Taipei American School | 800 Zhongshan N. Rd., Section 6, Taipei, Taiwan | blueandgoldonline.org | VOLUME XXX, ISS. 01 | October 25, 2023
NEWS
New principal at TAS PAGE 5
VERDICTS New Hair, New Tee, NewJeans 2nd EP do you see? VERDICTS PAGE 7 PAGE 7
OPINIONS
Inflation hits TAS but what about the world? PAGE 8
AUTUMN AWAKENING
Illustration by Ashley H. (‘24)
Stepping into wonderland with upperschool dance By Katherine Ma (‘24) & Abby Chang (‘24)
The Upper School (US) Dance team hosted its first dance production from Oct. 12 to 14. This year, the dance production was based on the renowned fantasy story, “Alice in Wonderland”. “It’s based on the book, but we added our own plot to it so it makes more sense [for the dance production],” Ms. Kendra Ing (she/ her), the upper school dance teacher and one of the choreographers of the dance, said. This year’s production showcased a variety of dance styles, primarily with influences from commercial and street dancing. The choreography featured elements of jazz, contemporary and more, creating a vibrant and dynamic stage presence. Every character was brought to life through carefully selected music and choreography. “Each character’s music is very different, which also defines and influences the style and the choreography [for each character],” Ms. Ing said. One distinctive aspect of TAS upper school dance productions is the use of doublecasting roles in all their productions. Not only does double casting assist in providing backup, but it also encourages mutual support among the dancers, contrasting the competitive stereotypes often associated with dance teams. “Our dancers feel like it’s more of a family than it is competitive,” Ms. Cheryl Lagerquist (she/her), the upper school dance teacher and performing arts chair and one of the choreographers, said. Yvonne L. (‘24, she/her) took on the role of Mad Hatter for the dance production. “The dance family is truly one of the most supportive communities out there and I’ve met some of my best friends from dance,” Yvonne said. Overall, the dance production was a noteworthy success, leaving a lasting impression on audience members. From the tech crew to dancers, everyone put in their best efforts to the show. These efforts were evident to audience members during the show. “I saw samples of the show beforehand but seeing the whole thing was truly a whole different experience,” Ariel L. (‘24), who went to see the show on its premiere night, said. “It was clear that the dancers and everyone else involved were giving it their all, and that made the show all the more memorable.”
Understanding the new add/drop policy: insight from Ms. Read By Katrina Fu (‘24) Last spring, the new add/drop policy was announced to the Upper School by the Taipei American School (TAS) administration. This decision, made by the Upper School office, personal and academic counseling office and the college counseling office, intends to encourage students to think about their course loads earlier in the year. Due to the heavy workloads TAS students often burden themselves with, the administration believes that it is important for students to consider their well-being with respect to the courses they choose.
The main change in the policy is that classes dropped after the end of Quarter 1 will now be marked with a “W”, standing for withdrawal, on the student’s transcript. This indicator is to help colleges better understand changes in a student’s schedule as it helps rule out the possibility of a transcript error. “If a student drops a course after the transcripts [for Early Action and Early Decision applications] have gone out, it can draw unnecessary scrutiny from colleges,” Ms. Becky Read, the upper school principal, said. The change is also intended to put less
stress on teachers at the beginning of the year. With students dropping out of their classes towards the end of the semester, teachers were spending a lot of time correcting the online grade books. As such, the process of transferring and switching classes affected both students and their teachers. “Teachers have to switch a student out of one class and into another during the add/drop period,” Ms. Read said. “It’s much harder for them to do so the further down the semester it is.” One of the main concerns many students had about the new add/drop policy was
the issue of balancing their schedules once school started. Students were originally told that they were not able to add more courses, balance their schedules or move classes around in the fall semester. Subsequently, they were told to do so during the previous spring semester. As such, many students were concerned with not being provided the option of balancing their schedules once they began taking their classes. “There are always exceptions,” Ms. Read said. “If a student has a legitimate reason for needing something changed, we can generally accommodate them.”