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The TASIS School in Dorado is an American co-educational private, nonsectarian day school in Dorado, Puerto Rico. It is the first sister school in the United States to The TASIS Schools in Switzerland, England, France and Spain. TASIS Dorado was founded in January 2002 with grades from Pre Pre Kindergarten to third grade, starting out with only 76 students. Since then, it has been continuously under construction, aiming to develop more grades and facilities for students and faculty. In 2010, the twelfth grade was implemented; however, it is still undergoing further developments for the near future. As of September 7th, 2012, there are 737 students enrolled, 23 administrators, 96 faculty and 10 staff members. The majority of the faculty have a Masters and Doctorate degree. The first graduating class was comprised of 26 students in 2011. Currently, The Federico and Priscilla Stubbe Educational Foundation sponsor TASIS Dorado. Additionally, it is accredited by Middle states. The school’s motto is Striving for excellence in a culture of kindness. For a visual representation of the TASIS Dorado campus and photos of students, click here. To see more pictures, visit The Bear Claw Press: TASIS Dorado High School Newspaper, click here.

History
TASIS Dorado was created by Sabanera Dorado developer Mr. Federico Stubbe in 2002 with the help of Mrs. Martiere Matosantos, former principal of Colegio Rosa Bell, and Mr. Louis Christiansen, former headmaster of Saint John’s School. They joined forces with TASIS England to bring an innovative and foreign education to Puerto Rico. Although TASIS Schools are typically boarding schools, TASIS Dorado is a day school. TASIS Dorado derives its acronym from the first TASIS School built in Lugano, Switzerland in 1956. TASIS stands for The American School in Switzerland because it was the first American boarding school in Europe.

Campus and surrounding areas
TASIS Dorado’s localization is in Sabanera Dorado, which was previously the Hacienda San Martín. It is conveniently 15 miles west from the capital city of San Juan. It offers a tranquil atmosphere for all students to focus on their studies. Its campus is divided in six parts. The first division, completed in 2002, is The Early Childhood Program (ECP), which is home to the Elementary School classrooms, Elementary School Library, Lower School  Playground, Recreation and Physical Education Facilities (tennis, basketball and volleyball courts as well as a soccer field), and the Administration building. The second division, completed in 2005, includes the Middle and High School’s classrooms and science laboratories. The third division consists of additional classrooms for the Middle School, the introduction of the multipurpose Student Center, which serves as the cafeteria and the auditorium for assemblies, and the high school library/resource center. The fourth division, completed in 2008, is comprised of the organization of the previous High School classrooms and science laboratories, new music classrooms, additional offices for Administration faculty and the construction of a roof to cover the outdoors basketball/volleyball courts. The fifth division is currently under construction to build its first theatre/auditorium. Apart from this, housing facilities are under construction to offer accommodations for faculty and exchange program students that may visit from other TASIS Schools. The sixth division is a plan for the future to create additional sport facilities such as a private gymnasium with numerous lockers.

School Community
TASIS Dorado’s small, yet intimate school community is home to students from different parts of the world, ranging from Puerto Rico, United States, France, England, Spain, Central America, South America, and more. The Student Council officers - the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and parliamentarian- organize this community. They are in charge of assuring effective communication between the students and the administration. Although the student council has limited power, it has the ability to allow students to voice their opinions, concerns and/or wishes to change certain aspects of the school. It also offers entertainment such as dances, pep rallies and spirit week, in conjunction with educational programs such as “Drug free is the way to be!”, an illegal substance testing program. Essentially, the student council proves to help TASIS Dorado become a better school by assuring the students’ happiness and satisfaction with the school. TASIS Dorado believes that a happy student is more likely to be more dedicated in schoolwork and be more successful later on in life. Therefore, for the student council to perform all of its duties, it must reach a consensus with the administration, which is decided over the summer to establish the main points they want to focus on this year.

