American School of The Hague
The American School of The Hague is a nonprofit, co-ed school located in a small suburb of The Hague, Netherlands. It provides a full university preparatory program for children aged 3-18. The school provides a US curriculum within an international community. The school is fully accredited by the Council of International Schools and the Middle States Association Commission for Elementary and Secondary Schools.
| American School of The Hague De Amerikaanse School in Den Haag | |
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| Location | |
| Coordinates | 52°8′46″N 4°25′20″E |
| Information | |
| Type | Private American School |
| Motto | American School of The Hague nurtures and inspires character, commitment, creativity and learning. |
| Established | 1953 |
| Director | Dr. Courtney Lowe |
| Faculty | approx. 200 |
| Grades | Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 |
| Number of students | approx. 1,220 |
| Campuses | 2 (Main and ECC) |
| Color(s) | Gold and royal blue |
| Athletics | Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Swimming, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball |
| Mascot | Trojans |
| Arts | Theater, Photography, Visual Arts, Music |
| Nationalities | 60 |
| Languages taught | 9 |
| Website | www |
Overview
ASH was founded in 1953. Its purpose was to provide an American style education to children of international cooperation and government employees.[1] The board of trustees has eleven members who are elected by the parents. The school is accredited by the Middle States Association and by the Council of International Schools.[1] The school has three divisions, elementary school, middle school and high school.[1] In 1989 a new campus was built, next to the Rijksstraatweg in Wassenaar which was opened by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands and First Lady Barbara Bush.[2]
Admissions
ESL support is provided, but in the high school a reasonable knowledge of academic English is required. Children entering K-1 must turn age 4 before October 1 of that year. Class and grade level assignment is determined by looking at past records.[3]
Schools
Elementary school
The Arts, Dutch, Computer, Library and PE are taught by specialists. Field trips are regular and are linked back to the curriculum.[4] More than 50 teachers work in the Elementary School. As of 2019 the Elementary School Principal was Tim Messick.
There is an art program called Art Masterpiece sponsored by the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) intended according to the school to make connections between great works and students' lives.[4] Parents introduce the students to pieces of art from different time periods and different media; the students are expected to think about what they see, about techniques and they should form opinions.[4]
The elementary wing of the main ASH campus, for second to fourth grade, is located at the North East side of the school. It has its own atrium, cafeteria, library, playgrounds, gym, music and performance suites and technology labs. In the summer of 2012, the Early Childhood Center (ECC), for Elementary School children from Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 1, was built.[4]
Middle school
Grades 5 - 8 are seen as middle school age students.[5] The middle school has its own library, and shares the theater and other parts of the arts and modern languages departments with the high school. The middle school has a South, West, and a North wing.
Students in middle school can choose from a variety of extra-curricular activities. There is an art club, chess club, the drama club who do a play in November/December, a talent show in the spring, there is an Honor Band, Honor Choir, a spring musical, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
The 5 core classes in middle school are Math, Science, Social Studies/Humanities, Language Arts/English, and Physical Education. Students also take additional classes, being language classes such as Spanish, French, or Dutch, and art classes such as Theater, Information Technology, Mindfulness, Design Technology, or Home Economics.
High school
Grades 9 - 12 are seen as high school age students.[6] The high school has about 410 students. The high school has two wings of the campus, one for Math and Modern Languages, and another for all other subjects except the arts. All arts and P.E classes are located on another side of the campus. As of 2019 the interim high school principal was Joanne Reykdal, and the high school dean was Karla Uhlenhake.
Curriculum
Students must have a certain number of credits to be eligible for a high school diploma at the end of year 12. Required credits are:
- Four English credits,
- 1 credit human understanding (Ex. philosophy),
- three credits Social Studies,
- three credits in Mathematics,
- three credits in Science,
- in three different types of Science,
- two credits in Modern Language,
- students must reach the third level of a language,
- one IT credit,
- two credits in the Art Department,
- 1.5 P.E. credits,
- Half a credit of Health Class,
- 3 credits in other electives, meaning anything that does not fit in the previous categories or any credit that exceeds the minimum stated above.
Students can choose American High school classes, AP or IB.
Extra-curricular activities
Sport
ASH offers a variety of sports for all ages. ASH offers sports for high schoolers at both Varsity and Junior Varsity level. The following sports are offered at ASH: Baseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Swimming, Soccer, Softball, Tennis, Track and Field, Volleyball.[7] At the varsity level students participate in the International Schools Sports Tournament playing teams from Paris, London, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Sigtuna and other places.[7] There are also practice squads (intramural sports) for those students not playing on JV or Varsity teams.
