Above: The American Elementary School in Gdynia, Poland.  English is the language of instruction in the classroom.  The A.E.S. makes use of English to create fluent bilingual learners who are prepared for the future and ready to participate in a rapidly globalizing world.  Pupils are fluent in English by grades 4 and 5 and easily pass Cambridge FCE and CAE exams in grades 7 and 8.  Upon graduating, students continue on to prestigious and demanding high schools in Poland and abroad.
Left: On the day that I visited the American Elementary School, the computer room had been burglarized and one of the school's two "modern" computers was stolen.  Even with locks and metal gratings over the windows, the small school is an unfortunate target for theft.  The title Maly Kack (pronounced "Mawy Katsck") indicates the name of the region that surrounds the school.

Right: The small A.E.S. library.  One of Mr. Surface's first, and perhaps most challenging, jobs as Director was to furnish the school with a library, something the school sorely lacked.  Thanks to the generous efforts of educators at the Manhasset Middle School such as Mr. Gilroy (Principal), Mr. Adcroft and Mrs. Belth (Library), and Mr. Zanni (Science Coordinater), the A.E.S. is developing its first, small library.  In fact, most of the books in this photograph were donated by the Manhasset Middle School.