Dominican International School

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Dominican International School
私立道明外僑學校
Location
76 Tah Chih St., Zhongshan District
Taipei City, Taiwan, Republic of China
Information
Type Private International School
Catholic School
Motto "Laudare, Praedicare, Benedicere”
Established 1957
Principal Sr. Carolyn Terencio, O.P.
Yearbook 'The Dominican'
Phone +886-2-2533-8451
Website http://www.dishs.tp.edu.tw


Dominican International School (私立道明外僑學校), formerly Dominican School, is a private, English medium, Roman Catholic school located in Dazhi, Zhongshan District, Taipei City. The Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic OP own and manage DIS. The school is open to all foreign students. Visitors to the school will encounter teachers from many different regions in Asia, North America, South America, Europe, and Africa. Dominican International School provides excellence in education to all students regardless of race, color and creed. Classes are kept small, so that teachers can provide focused attention to students in a student-centered environment.
The school celebrated 55 years of academic excellence in December 2012. It was founded in 1957 and served as a US Department of Defense contract school until the termination of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Republic of China in 1979. Dominican International School educates students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, including Advanced Placement. The modified American curriculum includes courses in Christian Living.
DIS offers the following Advanced Placement courses to Grade 11 and 12 students based on student interest:

  • Calculus AB
  • Calculus BC (Some school years)
  • English Literature and Composition
  • Physics B (Some school years)
  • US History (Some school years)
  • Biology
  • Macroeconomics and Microeconomics (Some school years)
  • Chemistry (Some school years)
  • Statistics (Some school years)

History

Formerly a U.S. Government Contract school or a Department of Defense (D.O.D.) school in Taipei, Taiwan, Dominican International School (DIS) is a Roman Catholic, private school under the supervision the Sisters of the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic. This Congregation is of Spanish origin with the mother-house located in Rome, Italy.
In the latter part of 1956, permission from the Mother General was obtained to start a school that offered Catholic instruction and a good education to American dependents. The first school was organized for Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Grades 1 and 2, at a small rented house in Chang'an East Road.
In January 1957, the school was blessed by Anthony Riberi, D.D., Apostolic Internuncio to China. Three Filipino Sisters started to teach the 16 enrolled children. Enrollment increased steadily and by June 1957, there were 76 students, and two additional Filipino Sisters had joined the faculty.
During the following school year, a larger house was rented in Liung Chung Street. In August 1958 a team of American Superintendents of Schools from Washington D.C. arrived. They examined the teaching qualifications of the Sisters, the curriculum, methodology and the textbooks used by the students. The American educators agreed unanimously to grant recognition to the efforts of the Sisters and declared that they were able to provide an excellent education to the American dependents. Dominican School became a U.S. Government contract school: a D.O.D. school. Grade 3 was added to the existing grades.
In 1959, a larger building was rented. Three more grades were added and more Sisters arrived from the Philippines. The first P.T.A. was organized with volunteer officers. A vacant site was purchased for the erection of school buildings, including strips of land for granting access to the property. This remains the location of Dominican International School. Before materials could be brought in for the construction of the building, the access roads had to be completed.
The first cornerstone was blessed in a simple ceremony by a Dominican priest on August 4, 1959, after which construction started. On March 28, 1960, classes were held for the first time in the new school. On April 30, 1960 Thomas Cardinal Tien, S.V.D., D.D, blessed the school. Grades 7 and 8 were added in the following year. More Sisters came from the Philippines and the enrollment reached 600.
As time went by, a gymnasium was added, statues erected and a wall placed around the compound. In August 1960, 4 classrooms, a laboratory, a science room, a typing room and a music room were added to the existing school building. For the first time there were Grade 9 classes and the enrollment reached 800. With the withdrawal of the American Forces from Taipei, Dominican School became an international school.
With the prominence of the Internet and technology in the 21st Century, 2006 was spent developing an electronic curriculum. This new system made the curriculum available online to all stakeholders. Even though the development of the curriculum is an ongoing process, the initial stages were completed in time for the school's 50th Year Celebrations in 2007.
In December 2008, the gymnasium, cafeteria, and the west wing of the main building were demolished to make way for the construction of new school buildings that are in line with 21st Century education. The groundbreaking ceremony for the new construction was held in June 2010, blessed by Archbishop John Hung, S.V.D. and construction started in August 2010. Phase One, which included classrooms, an audio-visual room, an art room, science laboratories, and a brand new library was completed in the summer of 2013. State-of-the art technology was installed. The remaining buildings will be demolished and rebuilt in the near future.

Philosophy


The stated philosophy of Dominican International School is that "a true education aims at the formation of the human person both with respect to his/her ultimate goal and at the same time with respect to the good of those societies of which as a human being he/she is a member and in whose responsibilities he/she will as an adult share" (Vatican Council II, Declaration of Christian Education, n.1)
The school day starts with prayer, which is followed by everyone reciting a Pledge of Loyalty to the school. Dominican International School provides a holistic education that includes many opportunities to participate in a wide variety of academic and extra-curricular activities. DIS educators strive to assist students to become well-rounded young adults, who can take their place in the world with confidence.

A Truly International School – Striving for Global Excellence

Students at DIS participate in many international events such as an annual Global Issues Network Conference (Manila in February 2012, Singapore in November 2012 and Beijing in November 2013). In January 2013 four Grade 12 girls and two Grade 9 boys went to an International Peace Conference in India, accompanied by a teacher; sports teams and coaches went to Thailand in the 2012/13 school year to compete against other International schools from Asia; students participate in the World Scholar’s Cup competition annually and always win through to the final round. They represented DIS with success in Shanghai(2010),Kuala Lumpur(2011), Bangkok(2012),and Dubai (2013).
The teaching faculty of the school represent many nations from four continents. Faculty qualifications include PhD’s in Mathematics, Psychology,Biological Sciences and Theology as well as a collection of several masters degrees which, inter alia, include Education, Business Studies, Applied Linguistics, School Leadership, Special Education, School Counseling, TESOL, English Literature, Management Information Systems, Biblical Studies, Music, Strategic Management, Marketing Management, Curriculum and Assessment, and Psychology, each bringing their own perspective, contributing to the multicultural character of the school.

First in the World

Dominican International School was the first school in Asia and the World to

  • Start a Global Issues Network Club for Grades 1 and 2, named Junior GIN (2012)
  • Participate as an entire Middle and High School in Stanford University's International Student Carbon Footprint Challenge (2013)
  • Build sustainability pyramids as an entire school(2013) - http://www.pyramid2030.org/blog

These achievements reflect the school's commitment to educate students about sustainability and their future responsibility for our planet, as the next generation.

Famous alumni

External links

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