TAS hosted an historic offcampus graduation ceremony at Taipei Municipal Stadium on Thursday, May 26. Thank you to the upper school team —and every teacher who touched their lives along the way. We wish you luck and happiness wherever your journey may take you.
Taipei American School’s mission is to cultivate an enduring commitment to learning, personal wellbeing, and service. We provide a broad American-based education with a global perspective that develops students of character who are committed to making the world a better place.
Editor-in-Chief & Artistic Director
Lindsey Kundel, Director of Communications & Marketing
Contributing Editors
Dr. Kathryn Limmer, Assistant Head of School for Advancement
BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS BY AMANDA JACOB, INTERIM ACADEMIC DEAN BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONSFish Tung (she/her), Assitant Communications Officer
Connie Ma, (she/her) Alumni and Community Outreach Officer
Shan Lee, Assistant Alumni and Community Outreach Officer
BY FISH TUNG, ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS BY SHARON L. (‘22), TAS COMMUNICATIONS INTERNKatherine Wang, Development Officer Photography
Mike Corsini
Dustin Rhoades
TAS Human Resources
Sharon L. (‘22) Audrey H. (‘23) Tobie Openshaw
Do you have an idea for a story to be featured in the next issue of “The Window”? We are always looking for submissions! Feel free to email us at communication@tas. edu.tw with your story idea or finished product. Help us create a true WINDOW into the Taipei American School experience!
It's a sincere pleasure to be able to write this year-end reflection after an incredible first year of headship. I want to thank every member of our Tiger community, past and present, for your compassion and understanding of all that we have had to collectively face this year, much of which has been unpredictable, confusing at times, and unprecedented. Managing an American school in Taiwan amidst constantly changing parental opinions along with widely varying global, islandwide, and municipal mandates has been the most challenging job I have ever encountered.
Here are a few of the things that I've learned in my first year as your leader.
1. Education around the world has been permanently changed as a result of the pandemic.
…And our students have shown resilience and flexibility as skills they will need to lead the world in the future, perhaps showing more resilience and grace than we adults have during the pandemic. Virtual learning is here to stay and educators and parents have had to get used to this new way of content delivery and engagement. However, we have also seen a big increase in anxiety, depression, and unhealthy coping mechanisms amongst school-aged children around the globe.This has increased the world’s need for empathy, compassion, and concern for others, and allowing dialogue and putting oneself in another’s shoes to achieve necessary healing.
We are committed to the work of learning together—and it is something that inspires me about our community, our collective decision to lean into the difficult conversations to not just allow our community to change as the larger education system has also done—but to intentionally grow and change in response to these massive changes.
2. Change is hard, but it can be meaningfully addressed with careful planning.
As we end year 1 of the strategic plan, I am pleased to report on the progress made in all five areas. Much of the strategic plan focuses on how students can thrive academically, socially, emotionally, and physically in a safe school environment. Our mission remains that every child will cultivate an enduring commitment to learning, personal wellbeing, and service…to make the world a better place. I interpret this as watching out for each other and taking care of the entire community so that we can lift up ourselves, our peers, and our neighbors, making us all feel safe at school in staying sharp, healthy, fit, having a sense of belonging, and having a sense of being cared for by everyone around us at TAS.
One important part of the School's planning efforts involves the feedback of our parents, and I am so grateful for the large number of Tiger parents who responded to the annual parent survey. The administrative team and I are currently collating results so that we can start the next academic year with renewed enthusiasm and continued streamlining in the ways we communicate with the community. Your children, our students, are our priority, and I thank you for entrusting us as being part of their educational journey.
We have other important changes afoot beyond those related to the strategic plan and parent feedback. I am thrilled to be welcoming three new educational leaders to our administrative team—Dr. Elizabeth Gale as the Deputy Head of School, Ms. Amanda Jacob as Academic Dean, and Ms. E-chieh Lin as our inaugural Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing. The Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing is one that is particularly important for both the strategic plan and our other planned changes, especially those related to our JEDI initiatives. Please see their bios online for additional information on these valuable new team members.
3. The world is getting smaller, and an ethical education is a global education.
At TAS, we are committed to preparing students for a global world.
Students can only thrive and succeed personally and academically when they are healthy, well, and feel safe at school. At TAS, we are committed to providing a rich environment where students can get to know themselves, each other, and the world around them. Not only will this prepare them for their current journey as children and adolescents in this wonderful part of their lives, we know this will prepare them for a world outside of TAS. JEDI issues are relevant for all students at all ages and of all backgrounds.
We have also heard from our alumni, who have asked TAS to do a better job making sure graduates know about what JEDI issues they might face after leaving TAS and Taiwan.
Your children, our students, are our priority, and I thank you for entrusting us as being part of their educational journey.
JEDI is more than just about race. Issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are about how we approach human relationships, and how people need to interact with each other every day. It’s about understanding how others feel, understanding those who don’t look like us or those who grew up in a different background or speak a different language or have different socioeconomic means. It’s about feeling safe around others and understanding why someone else might not feel safe in the same environment. It’s about understanding one’s own identity before you get to know someone else’s, hoping that in the end, people can live in harmony, maybe even as friends, when preconceived implicit biases might have told us we wouldn’t be able to be friends at all.
And I firmly believe it’s about understanding why each of us may react differently to something we hear—from imagining that we could have said the statement ourselves, to thinking “how on earth could someone ever say something like that out loud? Where are they coming from?” We will all encounter people who will say offensive things, and worse when they are directed to each of us personally. The teaching we strive to do is for our students to know there is a difference between knowing something they say could be wrong and offensive, versus not even understanding why or how their words could have been hurtful at all.
My dream is to have TAS be known as an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all, and a leader across Asia. That means people don’t make snap judgments about others before getting to know them as peers or colleagues. That means we don’t have students feeling like they are left out because others are purposely conversing in a different language to talk about them in front of their faces. That means people aren’t made fun of because of their skin color or accent or hairstyle or body shape. That means parents are understanding what inclusion and diversity really mean and how they can discuss these concepts at home.
We should celebrate differences, not weaponize them. That means in an American school in the context of Taiwan, we don’t have staff members who are Taiwanese feeling like their nonTaiwanese bosses have more power just because they are not from here. That means we don’t have off-island employees feeling uncomfortable because they don’t have Taiwanese or Chinese roots. It also means people will feel ok being told they have offended someone and learn from
the perspective of the other person. Having a welcoming and inclusive school also means our community knows what it means to respect and celebrate JEDI knowing that each child and each adult is different. It means people have a sense of belonging at our school and have the sense to help others feel that same sense of safety and belonging. We may have different backgrounds but we have shared school values such as respect and kindness. We want people to be eager to learn what could make someone not feel safe at school and want to do something about it to help. And we want people to recognize their privileges, celebrate their identities, and realize that everyone has implicit biases to work on, along with gifts and perspectives to share. Everyone wants to feel valued and seen, and I want everyone in the TAS community to be able to feel this way.
4. History isn't just about our understanding of the past; it can and should inform our future.
So far this year we have placed schoolwide emphasis on recognizing that history has shaped where we as a society have ended up today. We’ve had guest speakers like authors and artists and consultants share with us that the history of Taiwan in the context of Asia, is just as important to know the history of indigenous people on the island as well as the history of the black lives matter movement in the United States. History touches each of us no matter where we are in the world. Based on faculty professional development to have been able to share this history, we also adapted workshops and included support staff throughout the year in sessions that were conducted in Mandarin.
As a school, if we are teachers of history, we are committed to antibias education that anchors our work with children. You will hear from our associate principals about more specific work taking place in each division, but
I have been so happy and heartened to see organic activities being started by students that help each other learn from and appreciate each other, and see how they want to work together to create a safe school for each other and a safer world for all.
This pandemic has not made life any easier for any of us these past two years, and COVID has revealed how crucial JEDI work is for our school, an American one in Taiwan. Our community is split on how it views health and safety and how people view getting sick, and it has definitely been split in opinion on how Taiwan has handled the pandemic and how it has affected education. I have seen opinions have been split down nationality and cultural lines, and whether people consider Taiwan their home. This gives us a huge opportunity in pushing forth in our work with JEDI to allow for further understanding of different voices and opinions, a life skill that we will all need in a constantly changing world.
5. We all get a choice to focus on creating good instead of just critiquing what's bad in our world.
There was a recent opinion piece in the NYTimes that has stuck with me, and I'd like to share it with all of you. The title of the piece is “What I want my kids to learn about American Racism” by a South Asian immigrant father of two Americanborn teenagers. The father is the founder and president of Interfaith America, a nonprofit organization that promotes cooperation among people of different religions based in Chicago.
He ends his essay with a powerful quote that has shaped my understanding of everything that has happened at TAS this year—and everything that I want for our community in the future:
“I want my two sons to understand that responsible citizenship in a diverse democracy is not principally about noticing what’s bad; it’s about constructing what’s good.You need to defeat the things you do not love by building the things you do.”
As your Head of School, I want our entire school community to work together, to build things up not just tear things down. I want us to be united, not divided.
It is a continued honor to be able to lead this school and to see your children thrive.
I send you best wishes for a happy and restful summer break and look forward to opening the 2022-23 school year on time and live, in-person on Wednesday, August 10.
My dream is to have TAS be known as an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all, and a leader across Asia.
BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
In April, the Board of Directors hosted its bi-annual Meeting of the General Members. This twice-a-year meeting, usually held in October and April, provides a wonderful opportunity for all parents in our community to hear from the Board and school leadership and to get a whole-school snapshot of where we are and where we are going.
The meeting started with an impressive recording of a recent middle and upper school combined choral performance “Sing Gently,” directed by upper school choir director Andrea Blough and accompanied by middle school choir director Betty Chang.
Board Chair Tina Koo then set the tone for the meeting with her welcoming introduction and remarks, including a brief explanation of the purpose of the event, the importance of staying involved, and a reminder of the members of the Board of Directors and their roles on the board.
Ms. Koo explained to attendees that the Board has three main responsibilities to the school including establishing and supporting the school’s mission, ensuring the financial health and stability of the school, and selecting
and supporting the head of school.
Since this year is a transitional year —both in terms of supporting the new head of school and in supporting the newly revised mission statement and new strategic plan—Ms. Koo reviewed the mission statement with attendees. “A mission statement defines a school’s identity,” said Koo. “It helps us to realize our aspirations.”
The Strategic Plan for the years 2021-2026 includes five main areas of school life including focusing on learning, supporting student life, investing in the highest-quality personnel, providing a strong foundation, and strengthening the TAS community.
“The world is continuously changing,” said Koo, “and we need to continue to broaden our definitions of success to help them make a difference in the world they inherit.” The Board aims to broaden these definitions to include social-emotional wellbeing, character education, information literacy, real-world problem solving, and service-learning.
“We will pursue the diversification of our curriculum so that it exposes students to the diversity of our global
community,” said Koo.
“Hopefully it is clear that each of these commitments will help our students make the world a better place,” said Koo. “With the skills, knowledge, and capacities they need to make a difference along with character values and care for both themselves and others that will guide them to use those strengths to benefit our global community.”
The TAS Board of Directors feels strongly that the new mission and strategic plan represent the necessary next steps in our journey and growth as a school. They do represent a change from the past. Koo admitted that “change can be hard,” she said. “But we hope that working together to navigate these changes can help us strive to continuously improve rather than rest on our laurels.”
After Koo, the chair of the election committee Debbie Hsu spoke to parents to release the results of the recent board election. In this year’s election, 1,135 ballots were cast out of 3,090 eligible voters. This is around a 37% voter turnout rate, which Hsu explained is lower than last year but
SETH CORNELL LARRY WASYLINhigher than the average of the previous three years.
The new members joining the TAS Board of Directors for three-year terms (in alphabetical order) include:
• Seth Cornell
• Steven Quay
• Larry Wasylin
On behalf of the Management and Resources Committee, Liz Wang and Bruce Aitken continued the meeting with an update on the TAS financial report. TAS adheres to the NAIS Principles of Good Practice for school boards as they safeguard their institution’s financial health.
TAS has a projected deficit for this school year mainly due to an increase in legal fees this year. As a result, the School is not projected to meet the first NAIS objective of a balanced operating fund for the fiscal year 2022. Wang clarified that TAS has not been in a financial deficit position since 20052006.
“Unfortunately, the unpredictable nature of these expenses creates some operational uncertainty,” said Wang. “Which will exist until the [ongoing legal] case has concluded.”
TAS has, however, achieved the second NAIS guideline of “growth in all funds combined.” All funds combined have been slowly increasing over the last four years.
In order to restore a balanced operating budget, TAS has changed its budget for next year and beyond to
include adequate emergency reserves to make up for this year’s deficit due to the increased legal fees.
The Governance Committee, led by TK Chiang and Carl Wegner, spoke next to discuss the committee’s core responsibilities including governance support and training, developing and monitoring the strategic plan, and supporting and evaluating the head of school. The Governance Committee’s focus this year has been on helping the TAS Board become an even better board. The committee has done this through three main projects including enhancing the board’s institutional memory, improving how the board communicates with stakeholders, and seeking ways to better train our own board members.
One important finding that the committee shared is that the average tenure of TAS Board members is statistically significantly lower than that of average independent schools; TAS Board members stay on the board an average of 3.8 years vs 6 years for independent school board members.
Another key finding is that parent engagement seems to be an overall issue, especially since recent election turnout has been quite low compared to independent schools around the world. As a result, the board has decided to implement a series of newsletters and updates to better foster constructive dialogue and sharing in a consistent and transparent manner.
One last finding has been around the necessity to increase board training, especially for new members. While the board does much work throughout the year—including 30 formal sessions and 2 strategy retreats - it has become increasingly clear that even more hours and training will be necessary to enhance board member preparedness for making long-term decisions.
Dr. Grace Cheng Dodge, Head of School, spoke next on her reflections on this school year. For additional details on this speech, please be sure to check out the full news article summary published on the TAS news page and app.
Board Chair Tina Koo ended the meeting on a note of excitement as the School launches two important parent communication initiatives this week, as introduced by Dr. Dodge. A new parent portal and a new weekly email digest will reach parent inboxes this semester.
“Wow,” said Koo. “I am so excited to see my first edition of the Parent Post. I hope that it helps everyone in our community as we streamline communications.”
We strongly encourage all parents to attend these important meetings or to watch the meeting in the convenience of their own homes if they are unable to attend live.
The Board’s Meeting of the General Members can always be found for later reference on the School’s video archival platform, Microsoft Stream.
The middle school team recently shared some of our thoughts and policies around academic integrity directly with our students. Very little of the information was genuinely new, but we felt it was time for us to clarify a few particular points around how students work with each other on homework and how they talk about assessments after they have taken them. In general, our students at TAS have a very good understanding of the principles of academic integrity.
But knowing the actual, specific rules we have (or how they interact with one another) is not always clear, both to students and to parents. At TAS, our goal KA-12 is to empower our students, who we believe want to do the right thing, in the face of the pressures to do the wrong thing.
The purpose of this article, however, is really to share our thoughts about how parents are and should be a part of this conversation. The educators you have entrusted with your student’s care are, by definition, in the education business, not the consequence or discipline business, so we are not trying to catch kids doing the wrong thing, nor do we want to establish long lists of rules.
So, with this particular topic, we are very much interested in understanding why some kids choose to inappropriately help each other with homework and why they share information about tests that should not be shared so that we can help them make better decisions.
We know that almost any student who does succumb to this unethical decision does so for a clear combination of peer pressure and pressure from home to do well. Because this is the case, we cannot just address our students; we need to also talk directly with our parents because the pressure from home most often involves a child’s parents.
Friendships, and the pressure to maintain them through “helping” each other, are strong at the middle school age—but we can and do see evidence of peer pressure in all three divisions. As a principal, so much of what we see in terms of students inappropriately helping each other with work is based
around this: When a friend asks for help on a homework assignment, to students this is relatively “low-level” cheating if they see it as cheating at all (similar to a “white lie”) and so they tend to be very willing to “help.”
In their mind, it truly is an act of service not an act of dishonesty. It is similar for when a student who took a test first period shares information about the test with someone who has yet to take it. Kids who want to help friends often make that decision because to not do so risks putting stress on the friendship. Weighing what they see as harmless cheating against damaging a friendship, they will choose friendships more often than not.
