As we turn the calendar to 2025, we take a look back at some of the many highlights from another exciting year at TASIS.
TASIS IB Program Receives Glowing Report from Accreditation Team
Following a comprehensive review and self-study process, the IBO reaccredited the TASIS International Baccalaureate® Diploma Programme and offered a great deal of praise for its many components.
Elementary School Theater Presents Jenny and the Paper Pirates
Led by Ms. Julie Frazier-Smith and Ms. Melody Tibbits Zanecchia, Elementary School students delivered outstanding performances of the original musical in the Palmer Cultural Center on the evenings of January 18–19.
64 Nations Represented in TASIS Parade of Flags
TASIS kicked off International Week 2024 on the morning of January 22 with a beautiful Opening Ceremony that included a Parade of Flags, the presentation of Torch Awards, and two excellent musical performances.
High School Students Release Literary Magazine
Edited by Anna Batyreva ’24 and Giada Giuliani ’24, ANIMA includes essays, poems, short stories, illustrations, and photographs from 13 TASIS contributors.
How Model UN Helps TASIS Students Become “International Human Beings”
In a memorable speech in 1983, TASIS Founder M. Crist Fleming said, “What we are doing, or at least attempting to do, is to create not international schools but international human beings, men and women who are capable of moving easily in any society and any civilization on the face of the earth, people who do not have to overcome the barriers of prejudice or even unfamiliarity in communicating with their fellow human beings, no matter what their backgrounds.”
The Big Question: Which Universe Do We Live in?
In an engaging essay, TASIS Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff examined how TASIS’s motto—Verum, Bonum, Pulchrum—offered a window into how the institution views the universe, particularly in light of the rapid advance of artificial intelligence.
An Unforgettable Journey to Kenya
Nineteen High School students and four faculty chaperones traveled to Muhuru Bay for an Opsahl Global Service Program trip in February and worked closely with the Women’s Institute for Secondary Education and Research (WISER).
High School Theater Program Presents The Little Mermaid JR.
Director Julie Frazier-Smith and the TASIS High School Theater Company put on four incredible performances of the classic Disney story in the Palmer Cultural Center on March 14–17.
Dr. Siri Ofstad ’10 on the Urgent Need To Address Climate Change
A marine biologist and environmental consultant at COWI in Norway, Dr. Ofstad addressed the senior class in the Palmer Cultural Center on the evening of March 18 and spent two days visiting environmental science and biology classes. Her visit marked the fourth and final installment of the 2023–2024 TASIS Speaker Series.
Texas Reunions
More than 30 TASIS alumni and their guests kicked off a lively week of reunion activities in Texas with an all-class reunion in Houston on the evening of April 10. Alumni from the 1970s continued the celebrations with four days of activities in Austin on April 11–14.
TASIS Atop List of World’s Most Beautiful Boarding Schools
Architectural Digest Magazine featured TASIS in its article about “nine striking boarding schools around the world.”
TASIS Hosts Literary Colloquium With Museo Hermann Hesse Montagnola
With the aim of exploring how Hermann Hesse’s ideas on world literature help us understand global literature today, poet and philosopher Stella N’Djoku interviewed TASIS High School English Department Chair Dr. Chris Love and three members of the Class of 2024—Giada Giuliani, Anna Batyreva, and Ilana Uribe Zuluaga—to learn about the works of literature that have been most significant in their journeys as readers and scholars. This event marked the second edition of the Hesse Now: A Library of World Literature talk series.
Elementary School Celebrates Book Week
This year’s Book Week was held from April 22–26 and was centered around the theme of “Empathy: Where Hearts and Stories Meet.”
Middle School Theater Program Presents The Music Man JR.
Director Matthew Frazier-Smith and the TASIS Middle School Theater Company delivered three tremendous performances in the Palmer Cultural Center on May 2–4.
Three Records Fall at 11th Annual TASIS Beat the Bells Run
Forty-four members of the TASIS community departed from campus at 9:15 on the morning of May 5 with the goal of running to Lake Lugano and back before the bells of Chiesa di Sant’Abbondio rang at 10:00.
Athletes of the Year
Athletic Director Masa Yo hosted the annual Spring Athletic Awards Assembly on the afternoon of May 10 and announced the Male and Female Athlete of the Year.
TASIS Artists Dream Big at 2024 Spring Arts Festival
This year’s amazing festival included an opening assembly, a drama performance, a conducting workshop, an advanced piano recital, an extensive visual art exhibition, and an incredible performing arts showcase, Dream, that involved more than 200 singers, players, actors, and dancers from the TASIS community.
TPA Spring Gala Raises More Than CHF 4 Million in Support of the TASIS Global Village Building Campaign
Nearly 400 TASIS parents, alumni, faculty members, and friends gathered in the magically transformed Palestra on the evening of May 18 for an unforgettable evening that included gourmet food, incredible live entertainment, silent and live auctions, and so much more.
The Talented Class of 2024 Says Goodbye
Held in the Palestra on the evening of May 24, the largest Senior Banquet in school history included opening remarks from Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff, poignant speeches from three members of the Class of 2024, a wide variety of excellent musical performances, and more.
Presenting the Amazing Class of 2024
We held our 68th Commencement Ceremony in the Palestra on the morning of May 25.
Graduation Awards
Eighteen members of the Class of 2024 earned special recognition at their Commencement Ceremony.
382 Offers of Admission from 184 Universities in 17 Countries
Guided by a tremendous faculty and outstanding College Counseling Office, all TASIS students planning to go straight to university were able to secure a spot for the fall.
