TAS Alumni News Volume 14 Summer 2013
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TAS Alumni News Summer TAIPEI AMERICAN SCHOOL 2013 Volume 14 1992 Reunion at TAS Message from the Superintendent At TAS, we are lucky to have am delighted to tell you that we have exceptional students and alumni. officially added courage to our TAS We see great accomplishments and values. In my judgment, little of import character in you, our alumni, and we has ever been accomplished without it. have high expectations that our current students will follow your lead. We TAS will continue to provide cutting- want our students today to develop edge academic programs that prepare clarity about what is good and what our students well for success anywhere is not good. We want them to have in a rapidly changing world. And we sound character, just as we hope are equally determined to provide not that future generations will embrace just the knowledge and academics the TAS values of honesty, respect, critical to success, but the intentional responsibility, and kindness in their character education opportunities daily life habits. essential to assuring that TAS students leave us passionate about service and We need our students to develop the prepared to lead. Albert Pike said: courage needed to act with conscience “What we do for ourselves dies with us. based on clarity about what having What we do for others and the world good character means and requires. remains and is immortal.” Passionate Aristotle said that “You will never do about service and prepared to lead: anything in this world without courage. a worthy goal we have for all of our It is the greatest quality of the mind students, current and future. We hope next to honor.” And C.S. Lewis wrote you, our alumni, are proud of the TAS that “Courage is not simply one of the values and the emphasis on character virtues, but the form of every virtue at education and are living this in your its testing point.” lives. We, our children, and all future Faithfully, generations should recognize that without the courage to stand up and be heard on these essential values, little will be accomplished during challenging, critical times. I Sharon Hennessy Summer 2013 VOL. 14 From the Advancement Office Dear TAS alumni, I hope this edition of our TAS Alumni News magazine finds you, TAS Alumni News our alumni, healthy, happy, and productive wherever you are in the CONTENTS world -especially since “to inspire each student to be a confident, creative, caring and moral individual prepared to adapt and succeed Message from the Superintendent anywhere in a rapidly changing world” is part of our mission. From the Advancement Office 1 Our new 2012-2016 Strategic Plan was Around the TAS Campus 2 developed to support achievement of the TAS Alumni and College Events 14 mission. Our fundraising and outreach efforts Alumni Visits 16 to alumni, faculty, and parents for the Feature Stories 18 Friends of TAS occur in order to accelerate Reunion Reflections 25 the implementation of Friends of TAS 32 this plan. The Strategic Plan focuses on four TAS Connections 38 Strategic Areas: Strategic Area 1: Former Faculty Visits 39 Strong Foundation - supportive governance, Professional Corner 41 financial strength, and worthy facilities Sad News 42 Strategic Area 2: Outstanding Programs – enhancing academic and personal excellence Strategic Area 3: Highest Quality Personnel – committing to professional excellence through recruiting, retaining and developing Taipei American School Strategic Area 4: Communicating the Value of the TAS 800 Chung Shan North Road Section 6 Experience Taipei, Taiwan 11152, ROC Tel: (886) 2 2873 9900 ext 368 Gifts to the school accelerate the Strategic Plan and we invite www.tas.edu.tw you to be a part of the development at the school today. Our faculty [email protected] and parents are participating in increasing numbers and we would really like that to be the case for alumni giving as well. Thank you to those of you who have made a gift and participated in our annual Superintendent giving program. Your support makes a difference for our students, Dr. Sharon Hennessy past, present, and future. Details about what gifts have made Assistant Superintendent for Advancement possible is on page 36. Paige Summers As an alumni donor, you can make a direct and immediate impact. Every gift is important to the school, just as every student Alumni Officer is, and just as you were and continue to be. Your commitment to the Helen Chen '94 future of TAS is greatly appreciated. Sincerely, TAS Alumni News is published by the TAS Advancement Office and is circulated free of charge to alumni, faculty, and former faculty. To make sure you continue to receive the TAS Alumni News, please keep us Paige Summers informed of any changes in your address by