PRINCIPAL'S WELCOME |
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We welcome you to our longstanding, quality Middle School. Success in a middle school is defined by a 15-year-old emerging from the middle grades a healthy, intellectually reflective, caring, and ethical citizen en route to a lifetime of meaningful work. (Jackson & Davis, 2000).
The Middle School serves over 609 students from an array of nationalities in Grades 6, 7, and 8. Keeping best practice at the forefront of our middle school decisions, we offer a broad range of exploratory, language, and music courses in addition to a rigorous academic core. The co-curricular program includes a variety of sports, fine and performing arts, clubs, service organizations, Model United Nations, robotics, student government, and more. Each grade level also attends a week long outdoor education program to begin the school year – Camp Taiwan – establishing relationships between and among adults and students that advances both academic and effective student development, quality teaching, and a supportive school environment.
Principal's Background
Dr. Shaun O’Rourke has been at TAS since 2001. He has served as school psychologist in the Middle School, Upper School Dean of Students, Director of Summer Academy, and for many years as the Associate Principal of the Upper School.
He completed his doctorate in educational administration in 2017 from Bethel University, has his Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Tasmania, and he is a registered psychologist and teacher. Working at Taipei American School is ‘educational nirvana’ where students, teachers, and parents value and respect education and the school has the resources to provide a first class experience for the entire community.
Associate Principal's Background
Gary Pettigrew has worked at Taipei American School since 1995. He has served as the Dean of Students in the Upper School and chaired the K-12 Physical Education Department. He has taught physical education and health in both the Middle and Upper Schools. Gary has completed undergraduate and post graduate qualifications from Otago University in New Zealand, and received a Masters of Education from Deakin University in Australia. His wife Megan is a counselor in the middle school.
