Our Mission and Values
Kaohsiung American School challenges students to achieve academic excellence and prepares them to be Balanced Individuals, Independent Learners, and Global Citizens.
Our Core Values
Belonging
We are an inclusive and supportive learning community embracing the diversity of people, thoughts and experiences.
Personalized Learning
We cultivate joyful learning that leads to life-long innovation and the pursuit of passions in and beyond the classroom.
Stewardship
We partner with and serve communities in southern Taiwan and around the globe.
Wellbeing
We promote social, emotional, intellectual and physical wellbeing for ourselves and others.
Excellence
We strive for our personal and collective best in every aspect of our facilities and programs.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice
At KAS, we are committed to creating a safe, culturally responsive educational environment that fosters a sense of belonging, where all individuals can thrive and contribute their unique identities and diverse perspectives.
KAS’s Diversity Equity Inclusion Justice (DEIJ) journey began in 2020 with a High School DEIJ Club started by two High School teachers. That year, students led a panel to address issues within KAS regarding discrimination and inequity and encouraged the school to take action.
2021-2022
A faculty Child Protection Committee was formed with a focus on DEIJ issues along with other child protection issues, and the DEIJ student club worked with the faculty to update the Child Protection Handbook.
2022-2023
The DEIJ Faculty Committee gathered data from our faculty and students about their experiences with belonging, inclusion, diversity, and equity, through surveys. The Committee also provided professional development to the faculty about recognizing our privilege, noting our own identities, and awareness of unconscious bias. The student club focused on spreading awareness of discriminatory acts and finding ways to respond. We updated our Child Protection Handbook again to note that “identity-based harm” as a child protection issue.
2023-2024
KAS worked with a DEIJ consultant to provide additional PD focused on recognizing and responding to microaggressions and “identity-based harm.” We also developed a values statement that captures what we strive for as a community.
We are continuing the work for our faculty and staff to recognize and address incidents of “identity-based harm” while also embedding discussions and activities about issues like identity, bias, and justice within our curriculum. We hope to continue self-reflection and learning while also reviewing our policies and procedures to make KAS a place where people feel like they are included and belong.