JoJo Club
In late 2017, a group of students who liked the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure created a club dedicated to this interest. The club initially embarked on what they named "The Holy JoJo Marathon," in which they watched the first three parts of the JoJo's anime adaptation. While they did begin the fourth part, they never finished watching due to a variety of reasons, mainly the start of a new school year and the fact that the anime adaptation of JoJo part 5, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, started airing, which made them switch to watching that instead. Ever since late 2018, the JoJo Club has expanded its interests and has watched other anime shows other than JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Welcome to the N.H.K.. The club is known throughout the school for having produced a trailer that was met with an overwhelmingly positive critical reception when shown at a school assembly. The current club leader has said more than once that a second trailer is in the works, stating that "now that we know people like this sort of stuff we can go all out on our next one." Currently no release date nor any further info on the second trailer has been disclosed.
Model United Nations
ASH's Model United Nations team has participated The Hague International Model United Nations for almost 40 years. It brings more than 3,000 students together from 125 schools during the last week in January. Students from ASH can become delegation members, administrative staff, or an officer.[7]
National Honor Society
The ASH National Honor Society is an exclusive group for students who are selected based on their service, character, and leadership. Students participate in projects at the school.[7]
ASH Trade and Finance Club
The ASH Trade and Finance Club is a club that discusses investing techniques and the implementation of these techniques in the real market per se.
Other activities
The school newspaper at ASH is called The Echo, and they publish weekly at theecho.nl.[7] Peer Support Program. Peer Support Trainees help their peers and facilitate discussion groups and learn to help Kindergarten through grade 12 students in advisory on various subjects.[7] Students from Grade 3 to Grade 12 can choose to be a part of the Student Ambassador program at ASH. The Student Ambassador program at ASH is renowned worldwide for its ability to welcome new students, families, and staff into the community. In the high school, Student Ambassadors organise an Orientation Week in which new students and their families learn their way around the school as well as meeting new people. The Student Senate helps classmates enjoy their school year by organizing dances and by advocating for student issues.[7]
ASH dedicates one day in the spring to International Day where students and staff dress up in their national "costumes." Elementary School rooms are decorated to portray various nations and the high school sets up booths in the cafeteria, where students may try foods and snacks from different cultures.
Performing Arts
Students can audition for the dance team in September.[7] Every year, in December the high school musical takes place. In 2015, the musical was Footloose. In 2014, the musical was West Side Story. In 2013 the musical performed was Fiddler on the Roof. In the past musicals like Jesus Christ Superstar (2012), Pump Boys and Dinettes (2011), and Pippin (2010) have been produced. Auditions are necessary to get in.[7] In spring there is high school play or sometimes an opera.[7] There is a choir and band that students can join.[7] Lastly, students can choose to participate in the Speech and Debate Tournaments where students from various International Schools meet to debate.[7]
Also in middle school every year in May they have a musical. Past musicals include "H.M.S. Pinafore" (2013), "Beauty and the Beast Jr." (2012), "The Lamp of Underdal" (2011, written by ASH), "Seussical" (2010), The Pirates of Penzance Jr. (2009), Mulan Jr. (2008), Honk! Jr. (2007), and Guys and Dolls Jr. (2006). Most of the Musical School musicals are Jr. because they are shortened versions of full length musicals and are appropriate for middle school.
There is a large annual concert at ASH for Grades 3 - 12 called Extravaganza. In Middle School and high school, one can participate in 1 or more of the music classes at ASH including Choir, Strings, and Band. There are also many opportunities for students to get involved in music not only during school, but after as well. For example, ASH has an auditioned after-school vocal ensemble called JAKK, this group performs a variety of genres from Pop to Classical to Jazz, they mainly sing A Cappella. Furthermore, ASH offers a Jazz Band which performs at various locations around Holland. An audition is required to get into the Jazz Band as well.
Notable alumni
- Warren Farrell attended but did not graduate at ASH.
- Brendan Fraser attended but did not graduate at ASH.
- Bülow graduated with the class of 2018.
References
- "The American School of The Hague – A Brief Overview of ASH". Archived from the original on October 7, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- Radcliffe, Donnie (July 18, 1989). "Friendship and the First Lady". The Washington Post.
With Barbara Bush it's unveiling plaques or cornerstones. Yesterday she assisted at the latter for the American School of The Hague at nearby Wassenaar
- The American School of The Hague – Welcome to Admissions Archived October 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- "The American School of The Hague – Elementary School Welcome". Archived from the original on October 7, 2006. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- The American School of The Hague – Middle School Welcome
- The American School of The Hague – High School Welcome
- "High School Handbook" (pdf) (2007-2008 ed.). The American School of The Hague. pp. 38–43. Retrieved February 14, 2008.