Friendships, and the pressure to maintain them through “helping” each other, are strong at the middle school agebut we can and do see evidence of peer pressure in all three divisions.PHOTO: TAS HUMAN RESOURCES
Yet, we also know that some of the pressure comes from home as well, whether directly or indirectly. Students who feel they must achieve “excellence” in all of their classes, as in nothing less than a solid “A” will do, are far more likely to make poor choices.
I have written to parents a number of times over the last couple of years to further the message that expecting our kids to be equally successful and to equally enjoy all ten of their classes is an unfair expectation. Effort and doing the best they can are fair expectations. Students who feel their parents will not accept anything less than an “A,” and know there will be some sort of consequence at home for not achieving this mark, are far more likely to make poor decisions when it comes to academic integrity.
We tell students routinely that we can work with them whenever they need help. One of the school’s
primary goals is to help our students to be better self-advocates. You’ll note that the TAS mission statement says nothing about earning “A” level grades. Instead, we are here to cultivate an enduring commitment to learning. When you make a commitment to something, you will often need help along the way because very few people are born naturally good at all subjects and skills.
At TAS, we want students to speak up for themselves, to seek help, to know themselves well enough to know what they need, and to do what is necessary to have those needs met.
We hope they will learn to ask for help from a teacher rather than take a shortcut and get inappropriate help from a friend. We tell them that they can let teachers know that they are stressed and would like more time to finish an assignment or to take a test and that we will gladly work with them to find a solution.
That is how they will learn. And that is how they will develop an enduring commitment to learning.
And it is also how they will learn more about prioritizing their own personal well-being, another crucial part of the TAS mission.
School is so much more than for learning the content; few people can state what was covered in their Grade 6 history class, Grade 2 art class, or Grade 10 science class, but most can recall their feelings, particularly if they were ever stressed or anxious.
Very few adults are using the actual content from their secondary school time in their daily lives but every one of us succeeds or fails based on how well we learned to self-advocate, to adapt, to persist, and to be resilient.
We hope that you can join us in this work by reinforcing with your children these messages.
When you make a commitment to something, you will often need help along the way because very few people are born naturally good at all subjects and skills.PHOTO: TAS COMMUNICATIONS
People sometimes refer to the idea of “living in a bubble’’, the idea that we sometimes are so comfortable in our daily lives involving school, work, family, and friendships that we do not ask many questions about what might be happening in the wider world, or why those things might be happening.
I grew up in a bubble. I was born in Taipei in the 1960s, a city under martial law. The local education system I went through did not encourage questioning or curiosity. I moved from my educational bubble to another bubble, which was TAS. I was probably considered doing quite well in the “Taiwan bubble,” as someone who went through the local education system and later worked at TAS for 15 years, as the executive assistant to three different Heads of School.
In 2010 I left the safety and the expectations of the Taiwan and TAS bubbles for the adventure of new cultures beyond this island. In those 10 years working overseas, when people showed interest in asking about Taiwan, I realized how little I knew about this place that I called“home” because I rarely asked questions, and I took things for granted while I was in that bubble.
I started asking myself, what does it mean to be a Taiwanese? What are my roots? Is Taiwan a part of China? Is Taiwan a country? Many of these questions are deeply personal. And some of them are even dangerous to answer, depending on who you are talking to and where you are in the world. But they are necessary questions to ask ourselves, whether we are students, staff, administrators, parents, or alumni. They are necessary because each of us may have a different answer and a different point of view that in turn influences the way we see each other.
Like our graduates, the time away from the bubble both forced me to try to find answers and encouraged me to learn more about myself and Taiwan.
Many of my students consider Taiwan their home and this makes me wonder, as our school prepares them to be global citizens when it comes to the time for them to leave to pursue their dreams, do they have a solid understanding, or pride, about their own roots and their identities?
As a learning community, we can do more, and we should do more, to engage them so they are curious about their roots and proud of their identities before they leave Taiwan for the wider world.
As part of our JEDI initiative,discussions about identity have been taking place among faculty, students, parents, and staff members. As an upper school Mandarin teacher, my senior students discuss their pride and challenges that are associated with their identities. They find it helpful to have this type of conversation before leaving the bubbles. It is reassuring to know that they are not alone when facing certain challenges.
I feel grateful to have the opportunity to work with students who are curious to find out more about their identities before leaving their bubbles.
BY SOPHIE TSAI, COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER & UPPER SCHOOL MANDARIN TEACHER
When you think about Taiwan, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Do you think of TSMC, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing that is pivotal to the world’s economy? Do you think of Taiwan’s reputation for friendly people who like to help even when you did not ask for it? Or, are you like me, who instantly thinks of the wide variety of affordable and tasty food that seems to greet you everywhere you turn?
While living overseas, when people heard that I was from Taiwan, they often asked me, “What is the difference between Chinese food and Taiwanese food?”
Although this might seem like a fairly straightforward question, the answer, it turns out, is not simple at all. Each time someone asked me this, I did a little more research on the food culture of my own, and the process led me to better understand the history of Taiwan.
To understand the food of Taiwan, one needs to understand its ingredients, but I don’t mean this in the traditional sense. You need to understand the people choosing the ingredients, which was deeply affected by two major waves of immigration that moved from China to this island:
The First Wave: From the 17th to the 19th centuries, while indigenous people were already on the island, the first wave of Han people (漢人）crossed the strait to come to Taiwan. Some of them came from the Guangdong (Kwangtung) province, but the majority were from the southern part (閩南 Min Nan) of Fujian (Hokkien) (福建) province in China. During this period, the dialects of Min Nan(閩南語), Hakka (客家話, 客語), and various indigenous groups were spoken on this island.
When the Japanese first colonized Taiwan in 1895, in order to distinguish the “national” language, Japanese, from the local dialects, they decided to call the Min Nan dialect, which was spoken by the majority of people, “Taiwanese.” (台語, 台灣話).
The same goes for defining “Taiwanese Food’’—dishes such as Buddha jumps over the wall (佛跳牆) and braised
pork belly(封肉) were brought here by the Min Nan people of Fujian (Hokkien) province. However, most people on the island will tell you that the best-known Taiwanese dish is braised minced pork over rice (魯肉飯). It was created after World War II, when there was a shortage of food so people tried to use up every bit of pork, and to braise it with two basic ingredients, shallots and soy sauce. If you are interested in trying out traditional Taiwanese cuisine, I recommend Nuniang (女娘的店) or Golden Formosa (金蓬 萊) in Tianmu, or Shin Yeh (欣葉) which has many branches in Taipei. Try dishes such as omelet with pickled radish (菜脯 蛋), braised pork belly (封肉), three-cup chicken (三杯雞), oyster with black bean sauce (蔭鼓蚵) or Buddha jumps over the wall (佛跳牆)
The Second Wave: In 1949, towards the end of the Chinese Civil War between the Nationalists (Kuomintang) and the Communists, the Republic of China government relocated to Taiwan, followed by 1.2 million (some say as many as 2 million) soldiers and civilians who came from various regions of China. Because of the vast geographical and climatic differences in China, each region has its own food specialities and they brought their regional cuisines to the island. In general, Chinese food is divided into 8 regional cuisines (中國八大菜系). For example dim sum (點心) from Guangdong (廣東); the spicy mapo tofu (麻婆豆腐) and kung-pao chicken (宮保雞丁) from Sichuan (四川), and dumplings (餃子) from North East of China. These dishes and many other regional specialities can be found in restaurants all over Taipei.
Just like a person’s mother tongue, food also shapes one’s identity. While I
was living overseas, although I had access to Chinese cuisine, I found myself craving Taiwanese dishes such as three-cup chicken and oyster vermicelli (蚵仔麵線), dishes that can only be found in Taiwan. I had the same craving for language, my personal “three-cup chicken ‘’(三杯雞) for the soul. When I got homesick, I found that listening to Taiwanese songs gave me the same comfort and warmth as a home-cooked meal.
Now that I have returned to Taiwan, I am still interested in the way food, culture, and history intertwine. Modern chef and the founder of Raw, André Chiang (江振誠) is trying to define (and in some cases, redefine) what is “Taiwanese Food.” He grew up near Shilin night market and started his culinary career when he moved to the south of France at the age of 15. In an interview with 50 Best Restaurants, Chiang talked about his frustration knowing so little about Taiwan, the place he calls home, and the decision of moving back here to find his roots. “Being a Taiwanese, I feel that I have a responsibility to have something in Taiwan that really redefines our generation of Taiwanese flavor,” he said in an interview with CNN Travel. Chiang shared his mission to define the “ Taiwan Flavors” — for which he set up 台灣味 譜研究所 (translated as Taiwan Flavor Spectrum Research Institute) using big data to gather, analyze and define “Taiwan Flavor Spectrum,” of his roots.
As we share our pride to be part of Taiwan, let us continue to value others that are different from ourselves and to embrace the diversity of religion, dialect, ethnicity, and political stands among us that makes Taiwan the place that we proudly call home.
Today, sharing what is going on in our lives on social media on a regular basis, for some, feels as natural as eating three meals a day. From an especially wonderful meal to the first day of school, there are plenty of joyful moments, special events, and funny stories that are worthy of a post, if only to keep a record of memories or to share an update with friends and family.
But when is it okay to share and when is it too risky or too much to share? Is there anything we should pay attention to, when what we want to post involves our children? Below are some tips to think about:
1. Be extra careful with personal information.
Many parents overlook the fact that they may unwittingly reveal personal information of their children, including details such as birthdate, full name, and geolocations in what they post. “Putting a photo with identifying information online can put your child at risk for identity fraud as well as the images being shared and altered for use in child pornography,” says Jessica VanderWier, founder of Our Mama Village and registered parenting and child psychotherapist.
The digital footprint you leave when posting information or photos of your child poses risks for identity theft, loss of privacy, and many other long-term implications that become problematic for
your children in the future, so be extra careful what you include in your post.
2. Ask before posting.
“You always want to teach children that they’re in charge of their bodies and that you’ll work with them to keep their bodies safe and private,” says Catherine Steiner-Adair, psychologist and author of The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Think twice and then again before posting any photos or stories. What you think is a cute story (for example, your child throwing a tantrum or doing something silly) may cause great embarrassment or humiliation to your child years down the road.
Stacey Steinberg of the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law suggests that children’s interest in privacy should be considered when parents share information about their children online. “A conflict of interests exists as children might one day resent the disclosures made years earlier by their parents.”
Starting when your child is young, involve your children when you want to share something about them online by asking if they would like a particular story or a photo of theirs to be shared with friends and family before sharing.
3. Get permission, or simply refrain from posting photos of other
people’s children.
Just like you should ask your child if it is okay to share something about them online, if you would like to share a photo or story that involves other people’s children, good etiquette dictates that you ask for parental permission first. Unfortunately, photos of children are sometimes taken from social media and used by predators to target children.
If someone has posted a photo of your child without your permission, and you are uncomfortable with what has been posted, you may politely ask them to remove the photos. If that doesn’t work, some social media platforms also have specific portals or forms to report violation of one’s children’s privacy and request removal of the children’s photos.
4. Set a good example and practice what you preach!
Parents often warn their children about the danger of social media but pay less attention to what they are teaching their children through their own behavior, when using social media. “When young people are growing up routinely seeing and posting photos of themselves, they are being taught this is normal, and they may develop poor boundaries when it comes to keeping things and situations private. Oversharing may become the norm,” says Carolyn Yaffe, a psychotherapist at Medcare Camali Mental Health Clinic.
In addition, children learn from their parents’ actions.
If you post negative or belligerent comments, you are demonstrating to your children that this is how they can behave as well, instead of seeking ways to resolve issues and conflicts constructively and properly. Again, what you put out there often cannot be deleted.
5. Set strict privacy settings and think about who you want to make the posts accessible to.
If you want to share memorable moments with friends and family, consider directing your post to them specifically rather than making this a public post or a post for all online friends to see. When
TAS COMMUNICATIONSyou want to share event pictures with participants, you may opt to use an email, a private digital album, or a platform where a login is required for invited guests.
In addition, considering how others may feel when posting event photos is a good practice. For example, posting pictures from a holiday or birthday party may hurt the feelings of friends not invited.
Posting pictures and stories of your children has more implications than the likes and the comments you will get.What you post and say on social media impacts your children in more ways than one. We hope that you will consider these social media tips for parents.
For additional information, be sure to check out the resource links below!
• Steiner-Adair, C. & BarkerSmith, T. (2013). The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. Harper.
• "Do parents invade childrens' privacy when they post photos online?" by NPR news
• "Parents who post about their kids online could be damaging their futures" by Forbes
• "Help! Someone else has posted a photo of my child on social media" by Safer Internet. org
• "How to safely share photos of your kids on social media" by Very Well Family
• Social Media Guidelines by Common Sense Media
• "Children's Privacy Online" by The Guardian
Just like you should ask your child if it is okay to share something about them online, if you would like to share a photo or story that involves other people’s children, good etiquette dictates that you ask for parental permission first.PHOTO:
BY SHARON L. (‘22), THE BLUE & GOLD STUDENT NEWSPAPER
On Friday, Dec. 10, and Tuesday, Dec. 14, seniors participated in a series of Adulting 101 workshops designed to help them transition from high school to college. These workshops were designed by both faculty members and external facilitators.
There were originally three mandatory sessions scheduled: Understanding and Dealing with Microaggressions; Sex Signals: Interactive and Informative Workshop on Consent; How to Build Skills and a Road Map to Success in College. However, the latter two sessions were rescheduled for next semester.
The Microaggressions session was held in the Legacy Commons with all seniors present and was led by Mr. Ryan Haynes, Ms. Meagan Frazier, and Ms. Kendra Ing. Many seniors felt that the
workshop was very memorable as it taught them how to recognize and react to microaggressions.
“Hearing the experiences the teachers who held the workshop had with subtle racism really opened my eyes to what we might face when we leave Taiwan,” Yu T. (‘22) said. “I also learned how to deal with microaggressions when I hear them, and how I can either call someone in or out when I hear something offensive.”
The session also taught seniors how to be more mindful of their own words, as certain phrases may have negative implications. “I never would’ve imagined there were so many ways to offend others,” Andrew H. (‘22) said. “I should begin to make changes for myself.”
Other than the mandatory sessions, there were a total of nine elective classes:
Fashion as Self-Expression, Financial Literacy, Finding a Job in College, Leaving Well, Political Activism & Engagement on College Campuses, Privilege for Sale, Self-Defense, Survival Etiquette, and Time & Project Management.
Seniors were able to express interest in certain workshops through a Google Form, and their college counselors would then create a personalized schedule with both elective workshops and college counseling office hours, where students get to work on their college applications. If their schedule permitted, seniors were also allowed to drop in on other sessions during their free time.
Out of all the electives, some students found self-defense to be especially memorable. The session was led by Mr. Ting Fan and Dr. Robert Mitchell, and it was also the only class that had limited
registration, which was on a first come first serve basis.
“I enjoyed self-defense the most because it was interactive. We got to practice different moves and also bond with our friends,” Reine C. (‘22) said.
Selena N. (‘22) also expressed that self-defense was one of the most important classes for her. “Safety is a top priority, especially when going to an unfamiliar place. I learned a lot from this session,” she said.
Students also enjoyed the workshop Finding a Job in College and felt that they learned a lot of useful information. Ms. Connie Ma and Mr. Anthony Ives led the session going through many essential skills relating to choosing and asking for job opportunities.
“The most memorable part for me was learning the skill of meeting
someone and asking for a job. We practiced writing elevator pitches and listened to Ms. Ma and Mr. Ives’ work experiences,” Mathew H. (‘22) said.
According to Edward C. (‘22): “Learning about all the different college job opportunities was very fascinating, and the concept of the IKIGAI model gave me an initial understanding of how to choose the best job.”
“This session gave me more information that I haven’t known before. We learned how to navigate using Linkedin, how to ask for job opportunities from guest speakers, and how to introduce ourselves,” Jacqueline S. (‘22) said.
Many of the other electives also received positive feedback from seniors. According to Kristina H. (‘22), she really enjoyed learning how to style different
outfits for both casual and formal events in Fashion as Self-Expression.
Veronica H. (‘22) also enjoyed that session. “It was so fun seeing our teachers dressed in different styles,” she said.
For Enoch T. (‘22), he found it eyeopening to hear about American cultural norms that are different from Taiwan. “I learned that giving fruit isn’t considered an appropriate gift in the US when invited to visit someone’s house,” he said.
