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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
  • 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
  • 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
• Transportation
• Safety Tips
• Support Centers
• Grading System
• Good Classes & Teachers
• Groups & Organizations
• 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