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40-455: Awty opened at 3736 Westheimer Road on September 10, 1956. Originally a pre-school, it was founded by Kathleen "Kay" Awty. The school initially had 27 students at the kindergarten and prekindergarten levels. The school moved to 1615 Garretson Street in 1960. By 1970, It served grades preschool through sixth. By that same year there were 250 students enrolled. The upper school division opened in 1975, and in 1976 four female students graduated from

80-764: A 1,400-seat stadium, 85 parking spaces, and tennis courts were constructed. Awty is affiliated with the Mission Laïque Française . Agencies accrediting Awty include the International Baccalaureate (IB), the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the Ministry of National Education of France, and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands . Awty

120-520: A 640-acre (260 ha) farm west of Houston's city limits at the time, where Lamar High School and St. John's School are currently located. Having built a school on his land for his 16 children, other local children were invited to join the school, as a public school system was not established in the area. The road that led to his property was known as "the road to Westheimer's place" and wound through what would later be Neartown and River Oaks . In 1895, Westheimer allowed Harris County to build

160-675: A bond to build the "Defense Loop". It was officially designated as Loop 137 in 1942, and the North Loop was approved by the Texas Transportation Commission . World War II delayed construction of the loop until the 1950s. In July 1953, the city of Houston asked the Texas Transportation Commission to include two new sections of Loop 137 (the West and South loops) as part of the state's highway system. It

200-458: A computer lab, a media room, an infirmary, two art rooms, and a teacher's lounge and workroom. Awty historically relied on the use of temporary buildings, and elementary school classes were originally located in the school's original building, "Big Blue." Demolition of "Big Blue" was completed in August, 2014 to make way for the new Student Campus Center. In 2017, a second 5-acre Early Learning Campus

240-407: A dining hall, two art rooms, and a digital photography room. This facility replaced the preceding temporary buildings. The Levant Foundation Building and a five-story parking garage were the first phase of a four-phase, $ 50 million building program of facilities designed by Bailey Architects. The second phase of the project was completed in 2014 with the opening of an elementary building, which includes

280-648: A few of the uncountable Starbucks ." He added that the segment of Westheimer Road in Westchase does not have "the sleaze of the Highway ;6 area and the tacky exuberance of mid-Westheimer, the area between Chimney Rock and Fondren." In 2007, Colliers International ranked Westheimer Road as the seventh most expensive retail street in the US by rent per square foot; the group calculated the rent per square foot as $ 120 ($ 46/km ). In 2007, Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly referred to

320-494: A mixture of dimly recognizable 'traditional' styles. The order of the strip is economic, rather than visual or experiential. The biggest-grossing land gets the prime footage." Lomax said that the segment of Westheimer in Westchase is "virtually all chains—a Geography of Nowhere wasteland of Boston Market , Borders , Kroger , Randalls , Taco Bell , Citgo and Sonic . Several of the six CVS outlets we passed are there, as are

360-432: A right-of-way for a road stretching from Houston to Columbus and Sealy ; this road became Westheimer Road. 610 Loop Interstate 610 ( I-610 ) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway that forms a 37.972-mile-long (61.110 km) loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas . I-610, colloquially known as The Loop , Loop 610 , The Inner Loop , or just 610 , traditionally marks

400-722: A soccer field on the Awty premises. Annette Baird of the Houston Chronicle describes the former soccer field as "an undersized bumpy pitch". Currently, students competing in swimming at Awty practice at Dad's Club. Awty Athletics Team Championships Westheimer Road [REDACTED] Beltway 8 Westheimer Road ( / ˈ w ɛ s t ( h ) aɪ m ər / ) is an arterial east–west road in Houston , Texas , United States . It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at

440-407: A stretch of Westheimer between Claremont Lane and Kirby Drive as "the socialite 's sector" due to the stores catering to residents of River Oaks and other nearby wealthy communities; in the article, she describes several places along the stretch of Westheimer. Between Willowick Road and Sage Road, Westheimer is lined with prestigious boutiques and high-end stores that feature luxury goods . Among

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480-470: Is 400 metres (1,300 ft) long and has eight lanes. It has wide turns and a Beynon 1000 urethane surface. Stuart Holden , a midfielder for the Houston Dynamo and an alumnus of the school, attended the 2008 opening ceremony. Prior to the opening of the athletic compound, each athletic team practiced off campus. Home tennis matched were played at the tennis courts of other schools in the 5A district of

520-759: Is also affiliated with Agence pour l'enseignement français à l'étranger (AEFE), the Council of International Schools (CIS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE), the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC), Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC), Houston Area Independent Schools (HAIS), and Texas International Baccalaureate Schools (TIBS). The school offers

560-533: Is in Spring Branch in western Houston. It is in proximity to the intersection of the 610 Loop and Interstate 10 , and is northwest of it. The campus buildings together have 120 classrooms. A three-story, 65,000-square-foot (6,000 m), 33-classroom facility, called the Levant Foundation Building, is located near the school's entrance. Opened in 2012, the building includes administrative offices,

