Singapore American School

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Coordinates: 1°25′33.53″N 103°46′28.60″E / 1.4259806°N 103.7746111°E / 1.4259806; 103.7746111

The Singapore American School (Abbreviation: SAS) is a non-profit private international school in Singapore. Established in 1956, the school offers an American-based curriculum from preschool through to Grade 12 for approximately 3,700 expatriate students, making it the largest international school in the world. Approximately two-thirds of the students at SAS are United States citizens, with the rest of the student body comprising more than 50 different nationalities. (Few Singaporean students attend the school as Singapore government regulations prevent most local students from attending international schools within the country.) ^[2]

Academically, SAS has the largest number of high school students enrolled in Advanced Placement Program AP courses of any international school in the world, delivering 28 AP courses as an integral part of the high school course options.^[3]

SAS also has a strong athletic tradition. It is part of the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools (IASAS), providing SAS students with the opportunity to compete regularly with other international schools in the region in both academic and sports events. Such competitions and conventions include Model United Nations, the arts, and a host of sports such as swimming, cross country, and basketball. The high school also has a student newspaper, "The Eye," which has won the Columbia Gold Crown award multiple times, as well as other rewards from the National Scholastic Press Association.^[4]

SAS is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) in the United States.^[1]

The Good Schools Guide International reviewed the school as "An extremely spacious school for Singapore with wonderful, modern facilities, strong academics, and a plethora of options within the curriculum and extracurricular program."^[5]

Contents 1 Mission 2 Faculty 3 Academics 3.1 Curriculum 3.2 Advanced Placement Program 3.3 College Admissions 4 Extracurriculars 4.1 Athletics 4.2 Community Service 4.3 Academic Interests and Honor Societies 4.4 Fine and Performing Arts 4.5 Other Activities 5 Facilities 6 Notable alumni 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Mission

The mission of the Singapore American School is as follows:

The vision of the Singapore American School is to inspire a passion for learning, encourage emotional and intellectual vitality, and empower students with the confidence and courage to contribute to the global community and to achieve their dreams... The Singapore American School is committed to providing each student an exemplary American educational experience with an international perspective.

In addition, the core values of the school, which every member of the SAS community abides by, is as follows:

The Institute of Global Ethics has identified five values (i.e., Compassion, Honesty, Fairness, Responsibility, Respect) as recognized core values of cultures throughout the world. The five core values are the basis for Singapore American School's approach to Character Education and serve as the foundation for all relationships among students, staff, faculty, administrators, and parents.

[edit] Faculty

Approximately 345 faculty members work full-time at SAS, 68% of whom hold Master's or Doctorate degrees in their field of teaching. 70% of faculty members are from the United States; non-US citizen faculty members most commonly come from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The tenure of SAS faculty is, on average, six years. Most teachers at SAS have had significant experience teaching in international schools. ^[6]

[edit] Academics

[edit] Curriculum

Singapore American School has a six-year Curriculum Cycle resulting in continuous review and renewal in all subject and service areas. ^[7] This cycle ensures that curriculum, service areas, and classroom resources are continually upgraded and connected to “best practices”. Each subject or service area is reviewed over a three year cycle: Year One is the Study Year and stakeholder feedback, current practices and “best practices” are reviewed, Year Two is the Development Year and curriculum revision/renewal is finalized and new/additional classroom resources are identified, and Year Three is the Implementation Year and the new curriculum is implemented and classroom resources are incorporated into the delivery of the program.

A hallmark of Singapore American School is that even though it is recognized as a world-leader in education it continues to vigilantly look for ways to continuously improve. SAS uses U.S. curriculum and standards as its base, but it also looks to other places in the world to identify "best practices" for promoting learning. Therefore, efforts are to pull on the best educational practices in the world that are contextually transferable to Singapore American School. It is in this way that SAS works to uphold the commitment to an “exemplary American education with an international perspective”.

