Üsküdar American Academy ( Turkish: ''Üsküdar Amerikan Lisesi'', ) often abbreviated as Üsküdar American or UAA, is a private coeducational American high school located in

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

borough of

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, Turkey. The school was established by the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...

in 1876. Today, it is owned and administered by the Health and Education Foundation ( Turkish: ''Sağlık ve Eğitim Vakfı'', or ''SEV'') along with other former ABCFM institutions in Turkey.

History

American Academy for Girls was founded in 1876 in Bahçecik, a town in the city of Kocaeli by the Congregational missionaries of the

. The school was moved to

Adapazarı Adapazarı () is a municipality and the capital Districts of Turkey, district of Sakarya Province, Turkey. Its area is 324 km2, and its population 281,489 (2022). It covers the central and northern part of the agglomeration of Adapazarı and t ...

where it remained until World War I.. The site in , an area of

, a neighbourhood on the Asian part of İstanbul, was originally the American College for Girls. ACG vacated the Baglarbaşı site in 1914 and moved to

Arnavutköy Arnavutköy ( ' Albanian village'; ) is a neighbourhood in the municipality and district of Beşiktaş, Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its population is 3,574 (2022). It is renowned for its wooden Ottoman mansions and seafood restaurants, as well a ...

, a neighborhood on the European side of

Bosphorus The Bosporus or Bosphorus Strait ( ; , colloquially ) is a natural strait and an internationally significant waterway located in Istanbul, Turkey. The Bosporus connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and forms one of the continental bo ...

, leaving the Baglarbaşı campus empty from 1914 to 1921 except for the years 1914–1915 when the buildings of the school were used as an orphanage by the

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

and the years 1915–1918 when the Turkish army used the school as a barracks. When Üsküdar American Academy for Girls was looking for a new location in Istanbul, it moved to the present site in Baglarbaşı in the early 1920s. With its new site and in the spirit of the new Republic of Turkey, the school became dedicated to quality education for girls. In 1925, the education at the school was being done in the basement of Barton Hall and in Bowker Hall. The Round House was in the same place as it is today. There was a wooden black building in the place of Emir Konak. There was a chapel in the place of the present gymnasium in which Sunday worship services were held for the local Christian community. During the week it was an assembly hall and classes were held in the basement. There was originally a stable on the site where Kinney Cottage stands today. The school's need for milk was met by the cows that lived in the stable. The stable was later demolished and the Practice House (Kinney Cottage) was built as a homemaking skills practicing center for the seniors. The building was named Kinney Cottage in memory of Mary Kinney who was the principal of the school when it moved from Adapazarı. Üsküdar American Academy experienced a radical change in 1990 when it admitted boys for the first time into the Orta Prep class. With this change, "American Academy for Girls" became part of history and the school became known as "Üsküdar American Academy". With the help of

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

grants, the

Sabancı Holding Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş., commonly abbreviated as Sabancı Holding, is an industrial and financial conglomerate with headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey. The company's primary activities are in financial services, energy (electricity genera ...

, supportive parents, and the Health and Education Foundation (''SEV'') physical changes have also continued with the building of a gymnasium, the restoration of Bowker and Barton Halls, and the construction of Morgan Hall, the science, math and computer building. Today the school, like its sister schools American Collegiate Institute in Izmir, Tarsus American College in Tarsus, ''SEV'' American College in Istanbul, as well as the American Hospital in

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

, is under the governance of the Health and Education Foundation (''SEV''), which carries full responsibility and authority for operating the school. The current campus of Üsküdar American Academy is situated on a hill in a residential district of

. The campus falls in the officially recognized neighborhood ( Turkish: ''mahalle'') of Selamiali (

Selamsız Selamsız is a quarter in Üsküdar district on the Asian side of Istanbul, Turkey. It corresponds more or less to the current officially recognized neighborhoods of Selamiali and Muratreis. These neighborhoods are bounded on the north by Sulta ...

), but the school lists its address as Bağlarbaşı neighborhood.

Campus and curriculum

The Üsküdar American Academy Library is located on the ground floor of Martin Hall. Established in 1876, Üsküdar American Academy is one of the oldest schools in the region. Today the school is governed by a Turkish non-profit trust, The Health and Education Foundation and it provides an English language, college preparatory program of studies to Turkish students. Üsküdar American Academy is accredited as an international school, offering a blend of Turkish and American educational systems. The school is accredited by the

Council of International Schools The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a membership organization aimed at international education. CIS was formed in 2003. It has over 1,500 institutional members consisting of over 800 schools and 600 colleges/universities, located in ...

(CIS) and offers the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), more commonly known as the International Baccalaureate (IB), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the I ...

(IB) programme. Situated on a hill in the residential district of

, the school campus includes 8 buildings sited on 18,000 square meters.

Buildings

Üsküdar American Academy has a variety of buildings in their campus, most having dedicated subjects taught in them. Buildings are commonly named after former Üsküdar American Academy faculty members.

Kinney Cottage

Named after the second principal of the school Mary Kinney who was the principal between 1910 and 1930. Kinney served the school as the principal until her death. Kinney Cottage was built on the lot which used to be a horse stable. The first classes taught in the new building were homemaking and home economics courses.

Martin Hall

Named after the Jessie Martin, the principal who served thrice between 1936-1941, 1944-1949, and 1950-1956. Martin was a very influential member in the school's history. Martin was in charge of the school during the construction of Huntington Hall and Martin Hall with the latter named after her. Martin Hall opened with a ceremony on November 14, 1955. Martin Hall is the home to the UAA library in 2023.