Graduation Requirements
''Exploration Week is a hands-on week in the beginning of January, right after Winter Break, required of all high school students. Its purpose is to immerse students in a specific career programs such as aviation, sailing, fashion designing, musical theatre and film, amongst others, to try and help them narrow their interests for future professions. It also requires a full day of community service.''
 * 1) English – 4 years
 * 2) Spanish – 4 years
 * 3) Mathematics – 3 years
 * 4) History – 3 years
 * 5) Foreign Language – 2 years
 * 6) Sciences – 3 years
 * 7) Performing &/or Visual Arts – 2 years
 * 8) Electives – 2 years
 * 9) Physical Education – 2 years
 * 10) Community Service – 40 hours
 * 11) Exploration Week – 4 years

Scholarships
TASIS Dorado’s funds for scholarships are almost close to a million dollars. They provide full scholarships for talented students who come from the public sector, in order to offer private education to someone who has no opportunity to have it. It also serves the purpose to diversify the school community. However, they do not offer scholarships for specific talents, like sports, or music. Nonetheless, they offer financial aid for students whose parents run into difficult situations like loosing a job. In the future, they have the goal to amend their scholarships, in order to bring forth the requirement of involvement in the school, not only for the student but also of the parents and family. These involvements could range from participating in school clubs, organizations or activities such as drama, sports and tournaments, amongst others.

Advanced studies
Apart from Enriched classes, TASIS Dorado offers a still-growing broad range of Advanced Placement courses. Today, TASIS Dorado offers all of the following Advanced Placement courses: AP Studio Art, AP Italian Language and Culture, AP French Language and Culture, AP Biology, AP Chemistry, AP Physics, AP Psychology, AP European History, AP US History, AP World History, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC, AP Spanish Literature, AP English Literature and Composition, AP Statistics. However, it is annually expanding its range of classes.

Visual Arts & Performing Arts
The Visual Arts & Performing Arts Department, also known as VAPPA, offers rigorous courses for the students in Middle School and High School. The Music program offers a foundation of music through the Band class, where they each select an instrument to learn how to play for a minimum of one semester. The Theatre program offers a foundation of drama through the classes “Introduction to Theatre” Levels I and II as well as “Drama in Literature” Level I and II. The Art program offers a foundation of art through the classes “Studio Art” Levels I and II, “Ceramics”, “Glassworks” and “AP Studio Art.” If the student wishes to pursue more classes, individual after school lessons are offered for music, drama and art.

Sports
TASIS Dorado offers all of the following sports: soccer, basketball, volleyball, tennis, swimming, cross country and track and field. TASIS Dorado is a member of the Liga Atlética Mini de Escuelas Privadas, Inc. (L.A.M.P.E.I.) and The Puerto Rican High School Athletic Alliance (PRHSAA). Additionally, it offers after school lessons for all of the sports previously mentioned.

Extracurricular Clubs & Activities
TASIS Dorado offers all of the following clubs and activities: National Junior Honor Society, National Honor Society, Thespian Honor Society, French Honor Society, Model United Nations Club, Forensics Club, Oratoria Club, Musical Production, Band, Batucada, Interact: Community Service Club, Math Club, Science Club and Distributive Educational Clubs of America. TASIS Dorado is currently in Category A in Forensics and Oratoria and actively participates in The North American International Model United Nations (NAIMUN) every year since 2010.

University of admissions
TASIS Dorado students have been accepted to universities in Puerto Rico and United States of America.

In Puerto Rico, they have been accepted to all of the following: Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Mayaguez, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Bayamón, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Rio Piedras, Universidad Interamericana, Recinto Metropolitano, Universidad Politecnica de Puerto Rico, Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico, and Universidad de Sagrado Corazón.

In United States of America, they have been accepted to all of the following: St Mary’s University, Texas A&M University, United States Air Force Academy, University of Colorado Boulder, Hamline University, Iowa State University, Washington University in St. Louis, Loyola University New Orleans, Marquette University, DePaul University, University of Notre Dame, University of Michigan, Purdue University, Indiana University, Saint Louis University, University of Dayton Ohio, Miami University Ohio, Xavier University, Case Western Reserve University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Savannah College of Art and Design, Duke University, Elon University, Virginia Tech, Seton Hill University, Penn State, Susquehanna University, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Stetson University, Rollins College, Florida Institute of Technology, St. Leo University, University of South Florida, The University of Tampa, Eckerd College, Ringling School of Art and Design, University of Miami, Florida International University, Ithaca College, Syracuse University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Vassar College, Marist College, Dartmouth College, University of Vermont, University of New Hampshire, University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Hartford, Quinnipiac University, Fairfield University, Manhattanville College, Iona College, Fordham University, Manhattan School of Music, Parsons The New School of Design, New York University, Pratt Institute, Bryant University, Rhode Island College, Providence College, Roger Williams University, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, Salve Regina University, Emerson College, New England Conservatory, Boston University, Northeastern University, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston College, Bentley College, Regis College, and Babson College.