As a whole, the adulting experience allowed seniors to learn essential skills in preparation for college, and make more progress on their college applications. “Adulting 101 is a good replacement for exams as it is really informative. I’m looking forward to the sessions in January,” Sabrina H. (‘22) said.
Director of College Counseling Melanie Brennand Hamre recently led a parent workshop along with the middle school counseling team titled “Middle School & The Future,” in which she attempted to dispel a few misconceptions that many TAS parents have about their children’s future college counseling process, a process which looks and feels much different today than it did when the parents went through the process for themselves.
Middle school counselor Jason Thornberg introduced Ms. Hamre at the event, and in his summary of her biography and the points she wanted to discuss today, he said that this event was fundamentally about what middle school parents should and should not be thinking about right now when it comes to the all-important transition from high school into college.
Hamre began the parent coffee attempting to answer one deceptively
simple question: why are we talking about college now, when your child is still in middle school?
Hamre says that middle school is the “ideal time” for students to grow into themselves, to understand who they are as young adults, to set goals for who they will become, and to take risks and explore passions. She quoted from a recent article from The New York Times (2020) called “Teach Your Kids to Fail” and the work of Stanford psychology professor Carol Dweck on developing a “growth mindset” in reminding parents that this is a time of a child’s life that should be dedicated to helping them get comfortable with setbacks and to normalize failure. Failure, she said, is a natural part of life and something that is a prerequisite for later success. At TAS, we want our students to develop resilience, and this is something that only happens when you learn from mistakes and move on from them.
“These are critical skills,” said Hamre, “not just for students but for adults, too.”
She admitted that while the concept of encouraging failure can be quite scary for both students and their parents, it is a critical part of growth that cannot be eradicated from a student’s learning journey.
Hamre then discussed in detail the TAS college counseling team’s approach to holistically supporting all Tigers navigate the emotionallycharged journey that is today’s college application process.
She said that there are three main components of the TAS college counseling support.
What is it?
1. It is a process, not a race or a competition.
2. It is a partnership, between the counselor, student, and family— where trust, honesty, and open
communication are critical components.
3. It is a plan, with a timeline, a strategy unique to your child’s situation, and with real-time help.
Of particular importance to Hamre is this last bullet point, at least when it relates to middle school families. She said that middle school is not a time for parents to start thinking about what they need to do to help to best position their students for specific colleges; instead, there will be a very dedicated and very deliberate timeline for when and how the college counseling team will work with students to help guide them through the process.
This is not to say that Ms. Hamre and her team are not here to help; quite the contrary! In fact, Hamre says that she and her team are in frequent communication with the middle school counselors to answer immediate questions that need to be addressed or to discuss some of the trends or concerns that middle school parents might have.
“Ultimately, however, the most appropriate time for parents to begin thinking about this journey will begin in the spring of your student’s junior year,” said Hamre. “That is when we begin in full working with your children on the college process.”
The TAS college counseling philosophy can be summed up in one short phrase: student-centered and student-driven. Hamre says that the office’s goal is to guide them through the process with their best interests in mind for their unique strengths and potential. She says that college counselors help students learn how to articulate their strengths, to become more self-aware, to learn how to selfadvocate, and to develop their own voice as they share their own unique stories and perspectives, through writing and in-person interviews.
“Every student is different,” she said.
“We take that very seriously. And it’s something that we really celebrate with every student in the process.”
One important myth that she wanted to clear up has to do with many parents’ expectations of the process versus the reality.
Part of the reason there is such a large difference between many parents’ expectations and reality is that Hamre says there is no “magic formula” for success.
“Truly, the holistic admissions process looks at every applicant as a unique individual and product of their environment,” said Hamre. “There are many different resources, cultural elements, expectations, and challenges within each student’s situation that can and are all seen as developmental opportunities. There is no prescription or checklist of what every child needs to learn or what activities they must do in order to be considered successful or be admitted to college.”
Instead, Hamre suggested to parents that they should focus on helping their child be their best self as an individualand to find, cherish, and celebrate their child’s “best,” whatever that looks like for him/her/them.
Since middle school does not show up on a child’s transcript or college application process, Hamre advised parents to focus on letting their children explore areas of potential interest during this time instead of trying to create a plan that will prepare them for what a parent thinks will get them into a specific type of college.
“As long as a student is working towards a trajectory of growth or improvement and becoming more and more aware of who they are and who they want to become,” Hamre says that alone is enough for middle school students and parents to focus on at this time in their child’s development.
Lastly, Hamre spent a large portion
of the event dedicated to character education and its central role in today’s college admissions process (and its increasing importance for the future).
She described two different sets of skills that she hopes that all TAS students will develop over their time at the School, what she called “rear wheel skills” and “front wheel skills.”
Rear-wheel skills are technical knowledge and experience that a student can do, and these things are usually measurable and quantifiable such as grades, scores, titles, awards, activities, and accomplishments.
Front-wheel skills, in contrast, are more “how” than “what;” they are intangible qualities and behaviors that allow a student to find success in their rear-wheel skill accomplishments. These include being able to take initiative, having strong communication or collaboration skills, leadership, teamwork, respect, inclusion, and more. They relate to a child’s character and personality along with their energy and kindness.
While many parents often focus their attention on their child’s rear wheel skills, she says that colleges are increasingly focusing on trying to zero in on applicants’ front wheel, characterdriven skills. She says that when she worked in the admissions office at Harvard University, the question that many college admissions representatives asked themselves was “Why would anyone want to be in the same class, club, or dorm as this applicant?”
During the event, the middle school counseling team monitored the chat function for participants on Zoom, enabling a lively and robust Q&A section of the event at the end.
Want to learn more about the TAS college counseling process? All TAS parents and employees can watch the full video by logging into the TAS portals or going directly to the TAS video archival platform on Microsoft Stream.
Every student is different. We take that very seriously.
BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
TAS food services has continued to expand its menus across campus with new releases slated for both first and second semesters. These include eight new Chinese dishes, nine new international dishes, new salad bar offerings, and seven new cold snack bar items, six new soups, and 11 new hot snack bar items.
This is, to date, the largest expansion of the TAS food services menu, spearheaded by head chef Calvin Tu with support from director of food services Shawn O’Neal.
According to the team, the School often hears from parents that the menu never changes, but he says the truth is far different. “New dishes are being developed and rolled out all the time,” said Tu and O’Neal. “In the past three years, we have concentrated on expanding our vegan and gluten-free offerings in addition to a number of healthier dishes that came as suggestions from our American nutritional consultants.”
This expansion is doubly impressive considering the number of new health and safety precautions that the food service department has had to operate under during the COVID-19 pandemic. O’Neal says that his team has had to “shift and adapt” in order to create these new dishes, but he’s proud that they have
been able to do so in order to better meet community nutritional needs.
A full list of new menu items can be found at the end of this article, but O’Neal and Tu each have their own favorites on the new menu. O’Neal says his favorite is the cold Greek pasta salad because it is “tasty and refreshing.” Chef Tu says that his favorite is one that hasn’t yet been released—scheduled for the second semester—the poke bowls, which he describes as healthy, colorful, and, of course, delicious.
Taipei American School began to work with the nutrition consulting firm School Food and Wellness Group (SFWG) in 2018 as part of a larger effort to ensure the health and wellness of our students. Working together, SFWG and TAS have established clear nutritional standards to guide our food service decisions. The firm has made some recommendations regarding our offerings, suggested alternative recipe adjustments, discussed local food sourcing options where possible, and suggested other more
general improvements to our food service programs.
“We have committed to highlighting local flavors, fresh ingredients, and expanding our menu to meet the dietary needs and restrictions of our community,” said O’Neal.
And his team agrees. O’Neal says that the culinary team is “constantly innovating,” because they love what they do. Chef Tu adds that he wants parents to know that the team is ultimately trying to balance the health of our children while exposing them to new foods and flavors to expand their palate.
So far the food services menu expansion has received mostly positive feedback, especially around the vegan and gluten-free recipes. The team is also researching the addition of adding a gluten-free pizza crust to have available for special orders.
O’Neal admits jokingly that the vegan macaroni and cheese with meat alternative was, understandably, not a crowd favorite, but despite that setback, most of the other new menu items have been hits.
Chef Tu says that he is motivated by this feedback because “students and staff are excited to see new items on the menu, with some items quickly selling out. We welcome all feedback, no matter if it is good or bad, so that we can serve our community best.”
TAS community members can find a weekly menu online through a website called NutriSlice. This link is available in the TAS Portals and through the TAS App. NutriSlice contains additional information on ingredients, macronutrients, and allergens in addition to basic descriptions and calorie count.
Chinese Dishes:
Spicy calamari, white noodles with buddha sauce, chicken stir-fried yellow noodles, golden pumpkin stir-fried rice noodles, pork & sweet corn dumplings, seafood stir-fried yellow noodles, sous vide chicken breast with scallion oil, and Chinese shrimp curry
International Dishes: Spaghetti & pork meatballs, reworked chana masala & flatbread, turmeric chicken and bacon risotto, creamy chicken penne pasta, pork meatball submarine sandwich, seafood penne alfredo, Thai curry pork, bacon & cheese pockets, mac’n’cheese with vegan meat substitute
Pizza Bar Gluten-free pizza crust (special order only)
Salad Bar Lotus root slices in yuzu sauce, bamboo shoots, and rainbow salad
Snack Bar Cold Items: Salmon poke bowls, Greek pasta salad, tuna pasta salad, chicken pasta salad, sous vide chicken submarine sandwiches, vegan meringue cookies, and vegan flatbread
Hot Items: Pork meatballs rice noodle soup, rou geng noodles soup, hot & sour Taiwanese dumpling soup, rou geng soup, potato celery and bacon soup, and curry pumpkin soup
Box Sets:
Teriyaki chicken, gyu-don beef, BBQ pork, yakisoba, Japanese shrimp curry, baby black wood ear mushrooms with vinegar, burdock, spicy king oyster mushrooms, pickled radish, buffalo chicken wings, and BBQ chicken wings
That TAS students are passionate about whatever area they choose to pursue and are committed to service should come as no surprise, even when the students are only in lower school!
Grade 5 student Serena H. talked to Lower School Principal Tara Simeonidis about her art and the charity project that she has been involved with.
A burgeoning and talented artist, Serena has been taking art classes for a few years now and was recently a winner in the 6th Art Olympiad held in 2021 by the International Children Art Foundation (ICAF), one of only three from Taiwan.
She shared rather frankly and
endearingly, that her winning artwork, “Riding into the Bright Future,” is in fact not in her usual favorite style, but in a new style that she decided to try at her art teacher’s encouragement. And as the saying goes, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” The risks Serena took in challenging herself to a new style resulted in a stunning piece of art!
Serena also talked with Ms. Simeonidis about a charity project that she, her sister, Grade 6 student Erin H., and their mother have been involved with. Using their artworks and with the help of a designer, they make items such as calendars, bookmarks, notebooks, and project folders, for a charity sale
where the profit is donated to help those in need. Serena and Erin even help by hand-packing some of the items themselves!
Most recently, they used the profit from this year to make a donation to the Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation. Serena believes this project will continue well into the future as she and her family are committed to doing what they can to help others. Way to go, Tiger(s)!
For more information on the Art Olympiad, please visit the organization’s official website.
TAS ADVANCEMENT
BY MARISSA BRITS, BETTY CHANG, & NARELLE GILLIE-MORGAN, LOWER AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CHORAL DIRECTORS
Everyone learns when peer-teaching is part of the learning process. Not only do learners find ways to impart important concepts they learned, but to reiterate and transfer information to younger learners is an additional skill they acquire that solidifies their own learning.
This fall, middle school Grade 7 choir students had the opportunity to work with the lower school Grade 5 choir to build community, improve the students’ singing techniques, and get to know one another through shared rehearsals together.
Our Grade 7 students loved being able to pretend to act like their middle school music teachers, but it wasn’t “pretend” teaching at all!
To build community, teamwork and energize the singers, Kingston and Nathaniel taught a game called ‘Cup Up’. Nathan led ‘Sirens’, a warm-up activity that empowered Grade 5 students, a warm-up that we often use in middle school. Frankie and Yanlin lead other students in a vocal soundscape mid-air. One, student, AV, stepped in to lead a tongue twister, ‘Red Leather, Yellow Leather’, which encouraged singers
to relax their tongue, jaw and change how one sings the letter ‘R’ before we rehearsed the piece, “Best Day of My Life,” together as combined choirs.
Ultimately, this collaboration allows students to take control of their learning while benefiting other students.
These experiences empower students to learn and solidify their learning in a way that cannot be taught.
As Robert Heinlein said, ‘When one teaches, two learn.’ Today, both choirs came out on the other side as stronger singers.
kind of blueprint process. They receive feedback and tweaks from the client, and then they go through another round of blueprinting. They receive client approval, and then they begin to make a prototype and periodically show their work to the client."
Each student in the class is working on a project that is personally interesting and that is achievable given the semesterlong time constraints of the course.
After nearly two decades at Taipei American School, people know that Becky Maguire's middle school STEAM classes are a unique hub of activity. In addition to her work as the middle school STEAM coordinator, Maguire also teaches four different STEAM elective courses: style engineers, toy and game design, simple machines, and, her favorite, "Design the Difference."
Each of these courses is available to Grade 7 and/or 8 students for a semester at a time, and students are allowed to repeat the course multiple times if they desire. Some are grade-specific courses, while others (like Design the Difference) are offered to students of both grades allowing for a mixed-age and ability class makeup.
"We now have students who have taken it several times in a row, and they are referred to as alumni, which naturally generates role models in the class and empowers students," said Maguire.
The Design the Difference course is not a skill or concept-based course;
instead, its goal is both simple and broad: using the tools available to them in the Tech Cube, students will make TAS a better place.
In case you didn't read that properly the first time, I'll say it again. The goal of the course is for students, by the end of the semester, to make TAS a better place than when they started.
The course ties in perfectly with the newly revised TAS mission statement, but it has existed (and been serving the TAS community) for several years before the revision:
Taipei American School’s mission is to cultivate an enduring commitment to learning, personal well-being, and service. We provide a broad American-based education with a global perspective that develops students of character who are committed to making the world a better place.
"The idea is to solve a problem," said Maguire. "Students interview potential clients. They take in what the client's needs are, and they go through some
Recent projects include wooden poster-board holders for a Grade 1 teacher, artwork for many of the Tech Cube windows and hallways, organized umbrella stands for the TAS lobby, a headphone storage rack for the lower school, renovation of older hallway artwork projects, updating the middle school trophy case, a wooden prop that prevents laptop monitors from moving when using the stylus to draw, mobile bookshelves, shelving for student belongings in the Tech Cube, updating some gender-specific and all-gender bathroom signs, behind-the-seat storage for classroom desks, and many more!
Students in the Design the Difference class begin the process of narrowing down clients and potential problems early in each semester. A few of the recent problems submitted to students include updated desk dividers, golf targets for the golf team, water bottle holders for P.E. class, quiz machines, interactive artwork, updated trash and recycling containers, additional computer charging options, fixing broken classroom podiums, and updating the carts used by outdoor cleaning staff.
Are you a potential client in need of a solution to your problem that could improve our school? Maguire is always looking for new clients to work with her students. She can be reached at maguirer@tas.edu.tw.
Earlier this school year, Grade 6 English students read the novel "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds for a class novel study. In the story, the main character, Castle Crenshaw, joins a track team but is unable to afford a new pair of running shoes. In his desperation to fit in with the team and be successful, he steals a pair of shoes from a local sporting goods store and then must face the consequences of his actions.
While the story involves shoes, it isn’t truly about shoes; it’s about hope, resilience, and giving people a second chance.
The Grade 6 English teachers have aspirations of weaving more service learning into our English curriculum and creating more relevant and meaningful learning experiences. As a result, we came up with the ‘Shoes for Change’ giving project. We connected with local schools in Taitung that have students, like Castle, who are in need of a quality pair of shoes. Students were asked to look at home for gently worn shoes that they would be willing to gift to students (ages 7-12) in Taitung. We also partnered with the Upper School’s
‘Lace the Love’ club which will donate shoes for all ages to communities in need in eastern Africa.
Over the course of a month, we collected shoes that were suitable for a variety of ages of students and for various outdoor activities. In early December 2021, we shipped 12 boxes of shoes to two communities from the Taitung region. The students, teachers, and families in Taitung were excited and expressed their gratitude for the new shoes they received through cards and pictures that were shared with our Grade 6 students.