[edit] Advanced Placement Program

The High School offers 28 AP courses, including Art History, Calculus, Computer Science, and Music Theory, making it the largest AP school outside the US. AP courses are usually open to all upperclassmen without any barring prerequisites—exceptions usually concern quantitative and foreign language courses.

Among 511 SAS students who completed 1245 AP exams in 2008, 249 students earned Advanced Placement Awards; in addition, 91% of all scores were 3 or higher, demonstrating qualification for college credit or advanced placement. AP exams SAS students have traditionally excelled in include Calculus BC ('08 mean score: 4.9); Chinese Language ('08 mean score: 4.8); World History ('08 mean score: 4.6); and Chemistry, Calculus AB, Biology, and Comparative Government & Politics ('08 mean score: 4.5). In addition, SAS graduates of 2000, 2001, and 2002 have received the AP International Scholar Award, given to only one male and one female student each year among all International American schools outside of the U.S.^[8]

[edit] College Admissions

Traditionally, high-performing SAS seniors have gained entrance to some of the most selective institutions in the United States. The most academically competitive members of the class of 2009 were admitted into highly-regarded schools such as New York University, University of Cambridge, Brown University, California Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Duke University, Georgetown University, Boston University, Harvard University, Northwestern University, the University of Pennsylvania, Princeton University, Stanford University, the University of Chicago, UC-Berkeley, Williams College, and Yale University, among others. This success owes itself to the rigorous SAS curriculum, in addition to the attentive advising by the high school counselors. ^[9]

Every year, more than 200 admissions officers from colleges around the world visit SAS. Their presentations and question & answer sessions allow students from the high school to begin grasping what kinds of schools they're interested in. Following the spring of junior year, formal college advising begins, in which students and parents schedule one-on-one appointments with their counselor to formulate a list of prospective schools.

[edit] Extracurriculars

As part of the SAS education, students are encouraged to participate in extracurriculars, as well as to pursue their own interests in depth. Consequently, many student-run and school-run clubs and organizations exist on campus, acknowledging a wide spectrum of interests.

[edit] Athletics

Within the high school, boys and girls' junior varsity and varsity teams exist for a variety of sports: cross country, soccer, volleyball, basketball, rugby, football, swimming, tennis, touch rugby, badminton, softball, and track and field. Athletes compete not only with local schools and community teams, but also with rival IASAS schools.

Traditionally, the SAS varsity cross country and swimming teams have performed strongly, winning both boys and girls' gold medals for the last several years. During the second season of 2009, the SAS Eagles won six out of eight gold medals (girls' rugby, boys and girls' basketball, girls' tennis, and boys and girls' swimming) and two silver medals (boys' rugby and boys' tennis).

Following the conclusion of the spring IASAS tournaments, intramural sports are also offered. These activities vary yearly based on student demand and faculty interest. ^[10]

[edit] Community Service

An annual Service Assembly held in the fall of every school year allows students to know more about the various service clubs available at SAS—all of the service clubs are predominantly student-run, offering leadership opportunities within each club. Some of the biggest service clubs in the high school include SAVE (Students Against Violating the Environment), Habitat for Humanity, Peace Initiative (a club dedicated to human rights and the education of children), and Wish for Kids (which hosts a yearly service trip for students and teachers to work with the children of Maravilla Elementary School, Philippines.) ^[11]

[edit] Academic Interests and Honor Societies

Various academic clubs exist at SAS, which allow students to further explore their academic interests. Such clubs include Business Club, Debate, Math Club (which allows students to compete in the Southeast Asian Math Competition), Knowledge Bowl, Speech Club, and Model United Nations. ^[12] Impromptu speaking, extemporaneous speaking, and oral interpretation are also offered under the yearly IASAS Cultural Convention, giving students a chance to compete with others in their area of interest.

