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Dr. Albert Argenziano 1981 – 1989
Prior to becoming director, Albert Argenziano had been Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. He had close connections with the US State Department and a reputation as a troubleshooter. Dr. Argenziano piloted the American School through a decade of tremendously troubled financial times in Mexico.
The oil boom in Mexico was coming to an end with world oil prices falling. Mexico’s policy of borrowing heavily during times of oil prosperity now left it with a growing foreign debt. A devaluation in the summer of 1982 saw the peso drop from 26 to the dollar to 100 to the dollar. Blaming the crisis on the flight of money from the country, President López Portillo responded by nationalizing the banking industry. His successor, Miguel De la Madrid, witnessed a series of even more traumatic devaluations of the peso. From 1984 to late 1987 the peso fell from 150 to 2300 pesos to the dollar. Inflation rates soared to 159 percent by 1987. When De la Madrid left office in 1988, foreign debt stood at $105 billion USD. The 1980s also saw an increase in threats to security as the United States declared a war on drugs. Guadalajara became the focus of activity in 1985-1986 when several Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents were kidnapped.
Paradoxically, the years of Dr. Argenziano’s directorship were years of growth for the American School. Although meeting payrolls continued to be a challenge, teachers often received pay raises several times a year. In an effort to recruit more English language teachers, Dr. Argenziano was the first director to attend international hiring fairs. According to the 1985 SACS report, the school consisted of almost 100 teachers and 1,205 students and showed considerable growth and improvement since its previous accreditation visit. The academic programs witnessed growth through the introduction of Advanced Placement courses for high school students and the beginning of a US Master’s degree of education program for staff. Many additions to the campus facilities were constructed during the 1980s including the cafeteria, the gymnasium, the swimming pool, a new library, and the first computer center. Such improvements contributed greatly to the American School as it is today.
Sports continued to receive emphasis during Dr. Argenziano’s tenure. A basketball fan himself, he would act as referee during student-teacher basketball tournaments. The basketball team was renamed “Warriors” in 1988 according to a student vote. The first swim team and cheerleading squads were also formed around this time. During this period the Book Fair and Art Fair were first held. There were prizes for best costume at the Halloween parade, and school dances and lip-synch contests were attended by students and teachers alike. Seniors often held their graduation parties at the nightclub Daddy-O’s. However, for two consecutive years graduation party exuberance turned to tragedy when American School students lost their lives in traffic accidents on the night of the graduation party.
Life in Mexico at the Time
1985 Earthquake in Mexico City kills thousands
Movies to see: Back to the future 1
1986 300,000 migrate from DF to Guadalajara
1989 Guadalajara’s subway system opens |
World Events of 1981-1989
1983 Famine in Ethiopia
Madonna releases her first hit single
1984 AIDS virus is discovered
First computer invented (Apple Mac)
1985 Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video is released
1986 Nuclear disaster at Chernobyl
1989 The Berlin wall comes down
Chinese students massacred in Tiananmen Square |
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