600-629: Is in Fort Bend County approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) northwest of Grand Parkway. At this point, traffic heading northwest on Westheimer Parkway continues on Pin Oak Road near Katy Mills , located in Katy . Westheimer Road and Westheimer Parkway are named after Mitchell (Michael) Louis Westheimer, a prosperous German Jewish immigrant and flour salesman who had settled in Houston in 1859. He purchased

640-418: Is located at 1255 North Post Oak, adjacent to the main campus. Its opening ceremony was held on April 22, 2008. The athletic compound includes a stadium with 1,400 seats, four tennis courts, a press box, a polyethylene soccer pitch, 80 parking spaces, locker rooms, a storage facility, offices of coaches, and a concessions stand. In addition it has a running track that circles around the other facilities. The track

680-474: Is straight along a cardinal east–west line. Westheimer passes north of Alief and Westchase when passing under Beltway 8 . After intersecting State Highway 6 (SH 6) and passing west of West Oaks Mall , Westheimer Road and Westheimer Parkway split, with Westheimer Parkway continuing west through George Bush Park and Westheimer Road (also known as "Old Westheimer Road") turning southwest. Westheimer Road terminates when FM 1093 becomes

720-416: Is the essence of that—Evans Music City, an army surplus store, a titty bar and a liquor store within 100 yards [91 m] of each other. Now that's one-stop shopping." In Houston Architectural Guide , Stephen Fox said the following about the stretch of Westheimer between Chimney Rock Road and South Gessner Road: Nowhere is the 'anything goes' image that adheres to Houston more blatantly displayed than along

760-579: The Houston Ship Channel . Construction on the North Loop began in 1950. Construction was sporadic throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It was completed in 1976 with the interchange that connects I-610 to I-10 east of Houston. In the early 1990s, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) proposed a widening project for the West Loop, which, at the time, was the busiest freeway in Houston. One of

800-747: The IB Diploma , the French Baccalauréat diploma, and a general high school diploma. As of 2021, Awty is the only school in Greater Houston offering both tracks to the International Baccalaureate and French Baccalauréat diplomas, and the only school in Texas requiring all seniors to take the final exams in one of these two programs. The AEFE accredits Awty. Preparing students for the global lives they are sure to lead, all students are immersed in

840-603: The Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools . Practice for the tennis team was held at the Memorial Park Tennis Center at Memorial Park . The track team historically practiced at several stadiums of TAPPS 5A schools; in 2008 the team was practicing at the St. John's School . The soccer teams played only "away" games (games held at other schools or stadiums) before the opening of the new compound, and practiced on

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880-646: The University of Houston . From Bagby west, Westheimer jogs mostly westerly, through Neartown , forms the south boundary of the River Oaks community and then passes under Interstate 610 (I-610) west. The portion spanning from I-610 west to the Westpark Tollway is designated as a part of Farm to Market Road 1093 (FM 1093). From I-610 west, Westheimer Road traverses through Uptown and then west-southwest to Chimney Rock. From Chimney Rock west, Westheimer

920-640: The Uptown Houston district. It was in proximity to River Oaks and Tanglewood . As of 2021, the school's enrollment was over 1,717 students. This makes it the largest international school in the United States and the largest private school in Houston. As of that year the students originated from the United States, France, and 48 other countries. As of 2021 54% are U.S. citizens, 12% are U.S. citizens with multiple citizenship, and 34% are from one or more of 50 other countries. Over 60% are bilingual. As of 2021

960-558: The Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park , stretching about 19 miles (31 km) long. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and flour salesman. Westheimer Road's eastern terminus is at Bagby Street. At this point, traffic heading east on Westheimer either turns southwest on Bagby Street or jogs right and southeasterly, continuing on Elgin Street into Midtown and into Third Ward near

1000-635: The West Loop. The North Loop runs from U.S. Highway 290 (US 290) to US 90 , the East Loop runs from US 90 to SH 225 , the West Loop runs from US 290 to the South Post Oak Road spur, and the South Loop runs from South Post Oak Road to SH 225. Sometimes, a direction name is added as a suffix to denote a more specific part of a portion of the loop and this does not denote

1040-752: The area. Westheimer is the Main Street of the Montrose neighborhood which was dubbed as one of the greatest neighborhoods of the United States. The arts culture is widespread, with graffiti present in and on buildings throughout. From its eastern terminus at Westheimer Road/FM 1093, Westheimer Parkway winds through George Bush Park and the Cinco Ranch neighborhood in Harris County and Fort Bend County . The Parkway then runs under Grand Parkway near Cinco Ranch High School . Westheimer Parkway's western terminus

1080-531: The border between the inner city of Houston ("inside the Loop") and its surrounding areas. It is the innermost of the three Houston beltways , the other two being Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Parkway/Tollway) and State Highway 99 (SH 99; Grand Parkway), of which various segments are under construction or planning. In Houston, the area inside I-610 is the urban core. Jeff Balke of the Houston Press wrote that

