Bridgeport International Academy

Bridgeport International Academy (BIA) is a private college preparatory school in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The school is located adjacent to the seaside campus of the University of Bridgeport. Students have the opportunity to take college courses and use university facilities.

Bridgeport International Academy
Location
285 Lafayette Street
Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604

United States
Information
TypePrivate Secondary
Established1997
PrincipalDr. Frank LaGrotteria
Grades9-12
Websitehttp://www.bridgeportacademy.org/

History
View of the school building, April 2011

On March 9, 2007, BIA was again granted state approval as a nonpublic school by the State of Connecticut. In addition, the academy has approval from the Department of Homeland Security of the U.S. government to issue I-20 forms in order for international students to obtain F-1 non-immigrant student visas. On March 15, 2007, Bridgeport International Academy was elected to institutional membership and was granted accreditation for ten years by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.

BIA then moved to the former Seaside Institute at 285 Lafayette Street in 2008 and also developed an English Language Program, taking international students through two levels of English and then mainstreaming them into regular classes by their junior or senior year. International students have already graduated from BIA and are now in colleges and universities in the US.

Facilities
Wheeler Recreation Center

Bridgeport International Academy is located on 285 Lafayette Street, Bridgeport, Connecticut. All classes and offices are located there, including Intensive English or ELL classrooms, English classroom, science classroom and lab, computer laboratories, assembly room, lunch room, and health center.

The school has two separate dorms, one for boys and one for girls.

Through an arrangement with the University of Bridgeport, BIA students, faculty and administrative staff have access to the following university facilities: The Marina Dining Hall, The Magnus Wahlstrom Library, The Wheeler Recreation Center, The Arnold Bernhard Arts and Humanities Center, and the University Student Center.[1]

Academics

Accelerated Courses

Through an arrangement with the University of Bridgeport (UB) and Housatonic Community College (HCC), qualified juniors and seniors may take classes at these universities in lieu of Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses. This is a dual credit system in which a student may receive credit simultaneously from college and high school. Such courses are marked “UB” or “HCC” on a student's transcript.

The following are some of the courses that BIA students have taken at UB and HCC:

  • English Composition and Rhetoric
  • Literature and Civilization
  • Trigonometry
  • Applied Statistics
  • Pre-Calculus, Calculus I, II, III
  • Introduction to Computing I, II, Computer Graphics, Computer Concepts
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • International Business
  • Fine Arts
  • Principles of Physics I, II
  • General Biology I, II, Elementary Microbiology
  • Intermediate Chemistry, Biochemistry
  • World Politics
  • American History, American Government
  • Psychology, Personality Psychology, Social Psychology, Educational Psychology
  • Beginners Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish, Arabic
  • Intermediate Japanese, Korean, French, Spanish

Graduation Requirements
Seniors, 2015

Students must complete a minimum of 23 credits in order to graduate.

  • English – 4 credits
  • Social Studies – 3 credits
  • Mathematics – 3 credits
  • Science – 3 credits
  • Health – 1 credit
  • Computer Science – 1 credit

A variety of electives is offered, and an English Language Learner program is offered for international students. (One credit is the equivalent to a one-year course that meets 200 minutes per week.)

Activities

Activities offered include:

  • Art
  • Fine Arts
  • Digital Arts
  • Film Studies
  • Chorus
  • Drama
  • Yearbook
  • Basketball/ Volleyball
  • Contemporary Dance / Hip Hop
Volleyball at the Beach

Students are involved in a variety of extracurricular clubs and activities including:

  • Student Council: composed of elected students who represent the student body and help manage student activities.
  • Volleyball Club: After-school volleyball games are played at the University of Bridgeport's Wheeler Recreational Center and on beach volleyball courts by the Sound.
  • UB Tae-Kwon-Do classes: The University of Bridgeport Martial Arts program is the first at an American institution leading to a bachelor's degree in martial arts studies.
  • Music Club.
  • The WAIT Team: Washington AIDS International Teens is a performing arts group that educates youths about the dangers of HIV/AIDS.[2]
  • Film Club: Students are able to use state of the art equipment and make films about the school. The club is largely supported by MSG Varsity.

Athletics
Cinderella, 2015

Because Bridgeport International Academy does not have any athletic teams, eligible students are allowed to join the local public school's teams, Bassick High School, and juniors and seniors with the University of Bridgeport.

Theater

At the end of each school year, the drama class of Bridgeport International Academy performs a play in the main theater of the University of Bridgeport's Arnold Bernard Center. This is usually a musical, such as "The Wizard of Oz," or The "Sound of Music." However, in 2011, they performed Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Students receive credit for performing.

BIA Affiliation with News 12 Varsity

The academy is partnered with MSG VARSITY on Cablevision Channel 14[3] to cover and promote school activities and events (UCCT). MSG Varsity is a 24/7 television network dedicated to high school sports, academics and activities throughout the tri-state area. The students and faculty in schools that are working with this service are given access to curriculum and training in multimedia creation and distribution (Cablevision).

MSG Varsity has provided HD cameras and video editing software to the academy, in addition to hosting videos made by the academy's students on their website. Also, a crew from MSG Varsity occasionally comes to record special events or for interviews. One student, Daniel Hirano, was interviewed about his hobby, origami. The videos made by the students of BIA are available on the MSG Varsity website, or on Cablevision channel 14.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2011-04-08.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. http://waitteam.org/
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-04-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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