| De Amerikaanse School in Den Haag | |
|---|---|
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Critical Inquiry, Creative Thinking, Clear Communication, Commitment to Others
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| Location | |
| Wassenaar, Netherlands | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private American School |
| Established | 1953 |
| Director | Rick Spradling |
| Faculty | approx. 150 |
| Grades | pre-k through 12 |
| Number of students | approx. 1,100 |
| Athletics | Baseball, Basketball, Cross-country, Swimming, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| Arts | Theater, Photography, Visual arts, music |
| Nationalities | |
| Languages taught | |
| Website | http://ash.nl |
The American School of The Hague (ASH) is an American school in Wassenaar, Netherlands. Children can attend the school for a maximum of 13 years, from Pre-Kindergarten to 12th grade. However, many students come and go because it is a very international school. It is one of the four international focus schools in the area, others are the International School of The Hague, The French School in the Hague and the British School in the Netherlands in Voorschoten. It is one of three high schools in the area. There are many other elementary and middle schools in the area.
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ASH was founded in 1953. Its purpose was to provide an American style education to children of international cooperation or the Government employees.[1] The board of trustees has eleven members who are elected by the parents. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association and by the Council of International Schools.[1] The school has three divisions, elementary school, middle school and high school.[1] In 1989 a new campus was built, next to the Rijksstraatweg in Wassenaar which was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and First Lady Barbara Bush.[2]
Admissions to the school are subject to the agreement of the school that the programme is suitable for the student. ESL support is provided, but in the High School a reasonable knowledge of Academic English is required. Children entering K-1 must turn age 4 before October 1 of that year. Race, nationality, or creed are part of the admissions criteria. Class and grade level assignment is determined by looking at past records.[3]
Most classes in elementary school are self contained. However, the arts, Dutch, computer, library and PE are taught by specialists. Field trips are regular and are linked back to the curriculum.[4] More than 50 teachers work in the elementary school. The current elementary school principal is Tim Messick.
There is an art program called Art Masterpiece sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The program allows students to make connections between great works and their personal lives.[4] Parents introduce the students to pieces of art from different time periods and different media. The students are expected to think about what they see, about techniques and they should form opinions.[4]
The elementary wing is located at the North East side of the school, closest to the parking lot of the school, on the other side of the Rijksstraatweg. It has its own atrium, cafeteria, library, playgrounds, gym, music and performance suites and technology labs.[4]
--213.125.128.146 (talk) 20:37, 28 December 2011 (UTC)--213.125.128.146 (talk) 20:37, 28 December 2011 (UTC)===Middle school=== Grades 5 through 8 are seen as middle school.[5] The middle school has its own library, yet shares the theater and other parts of the arts and modern languages departments with the high school. The middle school has two wings, one located South West, opposite of the central high school library and one next to the high school library (North). The current middle school principal is Mary Russman.
Students in middle school can choose, besides the curriculum, from a variety of extracurricular activities. There is an art club, chess club, the drama club who do a play in November, Odyssey of the Mind for people with lots of imagination, Boys Sing Too where boys sing at a festival in October, there is an Honor Band, Honor Choir, a spring musical, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
The classes in ASH in middle school are of big variety. The 5 "Core Classes" in Middle School are: Math(pre-algebra, algebra, etc.), Science, Social Studies(history and geography), Language Arts(reading and writing), Physical Educationm(gym).
The High School has about 410 students. The wing is located between the two middle school wings (North West).
In order for students to receive a high school diploma at the end of year 12 they have to have a certain number of credits. Each credit counts for 5 $ (US). The following credits are required: Four English credits, 1 credit human understanding (Ex. philosophy) , three credits social studies , three credits in Mathematics , three credits in Science*, two credits in modern language**, one IT credit, two credits in the Art Department, 1.5 P.E. credits , Half a credit of health class, 3 credits in other electives, meaning anything that does not fit in the previous categories or any credit that exceeds the minimum stated above. Students can chose American High school classes, AP or IB
ASH offers a variety of sports, most at Varsity and Junior Varsity. The following sports are offered at ASH: Baseball, Basketball, Cross-country, Swimming, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball.[6] At the varsity level students participate in the International Schools Sports Tournament playing teams from Paris, London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Sweden and other places.[6] There are also practice squads (intramural sports) for those students not playing on JV or Varsity teams. The school had an active rugby team which has been discontinued.
ASH's Model United Nations team has participated The Hague International Model United Nations for almost 40 years. It brings more than 3,000 students together from 125 schools during the last week in January. Students from ASH can become delegation members, administrative staff, or an officer.[6]
The ASH National Honor Society is an exclusive group for students who are selected based on their service, character, and leadership. Students participate in projects at the school.[6]
The newspaper (ASHTrash, or Today's Realities And Student Happenings, now known as The Trojans Times).[6] Peer Support Program. Peer Support Trainees help their peers and facilitate discussion groups and learn to help Kindergarten through grade 12 students in advisory on various subjects.[6] Students can chose to become a student ambassador, taking on the responsibility of welcoming new students. The Student Senate helps fellow classmates enjoy their school year by organising dances and by advocating student issues including better lunch service.[6]
There is a day in March/February called International Day where you dress up in your national "costume". The elementary school the rooms are dressed up and look like a certain country they go around.
Students can audition for the dance team in September.[6] Every year, in December the high school musical takes place. In 2009, the musical was Man of La Mancha. In 2008 the musical performed was Gypsy. In the past musicals like Blood Brothers (2007), Children of Eden (2006), Les Misérables (2005) and Into the Woods (2004) have been produced. Auditions are necessary.[6] In Spring there is High school play or sometimes a selections of one act plays and sometimes even an opera.[6] There is a choir and band that students can join.[6] Lastly, students can choose to participate in the Speech and Debate Tournaments where students from various International School meet to debate.[6]
Also in Middle School every year in May they have a musical. Past musicals include The Pirates of Penzance Jr. (2009), Mulan Jr. (2008), Honk! Jr. (2007), and Guys and Dolls Jr. (2006). Most of the Musical School musicals are Jr. because they are shortened versions of full length musicals and are appropriate for Middle school.
At the end of the school year ASH has a big concert for grades 3–12 called Extravaganza. For the elementary grades(3&4) there is only singing. For the Middle School (5–8) there is singing and band. For High School (9–12) students perform in choir, band, and strings. There is also a select choir called JAKK, which is usually by audition. There is also a jazz band for the high school that performs around Wassenaar.