What Changed While Our Eagles Were Away
As summer settled in and students traded classrooms for adventures, both Shanghai American School campuses got to work. From state-of-the-art maker spaces to refreshed classrooms and revitalized outdoor areas, the last few months brought meaningful upgrades across Pudong and Puxi. These upgrades are all in service of one goal: giving students the best possible spaces to learn, create, and thrive. And as always, because SAS is a nonprofit, every dollar invested goes directly back into the learning environment our community calls home.
In Pudong, the biggest project was the new GTAE (Generative Technologies and Applied Engineering) area: a purpose-built maker space that gives students access to professional-grade tools and the kind of hands-on environment where real engineering happens. Students can create large-scale projects with the Shanlong CNC Router, work with steel and other metals using the xTool MetalFab, and cut a range of materials with Thunderlaser Nova laser cutters. Additional manufacturing capabilities include the large-format OrangeStorm Giga 3D printer and a dedicated Bambu Wall for fast, precise, multi-color printing. The space also includes a filament recycling system that gives plastic waste and imperfect prints a second life, as well as a hydrographic-dipping system for professional project finishes. And adding a different kind of engineering challenge to the mix is a programmable Unitree Go2 quadruped robot, giving students opportunities to develop code, experiment with autonomous movement, and explore the possibilities of robotics beyond the workbench. Both campuses now have dedicated GTAE spaces.
Beyond the GTAE space, the summer brought a wave of changes that reached nearly every other corner of campus, from refreshed classrooms to an expanded Eagle Shop, and music classrooms that sound as good as they look. There will be a new kiln room completed later this school year that will open up new possibilities for Pudong’s ceramics program.
In Puxi, the scope was equally ambitious. From the high school gym to the early childhood playground, spaces across campus got a facelift. The middle school Black Box Theatre also received an upgrade with improved acoustics and flexible layouts that make it a proper creative space for both performance and collaboration.
These renovations are a reflection of what SAS believes learning environments should feel like: safe, inspiring, and built to grow with the students inside them. A heartfelt thank you to our facilities and maintenance teams, who make all of this possible every single summer.
