- Morrison Academy
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Morrison Christian Academy
(Taichung Main Campus)
馬禮遜美國學校
Location 136-1, Shui Nan Rd.
Beitun District, Taichung City 40679, Taiwan, Republic of ChinaInformation Type Private International School
Christian SchoolMotto "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -- John 8:32 Established 1952 Superintendent Tim McGill Chairman Don Bettinger Principal Tim Heading (K-8)
Dan Robinson (9-12)Chaplain Brian Drevets Faculty 55 Grades K-12 Campus Urban Mascot Mustang Accreditation(s) ACSI, WASC Newspaper 'Echo' Yearbook 'Morrisonian' Phone +886-4-2292-1171 Website www.mca.org.tw Morrison Academy (Chinese: 馬禮遜美國學校; Wade-Giles: Ma-li-hsün Mei-kuo Hsüeh-hsiao; Hanyu Pinyin: Mălĭxùn Měiguó Xuéxiào; literally: Morrison American School; abbreviation MCA - from Morrison Christian Association) was established in 1952 and offers a college-preparatory and American-based Christian affiliated education to expatriate children living in Taiwan. Morrison Academy is founded in Taichung, where the main campus is located, but branch campuses have been created in Taipei (Bethany) and Kaohsiung (Morrison Academy Kaohsiung).
Although established in 1952 to serve the needs of missionary kids, Morrison Academy has attracted a large number of business children located in Taichung. Morrison Academy is currently the largest international school in Taichung and the largest Christian school in the country of Taiwan. The school is recognized by Taiwan as an international school and is restricted from accepting Taiwanese who do not possess a foreign passport.
Graduates from Morrison Academy often attend North American colleges and universities. Because Morrison Academy is composed primarily of missionary kids and business expatriates, a wide range of countries is represented in the faculty and the student body. However, the teachers and the students primarily come from the United States and Canada.
Contents
Mission statement
The school states its mission as follows: "Morrison Academy exists to meet the educational needs of the children of missionaries throughout Taiwan, helping fulfill Christ's commission to go into all the world. Morrison seeks to provide a Christ-centered school culture where all students, from missionary and non-missionary families, experience a Biblically-integrated quality education. Therefore, Morrison structures learning so that students may develop the knowledge, discernment, and ability to dynamically impact their world as Christians."
Coordinates: 24°11′12.21″N 120°40′48.33″E / 24.186725°N 120.6800917°E
Campus
The old entrance to Morrison Academy
Lower Gym, Morrison Academy
Elementary Soccer Field, Morrison Academy
Moon Gate and Entrance to Dorms, Morrison Academy
Science Building, Morrison Academy
The Plaza, Morrison AcademyThe current Taichung campus is located in the Beitun District of Taichung, a 20-minute drive from the Taichung Train Station. Morrison is one of the largest schools in Taichung City, with the school possessing:
- two parking lots
- three soccer fields
- two tennis courts
- one weight-room
- one outdoor basketball court
- one 25-meter swimming pool
- one 400-meter dirt track
- two gymnasiums
- one library
- one auditorium
- three computer labs
- five dormitories (Brugler, Stacey, Falk, McGill, and Van Singel)
- one science building equipped with advanced laboratory materials
- over ten staff housing complexes
- one student center
Dorms
Morrison Academy has established boarding homes which used to house 4-12 boys and 4-12 girls in separate wings of each of five facilities (Brugler, Stacey, Falk, McGill, and Van Singel). However, ever since the remodeling of the campus, the Stacey dorm has been knocked down, and the other four dorms are no longer in use. There is a new building erected that now houses all of the dorm kids as well as some staff. The students may range in age from students who are in the 7th through the 12th grades. A married couple resides in each unit to serve as boarding home parents. Each boarding home has a common living area shared by everyone in the home. The goal of the Morrison Dorms is to create a comfortable, homelike, family-style, Christian environment for students who live away from home.
Student body
Currently, the Taichung campus accommodates about 480 students. The school is subdivided into three schools in accordance to the American school system: Elementary School (Kindergarten to Fifth Grade), Middle School (Sixth Grade to Eighth Grade), and High School (Ninth Grade to Twelfth Grade).