Many Paths to Success
TASIS students achieve their goals in a number of different ways: by earning an IB Diploma, by taking AP courses and scoring highly on the corresponding exams, by performing well on standardized tests, by writing excellent personal statements, and by exhibiting an impressive commitment to a combination of the arts, athletics, local and global service, and leadership positions on or off campus. In short, there are many paths to success at TASIS. See our Recent Graduates page to read about the TASIS journey and future plans for 12 outstanding students from the Class of 2024.
Junior Awards
Each spring the High School Faculty selects three students in grade 11 who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to service and recognizes them with the prestigious Junior Awards.
Middle School Says Goodbye to Eighth-Grade Class
The Middle School’s annual Moving-Up Ceremony was held in the Palmer Cultural Center on the afternoon of June 6 and included student speeches, musical performances, the presentation of awards and diplomas, and more.
Elementary School Bids Farewell to Fifth-Grade Class
The Elementary School held its annual Moving-Up Ceremony in the Palmer Cultural Center on the morning of June 7.
Tamara Schumacher Named Khan-Page Master Teacher
Headmaster Christopher Nikoloff announced on the afternoon of June 7 that High School EAL and Art History Teacher Tamara Schumacher, who taught at TASIS since 2006 and retired at the end of the 2023–2024 academic year, is the recipient of the 2024 Khan-Page Master Teacher Award.
TASIS IB Scores Rise More Than a Full Point, Now Top World Average by Nearly Five Points
The 30 TASIS students who earned an IB Diploma in May of 2024 produced an average score of 34.9 on their exams, exceeding the world average by 4.6 points.
67 TASIS Students Earn AP Scholar Awards To Set Another School Record
TASIS students took 340 Advanced Placement exams in the spring and scored a 4 or higher on an incredible 66 percent of them, and the 67 AP Scholars easily topped the previous school record of 48 that was set just the year before.
TASIS Summer Programs
From intensive academics in the morning, adventurous water sports in the afternoon, and European exploration on the weekend to six original musical performances, four Summer Arts Festival Concerts, and two Visual Arts Exhibitions, it was another spectacular summer at TASIS.
Students Shine at Summer Arts Festivals
Our student artists finished off each session of the 2024 TASIS Summer Programs with a beautiful celebration of the arts.
Spectacular Summer Reunions
The TASIS Classes of 1984, 1994, 2004, 2014, and 2019 returned to campus over the summer for milestone reunions.
A Fresh Start
We opened the 2024–2025 academic year with 742 students from 63 nations.
New Members of the Faculty and Residential Life Team
We were delighted to welcome a number of experienced educators to the TASIS community for the 2024–2025 academic year.
The Return of Distinguished Poet A. Van Jordan
The Stanford University professor and author of five award-winning poetry collections visited campus from September 9–11 as the 2024 Linda Buchanan Poet in Residence, a role he also filled in 2018.
Award-Winning Architect Mino Caggiula Opens 2024–2025 TASIS Speaker Series
The highly decorated founder of the Mino Caggiula Architects studio addressed the senior class in the Palmer Cultural Center on the evening of September 16 and also spent time with students in Architecture & Design and IB Visual Arts classes.
1950s and 1960s Alumni Reunion
After 55+ years, these alumni came back to Lugano to relive their many memories as students in Mrs. Fleming’s early-years programs. This once-in-a-lifetime reunion proved to be the perfect platform for that—and so much more.
Family Weekend and Founder’s Day Celebrations
Middle School and High School parents visited campus on October 10 to attend classes with their children, watch a beautiful assembly that commemorated the incredible life of TASIS Founder M. Crist Fleming, and enjoy an evening reception in the Palmer Cultural Center.
First-Rate Faculty
Faculty excellence is the core of the TASIS experience. In October, TASIS student writers had the opportunity to interview faculty members of their choice and add their stories to a growing collection of Faculty Features.
25 Cities in 10 Countries
Over the course of the fall of 2024, the unique TASIS Academic Travel Program has provided High School and Middle School students the opportunity to learn and explore in Austria (Vienna and Baad), Belgium (Brussels), France (Normandy and Paris), Italy (Florence, Rome, Sardinia, Torino, Venice, and Vimercate), Malta (Mdina), Portugal (Ericeira), Sicily (Trapani), Spain (Fuerteventura and Madrid), Sweden (Malmo), and Switzerland (Basel, Gstaad, Geneva, Interlaken, Leysin, Lucomagno, Zermatt, and Zurich).
During the major Fall Academic Travel session in early November, in which the vast majority of students and faculty members went on a trip, High School student writers served as photojournalists and compiled top-10 lists to chronicle their journeys.
Director of University and College Counseling Johanna Fishbein Recognized by CIS for Excellence in Counseling
Described as “a force for positive change in the world of university counseling,” Ms. Fishbein was honored at the Council of International Schools Global Forum in Basel, Switzerland, on November 15.
All-Class Reunion in Washington, D.C.
On November 22, the historic Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C., was abuzz with the lively chatter of TASIS alumni, who gathered for a delightful aperitivo-style reunion.
High School Theater Presents The Importance of Being Earnest
Director Matthew Frazier-Smith and the TASIS High School Theater Company put on four amazing performances of the Oscar Wilde classic on November 21–24.
TASIS Dancers Present Paris: La Ville Lumière
Guided by Artistic Director Julie Frazier-Smith, dancers from the TASIS Elementary School, Middle School, and High School put on an incredible performance in front of a packed house in the Palmer Cultural Center on the evening of November 27.
The Holidays at TASIS
The final few weeks of school before the winter holiday were packed with musical performances, holiday celebrations, and a number of community-building events organized by the tireless TASIS Parent Association.