updating your profile under Alumni on Assistant Superintendent for Advancement the TAS website: www.tas.edu.tw The TAS Alumni News is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. Vol. 14 • Summer 2013 TAS ALUMNI NEWS 1 Around Campus Opening Ceremony for New Upper School Science and Technology Building AS moved to its current blessings. building embodies the school’s Tien Mou campus, home Recent TAS program attention to eco-friendly, green to over 2,000 international initiatives have developed top initiatives. The building also students from more caliber, signature programs in includes expanded sports facilities, Tthan 30 countries, in 1989. On robotics, public speaking and a new gymnasium the size of two September 28, 2012, Teachers’ debate, and character education, basketball courts, covered and Day, the school celebrated another complementing the school’s outdoor tennis courts, and soon a significant step in upgrading longstanding focus on excellence in new health and wellness center. facilities and resources. In a core areas such as English, history, Building improvement continues fitting celebration of teaching and fine and performing arts, and STEM on campus, as a new arts building learning, TAS hosted a Dedication – science, technology, engineering, is well underway and upcoming Ceremony for the school’s newly and mathematics. renovations in existing buildings opened Upper School Science and In addition to providing students will provide increased cafeteria Technology Building. Students, with modern resources that are capacity and allow for the best use parents, alumni, faculty, local unmatched in the region, the new of academic spaces. dignitaries, and TAS administrators, led by Superintendent Sharon Hennessy, gathered for the ceremony in the new facility, which features specialized science and robotics laboratories, classrooms equipped with cutting-edge technology, and a state of the art lecture hall. Guests filled the new gymnasium and enjoyed the festive atmosphere, highlighted by a dragon dance and firecrackers intended to bring auspicious 2 TAS ALUMNI NEWS Vol. 14 • Summer 2013 Around Campus 2012-2016 Strategic Plan Have you heard about these Astronomy, Forensics Science, new courses added within the Acoustical Physics last two years in the upper Stagecraft and Advanced school? Technical Theater Public Speaking: Graduation he new 2012-2016 Strategic Requirement beginning with class Middle school added these Plan provides a four-year of 2015 new electives: roadmap that builds on the Political Science & Forensics Advanced Robotics, Drama, accomplishments of the (Public Speaking, Rhetoric, and Confidence Course, Dance, Tprevious Strategic Plan and moves Debate, International Relations, AP Economics, Journalism, and TAS closer to Dr. Hennessy’s 2020 US Government & Politics, Honors Expository Writing. Vision for educational excellence. Law & Policy Debate, Advanced Beginning in the fall of 2013, This Vision calls for modeling the Topics in Philosophy) middle school students will have very best of the public and private Upper Level Math (Differential the opportunity to study ancient schools in the United States, with Equations, Linear Algebra, languages in the World Languages the objective of providing increased Advanced Topics) track. Classics will also be offered world-class opportunities, options, Computer Science and to upper school students. and support for all TAS students. Robotics: 0.5 credit Graduation Just as training in classical Looking over the horizon to what Requirement beginning with the music provides a foundation that children will need in the years ahead, class of 2016 allows students to build success the Strategic Plan outlines changes - Intro to Programming, Animation in all music genres, training in and improvements essential to and Applications classical literatures and languages preparing students for the future. The - Intro to Robotics, Engineering, is the foundation that informs 2012-2016 Strategic Plan, adopted and Technology sophisticated writing in English and through an inclusive process involving - 3D Design, Sculpture, Robotics, a deep understanding of literature, input from students, parents, alumni, and Programming philosophy, and other intellectual faculty, staff, administrators, and Research, Organic Chemistry, pursuits in western education. the TAS Board of Directors, focuses on four key strategic areas that drive the continuing success of the school and our students: Strong Foundation; Outstanding Programs; Highest Quality Personnel, and; Did you know... Communicating the Value of the • Lower school students K-5 take Mandarin classes 9 out of 10 days and TAS Experience. Firmly established are placed into the Heritage Track or the Learner Track? structures and recently implemented • The science, technology,