High school enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year is 248. 37% of the student body consists of missionary children whereas 63% are from business families. Eight nations are represented in the class of 2011: the U.S., Canada, Korea, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Germany, Malaysia, Dom. Rep., S. Africa and Marshall Island.
The current ratio of missionary to business students at the Taichung campus is about 1:3. Although in the earliest phases of Morrison history foreign expatriates in Taichung were granted admission solely on a space-available basis, currently any foreign national residing in Taiwan with a valid foreign passport is eligible to apply for admission to Morrison Academy. However, it is to be noted that acceptance rates are low because Morrison evaluates prospective students using a standard on English proficiency in addition to the Board of Trustees not wanting to expand student enrollment at the Taichung campus rapidly.
Student Government
- STUCO (Student Council)
- President: Michael Chang
- Vice-President: Jennifer Moh
- Secretary: Cindy Tseng
- Treasurer: Tiffany Yeh
- Social Chair: Stephen Miller
- Class Councils
Academics
Morrison Academy describes its academics as thus:
"Because Morrison is a Christian school, a Christian worldview is integrated into all areas of the American-based curriculum. Bible class and weekly chapel attendance are required for all students. Instruction is in English and is college preparatory in focus. The school year for students extends from mid-August to the first week of June, for a total of 180 instructional days."
AP Courses:
- AP Chemistry
- AP Biology
- AP English Literature/Composition
- AP U.S. History
- AP Calculus
Honors Courses:
- Honors Algebra II
In past years, there has been controversy surrounding the Honors Algebra II course. While the name and course description all imply that the content taught will be harder, there is no raised GPA scale.
At Morrison, 97% of all graduates attend higher education in different countries worldwide. Advanced Placement level courses are offered formally in five subjects. In 2011, 71 candidates from the school took 125 Advanced Placement examinations and merited a pass rate of 95%. In the class of 2011, five students were commended in the National Merit scholarship competition.
Extracurricular activities
Morrison provides a wide array of extracurricular activities to develop individual student interest and abilities. At Morrison, students can choose to participate in one or more of the following:
Music and Drama
- Concert Band
- Symphony Orchestra
- Three Instrumental Ensembles (Flute Choir, Wind Ensemble, and String Ensemble)
- Chorale
- A Cappella Choir
- Chamber Singers (Voice Ensemble)
- Worship Team
- Drama
- Violin Choir
Art
- Animation
- Chinese Painting
- Drawing
- Graphic Designs
- Mosaics
- Painting
- Pottery
Publications
- Yearbook ("The Morrisonian")
- Journalism ("The Echo")
Model United Nations
- TAIMUN
Student Organized Clubs
- Community Service Club
- Basketball Club
- Table Tennis Club
- Body-Worship Club
- Ultimate Frisbee Club
- Weight-Lifting Club
- Badminton Club
- Crafts Club
Athletics
Possessing an athletic program over 50 years old, Morrison offers its students the opportunity to play in several sports and possesses both Middle School and High School teams that compete in island-wide tournaments of the following sports:
Men
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Track and field
- Swimming
- Softball (only in middle school)
Women
- Volleyball
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Track and field
- Swimming
- Softball (only in middle school)
All Morrison Varsity athletic teams compete internationally at Far East tournaments against Department of Defense schools and other Christian schools in East Asia.
Middle school students at Morrison Academy are divided into three teams (A,B, and C division) according to grade level. At the conclusion of each season, middle school students at Morrison Academy compete against teams from other international schools in Taiwan in tournaments hosted at Taichung by Morrison Academy and/or at Taipei by Taipei American School.