In giving projects like this, students can create a deeper sense of belonging, purpose, and identity. Giving help and support brings perspective helping students to understand that their lived experiences in the world differ from others. Furthermore, it fosters empathy and compassion.
Looking ahead to the 2022-2023 school year, the Grade 6 teachers intend to continue this project with the hopes of building a long and sustainable relationship with local communities in need.
The upper school Neurodiversity Club recently held an officer outing pilot activity, serving a local group of adults with Down Syndrome as they worked together to make handmade soap. This club, founded by Patrick H. ('23) and Benjamin C. ('23), was founded in 2020 as a way for students to educate others about the importance of respecting neurodiverse individuals and to reduce the social stigma associated with various neurological differences and disorders.
According to club co-president Benjamin, they thought it would be a good idea to start a school club to both help people with neurological disorders and to simply create a friendlier community for those at TAS and beyond.
For this recent club outing, Patrick and Ben were introduced to the organization known as Down Syndrome Association Taiwan by a common acquaintance.
After reaching out to the organization, they were thrilled to find out that they were interested in partnering with the
club to host activities that both the diagnosed patients and TAS classmates could participate in.
"Our first outing involves making soaps that the organization actually sells in the market," said Ben. "This activity can help some individuals with Down Syndrome with their emotional regulation as it is a relaxing process."
The club's leadership thinks that this first outing was very successful and they look forward to planning future outings and advocacy.
"There were a lot of smiles and laughter as everyone got along with each other instantly," said Patrick. "Our favorite moment is when we started presenting our work of soap to everyone, where we shared our experience and cracked a few jokes."
It's important to both Patrick and Ben that people at TAS remember to include neurodiverse individuals when thinking about the school's overarching JEDI principles.
"A common misconception about
neurodiversity is that diversity means only gender or race," said Ben. "This misunderstanding is mostly due to the lack of knowledge about neurological disorders as neurodiversity is a fairly new term. Neurodiversity is the concept that developmental disorder in the brain causes a variation between people, and thus everyone should be respected and treated equally."
The co-presidents hope that many TAS students and community members can join their club and club outings so that they can provide a safe and welcoming environment for any individuals to discuss their own neurodiversity and potential struggles.
"Everyone in our club has personal experience with our own aspect of neurodiversity," said Ben. "We are open to talking about this with you and sharing our own lessons."
For more information about the TAS Neurodiversity Club, be sure to follow them on their website or social media.
BY LINDSEY KUNDEL, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING
The TAS FRC Robotics Team 4253 "Raid Zero" took first place in the Taipei Regional held in New Taipei City in early March. The regional hosted 35 teams from all around Taiwan.
Three other schools also received championship qualifying awards at the regional including Team 6998 "NNKIEH" from the National Nanke International Experimental High School, Team 8020 "Cyberpunk" from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School, and Team 7527 "Kaohsiung power" from the Zhongzheng Technical High School in Kaohsiung City.
TAS Team 4253 "Raid Zero" also won the excellence in engineering award for their robot's performance in the games.
According to Director of the Tech Cube Matt Fagen, the game at this year's regional involved shooting balls into an overhead target in the center of the field while opponent robots played heavy and physical defense. The match ended with a robot climb, where the 150 lbs. machines had to climb up a series of consecutively higher monkey bars (up to 8 feet) to gain extra points.
"Taiwan FRC teams have become pretty fierce competition," said Fagen. "It was amazing to see how our students came together in their various sub-teams to keep the bot on the field and winning matches: Strategy and Statistics Team changing our game plan for each match,
Mechanical Team doing quick repairs after sustaining damage in the minutes between matches, Programming Team adding new functionality on the fly to keep us competitive, and the Drive Team was on fire!"
TAS had two teams who qualified to compete in this year's regional and covered the entire range of the ranking spectrum. Fagen described the winning team, 4253, as employing an "offensive" team strategy, while team 8503 employed a more defensive strategy.
Both of the 150 lbs. TAS robots were built over only six weeks leading up to the regional and Fagen described them as having a truly "impressive" array of features.
"Our 'varsity' team 4253 ranked first at the end of qualifications," said Fagen, "and our 'JV' team 8503 ranked 35th.
Team 8503, despite numerous technical problems, continued to fight to keep the robot going through every match and ended up being the first pick for 3rd alliance. They worked super hard and appeared to be having just as much fun as the first-ranked team. Maybe a little more."
The two TAS teams 4253 and 8503 faced off in the very first elimination match, with team 8503 playing fierce defense on 4253.
"It was great to see these teams collaborate off the field, compete hard against each other, and go right back to being one big family again," said Fagen. "In fact, it is actually a big family. We even had siblings spread across both teams."
The FIRST Robotics world championships will be held this April in Houston, TX (USA).
BY FISH TUNG, ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Language is not only a tool for communication but also plays a crucial part in carrying and delivering cultural messages.
For some ethnic groups without writing systems, storytelling — whether transmitted orally or hidden in the cultural codes (totems) — is a way of presenting and passing down languages. It is also the core of continuing the ethnic cultures and local knowledge.
In a globalized world where languages are frequently exchanged, translators are recognized as a bridge, building an environment for better communication and understanding. Therefore, a lot more stories can be told, seen, and heard between cultures.
Some translators describe themselves as invisible representatives, while other translators think translating is more like solving a complicated puzzle.
One of our upper school Tigers, Sean K.('22), has recently joined this group of communications "bridges." He recently completed translating a complete series of Taiwanese indigenous picture books.
The books are about four different
stories of group Takitu'du of Bunun ( 布農族卓社群 ). Including Balincinan (The Origin of the Bunun's Surname), Pasuntamul (The Bunun's Harvest Festival), Qalingas buan (The Whispering of the Moon), and tultul (The Melody of the Bunun's "tultul").
For Sean, the whole process of translating the picture books is just like a journey of learning something new about himself, and something more about Taiwan — the land he grew up in.
There are six major tribal communities in Bunun. Takitu'du is one of them which is mainly distributed across the area of Hsinyi and Renai townships of Nantou. According to the Administration Bureau of Indigenous Peoples, Nantou County Government, there are about 5,000 people of Takitu'du living around the area.
The project of generating and translating the Takitu'du picture books happened in one of the villages called "Qatu"( 卡度部落 ), located in Renai township. In fact, this project is part of the plan of Indigenous Languages Learning Center in Nantou ( 原住民 族語言南投學習中心 ). The idea came
from the team effort and production of one of the classes for the purpose of learning Bunun in a creative way.
As a member of Indigenous Impact and Initiative Formosa school clubs, Sean connected to the Qatu and one of the key figures-- Mr. Shi Zhi-Xiong, through the first visiting experience of the club. Mr. Shi is the Bunun translator, illustrator, and co-editor of the books. He then invited Sean to join the project and worked closely with him to sort out the English translations.
It took about two months for Sean to complete the translation of the four books. He found the stories were extremely interesting to him, and they all somehow connected to nature.
"Except the stories in the picture books, one of my favorite stories told by Mr. Shi is the Great Snake War between the Bunun and the Chinese Moccasins ( 百步蛇 )," said Sean. "They ended in an agreement to coexist from then on."
The story not only represents the Bunun tradition knowledge and their view of life but also shows their relationships with nature.
"I want to study biology in the
future, so I do know how important the environment is," he said. "I couldn't help but marvel at the intricate harmony between the Bunun and their respect and appreciation of nature."
In order to fully understand and not to lose the meaning, Sean had to pay close attention to many details. He had to keep checking again and again with Mr. Shi.
"I think the biggest challenge for me was because there are some words that I was not quite sure would be completely captured in English, and the values are completely different," Sean said.
He said that this concept of values and culture often caused him some confusion in the process.
"When I was reading the Chinese translations, I was still confused about some of their differences like their customs and traditions," said Sean. "I had to ask Mr. Shi, and I think that was another entry point for learning about their cultures. But it was pretty fun, actually. You're basically reading a story and helping other people get to know the story."
According to Mr. Shi, in the process of proofreading and helping Sean with the English translation, he expected Sean to translate the stories from Bunun's point of view. He hoped the translation can still carry out the indigenous perspectives and the view of the life of the Bunun people.
Besides, Sean said that he got influenced by those learning experiences from Mr. Arnold's history class.
"There's always people left out in history sometimes," said Sean. "Like the stories are never reflective of their own views."
Sean mentioned that one of the main factors that thrived his passion for promoting indigenous cultures was his eagerness for building a deeper connection with Taiwan, an important part of forming his own identity.
"I'm going to college soon and will be very far away from home. I'm going to miss it somehow," Sean said. "I just kind of thought, why do I not feel as connected to the identities of all the people in Taiwan? I really wanted to know more about Taiwan and its various cultures."
Sean talked about how he was inspired by Bunun's culture in the preface of the books: "The Bunun demonstrates their interdependence with the island we all call home…, and most importantly, their own unique identity that is one of the true treasures of the native land of Taiwan."
By translating the picture books into English, Sean hopes that it can reach out to more cross-cultural readers. On the other hand, it is also a good chance for him to reflect on the relationships between the Bunun and himself, people and nature, Taiwan and the world.
At TAS, we know that home is where the heart goes, but it is also where the heart is. So we bid Sean (and all of our TAS graduates) a Takitu'du blessing, a phrase usually said to young people who study, work, or live far away from home:
Uvava'az mulumaqa! (Come home! My children.)
While we celebrate the significant achievement for Sean, we know that no matter where we go in the world, as Tigers, we are never far away from home.
For the last two school years, the TAS community has committed itself to fostering “a culture of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion that embodies anti-bias action and accountability” and to doing “the work necessary to maintain an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all.” The school-wide JEDI committee, divisional JEDI committees, and the TAS Cultural Connection (TASCC) parent group are working hard to make this commitment a reality.
In addition to the work that is happening with faculty abnd staff, our parent and alumni community, and children, the school has recently hired E-chieh Lin as Director of Inclusion and Wellbeing starting in the 2022-2023 school year to help lead our JEDI work. It is an exciting time for our community as we continue this important work and learn new ways to integrate it into our community's daily experience.
Helping the adults in our building learn to recognize bias and privilege and develop a vocabulary for talking thoughtfully about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is a critical first and ongoing phase in helping TAS become “an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all.”
This year, several of our treasured professional development days have been used to lead cross-divisional PD that focused on different aspects of identity, privilege, and implicit bias.
Weston Cooper and Anthony Kelley presented to the faculty, explaining the intersection of Black Lives Matter and Taiwanese history.
Faculty have attended conferences throughout the year, including the
Institute for Teaching Diversity and Social Justice, The Equity Institute hosted by the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Street Data Fundamentals: A Path to Equity and Antiracism, and Becoming a Warm Demander: Addressing Microaggressions in Schools.
KA-12 teaching faculty have also had access to Global Online Academy’s extensive professional de amd staffvelopment catalog, which includes three different online courses for professionals to learn more about designing for equity.
On the September 3rd PD day, the school held an all-employee JEDI activity for several hours in the morning, focusing on helping school employees better understand their own complicated identity webs. Connie Ma and Sophie Tsai held a small-group discussion for interested staff members to receive similar training on the following PD day.
The Middle School has planned two upcoming PD sessions for its faculty: “Turning the Lens on Ourselves” and “Turning the Lens on Taiwan” to help their faculty focus on events that have impacted who they are today and develop
a better understanding of Taiwan’s history around justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
But this work is not limited only to professional development days. Quite the contrary!
The Upper School has begun hosting a series of recurring events for faculty called “Coffee and Conversations,” a space where colleagues read articles and gather to discuss topics related to the school’s JEDI work. So far, conversations have focused on affinity groups and building anti-bias learning environments. Their experiences with and enthusiasm for the affinity group model have led to a group of faculty offering optional affinity groups on upcoming PD days to KA-12 school employees. The initial facilitators of these affinity groups will be Erika Soublet and Ryan Haynes (Black Affinity Group), Maneesha Maingot and Chase Williams (Queer Affinity Group), Sophie Tsai (Taiwanese 台灣人/Ethnic Chinese 華人), Beth Clarke and Darby Sinclair (White Anti-Bias Educators). As our understanding of and work with affinity groups evolve, the JEDI committee envisions that additional affinity groups
will be added.
The Lower School and Middle School are both leading faculty book clubs. The kindergarten and kindergarten A teachers and administrators read AntiBias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, meeting regularly to discuss the topics addressed and to think about how the topics impact the programs offered to our youngest learners. The entire teaching faculty and staff of the Lower School and the Communications Office will be reading “Blindspot” during the fourth quarter. The Middle School is offering its teachers a selection of eight different JEDI titles to read and discuss in small groups this semester including “Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You”, “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning,” “See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love,” “So You Want to Talk About Race,” “Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More,” and “White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide.”
Ensuring a consistent message between school and home will help children develop a deeper understanding of their own identities, biases, privileges, and choices; therefore, the alumni office, the TASCC parent group, the head of school’s office, and the counseling department have teamed up to offer learning opportunities to parents and
alumni. Connie Ma and Darby Sinclair offered two parent workshops on "Understanding Our Identities "in October 2021. Nine of those parents who attended volunteered to become trainers who would lead workshops for other parents and participated in a “Train the Trainer” session facilitated by Connie Ma and Brianna Pannell in February 2022.
TASCC also offered a community event titled, “Parallels between the History of Taiwan and the Black Lives Matter Movement,” utilizing the experience and expertise of Weston Cooper and Anthony Kelley. Another workshop offered this year to parents focused on resilience and inclusion. So far, these four TASCC parent events have generated both high attendance and strong engagement.
TASCC and the alumni office brought in Shawna Yang Ryan to discuss her book “Green Island.” She talked about her experiences in Taiwan as a Taiwanese American. The alumni office also brought in author Abigail Hing Wen to discuss Asian American Identity with the parent and alumni community. She also spoke with middle and upper school children.
The alumni office and TASCC teamed up for a viewing of the recent film “American Girl” with a follow-up question and answer session. This event was shown to a full house with more than 200 parents, students, employees, and alumni attending to watch the film and
Q&A. The film, featuring a current TAS student and alumni director, is a comingof-age story that focuses on third-culture identity and its effect on adolescents.
The TAS Communications Office has also begun a new JEDI-themed initiative to tell more diverse stories from within our community. This initiative, called “TAS Voices,” is a recurring article series in which the school invites readers to find out more about the diverse individuals that make TAS the vibrant learning community we know and love.
Several TAS alumni have banded together to create a DEI-themed podcast to discuss topics including how aspects of our identity intersect to impact discrimination, mental health, microaggressions, and more. Victoria Yeh (‘16) and Brendan Wong (‘17), created “Taipei Tiger Talk” in collaboration with the school’s JEDI organization and have met with both the Communications and Alumni Offices along with the TASCC to broaden its reach.
It's exciting to see such a strong commitment from our children's first and most important educator: their parents—and it's equally exciting to see our historical base as fired up about this work as we are here on campus.
The four goals of anti-bias education that anchor the work around the world are:
Identity – Each child will demonstrate
self-awareness, confidence, family pride, and positive social/group identities.
Diversity – Each child will express comfort and joy with human diversity, accurate language for human differences, and deep, caring human connections.
Justice – Each child will increasingly recognize unfairness (injustice), have the language to describe unfairness, and understand that unfairness hurts.
Activism – Each child will demonstrate a sense of empowerment and the skills to act, with others or alone, against prejudice and/or discriminatory actions.
Across the three divisions, faculty are finding ways to infuse this work into children’s days through advisory, integrated work within the curriculum, and opportunities outside of class.
During the first day of Middle School, children met with their homeroom advisors to learn about and discuss the school’s JEDI goals.They built charters for
their homerooms to help make the goals a reality. The Middle School also planned five extended advisory lessons across the year with pre- and post-discussions during regular advisory sessions. The extended lessons have focused on the language we use to talk about identity, diversity, empathy, gender, advocacy, and privilege.
Middle school librarian Carol Yousif has joined Project LIT and hosts monthly book club talks when she shares books around a monthly diversity theme (for example, physical, gender, ability, socioeconomic differences). There is a lucky draw, and one child walks away with one title. Carol continues to research, purchase, and promote diverse books within the library and with English teachers.
