wiki.Alumni.NET - Your Location Information Resource

From wiki.Alumni.NET

Current revision

Coordinates: 25°6′59″N 121°31′49″E 25.11639, 121.53028

Taipei American School

• Location & Contact Information
  • Address, Directions, & Map
    • 800 ZhongShan N. Road, Section 6, Shilin, Taipei, Taiwan
  • GPS Coordinates
  • Telephone Numbers: +886.2.2873.9900
  • Email:
  • Official Website: [1]
• History & Memorable Moments^[1]
  • The first meeting of Taipei American School took place on September 26, 1949 in the basement of Presbyterian Theological Seminary at Zhongshan North Road, with 8 students. This marked the beginning of the "missionary era" where Chinese and American medical missionaries were instrumental in founding TAS and providing it with students. The first class of students included American, European, and Chinese students.
  • By 1951, the influx of missionaries and businesspeople escaping from mainland China caused enrollment to grow to 120 students. By 1952, TAS was forced to relocate to Nong'an East Road to provide enough space for the growing student population.
  • In 1953, the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group was established in Taiwan. This brought to the island a large number of U.S. military personnel. Along with these military personnel came their families, including a large number of children needing an American-style education. TAS became the school for the children of the U.S. military personnel. In the summer of 1953, TAS constructed a much larger campus at Chang'an East Road. This marked the beginning of the "military era."
  • In 1956, TAS graduated its first class of 14 seniors. By then, the Chang'an campus had approximately 50 faculty members and 1,000 students. In 1957, Mr. Wayne Nesbitt served as the first superintendent of the school.
  • In 1959, TAS purchased a 22 acre (89,000 m²) site in Shilin for a new campus. In March 1960, the kindergarten and lower school moved into a 36 classroom 5-wing complex on the site. The upper school remained at the Chang'an campus until 1967, when the last upper facilities was completed. By 1969, TAS enrollment reached its highest point ever with nearly 3,000 students.
  • The 1970 to 1977 period has been termed the "labor-intensive industries era." [citation needed] Taiwan's transforming economy brought foreign businessmen and overseas Chinese into the local economy, setting the stage for TAS's later transformation even as enrollment shrank dramatically as U.S. military pulled out of Taiwan. By the late seventies, student enrollment dropped to approximately 650 to 700 students. However, within a few years enrollment started to increase again as overseas Chinese with foreign passports arrived in Taiwan searching for first-class American educational facilities for their children. The early eighties marked the start of the "Chinese-American era," where the majority of students were ethnically Chinese and also U.S. citizens. The conditions are still the same now.[citation needed]
  • On September 2, 1989, TAS officially relocated to its present campus in Tianmu. To obtain use of the ROC government land in Tianmu, TAS exchanged title to its Shihlin property for a long-term lease on the Tianmu site at a concessionary rent.
  • The 50th anniversary of Taipei American School was celebrated in 1999. As part of this celebration, a book documenting the history of the school was written by TAS parent Richard R. Vuylsteke, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei.

• Overview, Photographs, & Video Links
• Campus^[1]
  • The current 62,192 square meter campus, completed in 1989, consists of a four story complex with a total floor space of 44,000 square meters. The campus contains the following facilities:
    • A main auditorium and a small theater
    • A cafeteria with a snack bar, a salad bar, a pizza bar, a hot meal line, and a coffee shop by the high school library
    • Two gymnasiums and an indoor swimming pool
    • A dance studio and gymnastics room
    • Outdoor basketball courts and outdoor racketball courts
    • Outdoor rockclimbing wall and confidence course
    • Indoor rockclimbing room
    • 2 softball fields
    • Indoor and outdoor tennis courts
    • 8 Badminton courts
    • A soccer field with artificial turf (installed in 2005)
    • Track and field facilities
    • 5 libraries, lower school, middle school, upper school, a Mandarin library and audio visual (AV) for a combined total of four floors
    • Over 9 separate computer labs
  • The independently operated Taipei Youth Program Association (TYPA) is located at TAS and uses the campus facilities. The school is located directly across the street from Taipei Japanese School.

Prospective Students

• Trivia
  • Most graduates of TAS go on to attend schools in North America, though some choose to attend schools in other countries. As required by ROC law, the school is only open to students who hold foreign (i.e. non-ROC) passports. The current student body is primarily made up of children of expatriate business people and other foreigners, as well as Taiwanese students holding foreign passports.