Taipei Campus (Bethany)
Morrison Academy Bethany Campus
(Taipei Campus)
馬禮遜伯大尼美國學校
Location 97, Section 3, Ting Zhou Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 10090, Republic of ChinaInformation Type Private International School
Christian SchoolMotto "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -- John 8:32 Established 1961 Superintendent Tim McGill Principal Siebert Myburgh (Taipei Principal) Faculty ~30 Grades K-9 Number of students ~200 Campus Urban Mascot Bronco Accreditation(s) ACSI, WASC Yearbook 'Broncollenium' Phone +886-2-2365-9691 Website bethany.mca.org.tw 
Morrison Academy Bethany CampusThe Taipei Campus of Morrison Academy was founded in 1961 under the name of Bethany Christian School. When the school joined the Morrison Christian Association in 1967, it was incorporated into the Morrison System. Morrison Academy Bethany offers expatriates residing in Taipei a quality Morrison education from Kindergarten to Ninth Grade, and is currently accredited through two internationally recognized accreditation associations - The Association of Christian Schools International (ASCI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Campus
Located in Downtown Taipei, situated right next to the CES Seminary, Bethany is at the heart of Taipei City. Bethany is right next to the MRT Taipower Building Station of the Xindian Line, otherwise known as the Taipei Metro. National Taiwan University, the most prestigious center of higher learning in Taiwan, is 5 minutes away by foot from Bethany.
Bethany possesses:
- one outdoors basketball court
- one gymnasium (indoors basketball court)
- one library
- one weight-room
- one auditorium / multi-purpose room
- one computer lab
- three Mandarin classrooms
- one science lab
- two ELL (English Language Learners) classrooms
Student body
The K-9 enrollment at Morrison Academy Bethany is about 200. The faculty to student ratio is about 1:7. About half of each graduating class at the Bethany campus attend Taipei American School while the other half continue their Morrison education at the Taichung campus. The majority of the latter resides in dormitory halls located in the Taichung campus.
Extracurricular activities
Sports
Bethany possesses both Middle School and JV-B teams that compete in island-wide tournaments of the following sports:
Music
Bethany has a music program consisting of:
- beginning band
- concert band
- symphonic band
- orchestra
- choir
Kaohsiung Campus
Morrison Academy Kaohsiung
(Kaohsiung Campus)
馬禮遜高雄美國學校Location 42 Chia Cheng Rd.
Dashe Hsiang, Kaohsiung District 81546, Taiwan, Republic of ChinaInformation Type Private International School
Christian SchoolMotto "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." -- John 8:32 Established 1974 Superintendent Tim McGill Principal Gabriel Choi (Kaohsiung Principal) Faculty ~30 Grades K-9 Number of students ~200 Campus Suburb Mascot Shark Accreditation(s) ACSI, WASC Phone +886-7-356-1190 Website kaohsiung.mca.org.tw 
Front façade at Morrison Academy KaohsiungMorrison Academy Kaohsiung (MAK) is an American International School that was founded in 1974 to serve missionary and business families working in the Southern part of Taiwan. Morrison Academy Kaohsiung offers children with foreign passports residing in Kaohsiung and Tainan a quality academic education from Kindergarten to Ninth Grade. MAK is currently accredited through two internationally recognized accreditation associations - The Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Campus
Following its establishment, the campus moved twice. The current MAK campus is located in Dashe District, a suburban district of Kaohsiung City, about a 20 minute drive from downtown Kaohsiung. The campus was built in 2000 on land leased from the Taiwan Sugar Corporation.
MAK facilities include:
- 15 classrooms equipped with interactive whiteboards and LCD projectors
- a music room ready for band and choir
- a library with a full compliment of English books
- a computer lab and multi-media lab
- a science lab
- an air-conditioned, indoor gymnasium
- an outdoor basketball/tennis court
- two soccer fields
- a 300-meter rubber-surfaced track
- a weight-room
- a covered play area
Student body
The K-9 enrollment at MAK is about 200. The faculty to student ratio is about 1:7. Once students graduate from 9th grade, many attend schools all around Taiwan and the world, but most students continue to attend Morrison at the Taichung campus.
Extracurricular activities
Sports
MAK possesses both Middle School and JV-B teams that compete in island-wide tournaments of the following sports:
Music
MAK has a music program consisting of:
See also
- Taipei American School
- National Experimental High School
- Dominican International School
- Kaohsiung American School
- American School in Taichung
- Pacific American School
External links
Categories:- International schools in Taiwan
- Schools in Taiwan
- Nondenominational Christian schools
- Taichung
- Christianity in Taiwan
- Christian schools in Taiwan
- Primary schools in Taiwan
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