Upper school librarian Cassy Lee has been working with her student group, The Archivists, to display and
recommend diverse books. The group asked English and history teachers for book recommendations for Black History Month and have been featuring the books that have had an impact on them on Instagram and the Upper School Information Commons website. The Archivists also planned a Human Library event in May where they invited in people from marginalized groups to serve as “human books,” sharing their experiences with small groups of students and employees.
All children in the Upper School read the graphic novel American Born Chinese over the summer. Follow-up sessions during advisory helped children explore their own identities and those of the characters in the book. The author, Gene Luen Yang, spoke with the children about writing the book and his experiences moving to the US.
Motivational speaker Anthony Kelley
met with our Grade 9 children to watch and discuss his documentary, “A Journey Through Conflict and Identity.” As the children asked questions about his life, Anthony shared tools for managing emotions, stress, and anger.
Knowing the importance of children reading literature that provides them with mirrors in which they see themselves and windows in which they come to understand people with different identities and experiences, the lower school language arts representatives for each grade level researched new ownvoice titles and books with more diverse characters to add to the classroom libraries for read-aloud and independent reading. The representatives have also been studying and piloting effective ways to use read aloud to help children explore identity, diversity, and fairness. During the next school year, they will share the effective practices they have learned with the rest of their grade level team.
In all divisions, faculty are finding ways to weave JEDI goals into the existing curriculum.
In the Lower School, Grade 2 children study how needs and wants are met within a community. This year, the teachers helped the children focus on the unmet needs of less privileged members of the community.
Grade 5 students and the upper school students in the International Relations course partnered up for a multipart learning exchange involving research projects and podcasts about Taiwan and what it means to be Taiwanese.
In the Middle School, many JEDI related goals have been woven into the history curriculum through discussions of how different people have been treated by governments and cultures over the years, including one especially poignant example in Grade 7, where students learned about the industrial age’s racist immigration policies through an interactive game.
Another example includes offering diverse choral selections representing different cultures and languages for the winter concert, which has historically focused on music from Christian cultures. This year’s offerings included songs in English, Hebrew, Latin, and Scottish Gaelic, among others.
Upper school curricular offerings, in particular, continue to abound and expand.
The Grade 10 English classes read a collection of essays, novels, poems, and articles about identity and privilege to support in-depth conversations and analytical writing.
Anthony Kelley and Tobie Openshaw
worked with 50 IB Global Politics and International Relations students for 6 class periods on the question of reconciliation within a human rights context. They evaluated three case studies: South Africa Apartheid, Black Lives Matter, and Indigenous Taiwan. They compared the processes of reconciliations within the framework of each human rights violation. Fish Tung led an additional lesson to this class on Indigenous Culture focusing on her own affiliation with the Amis Indigenous tribe of Taiwan. She has been asked to assist with lessons in both the Lower and Middle Schools later this spring.
Since SY2016-17, the Upper School has continued to offer Dr. Erika Soublet’s Honors Seminar: History of Minorities in America with strong enrollment and interest (with the exception of one school year). The class was originally created because of a lack of diversity in the history curriculum, something which the JEDI task force will continue to help examine and address over time. This class, which is open to juniors and seniors, examines the history of minorities—women, African Americans, Asian Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community—from their perspective as opposed to other perspectives. Students explore how current events have been impacted by history to develop a deeper understanding of the interconnected histories of marginalized communities and explore solutions.
Students are also getting involved in JEDI-related activities outside of the curriculum through extracurricular and club activities.
The Middle School continues to offer two important clubs for students interested in DEI topics: Rainbow Tigers and Project LIT.
The Upper School, with almost 80 clubs, has multiple offerings for students including the DEI group, Rise Up leadership summit, ChildAware Club, Girls in STEM, Indigenous Impact club, Initiative Formosa, International Culture Club, LGBTQ Alliance, Neurodiversity Club, Walk for Refugees, World Vision and others. The DEI group was started by a group of upper school students interested in creating a safe space that welcomes all upper school students to discuss social issues within the TAS community and the greater world. Already this year, they have discussed identity, privilege, neurodiversity, and calling/calling out. Upper school sponsors Ryan Haynes, Erika Soublet, Kendra Ing, and Chase Williams help the group accomplish their goals.
Our work toward making the goals of the JEDI Community Commitment a reality is just beginning. This is something we freely admit because it will take time and ongoing commitment to making sure that TAS is “an inclusive, diverse, and welcoming environment for all.” We are committed to the work ahead because we believe that it will make the world a more just place and help our children succeed wherever their future takes them.
During the most recent professional development day, the middle school JEDI team hosted a meeting with all middle school employees to better contextualize the school's larger commitment to the principles of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion by reminding employees that this work doesn't just apply to recognizing forms of diversity outside of Taiwan. Rather, there is a beautifully diverse and complex mix of identities within our home island that can and should be explored as part of the school's JEDI work.
The middle school JEDI team prepared videos that explore what it means to be Taiwanese and how Taiwan has changed from a wide variety of employee perspectives. After viewing this video, employees discussed their major takeaways in small groups.
The purpose of this session was multifaceted. First and foremost, the session was designed to celebrate the people of Taiwan and to learn more about our host country. It was also designed to highlight the diversity and complexities within the Taiwan community and to look past the generalizations that we often rely on to understand our community.
"Among my discussion group members, we were particularly humbled
by the reminder that our colleagues in the video presentation had lived through the dramatic shift from martial law to the hard-won democracy Taiwan enjoys today," said middle school teacher Kristin Rowe. "On the one hand, the predemocracy era can seem so far away in time, and yet it is the lived experience of many members of this TAS community. We felt both humbled and proud to see and hear Taiwan's journey to freedom personified in these videos."
All participants in the video were attempting to answer two crucial (and related) questions: what does it mean to be "Taiwanese" to you, and how has Taiwan changed from when you were young?
Middle school Mandarin teacher Yiwen Kao says that being Taiwanese means that she identifies herself as a Taiwanese citizen. "I see Taiwan as an independent country," she said. "I'm very proud of my Taiwanese history, culture, and language."
Fellow Mandarin teacher Dawn Loo agrees with this aspect of pride. "I'm very proud of it because I think it is because of the Chinese civil war," she said. "Taiwan is a really small island, but I grew up with a multicultural background that included people from the North and South of
China.We have so many different cultures here—especially different styles of foodso I always felt very lucky."
Middle school secretary Rennie Hsieh also says that pride is one of the most important emotions she feels as a Taiwanese woman. "But I didn't feel this until I was a little older," she said. "I remember one of my foreigner friends told me that he thinks Taiwan is his second home after he has traveled around the world. I was happy to hear that because Taiwanese people are friendly. We like to be helpful to others with our smiles. We embrace people from different cultures and from different countries. That's why there are many different diverse lifestyles and cultures here." Hsieh is proud that her home is one with a long tradition of embracing, instead of running away from, differences.
Security Manager Ming-Der Huang says that he defines being Taiwanese as anyone who lives here. "People who try and want to live here longer. Although we have different languages and backgrounds, we need to eliminate those differences and focus on the future and the way we want to live."
Even though Shirley Chao, middle school Mandarin teacher, identifies as Taiwanese, she feels a deep "appreciation"
for her family's background in China. She said that when her family went back to China on a trip, even though they don't have any relatives there anymore and she doesn't speak the same dialect anymore, she said it was powerful to know the place where her grandparents could think about going back to one day.
This type of complex relationship between self, country, and family was often repeated by other video participants.
Yiwen Kao said that the complexity was intensified for some families because of different government regimes throughout history. "During Martial Law, in general, we lived under a subtle fear, and I remember one night, a university student who lived in the same apartment building as me, was taken away in the middle of the night because he had books on Marx and Communism." She said that in the days that followed this incident, the whole neighborhood was very scared and worried about getting into trouble. because many of them also had books that weren't allowed at that time.
"There is a long history of Taiwan being ruled by different cultures, which have ultimately galvanized our unity because we have perpetually faced adversity," said Kao.
Middle school teacher Weston Wang Cooper ('08) says that, to him, being Taiwanese is a "privilege," that he doesn't take for granted. "It has given me an understanding that the world is not always a fair place," said Cooper. "Even though I feel like I belong here, every day I'm reminded by other people that I don't. And to them, it doesn't matter what I think about myself."
Cooper says that being Taiwanese and multicultural has helped him to understand that there are many other people in the world who feel marginalized in the same way, often for different reasons. "Many people feel like they can't belong to the country that they identify with—or that even the country that they identify with is told internally that we don't exist, that we're not supposed to exist."
Cooper says that whenever he sees the Taiwanese flag anywhere in the world, he is filled with joy and pride. "I take pictures of it, and I tell people about it," said Cooper. "In college, every textbook I got on world history or politics, I would flip to the back and look for the word Taiwan. Do I show up? Do I exist?"
For Cooper, the diversity on this island has been problematic for many years leading to conflicted identities and a lack of inclusion by other countries. "We were told that we were too Chinese
to be Japanese. We were told that we were too Japanese to be Chinese," said Cooper. "And out of that came the sense that if we can't be either, then we have to be Taiwanese. We have to develop our own identity and our own sense of who we are."
Communications office staff member Futing Fish Tung said that, like other participants, every time she is asked these types of questions, it is very complex for her to answer, especially since she is a member of the Amis Indigenous tribe of Taiwan. "I cannot be so sure as to say that I'm Taiwanese or I am Amis," said Tung. "I think that's not something I can take for granted. I often think that my identity is never complete and is always in process. It has to do with a strong connection that my body experiences within the land and the people I interact with. I recognize what I've been given or born with, but I also know I can consciously and constantly learn from the land and experience more. I did not have my Indigenous name until I really spent time in the tribe in my village, to live with the people there and to do things with them, and to learn from the elders."
Tung says that although it has been hard to navigate her multiple worlds and communities, she says, "Now I'm more comfortable to see myself as a person that moves between different roles and identities that are somehow interdependent with the land and also with the people."
Middle school secretary Josephine Lin says that in order to answer that question, it reminds her of a small memory from her childhood. "One day, during literature class, we had a big map, a world map, on the wall. We were waiting and as the teachers came in, one of the kids asked me, 'Where are you from, Josephine? Show me on the map.' And I said that I'm from Taiwan, over there, right next to China.The students couldn't see it. 'This is weird,' they said. I repeated, 'Over there!' And then one kid said, 'That's just a dot.' It really hurt me and shocked me. Later, when I went back, I thought about Taiwan and my own identity. Where should I stand? China and Taiwan, we know that China is bigger, a lot bigger than Taiwan. But I thought about growing up in Taiwan and all of the treasures from Taiwan.What I have is freedom, a unique experience, just like the students here at TAS. We have so many different backgrounds and experiences, and we should cherish it."
Middle school Mandarin teacher Roxanne Cho said that although she grew up in Taiwan, when she went to college,
she double majored because she really loved learning about foreign cultures. "For that reason, I decided to study abroad," she said. "During that year abroad, it really broadened my horizons because I was the only person from Taiwan but I had a class of 15 other students from China. They were truly lovely classmates. But they asked me a lot of questions about Taiwan. They would ask me, 'In Taiwan, do you really have the freedom to talk? We cannot say anything we want.' And I would say 'Yes, it really is. It is us.'" Cho says that the pride that she felt at that moment is because here, in Taiwan, her voice is listened to. Her ideas are considered. "Even though sometimes I need to take more responsibility for the freedoms that I have, I think it is good compared to many places around the world. I feel lucky to be here as a Taiwanese."
Mandarin teacher Shannon Hsu was one of the final speakers in the middle school JEDI presentation. In a moment of beautiful inclusivity, Hsu said, "I think whoever loves being Taiwanese is Taiwanese. People who stay here long enough and want to be a part of us and a part of this land, I think they are Taiwanese."
Whether you are Taiwanese by passport or not, on behalf of the entire Taipei American School community, we hope that each member of our school takes time to appreciate Taiwanese culture and history this spring.
This video was produced and shared with middle school employees as part of ongoing JEDI professional development.
The production committee included the middle school JEDI committee composed of Anisha Vinod, Savanna Kuisle, Sherry Boyle, Chrisanne Roseleip Fossouo, Weston Cooper, and Megan Pettigrew and joined by communications officer and upper school teacher, Sophie Tsai.The project was filmed and edited by video production and archival specialist Tobie Openshaw.. The team is grateful for the honesty and bravery of those who participated in the video project and looks forward to continuing the conversation with our wider community.
I would flip to the back and look for the word Taiwan. Do I show up? Do I exist?
BY FISH TUNG, ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
TAS had the privilege of welcoming Yosifu, the first Amis contemporary artist on the international stage, who divides his time between Edinburgh, Scotland and Taiwan, to talk to our community in February as a visiting artist sponsored by a PTA grant.
Our faculty, staff, and students (and parents via live-stream) enjoyed a series of talks and an interactive artistic workshop presented by Yosifu during his two-day visit.
Yosifu was born in Matadim( 馬 太林部落 ), an Amis Indigenous tribe located in Yuli, Hualien ( 花蓮縣玉里 鎮 ). The cultural heritage and natural environment of his Amis tribe have inspired and framed his journey in creating art. His paintings are known for bold colors, strong visual tension, and vivid images. He is one of very few artists in Europe focusing on Taiwan's indigenous culture.
The visit was kicked off with an impressive talk for our upper school political science students. In this speech, Yosifu shared his story about exploring his indigenous identity, and how his artistic creations evolved through the years.
When he was young, he was scared to tell others of his indigenous background and had been through a very hard time due to both prejudice and discrimination toward indigenous people in a society dominated by Han Taiwanese.
However, a turning point came during his travels to Edinburgh, Scotland, Greece, and other parts of Europe, Yosifu realized how lucky he is to have the skin color he was born with and the rich culture from his tribe that has nourished his mind and spirit; he learned that things that he once tried to conceal are genuinely appreciated by other people he met around the world.
From that time onwards, he started to view himself from a different perspective. Through other people’s eyes, he started to appreciate what he’s been given – the “colors” of himself. He found his own confidence. The house painter became an international artist.
Yosifu encouraged the students to embrace the true self that lives inside each of us.
“To know who you are, and where you come from is very important. Don’t be afraid to be yourself,” he said.
Upper school teacher, Mrs. Darby Sinclair, is one of the teachers who
applied for the PTA grant to bring Yosifu to TAS.
"Yosifu brought to life the vibrancy and diversity of Amis culture and gave a voice to the indigenous peoples who have long been marginalized," said Sinclair. "Our study in International Relations and Theory of Knowledge has focused on the cultural rights of indigenous peoples. To witness the testimony of Yosifu's journey to accept and celebrate his own indigenous identity and with us, one of the best aspects of Taiwan was truly a privilege for all TAS students."
In the past, our film students have made short films exploring Taiwan's Indigenous history and culture. One of the films was about Yosifu’s life story and adventures.
Yosifu enthusiastically finds creative and innovative ways to exhibit contemporary indigenous work to the art world as well as consciously voices through arts as a political act.
During his first day at TAS, Yosifu also led a workshop about identity and self-exploration through painting selfportraits. Over 30 students and faculty participated in this workshop which resulted in each person producing a self-portrait, each with their own unique story and expression within the medium of paint on canvas.
Yosifu shared his personal journey as an artist and how he found his artistic voice through portraits that explored his own identity and indigenous roots. He inspired everyone to reflect on their own identity and create a selfportrait to capture themselves in bold colors.
For some people, it was a therapeutic experience, and for others, a chance to creatively express themselves in color.
“A lot of times we draw many other things, but it’s very difficult to draw yourself. Do you really see yourself? Do you really know who you are? What kind of person do you want to be in the future?” said Yosifu. “You can use any kind of colors to create your own style. Nature is the best teacher for colors!” he added.
Many of the students mentioned that this is their first time thinking and creating a self-portrait. Encouraged by Yosifu, the students bravely tried bright and lively colors to express themselves.
“I never really look at myself seriously in this way,” said one of the students. Another student shared the idea of her self-portrait: “I think
it’s important to embrace myself before thinking whether other people would accept me or not,” the student reflected.
The final session of Yosifu’s open talk drew his visit to a perfect end.
“You have to knock on the door as I did, like the stories I shared with you. Even if people might reject you, it doesn’t mean you’re not good enough,” Yosifu started the talk with an inspiring message.
“I became an artist by accident. In fact, I dreamed of becoming a singer,” he said. Nowadays, not only is he an esteemed artist in the area of indigenous art, Yosifu is also very active and innovative in commercial art and fashion design.
