About Us

The Dominican International School Kaohsiung (Abbreviation: DISK; 中文: 高雄道明外僑學校; 拼音: Gāoxióng Dàomíng Wàiqiáo Xuéxiào) is a private international school in Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, ROC. The current principal is Sister Ma. Zenaida T. Ancheta, OP. The institution is a Catholic, private school under the administration of the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of Saint Dominic.

Our History

Founded:  January 1954

Former Names:

Dominican Kindergarten School in Kaohsiung

Dominican School

Assumption School

Former Location: August 26, 1956 at Tzu Chiang 1st Road, Kaohsiung City

Present Location: 107 Chung Hua 1st Road, Gushan District, Kaohsiung City, 804

Governed by: The Dominican Sisters of the Institute of the Religious Missionaries of St. Dominic, a congregation of Spanish origin with the Motherhouse in Rome, Italy.

Curriculum: Modified American Curriculum

On January of 1954, the Dominican Sisters began tutoring two American children. During the fall of that year, the first Dominican School in Kaohsiung was established to cater to the growing number of children from Catholic families stationed in Taiwan by the American Navy. In 1956, the Dominican Kindergarten School was officially founded in its initial location at Tzu Chiang 1st Road in Kaohsiung City. 

By 1967, the school moved to a new building on Chung Hua 1st Road, which remains as its current location. The building also housed the Our Lady of the Assumption Community up to this day. The Academic Building was then erected in 1985. The school’s name changed over the years, but in 2015, it was renamed as the Dominican International School Kaohsiung. 

As the student population grew, the school incorporated two levels of kindergarten and an elementary program. In 2015, the first middle school graduation was held. Located in Kaohsiung’s Gushan District, DISK serves a small but close-knit community of around 100 international students. This year, DISK celebrates its 67th year with the introduction of its first batch of High School students. It offers English-medium instruction using a modified American curriculum and has been approved by the Taiwan’s Ministry of Education to serve students from Kindergarten (age 3) through Grade 9.

Learn About Our Logo

The Dop STARS stands for Dominicans Order of Preachers who are Spiritual, Truthful, Active, Responsible and Studious.

The Child Dominic bears our ESLrs “STARS”, which symbolize giving light to everyone in the same manner that we are taught by the Biblical verse, “let your shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

The Dominican shield with its cross is the Order’s logo for 800 years placed in the center of letter O. The Dominican Cross comes from the Torch of Truth or Light of Truth, a symbol of the Dominican Order, often shown being carried in the mouth of a little.

We are DOMINICANS

St. Dominic de Guzman (1170 – 1221) was born to Don Felix de Guzman and St. Jane of Aza in Caleruega, Spain. St. Dominic studied for the priesthood at the University of Palencia. He was ordained around the age of twenty-four. In 1215, St. Dominic saw the need to combine dedication and systematic education to serve the needs of his era. In the same year, St. Dominic petitioned Pope Innocent III to secure approval. In 1216, the new pope, Honorius III, authorized for an order that shall be known as ― The Order of Preachers (Latin: Ordo Praedicatorum) or OP. St. Dominic made truth (veritas) the motto of the Order. The Order of Preachers carried out St. Dominic’s ideal of laudare (to praise), benedicere (to bless), and praedicare (to preach).

HISTORY OF THE DOMINICAN SISTERS IN TAIWAN

The first missionary expedition of the Holy Rosary Province to Taiwan was between 1626 and 1642. By 1859, the second missionary expedition of the Holy Rosary Province arrived in Taiwan. On March 26, 1903, the Provincial Council approved the repeated attempts of the Apostolic Vicar of Amoy (China) and the Provincial Vicar of Formosa (Taiwan) to open a decent Santa Infancia on the island to be administered by Dominican Sisters.

On August 17, 1903, three sisters from the Philippines arrived in the island and took over the Santa Infancia of Takao (Kaohsiung) founded by Fr. Francisco Sainz. In 1906, Sr. Visitacion Elortz from Spain joined the Santa Infancia of Takao. In 1913, Fr. Clemente Fernandez, then Apostolic Vicar of Formosa, initiated the foundation of a school in Taipei. March 14, 1933, marked the Canonical Erection of the Congregation of the Religious Missionaries of Saint Dominic. The Dominican Sisters became independent from the Province of the Holy Rosary after 42 years. In 1941, Msgr. Jose Satowaki, as the new Apostolic Prefect of Formosa, closed the Santa Infancia of Takao after four decades of service. The orphans were then distributed to Catholic families.

On May 14, 1952, the General Council approved the establishment of an indigenous Novitiate for Taiwan. Kaohsiung was the designated place with Sr. Ana Maria as the Novice Mistress. The first native vocation being Sr. Margarita Lin, O.P.