1120-436: The daily hour-long second language class. Students in 6th grade through 12th grade attend a daily intensive second language class, and have extensive third language options. Languages in addition to English, French, and Spanish often include Arabic, German, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Russian. On any given year, Awty typically offers ten different language options. The main campus, with 26 acres (11 ha) of land,

1160-400: The direction of traffic flow. For example: Starting at US 290, moving in a clockwise direction, mainlane counts are as follows: The concept of building a bypass highway around Houston was first proposed in 1931, but plans did not begin to formalize until 1941. The loop was initially proposed to transport troops and materials around the city. On May 3, Harris County voters approved

1200-458: The feeder road of the Westpark Tollway just west of FM 1464 and just inside Fort Bend County. John Nova Lomax of the Houston Press said in a 2006 article that Westheimer Road, "more than any other thoroughfare, embodies Houston's car-enamored, zoning-free ethos, a damn-near 20-mile [32 km] phantasmagoria of strip malls, storage facilities, restaurants, big-box retail, office parks, apartment complexes, strip clubs, malls, supermarkets and

1240-510: The freeway "is as much a social and philosophical divide as a physical one". Mike Snyder in the Houston Chronicle wrote that, as someone from inside I-610, he historically felt "kind of special" due to being close to "the city's historical core and its major business, educational and cultural institutions". Major segments of I-610 are known as the North Loop, the South Loop, the East Loop, and

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1280-545: The high school, forming the first graduating class. In 1979, Awty merged with the French School of Houston and began offering a bilingual program. That year, the school moved to its current campus. In 1984 the school received its current name, the Awty International School. A preschool facility opened in 1990. Kay Awty died in 1996. On the school's 50th anniversary in 2006, a $ 5 million athletic complex including

1320-524: The occasional church." In another article, he referred to Westheimer as "mainly about the fetishes, broken dreams and vanities of Anglo whites ." In a post on the Houston Press website during the same year, he called the stretch of Westheimer west of Chimney Rock Road and east of Fondren Road, which he refers to as "Mid-Westheimer", "The Testosterone Zone". Referring to a photograph of a shopping center on that segment, Lomax added that "This strip center

1360-637: The proposals was for a dual–dual freeway with a total of 24 lanes in some places, which would have made it the widest freeway in the world. Amid vocal opposition and little apparent support, the plans for expansion were canceled. In the late 1990s, the need to repave and reconstruct portions of the West Loop became evident. The reconstruction project was approved, but only as a "no-capacity-added" project; only safety and structural improvements could be made. Some Houston residents, however, have noted that merging lanes and exit ramps are particularly long and, in effect, serve as additional lanes. As of 2014 ,

1400-694: The school provides bus services for students to and from the Dairy Ashford area, Greater Katy , the Lakes on Eldridge /Lakes on Eldridge North/Twin Lakes area, Memorial , Shadowbriar, Sugar Land , and the Town and Country Mall area in Spring Branch. In 2019-2020, The Awty International School joined the Southwest Preparatory Conference (SPC) and Houston Junior Preparatory Conference (HJPC). The athletic campus, Awty Field,

1440-506: The shopping centers in this section include The Galleria and River Oaks District and many others. Brands that feature boutiques include Apple , Tom Ford , Gucci , Fendi , Christian Dior SE , Dolce & Gabbana , John Hardy , Cartier , Carolina Herrera , Prada , Rolex , Versace , etc. Between Shepherd Drive and Bagby Street, the street is known as Lower Westheimer. The area is famous for its hipster culture, food scene, and nightlife. Thrift stores, tattoo shops, and bars dominate

1480-549: The stretch of Westheimer Road between Chimney Rock and South Gessner Road. Middle-class subdivisions of the 1950s flank this strip, but they are hidden behind broad bands of commercial development that face Westheimer. Most of these date from the 1960s and early '70s, when Houston's suburbanizing ethos was at its least constrained. Not only do shopping centers, gas stations and fast-food restaurants line up along Westheimer—each flashing signs or theme-style inducements to passersby—but mega-garden apartment complexes compete for attention in

1520-465: The study of a second language. The form of immersion varies depending on the grade level. Students in PK3 through Kindergarten are immersed in either English/French or English/Spanish. In 1st grade through 5th grade, language immersion is with core subjects taught in the primary language of either English, French, or Spanish and specials such as art, gym, and library are taught in the second language, as well as

1560-448: Was added nearby for students in PK3/PS, PK4/MS, Kinder/GS, and 1st grade/CP featuring 26 classrooms, dedicated indoor spaces for art, music, dining, after-school program, and technology, as well as a full gym. Outdoors, the facility features two playgrounds, learning gardens, and three decks for class activities. The former campus on Garrettson Street was west of the 610 Loop , in what is now

1600-603: Was initially rejected, but, in October 1954, the North Loop was upgraded to a freeway, and the West and South loops were approved as freeways. When the Interstate Highway System was authorized in 1956, the then-C-shaped Loop 137 (now designated I-610) was adopted into the plan. The East Loop would not be approved until 1960. That segment was finished in 1973 with the opening of the Sidney Sherman Bridge over

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