From dishwashers, bank cards, to
the pattern design on chocolates, he hopes that his art can get close to people and their daily lives.
Besides his diverse achievements and experiences in art, he’s cooperating with the National Geographic Channel as a host for the upcoming shows featuring the Pacific Islands.
Through his personal stories, Yosifu encouraged us to seize the chance as best as we can.
These days, he not only continues with his vigorous energy in creating art but also spends more time devoting himself to indigenous cultural revitalization work in his hometown Matadim.
“I hope to become a person who gives, in art and in life,” says Yosifu. He hopes to inspire more young
indigenous individuals to find their own values and even return to their own tribes.
His most recent art exhibition – Embrace: Yosifu, A UK-based Contemporary Artist’s Austronesian Art Exhibition （擁抱：旅英當代藝術 家優席夫 南島藝術美展） took place at the Sky Gallery of Luodong Cultural Working House （羅東文化工場天空 藝廊）. The exhibition was open until April 10.
If you ever get the chance to travel to Yuli of Hualien, Yosifu invites you to stop by his family-owned café and studio– Tribal Queen Art & Café （部 落皇后藝術咖啡）, which is located on County Road 193. Enjoy the vibe and an artsy day there!
Head of School Dr. Grace Cheng Dodge, in collaboration with Director of College Counseling Ms. Melanie Brennand Hamre and Director of the Tech Cube Mr. Matt Fagen, spoke to lower school parents on January 19 on the importance of failure for students at Taipei American School.
Parents attended the presentation on campus in the Lower School's Harmony Theater and online through a Zoom webinar.
Although it might seem odd that the School brought the Director of College Counseling to speak with lower school parents – some of whom will not have a student applying for college for more than a decade from now – the concept behind today's presentation was actually crafted a decade prior to today when Dr. Dodge herself led the college counseling team at TAS.
"I was asked by the former lower school and middle school principals to address parents of younger students as to how TAS prepares students for a life after graduating from TAS or from another high school," said Dodge. "What are we teaching your children and why do WE think it’s important?"
The answer? Taipei American School
wants our students to fail, a concept which they discussed for over an hour with parents.
Dodge, Hamre, and Fagen thought this was a perfect time to bring back this presentation so that more and more parents can understand why the school believes in failure. Ultimately, Dodge, Hamre, and Fagen hope that parents will better understand and partner with the School in this approach as their students head into middle and upper school and, eventually, graduate.
"Regardless if you and your family stay at TAS until graduation," Dodge said that she hopes the presentation will give both "reassurance and optimism" as to what an American-based curriculum at an independent school can do for children. Failure isn't wrong, she warned. But a lack of failure in a child's life can wreak havoc on their growth.
Dodge began her portion of the presentation admitting a large caveat to parents. "I want to admit here that you will hear mention of Harvard a couple of times in this presentation because both Melanie Hamre and I both attended the school and then worked in the admissions office for years," said Dodge. "I want to acknowledge that though some of you
want your children to attend a school like Harvard, schools like Harvard are not the best fit for many students. The reality at TAS is that many families have expectations of their children to attend the world’s most recognized names of colleges and universities but do not fully understand how that expectation alone could actually be hurting your child’s potential, performance, and overall happiness throughout his or her TAS journey."
She went on to explain that at TAS, we care more about our student's entire KA-12 learning journey and the empowerment that we want each student to feel while in school.That, said Dodge, is why we work in this KA-12 environment.
One important takeaway Dodge hopes parents understood is that a school is no longer a place of rote memorization, says Dodge. At TAS this is especially true, considering the wording of our mission statement.
According to all three speakers, grades and scores no longer indicate who is smart. The accomplishments that can be listed on paper are just one part of who they are. Instead, Dodge reminded parents that it is those students who can acquire and apply both soft skills and a
depth of character to every problem they need to solve and interaction they will have who will thrive in today’s world.
"We hope you are not thinking how to strategize crafting a child who will be a strong college applicant," said Dodge. "Instead, we hope you are thinking of how you allow your child to be their best self, best self-advocate and allow that individuality to blossom."
A child's best self is not determined by a test score, nor is their self-worth determined by which college they attend – a point made by both Dodge and Hamre.
"If I see you in a decade or so, and you are embarrassed or upset as to your child’s college acceptances, we have all failed in our mission and you may have misunderstood why you chose TAS in the first place," said Dodge. "If on the other hand, we are all proud of the experiences your child will have seen and grown from over the course of time, and that your child has the confidence, initiative, and healthy outlook on life that makes them excited to start college – which is the beginning, not the end – then we have done our job."
After Dr. Dodge finished her remarks, Ms. Hamre began her portion of the presentation, discussing in detail the process that juniors and seniors embark upon with their college counselors. Their journey is to find a college that is a good fit for their individual passions and
potential and not just a name brand.
Hamre says that failure is an important part of the college counseling process because a student needs to have developed both resilience and a growth mindset prior to graduation in order to be considered a successful applicant at many colleges today.
"Many articles, research, shows this is a continual process and skill to be nurtured and practiced. Failure is a critical component of this and not something to be afraid of," said Hamre.
In fact, just last week, the Harvard School of Education released a study showing that the idea of a growth mindset can be nurtured beginning as early as a child's infancy.
And at TAS, our Lower School is already hard at work to instill a growth mindset in our youngest students. Our students of all ages need to be able to celebrate the success of others while also admitting that making mistakes is okay. It is only with feedback that any of us are able to improve. We are not born with mastery of any subject; instead, it develops through and with different forms of failure.
Ms. Hamre encouraged lower school parents to begin to see risk-taking and acceptance of failure as a key soft skill that parents should want to see from their children. This will help them throughout their time at TAS, and it will help them as
they begin to think about which college they might want to attend and beyond.
The presentation culminated with remarks from Matt Fagen who shared his own personal experiences with failure and (eventual) success.
Fagen shared that he began his teaching career attempting to use the lecture-based "sage on the stage"-model of teaching that he found useful back when he was a student.
"When I became a physics teacher, I was so excited to model all of the great teaching I had seen in my student career, and I did just that," said Fagen. "But the outcome was not what I expected. It turns out I was only reaching about 3 or 4 kids in each class! The rest of the students looked, well, bored."
Instead of being discouraged and leaving the profession, Fagen doubled down, encouraging his students to become more hands-on in the classroom.
"I changed my approach, and the results were dramatic," said Fagen. "I started teaching physics in a hands-on style where students got to decide on physical projects that demonstrated the principles we were studying. Same material, but when students got to not only experiment, but decide on how to experiment, and when they started to fail, and realize everything wasn’t prefabricated with a predetermined outcome for success, something really
beautiful started to happen in the class. The students were all engaged. They felt there was something real at stake. It was exciting to them that I didn’t know the correct answer and how the experiments would end up. And they came to life. And comprehension went way up! Not just for a few students, but for a majority of students."
He says that the secret to his (and the Tech Cube program's) success is that the Tech Cube isn't actually about robots. Robotics is just a great way to reach a diverse group of students. It’s really about creative problem solving, working collaboratively, and finding your unique value on a team. Growth in all of these areas is based fundamentally on failure.
"It’s a chance to figure out their value
and what they can contribute to a team, and that each person is valuable for a different reason, and it’s a chance to learn to take joy in trying and failing," said Fagen. "This is a skill they will absolutely need in our future."
Fagen encourages parents and students to be honest with themselves as they learn new things because true learning very rarely goes well throughout the entire process. In fact, he says that he has now learned that if students say that a project is going "good" during a unit, that is an indicator that they are still shy about sharing their mistakes. Technical projects are almost never going “good,” according to Fagen. As a student's confidence grows, they are more likely to freely admit that something is NOT going
well at that moment. This confidence is evidence of a deeper understanding of the process and the mindset needed to eventually succeed.
All three speakers wove a common theme, that of encouraging our community to more closely align our definitions of success with joy, and to let all know that failure IS success – or at least the only possible path there.
If you would like to learn more about the KA-12 approach to embracing failure as a path to later success, please be sure to check out the recording of this presentation, which is available to all community members through the TAS Portal and the Microsoft Stream video archive.
Growth in all of these areas is based fundamentally on failure.PHOTO: TAS COMMUNICATIONS
BY PANA ASAVAVATANA, LOWER SCHOOL TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN COACH & EYE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
From January 22- 30 2022, TAS hosted the second annual Early Years Exchange (EYE) virtual conference. EYE was founded on the belief that some of the best professional development is when educators can learn from one another. This conference aims to provide a space for early childhood practitioners to connect and learn together.
With that in mind, our goal each year is to bring leading early childhood experts and passionate practitioners to share their ideas with the community of participants. This year, we welcomed a leading voice in anti-bias education in the early years, Debbie LeeKeenan, and the husband and wife team, Drs. Douglas H. Clements and Julie Sarama, to speak on early childhood mathematics.
We were also very proud to highlight eight of our own very talented teachers alongside eight presenters from schools in Tanzania, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the United States, and Germany. The TAS organizing team was composed of Alfredo Papaseit, Maria Peters, Mandy Friedman, Jennifer Fisher, Kelsey Alexander, Matt Paranteau, Katarina
Yeung, Jenessa Van Schooneveld, Julia Lin, Clarabelle Lin, Amanda Hsiao, Donna Copel, and Ramy Youssif.
In order to ensure participants had the chance to meet and interact with each other, we had various forms of live sessions. These included Q&As with our keynote speakers, Job Alikes to bring participants together to discuss a specific topic, and "Playgrounds," which were meant to simulate an open-ended social setting within a virtual space.
Participants provided glowing reviews for the relatively new conference. One educator said, "I left the sessions with new ideas that I used in my class straight away." Another participant said that "There are so few PD opportunities like this that are specifically with Early Years in mind - it's so great just to have the opportunity to connect with other EY practitioners."
The last two pieces of the Early Years Exchange included opportunities to participate in wellness sessions which invited participants to go through mindfulness exercises, learn
early childhood programs and spaces through our program showcases. This year we were not only able to highlight our own early childhood program but two others, one here in Taipei and the other in Bangkok, Thailand namely Tinkerseeds Children's Workshop and Magic Years International School.
TAS and the EYE conference partnered with SUNY Buffalo State College to offer participants credit for their professional engagement in the conference. Interested educators were eligible to receive 1 credit of graduate coursework, with some additional requirements.
We are already starting to plan for next year and we are very excited to see how we can continue to grow and expand the event.
For more information on this annual event, be sure to check out the official EYE conference website or follow the ongoing social media conversation through the hashtag #EYEx22 on both Instagram and Twitter.
On Saturday, February 19, and Sunday, February 20, teachers from the lower school Mandarin team paired up with English teachers in the Lower and Middle Schools to host the fourth annual Chinese Literacy Symposium.
This year’s symposium was attended by participants from twenty-one schools across Asia and the United States, including Shanghai American School, Hong Kong International School, Singapore American School, and the International School of Beijing.
One hundred thirty participants spent two days exploring student writing and rubrics for assessing writing, supporting children in talking effectively with partners, and learning how balanced-literacy components can make learning more joyful while improving children’s speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Mandarin.
The team of presenters included sixteen TAS employees including Amanda Hsiao, Amanda Jacob, Caroline Hsu, Carrie Tenebrini, Denise Bord, Jenessa Van Schooneveld, Julia Lin, Karen Wang, Liwen Chao, Nini Nam, Patti Wong, Pauli Haakenson, Pearl Lin, Rachel Wang, Stacey Johnsen, and Virginia Blais.
Feedback from the participants was incredibly positive.
Jennifer Yang of Singapore American School said, “Thank you so much for organizing the learning and sharing all the resources with us. All the educators from
your school are very passionate about teaching and are willing to share with us. I learned so much every time I attended the symposium. I will definitely recommend it to other colleagues.”
Shengnan Ma from Keystone Academy Beijing captured her learning in the colorful sketch notes provided in the following drawing.
Job-alike sessions allowed teachers who work with similar age groups to share challenges and successes. Fourteen participants also shared the work they have been doing with balanced-literacy components in their schools during minipresentations on Saturday afternoon.
The symposium ended on Sunday afternoon with participants reflecting on
their learning and planning in school teams what they would take back to their schools and classrooms on Monday and in the coming weeks.
One participant said, “I reflected on my teaching, and thought I was too quick to see what a kid did wrong instead of giving equal attention to what he did that was wonderful in his work.”
The proceeds raised from this year’s Chinese Literacy Symposium will fund additional professional development for eight lower school Mandarin teachers who will attend the Teachers College Reading Writing Project’s summer writing institute to continue their learning and help them prepare for the CLS 2023.
Taipei American School was thrilled to welcome Sarah Ward to work with teaching faculty on November 12 as part of the school's larger work to support all students. She conducted three separate presentations with teaching faculty from the three divisions from 8:30-11:30 AM over Zoom.
Sarah Ward (M.S., CCC/SLP) is the Co-Director of Cognitive Connections and has over 25 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment, and case management of children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of developmental and acquired brain-based learning difficulties and behavioral problems not limited to but including Attention Deficit Disorder, Verbal Learning Disabilities, Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Other SocialCognitive Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury, and Acquired Brain Injury. Her particular interest is in the assessment and treatment of executive function deficits. She holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions.
Ward's work with TAS faculty members focused on the development of executive functioning skills across different age ranges along with providing a number of concrete techniques that teachers can use to build these skills in developmentally appropriate ways.
Ward opened up her discussion by stressing the importance of nonverbal working memory in a person's executive functioning, saying that non-verbal working memory should always occur before the verbal working memory process. Ward described this as a student's ability to have a "thought-bubble" that guides them through if-then conditional thinking. A student then will move into the verbal working memory process, which is the process by which a student engages in self-talk to work through problems. Many students with poor executive functioning are unable to engage in this conditional
thinking process. They might present with verbal working memory, but much of it is a negative form of self-talk.
Another important part of her talk today was around the concept of situational awareness, including one's ability to navigate space, time, objects, and people. Situational awareness helps a person navigate a room, understand a day or week's timeline, get their objects organized, and to read the role of different people (including themselves).
According to Ward, a neurotypical person's ability to read the room happens twice as fast as it takes to blink your eye. However, if a person has impaired executive functioning, this process takes much more time and discussion to facilitate.
A student's ability to have both situational awareness coupled with nonverbal working memory allows them to engage in something Ward calls "mimetic-ideational information processing," which is a mental trial and error simulation that many of us engage in without realizing it.
One of Ward's most important reminders had to do with helping teachers understand that individuals with poor executive functioning are not intentionally trying to forget things in their locker or to come to class unprepared. "90% of the time, we imagine what we are going to do in one space to carry out a plan in another," said Ward.
This matters, she said, because there is both a time and a geographic barrier to a student's ability to have helpful cues that would better enable them to succeed.
The distance in time and space that a person is able to envision and rehearse their future goals is called the temporal-spatial window. Ward says that this window is larger for neurotypical individuals and smaller for individuals with cognitive impairments. Essentially, the question each of us has to ask ourselves is, "How far into the future can we see?"
There are developmental norms for the temporal-spatial window. A twoyear-old can only see into the present; they quite literally cannot see far into the future. By 3-5 years old, individuals can visualize themselves into the future between 5-20 minutes. By early elementary school (Grade K- Grade 2), students can see themselves several hours into the future. By Grades 3-6, individuals can see themselves 8-12 hours in the future. Most high school students can, surprisingly, only see themselves 2-3 days into the future. It is not until a person is 17-23 years old that you can see 2-3 weeks into the future, and by 2335 years old a person can see 3-5 weeks into the future.
Executive functioning has three important sequences: planning backward, executing a task forwards, and selfmonitoring ourselves while problemsolving and controlling emotions.
Ward reminded teachers that all students and teachers are using their executive function skills throughout the day. She concluded her talk today with skills that both teachers and students can practice to help improve executive functioning skills. She stressed that these are skills that can be improved and aren't just a given.
Helping to improve how teachers scaffold these skills, Ward argues, will benefit all students, not just the students with poor executive functioning.
TAS's 15th Head of School, Dr. Grace Cheng Dodge, attended and was recognized at this year's National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference, held virtually from Nov. 29-Dec. 3.
This year's PoCC guiding theme was "Reckoning with Impacts, Rolling with Just Intent," a theme focused on educators acknowledging responsibility and taking principled action to redress wrongs. PoCC is the flagship event and a cornerstone of NAIS's commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and organizational development. The mission of the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership and professional development for people of color, along with networking for both people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools.