Barton Hall & Bowker Hall

As the oldest buildings of the school, both Barton Hall and Bowker Hall has been active since early 19th century. Barton Hall is home to the English department and Bowker Hall is home to the Turkish and Visual Arts departments.

Morgan Hall

Similar to Jessie Martin, Helle L. Morgan was a principal who served thrice between 1956-1960, 1960-1966, and 1967-1977. The building was developed for the laboratories and computer center of the school. As of 2023, the building is home to the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology departments and well as the Redroom, a multipurpose room.

Huntington Hall

Huntington Hall began construction in 1955 when Jessie Martin was acting as the principal for her final time. Construction was completed on fall of 1958. The building was named after George Huntington and his wife Mrs. Clarke who both contributed generously towards scholarships for more than twenty-five years. Huntington was a professor at the other prestigious American school in Istanbul,

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

. Huntington Hall is home to the faculty building, the auditorium, and the iconic organ which has been Üsküdar American Academy property since 1950.

Roundhouse

Roundhouse has been an active building since 1946 and is currently being used by the Music department.

Emir Konak

During 1950s, Jessie Martin decided to renovate the campus. The renovations began by renovating Emir Konak, a building which had been used since 1925. The building was deemed a fire hazard by the Istanbul Fire Department and was converted to a laundry and store building rather than being the dormitory. The renovations were completed and the "New" Emir Konak was opened in 1952. Currently Emir Konak is home to the computer center and the "Maker Lab", the classroom with 3D printers that the "Maker Club" uses.

Sports Hall

The sports hall of Üsküdar American Academy has a multi-use games area in which different sports such as basketball, volleyball, and

kin-ball Kin-Ball is a team sport created in Quebec, Canada, in 1986 by Mario Demers, a physical education professor. The main distinctive characteristics are the large size of the ball (1.2m (48 inches) in diameter) and that the matches are played by t ...

is played. The building has a table tennis and a fitness room. Üsküdar American Academy has over 10 sports related student clubs with most using the sports hall to practice. On 9 January 1996,

Özdemir Sabancı Özdemir Sabancı (1941 – January 9, 1996) was a Turkish businessman and a second generation member of the Sabancı family. Biography He was born in Adana, Turkey. After finishing high school at the Tarsus American College in Tarsus, provinc ...

, a businessman and President of SEV's Trustees Governing Council was murdered. The

Sabancı family The Sabancı family is one of the wealthiest families in Turkey. The family's main business entity was founded by Hacı Ömer Sabancı in the 1930s. Hacı Ömer Sabancı, the progenitor of the Sabancı family, moved from his native Kayseri to Ada ...

had contributed to the school and the foundation, hence the sports hall was renamed as Özdemir Sabancı Sportshall.

Extracurricular Activities

At Üsküdar American Academy, students are expected to participate in at least one club activity. With options in language, science, arts, and sports, students have no trouble finding a club that interests them. Students are able to stay after school from 15:00 to 16:20 every day of the week except Monday. Club activities also happen online in long-breaks, and include attending competitions or organizing conferences at school. *UAA Student Council *UAA Debate Club *Model United Nations (MUN) *European Youth Parliament (EYP) *Roar TV *UAA Claw *Culture and Poetry Club *SUNPO Club *Future Problem Solving Club *Readers' Circle Club (Grade 10 & 11) *French Club *Handicraft and Knitting Club *bozYAP Club *Finance Club *Poetry Club *Artificial Intelligence Club *Astronomy Club *Record Club *Comparative Literature Club *Creative Writing Club *Ethics & Cyber Security Club *Fashion Marketing and Design Club *Genetics and Evolution Club *Go Club *Gourmet Club *Innovation Club *Model United Nations (MUN) *Psychology Club *Robotics Club *Sports Podcast Club *Tango Club *UAA Science Society Club *MUN Executive Club *Physics Olympiad Club *Interact Club *Social Service Club *Advanced Maths Club *Chess Club *Art Club *Botanical Ecology and Zoology Club *Honour Court *Law, Politics and Economics (LPE) *Neuroscience Club *UAA Diplomacy Club *Chemistry Club *Hiking Club *Math Chronicles Club *UAA Society of Women Engineers (SWE) *Health and Medicine Club *NEHS Club *Physics Project Club *Colourful Smiles Club *AIAS Club *Atatürkism and History Club *Computer Olympics Club *Computer Science Club *DECA Club *E-Sports Club *Ethics and Philosophy Club *Folk Dance Club *Investors Society Club *Model Turkish Parliament Club *Programming Club *TEDx UAA Club *UNESCO World Heritage Club *Sports Club *Music Club *Circle Club *Bridge Club *Key Club *UAA Association of Cancer Fighters *UAA SUNPO Club *UAA Dance Club *Turkish Theater Club *Quantum Club *Applied Biology Club *Aviation Club *Debate Club *Destination Imagination Club *Diskussionsrunde Deutsch (DRD) *German MUN (GERMUN) *Dungeons and Dragons Club (DND) *Electric Vehicle Club *Environment, Nature, Sustainable Life and Discovery Club *EYP – European Youth Parliament Club *Floorball Club *Girls in Tech Club *Journalism Club *Record Club *Rowing Club *Sailing Club *Sapere Aude – Magazine Club *Social Affairs Club *World Scholars Cup Club *Youth Economics Initiative Club *Law Club *English Drama Club *Media Club (Roar TV) *Punk Club