The Association of China and Mongolia International Schools (ACAMIS) was founded initially as a means for students to connect in post-season regional tournaments. Since then, the organization has evolved, adding more sports as well as other student activities, service learning grants, and professional development opportunities for staff. We are grateful for the vision of the ACAMIS founders who established a framework that was sustainable and adaptable.
The first event was hosted by the Western Academy of Beijing in May 2000 with seven schools participating in basketball and soccer tournaments and a mile-long run. A few weeks later, the first annual general meeting (AGM) was held at Xiamen International School on the southern coast of China in Fujian Province. To further extend the idea of friendly collaboration and competition, drama, public speaking, and Earth Day symposium workshops were sponsored during the 2000-2001 school year.
LINKING TOGETHER 93 MEMBER SCHOOLS
Today, ACAMIS has a membership of 93 schools ranging in size from less than 300 pupils to over 2,500 in Mongolia, mainland China, Hong Kong (SAR), Macau (SAR), and Province of Taiwan. In addition to the continued connections for students through sports tournaments and cultural events, ACAMIS also helps school staff through professional development programs and networking opportunities. These staff services include a Spring Conference (bringing together heads, aspiring heads, business managers, librarians, counselors, athletic directors, arts/cultural coordinators, curriculum coordinators, and technology directors), a Chinese Conference focusing on language acquisition best practices, and workshops for middle managers as well as administrative personnel.