TAS employees have previously attended this conference, and this year was no different
This was, however, the first time TAS was represented by a head of of school who identifies as a woman of color. According to NAIS data, only 2% of all heads of independent schools are women of color. Dr. Dodge was recognized at the event as one of the few people of color in independent school head of school positions across the globe.
“It is an honor to be recognized among peers, not for what we look like but for the journeys we represent and what we will fight for, for all children," said Dodge. "As an Asian-American, I am so proud to be a part of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community of educators.”
Dodge also sang in the PoCC
virtual choir, a true testament to the Renaissance woman that our community knows and loves.
“When presented with the opportunity to join in a virtual choir, I jumped at the chance to join my peer educators in song," said Dodge. "It will be the 23rd year in a row the PoCC choir has sung 'Striving for the Future' by Russell Robinson. This year we also added the song 'Harmony' by Pink Zebra, which was so fun to sing!” says Dodge.
This year's conference included expert speakers, equity seminars, small group workshops, master classes, wellness breaks, networking events, affinity groups, and the aforementioned choir that Dodge will take part in. Soledad O'Brien opened the conference with a keynote session. Heather McGhee, author of "The Sum of US: What Racism Costs Everyone and How we can Prosper Together," closed the conference on December 3.
NAIS describes the conference saying that the organization hopes that all attendees will find opportunities to learn, no matter where they are in their independent school careers: "Be inspired by keynote speakers who are luminaries in their fields. Find true connection
and community in the affinity group sessions and with your peers at other schools. Whether you come to network or attend with your team for a bonding experience, there is something for everyone at PoCC."
The administrative team has earmarked this opportunity for future professional development for a larger TAS cohort, as part of TAS's ongoing commitment to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
This annual conference is the highlight of many educators' professional development experiences each year and provides a much-needed opportunity for people of color (and anti-racist allies) to learn and network with like-minded people across the world.
One PoCC registrant described this annual experience saying, "the way this conference makes me feel just doesn't get old."
Another says that each year after PoCC, he experiences "withdrawal," encouraging attendees to "suck the marrow out of it," and to come back to their organizations reenergized to share the love with those who need it.
It is important to note that while PoCC does explicitly aim to provide a safe learning environment for people of color, it also encourages educator allies to join in, especially those who want to improve their interracial, interethnic, and intercultural awareness.
Want to find out more about this unique conference? Be sure to visit the NAIS People of Color Conference's official website here: https://pocc.nais. org/About/NAIS-People-of-ColorConference.
It is an honor to be recognized among peers, nor for what we look like but for the journeys we represent and what we will fight for, for all children.PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. DODGE
BY FISH TUNG ASSISTANT COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
The TAS PTA hosted its annual Support Staff Luncheon on the second to last day of school in the year of the Ox, January 27, 2022, as a way to thank them for their service and celebrate the coming of the Year of the Tiger, an especially memorable year for our community of Tigers.
This event is always a great chance to show our appreciation to the staff members who are working hard to provide a safe and clean environment for our children. As is the tradition, the PTA prepared a lucky draw for staff members at this event as a way to thank them for their service.
From the morning, our staff members were so thrilled to know who will be the lucky draw winners. A lot of laughs, screams, and congratulations could be heard from within the Multipurpose Room when they saw the surprises our PTA and other behind-the-scenes parents prepared for them. Inside the lower school library atrium, where the staff could pick up their lucky draw prizes, was filled with smiling faces and hard-to-hide excitement.
The Support Staff Luncheon was a grab-and-go event due to the pandemic restrictions on group luncheons. A nice and delicious CNY lunch box was prepared for each staff member. The other big surprise for our staff was the plentiful and generous “lunch package” including the lunchbox provided by
Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel, a box of donuts from Krispy Kreme with the TAS name and a tiger pattern written in icing, a cup of fresh juice from Jamba Juice, and even a pack of tissue sponsored from one of our parents. (Although tissue paper might not seem glamorous, it was very much appreciated by staff members due to potential pandemic shortages!)
These extra donations were due to the generosity of the Classes of 2019, 2020, and 2021. Our youngest alumni recently made these donations from their class funds exclusively to be used for projects nad initiatives that would directly benefit TAS support staff.
“This is an important annual event where the PTA can demonstrate our appreciation to almost 400 school staff," said PTA President Fantine Chu. "They work so hard every day to provide a safe and clean environment for our children."
In past years, popular prizes have been electronics (phones, iPads, kitchen appliances) hotel and restaurant vouchers, and cash vouchers.
This year, there are many winners from the IT office and from our security team. Our IT network engineer, Terry Chang, won an iPhone 13, which he said is the most valuable and biggest prize he has ever won. The saying goes that good things always come in pairs, and, so it is for the IT office: Kevin Hung, the IT operations supervisor, won two red envelopes with NT$ 8,000 in each. Lastly,
one of our night shift security members won a brand-new bicycle.
The raffle drawing activity always draws much excitement, and the element of surprise is fun for anyone regardless of age and gender.
As part of the raffle prize, Jessica Lin from the Dean of Students office won an impressive NT$ 12,000 envelope. She said that she’s very impressed by the gifts and foods that the PTA prepared for staff this year, especially during a pandemic. "They're very delicate and diverse," she said. She’s hoping that she can be one of the lucky ones again next year!
Many staff members say that they always look forward to the luncheon for the food and fun.
Many of our longest-serving staff members said that the prizes they received are the most surprising and unforgettable ones of their careers at TAS. Our transportation office secretary, Sandy Lee, not only won two envelopes with NT$ 5,000 and NT$ 1,000, but she also won a very beautiful and special plate from the National Palace Museum.
We want to give a big thanks to our PTA and our school's administrative team for their hard work and efforts in making our staff members feel both happy and respected during an important time of year.
“Our parents and PTA are so diligent and genuine in their support!” said Sandy Lee, the school's transportation secretary.
In celebration of both the Lunar New Year and Black History Month in February, TAS and TAS Cultural Connection invited parents and alumni to a webinar presentation titled "Parallels between the history of Taiwan and the Black Lives Matter movement: A Conversation on Empathy, Solidarity, and Action by Building Common Ground."
As part of the School's commitment to the community to build continued understanding and discourse on issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, this presentation featured middle school history teacher Weston Wang Cooper 王韋盛 ('08) and guest diversity trainer Anthony Kelley, who has been working with upper school students again this year, generously funded by a PTA grant. Cooper is a TAS alumnus.
A similar presentation was given to faculty and staff last year, also facilitated by both Kelley and Wang Cooper.
Weston Wang Cooper was born in Taiwan to an American father and a Taiwanese mother. He grew up speaking Taiwanese, Mandarin, and English. He attended local public schools until 9th grade, graduating from TAS in 2008. After graduation, Cooper attended the University of Washington for his undergraduate degree, where he majored in International Studies and Cultural Anthropology, with a focus on race, ethnicity, and identity formation. He worked at Morgan Stanley before returning to school to receive his Master in Teaching degree. Weston began his education career in the Seattle Public Schools before returning to TAS as a middle school history teacher in 2018.
Anthony Kelley left a chaotic and violent childhood to become a successful college athlete, winning the Rose Bowl while playing football at the University of Washington. Turning toward academia and away from the NFL, he went on to earn a master's degree in Education
Leadership and Policy studies. He worked at the University of Washington and later at Washington State University as Director of Student Diversity and Outreach. He now helps individuals and organizations realize their true potential through deep self-awareness and negotiating difficult conversations.
The facilitators began the talk by explaining to parents that the presentation was, in many ways, an attempt to recreate an organic conversation that the two originally had with one another several years ago.
"We first met when I attended an event that he [Kelley] hosted while I was teaching public school in Seattle," said Wang Cooper. "It was just by luck that we ran into each other again when he [Kelley] came to Taiwan a few summers ago."
The pair met during a few Black Lives Matter protests and events held in Taiwan and were later asked to hold a talk with TAS employees.
"What we are trying to do is demonstrate how he [Kelley] and I built common ground with each other, and
from that discuss some possibilities that we as individuals can do to work with one another and better understand one another," said Wang Cooper.
Kelley agreed that the presentation is ultimately about modeling for the TAS parent community how anyone can use the model they presented to learn and grow from another person, admitting that finding common ground with people who are different from you can be very difficult.
"This is not going to be a presentation to convince you of anything," explained Kelley. "Everything that we're sharing here is open-source information, but the notion of how we're modeling potential conversations and how we as individuals were able to find and bring correlations to what the other brought to the table —that is what we're going to be sharing today."
The pair introduced what they call their "working theory" that there is a large impact of modeling behavior that you want to see in your community. Within this theory, there are three main levels of modeling that need to
occur for an organization to see the desired behavior: first, there needs to be individual action taken; second, there needs to be strong community support; and, third, there needs to be larger institutional support and a framework established that helps to perpetuate support for that action from the lower two levels.
After discussing their own personal backgrounds and complicated identity webs, the pair began to draw some comparisons between historical events in the United States and Taiwan.
The question Wang Cooper asked parents to ask themselves was, "Why is it that I care about this event? Why is it that I care about these social movements that don't personally affect my life?"
For Wang Cooper, he says that his answer to this question is because there are clear commonalities between marginalized groups that cross historical boundaries.
The first of such comparisons was the killing of Eric Garner by New York Police Department officers in 2014 and Lin Jiang Mai's violent encounter with authorities in 1947 in Taipei. Many people regard Garner's death as an important date in the energizing of the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and, similarly, many people view Lin's persecution as one of the incidents that resulted in the 2/28 incident, in which
thousands of civilians were killed.
Another comparison which Wang Cooper and Kelley discussed at length is the parallel between riots in Minneapolis in 2020 and a riot in Taipei in 1947.
"When you look at the gatherings of both crowds, there is unresolved trauma," said Kelley. "When these things happen, this is a result that we've seen historically. People respond without having their harm being acknowledged in any way. This results in a lack of trust in their community."
Kelley and Wang Cooper explained that throughout all of the historical comparisons that they could draw, there
is one common end result: depending on where you stand, you will interpret the events differently. But both speakers said that viewing history this way — in which you prioritize your own identity over the similarities between events — can only lead to chaos and society of unrest.
"How do we take responsibility for each other? How do we stand up for each other? How do we see our struggle in the struggle of others?" asked Wang Cooper.These are questions that are not easily answered except through intense individual reflection, which, the speakers said, is required before any community can move up to the second and third level of impacting community behavior.
The School hopes that parents will find the time to watch the entire presentation, available to all community members through the TAS portals.
The presentation was hosted by Reed Aitken, current chair of the TASCC and parent of a current Grade 4 and Grade 8 student. Aitken described the TASCC to parent attendees as a parent group that is working with TAS to create space for parents to engage with one another on issues related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.
If you would like to learn more and get involved, current parents can find more information within the TAS parent portal.
How do we take responsibility for each other? How do we stand up for each other?
How do we see our struggle in the struggle of others?PHOTO: TAS COMMUNICATIONS
Two Taipei American School (TAS) alumni, Victoria Yeh (‘16) and Brendan Wong (‘17), have created a new podcast “Taipei Tiger Talk” to introduce Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) topics through conversations about topics including intersectionality, mental health, microaggressions and more.
Taipei Tiger Talk is hosted and produced by “DearTAS,” a group of TAS graduates seeking to discuss such topics and implement DEI work at TAS and in the wider TAS community in collaboration with the school's official JEDI organization, which is currently composed of mostly school employees. Parents, specifically the parent Cultural Connections committee, have also supported the podcast in their desire to learn more about DEI.
“The podcast is an opportunity for
more conversations to occur that may not be as commonly found in Taiwan as they are among academic critics here in the U.S.,” Brendan, the producer of Taipei Tiger Talk, said.
Season one of Taipei Tiger Talk, “We Crossed The Bridge -- Now What?,” which is in reference to TAS’s motto of it being a “bridge,” primarily focuses on the navigation of life after TAS, particularly when transitioning to college.
The podcast premiered on Sept. 15, 2021, with its first episode, “Introducing DEI.” This episode introduces and explains terms including diversity, equity, inclusion, and intersectionality, and Taipei Tiger Talk’s first guest and alum Keva Bui (‘13) shows the audience the importance of understanding such topics.
The episode discusses DEI issues in
relation to the college experience as Keva shares their experience as a student activist on college campuses. The episode also includes conversations about the inclusion of Asian American studies programs in college, which has only become more mainstream in recent years.
The podcast explores the role different communities play into identities. “Regardless of where you are, you are always in a community… Figuring out what your role in that community will be is something that I hope people start reflecting upon,” Brendan said.
New Taipei Tiger Talk episodes premiere on the fifteenth of every month, covering different topics in relation to DEI and featuring various guests. Taipei Tiger Talk is available on their website (taipeitigertalk.com), Spotify, and Apple Podcast.
“My hope is to start these conversations at TAS because I truly believe that we all have an ability to make this world a better place,” Victoria said. “Going on to college has really opened my eyes to the inequalities and injustices of the world, but also to the many possibilities for us to come together.”
Victoria graduated from TAS in 2016 and attended Middlebury College in Vermont where she double majored in history and political science. She graduated in 2020 and now works as a paralegal at a legal nonprofit in New York City.. She serves as a steering committee member at her firm’s Asian American/Pacific Islander DEI affinity group.
Brendan graduated from TAS in 2017, where he served as a two-time student body president. He attended Rice University in Texas, double majoring in ecology and sociology. Brenan is currently on a gap year, fulfilling his Taiwan military service duties and interning at a law firm.
Andrew Chau (‘08), a Taipei American School (TAS) alumnus, is now starring in the Taiwanese miniseries “Seqalu: Formosa 1867,” which was released in August 2021. “Seqalu” is available on Netflix, MOD and LINE TV.
The TAS Alumni Office organized a Fireside Chat on Sept. 23 where over 30 students, alumni, faculty and other members of the TAS community joined to watch Andrew share his experiences at TAS, his acting career and more.
Gustavo V. (‘22) interviewed Andrew during the Fireside Chat. “As a senior [who is interested in film], I feel like I have a connection with some of the hoops that Andrew had to go through to go to theatre school,” Gustavo said.
Andrew’s mandarin teacher, Upper School World Languages Teacher Ms. Fenny Lin, and his history teacher, Upper School History Teacher and Social Studies Department Chair Dr. Brandon Maguire, were among Andrew’s TAS teachers who attended the Zoom call. “I always think it is great to watch our students grow up,” Dr. Maguire said.
Upper School History Teacher Mr. Richard Arnold also remembers Andrew’s stage presence through watching his performances in the upper school drama productions. “[Andrew is] a natural. He has a natural presence on the stage,” Mr. Arnold said. “He is able to project whatever part he has really well… You don’t [even] think he’s acting.”
Andrew’s initial interest in acting and theater stemmed from an encounter in a TAS English class. When Andrew was still a high school freshman, his English teacher, Mr.Thomas facilitated a dramatic
reading during class. During the dramatic reading, Andrew performed a ghostly howl and even fake cried.
After that English class, Mr. Thomas introduced Andrew to Mr. Bishop, who was the drama teacher at the time. Mr. Bishop invited Andrew to audition for the upcoming drama production. A year later, Andrew was cast in the Upper School Drama Production, “Bang Bang You’re Dead.”
Andrew also recalls the impact that TAS had on his critical thinking, including teachers who challenged him to think outside the box. He particularly remembers his chemistry and math teachers, Mrs. Farmer and Mr. Cook, as they encouraged to change the way he viewed those subjects. “They just tilted their head at that answer and they were like ‘are you sure?’ They challenged me to change the way I looked at a challenging situation,” Andrew said. “Those were some of the turning points of my youth.”
Middle School History Teacher Mr. Weston Cooper (‘08), who is also a TAS alumnus, met Andrew when they both transferred to TAS in ninth grade from local school, and they have been close friends since.
“I admired how [Andrew] was able to do what he found joy in and hang out with the people he wanted to despite [other people’s opinions],” Mr. Cooper said.
Andrew studied theater arts in college, where his Senior Project focused on Lighting Design. After nearly a year of work in lighting, Andrew decided to try pursuing a career in professional acting, and has been doing it ever since.
