American School in Taichung
Coordinates: 24°10′9.54″N 120°44′38.96″E / 24.1693167°N 120.7441556°E
| American School in Taichung | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
|
Taichung, Taiwan Taiwan | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private |
| Motto | Excellence, Integrity, Responsibility |
| Established | 1990 |
| Director | Andrew Corcoran |
| Faculty | 20 |
| Grades | 1- 12 |
| Enrollment | 151 |
| Campus type | Private International School |
| Colour(s) | Red, White and Blue |
| Mascot | Eagles |
| Website | www.ast.tc.edu.tw |
The American School in Taichung (AST) is an international school in Taichung City, Taiwan offering grades one to twelve. The school, founded in 1990, was previously known as Lincoln American School. It is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)[1] and hosts the annual Taiwan Model United Nations (TAIMUN) conference, which is attended by schools from across Taiwan and Asia. One of the school's founders, Anna Lee, is a daughter of former President Lee Teng-hui. The school's current director is Mr. Andrew Corcoran.
History
Twenty years ago, with limited resources and enormous curiosity, Dr. Esther Hanna and Anna Lee took an adventure to establish a new American school for expatriates' children in Taichung. The school was located in a town house with three bedrooms. Due to its limited resources and facilities, the officers of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) were hesitant before agreeing to establish the school. Approximately 10 years ago, the school moved outside the city limits of Taichung, into an area that would become the Dakeng Nature Reserve. This location ensures that the area surrounding the school will not become urbanized, thus preserving the existing ecosystem that proves beneficial to supervised student exploration and scientific study. A new gym was added into the school campus on August 8, 2013.
Academics
The required courses at the American School in Taichung are English, Mathematics, Science, History, Physical Education and two years of a Foreign Language (Spanish or Chinese). AST also has drama, art, and music programs (choir ensemble, violin, and hand bells). There are two concerts during the year, one in the spring and one in the winter. Currently (as of the 2012-2013 school year), AST offers eight Advanced Placement courses: AP Statistics, AP Biology, AP US History, AP Calculus AB, AP Literature, AP Chinese, AP Physics and AP Language.[2]
Sports and clubs
Athletics
American School in Taichung offers many sports for both middle school and high school boys and girls, including: volleyball, soccer, softball, basketball, and cross country. The AST teams participate in tournaments that involve other international and bilingual schools on the island.
Organizations
Activities and organizations vary from year to year, but consistently include the following:
Middle School:
Student Government (STUGO), Middle School Model United Nations
High School:
Student Government (STUGO), Model United Nations (THIMUN-Singapore, IASAS MUN, and TAIMUN, which is hosted at AST)
Model United Nations (MUN)
AST has successfully developed an MUN program, Taiwan Model United Nations (TAIMUN). TAIMUN is organized by all high school students at the American School in Taichung, but not every student acts as a delegate. Schools from across Taiwan and Asia attend AST's TAIMUN Conference, currently in its eleventh year. AST has also attended MUN events in Singapore, Russia, and China.