Our Headmaster

Those who have lived and learned at TASIS sometimes have trouble separating dreams from reality.

How many of us, as we attempt to describe TASIS to the uninitiated, find ourselves lapsing into impossibly dreamy imagery? We recall our perch on a Swiss hill of gold - snowy Alps to the north, Italian palms to the south, a crystal-clear lake below. We conjure images of young people from every continent, drawn by the beauty of the campus, the talents of the faculty and the vibrancy of the community. We give thanks for and celebrate the spirit Mrs. Fleming - that first and most prodigious TASIS dreamer - who planted a lovely garden in which civility, courage, beauty, and truth could take root in the minds and hearts of students.

"Impossible!", say our friends. No place can truly be what TASIS can sometimes seem.

Indeed, alumni and veteran faculty who have lived the sometimes gritty realities of boarding school understand that not every day at TASIS is bathed in dreamy sunshine. In real life, there are chicken and potatoes to be eaten, breathalyzers to be blown into, and homework to be done. Dirty laundry piles up. Homesickness sets in. Even in Montagnola, adolescence can be hard.

But the dream of TASIS is undeniably real. The spirit of Mrs. Fleming continues on at the heart of our campus. She imagined the ideal school, and her daughter now pursues that ideal with relentless vigor. A talented and committed faculty strive to transform the actual into the ideal every day. And students really do come from across the globe to work and play with the ideas (and realities) of civility, courage, beauty, and truth.

Integrity, respect, responsibility, compassion, humility, service, and vision - these Magnificent Seven traits are the truest goals of the TASIS experience. While it may sometimes seem to our 15-year-olds that TASIS cares most about exams and the dress code or weekend travel and the musical, our central concern - arguably the only concern that matters at age 25 and 35 and 75 - is virtuous character.

My wife Beril and children Kenan (9) and Lucy (6) feel privileged to serve a community that has, since its founding, had the highest possible aspirations for itself. I look forward to visiting, working, and learning with you as we strive not just to seem, but rather to be, the TASIS of which Mrs. Fleming dreamed.

With best wishes,
Michael Ulku-Steiner
Headmaster