Busan Foreign School

Welcome to the Busan Foreign School (BFS) and the 2010-11 school year!  We’re glad that you’re here!  As the new headmaster of BFS, I am very pleased to be part of this dynamic and exciting school community. 

One of the most impressive qualities of BFS is its willingness to seek vibrant change in order to meet the needs of our students.  Our fine staff of educators is dedicated to helping our students grow academically and personally in order to help them be the best prepared for their futures.  The clear mission of our school is to offer our students a world-class education that helps them enter top international universities and colleges while helping them become responsible caring world citizens.  BFS and its staff strive to make this mission a daily reality for students.  Our rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) program is growing each year and offers our students the chance to earn college credits in many universities throughout the world before they even leave high school.  Currently we offer AP courses in math, science and English and a pre-AP course in history.  Another way our students become better prepared world citizens is through a community service program that is a requirement for all high school students.  Students undertake volunteer experiences both around the school, in Busan itself, and also through international volunteering efforts such as a Habitat for Humanity project that students helped with last year in Bali.  It is through efforts such as this volunteering, that students gain not only a local perspective about service to one’s community, but they develop a realization that they are world citizens as well and can take a vital active role in making a difference internationally. 

There are important aspects that help make our school the premiere foreign school in Busan:

• The Busan Foreign School is the only English speaking school in Busan to successfully graduate students from high school.  We have over a decade of experience at sending BFS alumni to high quality international universities and colleges.  Currently 182 of our students have graduated from BFS. 
• We are the only fully accredited North American style K-12 school in Busan [through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)].  One of the values of accreditation is that it helps us establish continuous school-wide improvement goals and ensures our academic standards are consistent with other WASC accredited schools.  

We are very excited to help our students gain the most important tools they will have in their lives – their educations.  Our high standards of academic excellence, our individual care for the well-being of all our students, and our excellent high quality staff make the Busan Foreign School THE international school of choice in Busan.  We are very glad to have you as a part of our BFS community! 

With highest regard,

Kelley R.Ridings, Ph.D.
Headmaster, Busan Foreign School 

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Welcome to the new Busan Foreign School website. On behalf of the entire faculty I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our students and their parents for the 2010 – 2011 school year.

Busan Foreign School, accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), is located in the beautiful Haeundae New Town area of Busan. This area is one of the most attractive in Korea as it provides breathtaking mountain scenery, beautiful sandy beaches, and abundant public services and entertainment that are commonly found in North America. Furthermore, the Haeundae New Town area is well known for its extremely inviting and friendly community, accommodating to all cultures.

Busan Foreign School’s mission is to ensure each student, from nursery to 12th grade, receives a world class education in an international environment. Our comprehensive academic curriculum, based on U.S. National Standards, ensures that every student is intellectually challenged to achieve their greatest potential. Graduates of BFS have gone on to continue their education at some of the most prestigious universities in the world. Recent alumni have either attended or been accepted to the University of Notre Dame, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina, Johns Hopkins University, the University of California at San Diego, New York University, Duke University, the University of Washington, and the University of British Columbia — to name just a few.

Busan Foreign School’s broad curricular and co-curricular programs include interscholastic activities, both academic and athletic. BFS offers numerous after school programs, such as soccer, ping pong, badminton, basketball, cross-country, ELL, music, art, orchestra, baking, after school TOEFL preparation, after school SAT preparation, and elementary sports clubs. The school participates in an interscholastic league, the South Korean Athletic Conference (SKAC), fielding competitive middle and high school sports teams, as well as a model U.N., spelling bee, and science fair where BFS students are well represented. BFS also provides many opportunities for student leadership training and development. The BFS Student Council, the National Honor Society, and our Habitat for Humanity chapter, all act as agents of change, as they organize social events, fundraise for various causes, and volunteer to improve the school, the local community, and even the global community.

I highly encourage parents to take part in their child’s learning process. You play an essential role in their education. Thus, the invitation is always open for you to visit the school and take part in BFS’s educational experience. Please come explore our unique school to see whether Busan Foreign School might be the right fit for your family.

We greatly appreciate your interest in our school and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us directly. We look forward to meeting you soon and helping you to begin your journey with us.

Sincerely,

Scott Jolly
Principal of Busan Foreign School