Singapore American School

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Coordinates: 1°25′33.53″N 103°46′28.60″E / 1.4259806, 103.7746111

Singapore American School

SAS Logo

Established 1956
School type Private International School
Superintendent Brent Mutsch
Location 40 Woodlands Street 41
Woodlands
Singapore
Phone (65) 6363-3403
Enrollment 3,757 (2007)[1]
54 Nationalities
Faculty 353 (2007)[1]
Campus Urban, 37 acres (150,000 m²)
Sports teams Eagles
School colors      Red
     White
     Blue
Website www.sas.edu.sg

The Singapore American School (Abbreviation: SAS) is a private international school in Singapore. Established in 1956, the school offers an American-based curriculum from preschool through to Grade 12 for approximately 3,700 expatriate students, making it the largest international school in the world. Approximately 60% of the students at SAS are United States citizens, with the rest comprising more than 50 different nationalities. (Very few Singaporean students attend the school as Singapore government regulations prevent most local students from attending international schools within the country.)

SAS has the largest number of high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) courses of any international school in the world. This is due in part to the fact that SAS does not offer an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Switching to the curriculum has been considered in the past, but the school's administration has decided against doing so.[citation needed]

SAS is part of the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS). It competes regularly with other international schools in the region in both academic and sports events. The school has a strong athletic tradition. Recently SAS has dominated in the sports tournaments it participates in. In 2004, the school won gold in 11 out of 18 tournaments. The school also has a student newspaper, The Eye. The Eye has won the Columbia Gold Crown award multiple times, as well as other rewards from the National Scholastic Press Association.[2]

SAS is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the United States.[1]

Contents

[edit] Campus

A map of the SAS campus
A map of the SAS campus

The school's current 37 acre (150,000 m²) campus in the Woodlands area of Singapore was opened in 1996. The campus has five distinct divisions – the Early Childhood Center (preschool), Primary School (Kindergarten-Grade 2), the Intermediate School (Grades 3-5), the Middle School (Grades 6-8), and the High School (Grades 9-12). Each division has its own classrooms, library, offices and support facilities. Facilities at the school's campus include a 1000-seat stadium, an 800-seat auditorium, two theatrettes, three cafeterias, nine gymnasiums, three swimming pools, six tennis courts, a rock climbing wall, a track, and several sports fields.

The Booster Booth in the High School sells school supplies, uniforms, as well as snacks. The cafeteria's offer many food options students can purchase. The High School cafeteria also features a Subway outlet.

All classrooms have high speed internet connections with multiple computer labs located throughout the campus. In addition, the entire campus was recently covered by a secure wireless network.

[edit] Notable alumni

  • George B. Fitch (Class of 1965): Mayor of Warrenton, Virginia, and a former candidate for Governor of Virginia. He was one of the co-founders of the Jamaican Bobsled Team for the 1988 Winter Olympics, which inspired the Disney film Cool Runnings.
  • Jim Baker (Class of 1966): Author whose books include Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia & Singapore and The Eagle in the Lion City: America, Americans & Singapore. Member of the faculty at SAS since 1971, teaching history and economics.
  • Inbal Megiddo (Class of 1994): An elite cellist from Israel. Has received impressive reviews, and has held performances at numerous places of prestige, including Carnegie Hall.
  • Kendra Williams: First American female pilot in combat, on December 16, 1998. She is a lieutenant in the Navy.
  • Cork Graham: American journalist, film producer, screenwriter and author. Attended SAS from 1972-77.
  • Michael Fay (did not graduate): Fay was a 12th Grade student at the Singapore American School in 1993, when the Singapore police came to the school one morning to arrest him following a spree of vandalism on expensive private cars. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to four months jail and caning. The case attracted considerable international media attention relating to the appropriateness of caning as a judicial punishment in Singapore.
  • Jeremy Strohmeyer: Convicted in 1997 of the murder or a 7 year-old in Primm, Nevada, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Attended SAS in 10th Grade.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Singapore American School U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
  2. ^ 2003 Scholastic Crown Recipients Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Retrieved 29 May 2008.

[edit] External links