, they donated the land, they built the first building and they covered the start of the expenses of the school.”
“When they came to me,” Jerry added “the only condition that I set was that the school had to be non-profit.” As we know, that’s not the normal approach to education in Mexico, but for Jerry it was indispensable, because when money becomes the priority in a school, the quality of the education pays the price.
Truth is that there was a need for a good bilingual, bicultural school in Puerto Vallarta, so when ASPV opened its doors, there was a great response by the community, having that first year 80 students. By the second year, the strong demand made it necessary to add the high school.
When pv pulse asked him about what ASPV means to Puerto Vallarta? Jerry explained it by quoting a friend of him, Mr. Luis Reyes Brambila, Director of the Vallarta Opina newspaper, who once told him that “the entire level of education in Puerto Vallarta has gone up since the American School opened its doors.” And that’s what Jerry believes better describes the impact of ASPV in the city. “Although we are a small school, the quality of the education acted as a catalyst to the other schools, which I believe is a good thing.”
The American School of Puerto Vallarta was the first school in Latin America to apply the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) exam to its students. MAP is now applied in every American School in Latin America. ASPV was also 1 of 4 schools in Latin America to participate in the pilot program for Moodle, a web application for producing modular internet-based courses, pioneering the use of new technologies in the region.
There are 18 American Schools in Mexico, but what makes an American School an American School? Well, to be a real American School you need to be certified and have the proper accreditations from the US Department of Education. Being a certified American School means that the students graduate with both, a Mexican Diploma and an American Diploma, being this one the difference-makers as it is valid at any school in the US and Canada.
Then we started talking about Jerry’s personal experience as principal of ASPV and all his words were about how great the community of the school is. He believes in strong families as a fundamental part of education, “strong families make teaching a pleasure” he said. That’s why the school doesn’t offer a bus service, because they like to see the parents every day, involved in the education of their children. All in all “is a fantastic community, and at the end is the community that made the school.”
Jerry is a man who loves what he does and you can tell by how passionate he talks about the accomplishments of his school: nearly all of their graduates, a 98% go to their first choice college and, in average, half of them go to universities in USA and Canada. 70% of the school’s income goes for teachers’ salaries and the rest is reinvested in the school.
So, what’s in the future for the American School? “The technology” says Jerry, “to take advantage of the endless possibilities that the new technologies offer; without forgetting the great importance of the teacher figure. The blending of the technology with the teacher is our biggest task for the future.”
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