“The American School”

SURALCO, a subsidiary of the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), founded a school in the mid 1960’s to accommodate their expatriate employees. In 1966, the West Indies Mission opened a school for their children and the children of other missionary agencies. The two schools merged in 1984 and the missionary community operated the new entity. The new school was known as the American Cooperative School. People in Paramaribo still know us as “the American school.” The IAS Board bought the current campus from SURALCO shortly after the merger.

Wycliffe Bible Translators (SIL) provided the majority of the staff over the years. Their plan to withdraw from Suriname in 2001 meant the teachers they provided would no longer be available to the school. In 1998, the school board contacted the Network of International Christian Schools (NICS), who agreed to a partnership with IAS. 

Network of International Christian Schools (NICS)

NICS recruits and oversees the director and assists the director in locating teachers for the school. NICS holds the director and teachers accountable through its administrative guidelines. Pre-field orientation, health insurance for the teachers, and networking with other teachers around the world are also provided by NICS.