About Our School

The Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) was established on April 2, 1951, in Rocquencourt, France. It was intended to be a military arm of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The headquarters continued in that location until 1967 when, upon France's withdrawal from NATO's integrated military structure, SHAPE was relocated to its current location in Casteau, Belgium.

SHAPE is currently composed of NATO member countries and additional Partnership for Peace (PfP) nations, making it one of the most culturally unique military settings in the world. SHAPE American Middle School (SAMS) exists not only to educate the children of American servicemen and women assigned here, but also to educate the children of all other NATO and PfP nations.

In addition, the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) SHAPE school coordinates with 11 other nation schools on the international installation. Over four hundred students are currently enrolled in the SAMS, ranging from 6th grade through 8th grade. American students make up just over half of the student population, while NATO and PfP nation students comprise the remaining half.

CORE Values:

• Student-Centered: Students are at the heart of all we do.
• Excellence: We strive to exceed expectations in all we do.
• Continuous Improvement: Our organization, its systems, and processes will be continually reexamined and improved.
• Lifelong Learning: Learning is an active process of discovery where we cultivate curiosity, perseverance, and the desire to learn.
• Individual Potential: Individuals develop within an environment that nurtures intellectual, social, physical, and creative growth.
• Shared Responsibility: Partnerships among families, students, staff, and community members are characterized by mutual commitment and collaborative effort that enrich the lives of our students.
• Trust: We value relationships based on integrity, mutual respect, and open two-way communication.

Continuous School Improvement Goals

• Student Excellence. Challenge and prepare each student to maximize his or her academic growth and well-being for college, career, and life.
• School Excellence. Develop and sustain each school to be high-performing within a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and caring relationships.
• Talent Excellence. Recruit, develop, empower, and retain a high performing work force that reflects our students.
• Organizational Excellence. Build an enduring, accountable, and responsive organization that provides appropriate resources, direction, and support to accomplish the mission.
• Outreach Excellence. Partner with internal and external stakeholders and industry leaders to advance student and organizational success