New & Current Students

• Campus Events
  • PTA Food Fair and Spring Fair
    • The Parent Teacher Association (PTA) Food Fair is an annual community-wide event held in late October. The event features an international cast of food reflecting diverse international community in Taipei.
    • The PTA also sponsors an annual Spring Fair, a community-wide event held in late March that resembles a county fair with a variety of games, rides, and activities.
  • Haunted House
    • With the aim of boosting morale and bonding peers, a haunted house is built by the junior class in most Food Fairs in the faculty dining room.
  • Field Day
    • Also designed with the goal of promoting enthusiasm, each Middle School section has its own Field Day; it is a half day on which the students who are competing are excused from classes to enjoy a day where the different grades compete against each other in numerous games.
  • Spirit Week
    • The Middle School and the Upper School individually hold an annual week-long event known as Spirit Week, designed to promote enthusiasm and spirit for TAS students. Past events have included pajama day, disco fever day, formal day, superhero/cartoon day, wacky hair day, clash day, couples day, Halloween day, and competitive games amongst the grades. As of the 2006-2007 school year, Airbands, a dance performance, has been moved to Spirit Week from Field Day. Every year there is an airband, a grade cheer, and a bulletin board contest.
• Transportation
• Safety Tips
• Support Centers
  • Peer Counseling
• Grading System
• Good Classes & Teachers
• Groups & Organizations^[1]
  • Upper School Organizations
    • Abandoned Animal Rescue Foundation
    • Amnesty International
    • Animal Action Asia
    • Animanga : A club dedicated to supporters of anime and/or manga. Fledgling manga artists and anime/manga otakus often unite in this club.
    • Athletic Club Council
    • Big Brother/Big Sister
    • Boy Scouts of America
    • Blue & Gold (newspaper)
    • Break Dancing Society
    • Chess Club
    • China Gate (yearbook)
    • Chinese Chess Club
    • Chinese Cultural Club
    • Chinese Honor Society
    • Computer Club
    • Computer Science Team
    • Cooking Club
    • Couch Potato's Sanctuary
    • Diplomacy Club
    • Filmmakers' Association
    • Fitness Club
    • French Honor Society
    • Gavel Toastmasters Club
    • Global Awareness in Action
    • Go Club
    • Indian Cultural Club
    • Interact Club
    • International Teen Association
    • International Thespian Society
    • Japanese Honor Society
    • Japanese Korean Culture Club
    • Kendo Club
    • Key Club
    • Math Club
    • MeND, dedicated to improving the lives of people who have Lou Gehrig’s disease (motor neuron disease, ALS) in Taiwan.
    • National Honor Society
    • National Junior Honor Society
    • Orphanage Club: The mission of the Taipei American School Orphanage Club is to aid the underprivileged community beyond the school walls through financial donations and compassionate interactions. By alleviating the suffering of people with disadvantaged backgrounds and social statuses, students come to realize that sacrifice adds meaning to their lives. Members gain the skills to cooperate and negotiate through participation in a variety of group activities. By enriching the community, Orphanage Club members learn to respect the values of others and to appreciate what they themselves have.
    • Peer Counseling
    • People Like Us
    • Ping Pong Club
    • Robotics Club
    • Rockers Union
    • Spanish Honor Society
    • Student Ambassadors
    • Student Government
    • Syzygy (Art Society)
    • TAS Cancer Society
    • TAS Tech Team
    • Teen Service International
    • Tiger Spirit
    • Tri-M Honor Society
    • Wish for Kids
    • Woodcrafts
    • World Vision
    • Youth in Christ
  • Middle School Organizations
    • Break Dancing Club
    • Calligraphy Club
    • Chinese Culture Club
    • Community Service Club
    • Cultural Express
    • Drama Club
    • Easy Cooking Club
    • French Cooking Club
    • Gavel Toastmasters Club
    • Green Club
    • International Chess and Scrabble Club
    • Math Counts
    • Odyssey
    • Orphanage Club: The mission of the Taipei American School Orphanage Club is to aid the underprivileged community beyond the school walls through financial donations and compassionate interactions. By alleviating the suffering of people with disadvantaged backgrounds and social statuses, students come to realize that sacrifice adds meaning to their lives. Members gain the skills to cooperate and negotiate through participation in a variety of group activities. By enriching the community, Orphanage Club members learn to respect the values of others and to appreciate what they themselves have.
    • Rock Climbing Club
    • Student Council
    • Sword and Kendo Club
    • Table Tennis Club
    • Video Club
    • Video Game Club
    • Yearbook Club

• College & Career Tips

Alumni

• Benefits of Joining Alumni Association
• Mailing List Directory
• Chapters
• Teachers (Where are they now?)
• Alumni Directory
• Alumni Events

Visitors

• Hotels Nearby
• Restaurant Recommendations
• Places of Worship
• Sports Facility Access
  • Gymnastics Room
  • Indoor Swimming Pool
  • Outdoor Basketball Courts
  • Outdoor Racketball Courts
  • Outdoor Rockclimbing Wall and Confidence Course
  • Indoor Rockclimbing Room
  • Softball Fields
  • Indoor and Outdoor Tennis Courts
  • Badminton Courts
  • Soccer Field with Artificial Turf (installed in 2005)
  • Track and Field Facilities

Other Links

References