In addition to open-participation student clubs, many selection-based honor societies exist at SAS, providing high-achieving students recognition for their talents. Selection criteria varies for each society, as does the conduction of each society's respective induction ceremony. The honor societies present at the SAS high school are: French Honor Society, Mandarin Honor Society, Japanese Honor Society, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, International Thespian Society, National Art Honor Society and Tri-M (Modern Music Masters). ^[13]

[edit] Fine and Performing Arts

Acknowledging the range of interests SAS students have, many fine and performing arts clubs exist within the high school: A-Capella Club, Animation Club, Dance Club, Dead Artists' Society (a club for those interested in art), Jazz Ensemble, Photography Club, Technical Theatre Club and Theatre Make-Up Club, as well as other organizations. Drama is also prominent at the school, offering thespians many opportunities to perform, whether it be in the fall production (musicals and dramas alternate each year), student-run shows, Cultural Convention or the annual Scenes & Monologues Night. ^[14]

[edit] Other Activities

Other extracurriculars offered at SAS include student government, language clubs (Cantonese, French, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Taiwanese), and small-scale athletic clubs such as Aikido, Climbing Club, and Golf. ^[15] On the whole, students are allowed to form their own clubs if they successfully find a faculty sponsor, as well as adequate peer interest.

[edit] Facilities

Following the conclusion of a three-year expansion project in 2005, the 37-acre SAS campus has been comprised of five divisions: the Primary School, Intermediate School, Middle School, High School, and Early Childhood Center. Each school includes a plethora of well-equipped, spacious facilities^[16]-

• Fully air conditioned classrooms
• Several outdoor covered playgrounds
• Cafeterias offering both local and western cuisine from Campus Pizza, Subway, and the school's local caterer. There is also the Eagle's Zone Cafe run by Sodexho.
• Computer labs
• Division-specific libraries
• Free school-wide Wi-Fi access (approximately 70% covered in high school)
• Art studios
• Photography darkroom
• Photography studio
• Performing arts facilities
  • 800-seat auditorium
  • 150-seat theatre studio
  • 300-seat drama theatre
  • 350-seat multi purpose theater
  • Music rooms, including air conditioned practice rooms equipped with pianos.
  • Dance studios
• Athletic complex
  • Two softball fields
  • Baseball field
  • Two soccer/football fields
  • High-ropes course
  • Two 25-meter Swimming pools
  • All weather 400-meter track and field, complete with a covered stadium seating up to 1000.
  • Four large indoor gymnasiums
  • Two auxiliary indoor gymnasiums
  • Five lighted tennis courts
  • Weight-lifting rooms
  • Indoor climbing wall

[edit] Notable alumni

• George B. Fitch (Class of 1965): Mayor of Warrenton, Virginia, and a former candidate for Governor of Virginia. He was one of the co-founders of the Jamaican Bobsled Team for the 1988 Winter Olympics, which inspired the Disney film Cool Runnings.
• Jim Baker (Class of 1966): Author whose books include Crossroads: A Popular History of Malaysia & Singapore and The Eagle in the Lion City: America, Americans & Singapore. Member of the faculty at SAS since 1971, teaching history and economics.
• John Edward Starkey (Class of 1973): Political analyst and music reviewer for The Onion.^[17]
• Julia Nickson-Soul (Class of 1976): Actress who has appeared in Rambo: First Blood Part II, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Babylon 5 and Walker Texas Ranger.
• Inbal Megiddo (Class of 1994): An elite cellist from Israel. Has received impressive reviews, and has held performances at numerous places of prestige, including Carnegie Hall.
• Cork Graham: American journalist, film producer, screenwriter and author. Attended SAS from 1972-77.
• Kendra Williams: First American female pilot in combat, on December 16, 1998. She is a lieutenant in the Navy.
• Michael Fay (did not graduate): Fay was a 12th Grade student at the Singapore American School in 1993, when the Singapore police came to the school one morning to arrest him following a spree of vandalism on expensive private cars. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to four months jail and caning. The case attracted considerable international media attention relating to the appropriateness of caning as a judicial punishment in Singapore.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Singapore American School Official website
• Early Childhood Center Official website
• Website of the Singapore American High School Student Council
• Profile at the Good Schools Guide International

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