In 2013, Andrew moved back to Taiwan, where he played different roles prior to landing a role in “Seqalu” as William Pickering. “Seqalu” is a Taiwanese miniseries released in August 2021. It reconstructs the history of the fatal Rover Incident in 1867 when the US sent a military expedition to investigate a shipwreck in Taiwan.
The miniseries explores the complexities of history, specifically in relation to cultural compositions in the Hengchun Peninsula. After the American merchant ship, Rover, was shipwrecked off the coast of southern Taiwan, there were conflicts among different ethnic groups in the area, including interactions with the local Indigenous people, witnessed later by main characters Le Gendre and Butterfly.
“My hope is that this makes people find those lost traditions… these are universal in their vulnerability,” Andrew said.“I think that honoring their presence and existence is important… I hope it makes them examine things on a deeper, more universal level.”
“Because of [Andrew’s] sense of social justice whether for native Americans or Indigenous people… I was so proud,” Mr. Arnold said.
Although some of Andrew’s upcoming film projects were canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 coronavirus, Andrew has been writing, painting and continuing to pursue acting. “Coming through my 20s, I realize I have a limited amount of time… so I need to do the things that I enjoy and love… I am enjoying the small things,” Andrew said.
In March 2022, parent and board member Jay Cheng ’97 was invited by the upper school student government board to talk about his career during a flex period.
Having started his first business during his sophomore year at the University of Southern California (USC), Jay has accumulated ample experience in the tech-business industry. Jay shared with upper school students his career path and past jobs in automotive design, building computers, selling hardware, photography, and how they led to his work now as co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at WeMo Scooter, Taiwan's largest scooter-sharing business.
Seven years ago, Jay was invited by a team of fellow TAS alumni to join WeMo Scooter. As the Chief Technology Officer, Jay has been responsible for creating the infrastructure to power, maintain, and operate a fleet of now 7,000 scooters in the greater Taipei area.
Despite his expertise in tech, Jay emphasized that his work on becoming a better public speaker and becoming stronger in emotional intelligence has been key to helping him succeed in this position. He also emphasized how important it was for students to not be afraid of making mistakes right now.
"Making mistakes early is key, because you’re still young, and people will forgive you for your mistakes. When I was doing Gigafast, I made a lot of mistakes," says Jay, alluding to his first company which he founded in college.
"I was managing people twice my age. The first salesperson I hired was 42,
and I was 19 at the time. I made a lot of mistakes. I also had to trust people around me to have more experience than me. Mistakes are all a part of the process."
Reflecting on his decision to shut down Gigafast seven years later, Jay said, "Facing your own failure every single day was very, very tough, but it makes you stronger. You gain experience from making mistakes. You don’t gain experience from not making mistakes."
Jay advised students as they went through high school and college to focus on understanding their own strengths, weaknesses, and interests. While at TAS, Jay was able to work on projects like creating TAS's first intranet and website. He encouraged students to make the most out of their time at TAS by following their passion and not simply pursuing academic success.
“What makes TAS unique is that it’s almost the last chance that you get to have someone really pay attention to how you’re doing and you can actually ask for individual help," Jay explains. "It was because teachers allowed us a certain amount of freedom to do what we’re doing. It just comes down to: are you thinking inside or outside the box?"
Jay urged students to think about achievement in terms other than simply exams or advanced courses.
"When you’re talking about your entire life, you want to be developing life skills and interests. It’s a self-awareness issue. What are you interested in? Are you exploring new things?"
I made a lot of mistakes. I also had to trust people around me to have more experience than me. Mistakes are all a part of the process.PHOTO: TAS COMMUNICATIONS
Many members of our community are cross-cultural kids (CCKs) — people who have “lived in — or meaningfully interacted with — two or more cultural environments for a significant period of time during developmental years.” There are a variety of circumstances that can lead to this type of childhood experience which include being a child of immigrants or refugees, having parents whose career choice required the family to live abroad, having parents from at least two different races or ethnicities, or a child who has moved between different education cultures.
Dr, Dan Long, Upper school Dean of Students, hosted two Cross-Cultural Conversation events in March for our alumni to learn more and talk about crosscultural upbringing, its advantages and disadvantages, and how it can affect one’s perception of the world.
Dr. Long himself is a cross-cultural kid (CCK) who was born in Japan and raised in Vietnam and Taiwan. His work with students at TAS led to an interest in the unique cross-cultural identity developed by "local" students who attend school in a western-academic environment. He completed doctoral research on this topic
and has presented it to students, parents, and educators at regional conferences.
He is very passionate about this (continually developing) topic and believes there is great value for the TAS community to have a better understanding of the CCK experience because “having the opportunity to talk about ‘growing up between worlds’ normalizes the experience for CCKs. It allows us to admit the unique challenges and incredible opportunities that ‘CCK life’ has afforded us. It gives vocabulary to better express our experience to others.”
The first Cross-Cultural Conversation event titled,“The Impact of Cross-Cultural Upbringing on Your Identity and Perception of the World”, was attended by alumni from the classes of 1969 through 2014 and led to a discussion about the complexities of cross-cultural identity and its impact on one's perception of and interaction with the world.
Participants shared experiences about being CCKs having to adjust quickly to migrating between cultures, insights about the influence a CCK upbringing can have on relationships and friendships, and thoughts from some of our alumni who
are raising CCKs themselves.
During the second event titled, “Embracing Your Cross-Cultural Background and Navigating the World After College”, which was catered more for younger alumni who are recent college graduates and young professionals, Emily Kao ('13), shared her story about navigating different cultures now as an adult and finding new ways to maintain and strengthen the connection with her family’s culture and heritage.
The alumni who attended the events offered much positive and appreciative feedback. Some of what they enjoyed most about the event was “sharing anecdotes and shared experience despite differences in age, country of origin, etc” and “the open dialogue to discuss our experiences as Third-culture-kids. To be among people who share my cross cultural experience and hear how they have navigated and benefited since leaving TAS.”
Thank you Dr. Long for creating the opportunity for our alumni to learn, share and more importantly, connect with others who can relate to similar CCK experiences regardless of where they currently live or call home.
TAS sophomore Caitlin F. (‘24) recently starred as the character Fen in the movie “American Girl” and won Best New Performer in the 2021 Golden Horse Awards. The movie was nominated for seven awards in total, and also won Best New Director and Best Cinematography.
“American Girl” tells the story of 13-year-old Fen who moves back to Taiwan from Los Angeles after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. The movie takes place during the
The character Fen was Caitlin’s first movie role. “I joined a couple of musicals in middle school before American Girl, and I have always enjoyed performing whether it was singing, dancing, or acting,” Caitlin said. “My mom saw the audition opportunity on her Facebook and encouraged me to audition.”
Caitlin’s favorite part about acting in the movie was meeting and forming bonds
with the other actors and the production crew. Throughout the process, she has learned many filming techniques and also acquired various new experiences.
“I attended horseback riding lessons before the shoot [for American Girl] as my character was set to ride the horse in the film,” Caitlin said. “Although we didn’t end up with that exact idea, I was able to learn something new that I usually wouldn’t be able to.”
Although the process was very rewarding, shooting the film was also
SARS outbreak in 2003, and highlights the family’s struggles with readjusting to Taiwanese life.
time-consuming. “The most challenging part of the process was probably the long hours of filming each day while also having to catch up with schoolwork,” Caitlin said.
Despite that, she feels very grateful for the experience and recalls being very surprised and thankful when the award results were announced. “Without everyone’s hard work, especially the American Girl family and crew, I wouldn’t have been able to receive this award,” she said.
When the movie was released in theaters on Dec. 3, many of Caitlin’s friends and classmates went to support her and were very touched and impressed by Caitlin’s performance.
“This movie made me feel emotional mainly because it is very realistic and it talked about family problems as well as the struggle of adapting to a new environment,” Ashley C. (‘24) said. “I am very proud of Caitlin's performance and I can see that she was really into her role. I can't wait to see her in other movies or
projects.”
“I felt really captured watching [the movie], and I cried a lot watching Caitlin act because I saw how vulnerable she had to be and how realistic her acting was. I knew she was really good but her acting in the movie blew my mind,” Michelle Y. (‘24) said.
As for Caitlin, she looks forward to acting in other projects and plans to audition for more roles in the future. “I want to try out many different types of characters and movie genres,” she said.
The Grade 9 English team recently welcomed author Chloe Gong to speak with all freshman students as she discussed her young adult novel inspired by the classic story of Romeo & Juliet.
Chloe wrote and published her novel while she was still a student in university and encouraged all Tiger writers to not be dissuaded by anyone who says they are too young to become a professional writer.
Students from the Honors Research in Synthetic Biology class recently participated in the BioBuilder Club Final Assembly along with over 30 teams from the United States and Canada.
Just another day of Tigers pursuing their passions along with peers around the world.
Before spring break, we were so lucky to welcome award-winning author and illustrator Ms.Yu-Lin Chen to meet with all of our lower school students as she shared personal stories and her illustrations.
She also presented a parent seminar and signed copies of gorgeously illustrated books. We are grateful to the PTA for funding this special visit!
Our upper school dance teachers were thrilled to welcome Jillian Roberts to our studios for a recent workshop on Antiracism and Black Identity in Hip Hop Dance and the African Diaspora.
Dance is never just about moving one’s body — it’s a beautiful way to learn about and participate in another culture. We’re so glad that our students were offered this unique opportunity to deepen their understanding and celebration of the Afrodiasporic roots of many “American” dance traditions.
The lower school art team was thrilled to welcome PTA-sponsored visiting artist Jon Jiang to help every Grade 3-5 student create exquisite window frame art earlier this month.
This window of windows is a true testament to the beauty of our own community. Each one of us has our own unique beauty, and together we form yet another work of art.
Congratulations to the cast and crew of the Grade 5 musical “Pirates Past Noon.” They staged four delightfully entertaining performances last week filled with humor, song, dance, and the message of “true treasure.”
We are amazed by the talent and perseverance of our lower school community!
Five upper school students from the Scientific Research department have recently received a prestigious honor from various international research bodies.
The award-winning students include William W. (‘23), Veronica K. (‘23), Ethan D. (‘23), Jeffrey Y. (‘23), and Dylan L. (‘23).
Along with the Middle School Choir and Upper School Choirs, the Grade Five Choir participated in a moving spring Vocal Festival called “Sing Gently.”
In honor of those fleeing from conflict, the concert concluded with the beautiful “Prayer for Ukraine,” considered by many to be the spiritual anthem of Ukraine.
TAS is a proud partner with the NTNU’s school of education to provide hands-on teacher-training experience for university and graduate students learning to become Mandarin teachers.
This symbiotic partnership ensures that our Mandarin classrooms have a few extra eyes and ears to assist our language learners AND it gives back to our local learning community by training future generations of high-quality teachers.
TAS Team 4253 “Raid Zero” is back at it again, this time taking first place in the Taipei Regional tournament.“Raid Zero” beat out 34 other teams and qualified for the FRC world championships, which will be held this April in Houston.
The TAS ‘varsity’ robotics team also won the Excellence in Engineering award.
Congratulations to the many students and teachers involved in making the TAS FRC experience such a joyful and exciting program!
Although the 2022 TASMUN was originally scheduled to take place on our beautiful campus, the TAS MUN hosting team didn’t bat an eyelash when they found out (less than 24-hours in advance) that they needed to host the event digitally. This year’s TASMUN hosted 160 TAS middle and upper school students. 16 schools attended, and 16 committees took place. Former AIT Director William Stanton served as the opening ceremony guest speaker, and Steve Chen — the co-founder of YouTube — served as the 2022 keynote speaker.
Author Charles Yu recently joined us for a Zoom workshop in which he discussed his novel Interior Chinatown, his previous career as a lawyer, the myth of a model minority, and much more!
The Rise Up Club’s annual leadership summit gives TAS students and faculty a chance to better understand the connections between intersectional feminism and their own lives.
Cho Yi spent 8 days with dancers in all three divisions, enlightening and inspiring our Tiger dancers to think more creatively. She taught 2 lower school classes, 12 middle school classes, and 10 upper school classes over those 8 school days, helping dancers to explore movement through play, problem solving, and risk taking — all while developing a greater awareness of themselves as individuals and towards one another as an ensemble.
The Hunger Awareness Bowl Sale took place on March 31 under the sky bridge, where a variety of bowls, ranging from noodle bowls to candy bowls, were sold. The fundraising event was sponsored by the upper school art department and Orphanage Club. All proceeds will go directly to the charity organization Do You a Favor.
Earlier in the spring, 25 upper school students from the Taipei American School (TAS) Climate Change Club engaged in a tree-planting event in Hsinchu County. On the Saturday before spring break, the TAS Climate Change Club planted 250 trees in deforested areas of Hsinchu County to restore damaged ecosystems. They accomplished this by stabilizing the soil and supporting the water cycle of the region.
The Archivists is a new student group created by Ms. Cassy Lee, one of the new upper school librarians at Taipei American School (TAS) this school year. Inspired by the library advisory committee from her previous school, Ms. Lee gathered a group of students who were all passionate about reading so they could give input on improvements for the library. The aim is to make the library as inviting and welcoming for students as possible.
The Scientific Research department is pleased to announce that not one, not two, not three but five upper school students have recently received a prestigious honor from various international research bodies.The award-winning students include William W. (‘23), Veronica K. (‘23), Ethan D. (‘23), Jeffrey Y. (‘23), and Dylan L. (‘23). Congratulations to these persistent and passionate researchers!
Administrators from all three divisions, central administration, parents, and others have been working hard with the TAS Communications team to review, analyze, and streamline existing communications channels as part of the school’s larger Strategic Plan. After months of behind-the-scenes work and meetings with (quite literally) hundreds of community members, we are thrilled to introduce to you two new important initiatives that we believe will streamline and strengthen parent-school communication at TAS.
Upper school AP Psychology students conducted small experiments with kindergarten students to determine their cognitive development levels from Feb. 24-25 as a way to deepen their own understanding of subject matter and to get to know younger Tiger students. The upper school students were required to come up with interactive activities related to Piaget’s theory, which heavily focuses on the development of children’s perception of themselves, people around them, and in general, the world around them.
At Taipei American School, our community regularly hosts outstanding visiting authors who come to teach our students and faculty. We also choose different books each year to read within divisions or small groups. Be sure to check out these recent favorites by visiting authors!
“American Born Chinese” is a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. Released in 2006 by First Second Books, it was a finalist for the 2006 National Book Awards in the category of Young People’s Literature.
“Interior Chinatown” is a 2020 novel by Charles Yu. It is his second novel and was published by Pantheon Books on January 28, 2020. It won the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction
Perfect for fans of “The Last Magician” and “Serpent & Dove,” this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River.
The picture book “Angry Mountain” is adapted from Chen Youling’s 2015 Bologna illustration award-winning work.
A stunning story of love, betrayal, and family, set against the backdrop of a changing Taiwan over the course of the twentieth century.
Abigail Hing Wen’s bestseller is a poignant and honest examination of first love, family and that strange place between high school and college.
Every issue, we focus on a different Essential Capacity. In this issue, we explore examples of INTEGRITY and ETHICAL DECISION-MAKING found across all three divisions.
In
The Robot Games: Grade 2 students recently participated in a culminating robotics event where they were required to program their robots to complete four challenges using their knowledge of coding and math. Students needed to be honorable in their calculations in ordre to complete the challenges.
In
NHSMUN students worked hard this year to writing their position statements and researching content material for the upcoming March conference. The research process is an important step in ensuring an accurate representation of their assigned country.
The NHSMUN conference is one of the world’s largest conferences for secondary school students. Located in the heart of New York, NHSMUN delegates unparalleled access to the UN system.
In
Each student’s unique experiences shape who they are, and in IB Theory of Knowledge, they are able to display that through sharing and explaining how an artifact or picture has enhanced their “ways of knowing,” as expressed in the course’s curriculum. Here, Sota S. (’23) shares how his experience of playing soccer in three different countries has shaped his knowledge perception by learning to connect with people from various backgrounds through a shared love of soccer, despite linguistic barriers.
In addition to a rigorous academic program, and a focus on academic and personal excellence, TAS students will develop:
*Adapted from the National Association of Independent School's Essential Capacities for the 21st Century.
Our Head of School, Dr. Grace Cheng Dodge, had a big and beautiful goal for her first year of headship: to visit each and every classroom over the course of the year. She managed to finish this educational “marathon,” in spite of all the pandemic challenges that our community faced. 加油 Jia you, Dr. Dodge! ALL
