LIVING THE MISSION

Dear ASM Community, The measure of any organization is how well it responds to a crisis, or this year, crises- on top of the pandemic, with historical winter storm Filomena providing an additional challenge.

We could not be more proud of how the ASM community met these challenges! In a year when so many schools around the globe struggled to hold in-person classes, ASM opened its doors in early September and successfully held classes all year long. While we lost one day because of Filomena, after 24 hours, ASM was back online with virtual schooling, and shortly thereafter was one of the first schools in Madrid to return to campus. We are deeply grateful to Headmaster Weinberg, his team, and all the teachers and staff for their planning, commitment, care, leadership, and resolve to ensure the continuation of learning for our students. We salute the students for keeping each other safe and persevering with their education in the middle of a pandemic. And we thank the parents for their support and endless patience in a year when on-campus participation was impossible, and we were all left feeling disconnected and isolated.

Remarkably, there was much to celebrate this year at ASM. Demonstrating an ability to maintain focus regardless of circumstances, 622 members of our community participated in a world cafe-style collaboration that resulted in a new Mission Statement for ASM. A statement that encapsulates the cornerstones of American education and will guide us on our journey as a learning community. In parallel, construction continued through the pandemic on our emblematic new Middle School, which opened on April 30 to rave reviews by students and faculty alike. This facility reflects our values of communication, connection, collaboration, and transparency and is already providing new avenues of exploration and learning for MS students and faculty. Other highlights this year included ASM’s first-ever TEDx event with students and alumni. And happily, ASM was again able to hold a graduation ceremony with students and parents, and another outstanding class of graduates has left ASM to enroll at top universities around the world.

In closing, in the words of ASM’s new Mission Statement, we invite you all to share in empowering our young learners, to encourage them in meeting new challenges, to care for all in our community, and to engage with us creatively toward a better tomorrow.

Board of Trustees 2020-2021

The members of the Board of Trustees, with Headmaster Ben Weinberg, from left to right: José Miguel Knoell, Matthew Mittino, Treasurer, Ana Duque-Higgins, Norman Kurtis, Laure Headrick, Chresten B.Christensen, Faraday De La Camara, Secretary, Michael J.Willisch, Vice Chairman, Steve Schaver, Chairman, Adeyemi Adesokan.