The American Overseas School of Rome'' (AOSR''') is a private international school in Rome, Italy, accredited by the United States-based Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. It has three divisions: Elementary School, Middle School and High School. It primarily caters to the international community in Rome, Italy. Students graduating receive the American high-school diploma or the International Baccalaureate. It has been an IB World School since April 1989. The Head of the School is Dr. Kristen DiMatteo along with Mr. Jerome Duggan as the secondary school principal and Ms. Joanne Mallary as the elementary school principal. History For the first half of its existence, the school was called the Overseas School of Rome. There was an OSR located at the Foro Mussolini (now the Foro Italico), near Ponte Milvio before 1947, but not the same school that was incorporated in that year. When news came that the Allied Forces were being moved to Trieste, five American and five British mothers (some from the original Foro Mussolini school) got together and decided to form a school which should be nondenominational and international, combining the best of the British and American systems. This group is responsible for the organization of the official corporation that became known as the American Overseas School of Rome. The parents managed to get the British and American Ambassadors, as patrons of the school, to put pressure on the Torlonia family to rent the palazzo of Villa Torlonia on Via Nomentana as AOSR's first campus. The school opened its doors to the public on October 16, 1947, with 60 students. In 1952, the school moved to its current location on Via Cassia. Enrollment continued to rise steadily, reflecting the increased numbers of parents assigned to embassies, consulates, and the United Nations, or living in Rome as scholars, artists, journalists, and business professionals. The Board of Trustees built a new high school building in 1956, and in 1958 an auditorium and cafeteria were completed to replace the temporary structure that had been built. That same year, the United States government gave a grant to the school. A new elementary school was constructed, additional high school classrooms were completed, and the gymnasium was installed. In 1965, the elementary school extension was completed, as well as leveling of the field, and the school took on its present-day appearance. The Hillside Theater was added in the early 1970s. While enrollment peaked