Mission
Vision
Pan-American School Core Values
At the heart of our educational offering and community life are a series of core values which we aim to develop through all our interactions, these are:
- Excellence
- Responsibility
- Solidarity
- Honesty
- Respect
The motto of Pan-American School, per amorem sapientia, is embedded in the school's logo. It translates as “wisdom through love”.
PAS Strategic Plan
LEARNING - COMMUNITY - SUSTAINABILITY
LEARNING
Inspiring, personalized learning for all.
Develop student's ability to identify, nurture and pursue their passions.
Provide students with opportunities to achieve excellence in academics, the arts, athletics.
Provide all learners with choice and ownership over their learning.
Develop independent, assessment capable learners equipped with the skills necessary for success in an ever changing world.
Develop agile learning environments that best support student learning.
Develop teaching and learning wich embraces the uniqueness of each individual and addresses learning differences.
Use technology to develop future ready learners and enhance learning.
COMMUNITY
A welcoming, engaged and connected community for all.
Build effective partnership to support the learning community (students, teachers, parents, alumni).
Develop a collaborative, collegial and caring environment across the learning community.
Become a recognized hub of high quality learning and innovation in the local and global community.
Make a positive difference in the lives of others locally and globally.
Embrace the Mission, Vision and Values of the school and develop commitment to its long term success.
SUSTAINABILITY
A sustainable and balanced future for all.
Achieve sustainable growth of the school over the coming years.
Work to address the climate emergency and create a better world for future generations.
Strategically use school finances so that it effectively and efficiently delivers on the school’s Mission and Vision.
Retain and recruit appropiate numbers of excellent faculty and staff to deliver on the school’s mission and vision.
Strategically build staff capacity to deliver the mission and vision.
Build distributed leadership teams to support succession and transition planning.
Principles of High Quality Learning at Pan-American School
Learning at Pan-American School is based on a series of guiding principles which have been developed taking into consideration: the profile of our learners; our school's statements of purpose; our learning goals, which are informed by IB programmes and philosophy; and learning strategies informed by IB pedagogy and research into how high quality learning is developed.
To learn more about the Pan-American School Learning Principles, please see the following section:
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)
Learning at Pan-American School is based on a series of guiding principles which have been developed taking into consideration: the profile of our learners; our school's statements of purpose; our learning goals, which are informed by IB programmes and philosophy; and learning strategies informed by IB pedagogy and research into how high quality learning is developed.
To learn more about the Pan-American School Learning Principles, please see the following section:
Health and Safety
The health and safety of every member of our community is of paramount importance to us, and every member of our team is dedicated to ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all. This focus is supported through a range of policies, resources, qualified professionals, internal and external trainings, and external partnerships which support our community wellbeing.
Examples of the ways in which we ensure the physical, social and emotional health and wellbeing of our community include:
- Full time campus doctor.
- 8-member Learning Support team, including 4 qualified psychologists, to support the social and emotional wellbeing of all our students.
- Private ambulance service for emergency coverage.
- Dedicated security team 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Bus services which provide door-to-door service for families.
- Strict campus entry procedures, and verification procedures for end of day pickup.
- 24-hour external security contractors who provide armed response units.
- Regular external security patrols by the US Embassy security teams, and private security contractors.
- Radio contact with the US Embassy and private security contractors.
- Regular emergency drills and training in first aid responses, earthquake, evacuation, active shooter etc
- 2 defibrillators on campus, with staff trained in their usage.
- Security Committee which meets and reviews emergency protocols, practices and procedures.
- Backup generators.
- Lightning protection which covers all areas of the campus, and some of the surrounding residential areas.
- Extensive protocols and programs in place for areas such as head injury, Child Protection, Safe Recruitment, Bullying, Health and Wellbeing etc.
- Regular training by internal and external experts in areas related to health and safety, emergency procedures etc.
Campus and Location
Campus Rental
For more information contact Marbey González at da.asistente@panam.ed.cr or call 2298-5770.
Pan-American School is located in San Antonio de Belén, Heredia, Costa Rica, and consists of over 35,000 m2 with five classroom buildings designed for learning in harmony with nature. Surrounding population centers include Santa Ana, Escazú, Belén, Ciudad Colón, Heredia, and Alajuela. It is on route 147 and close to main national roads (Rtes. 1 and 27), housing areas, shopping centers, and the airport. Our campus provides ample areas for study and play, and is framed by a variety of trees and flowering shrubs. In addition to academic facilities such as three science laboratories, a Learning Hub and Research Center, a MakerSpace, a recording studio, and specialized music and art classrooms, we have playgrounds, several sports fields for soccer, basketball, volleyball, an athletic track, and two multi-purpose gymnasiums: one with 600 square meters and the other with 1,250 square meters.
With three entrances and exits - under 24 hour supervision - for the convenience of our community, the campus has been specially designed to ensure access, safety, and security for the members of our community. Solar energy, recycling, energy-saving efforts, and community involvement have led us to become the first Private School in Costa Rica to be awarded the Carbon Neutral certification.
Faculty & Staff
Graduate Profile
Pan-American School was accredited for the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) in 2015 and this same year it began with the first generation of students studying the Diploma Programme.
By 2021, Pan-American School already had five generations that successfully completed the program.
The IB curriculum is offered to all our students, allowing the advantages offered by this program to be received by all our 11th and 12th-grade students without any distinction.
PAS Story
The idea of Pan-American School started at the Primary School of the Inter-American Institute of Agricultural Sciences (IICA) in Turrialba, Costa Rica. There, James Genis (known as “Mister”) implemented an educational philosophy so successful he was motivated to bring the concept to San José, the capital city.
Pan-American School began March 2, 1971, in Los Yoses, San José with 35 students and five teachers. Its special philosophy promoted rapid growth which caused the school to move to Barrio México and later Escazú and Guachipelín. The school’s learning environment of respect, leadership, and camaraderie inspired a group of parents wishing to have their children continue studying under Mr. Genis’ philosophy to create the Secondary School. This section opened its doors in 1993 in a converted house in Los Laureles, Escazú.
Fundación PASaporte
What we give back...
Founded in early 2011, “PASaporte para la Educación” foundation has the following Mission and Vision:
Mission: Create opportunities for the well-rounded education of children
Vision: To be a leader in providing the means for educational opportunities to students
Acting on our values such as solidarity, integrity, and commitment to students, along with the efforts of the Board members and the entire Pan-American School community, we have managed to grow and throughout the years have benefited social welfare projects focused on education.