Our History

Yu-Jen was founded in 1967 by priests of the Belgian CICM and has been run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus ever since. These are the key moments in our history.

1967 July: The school is registered as Yu-Jen Private Elementary School, with a kindergarten. Father Thomas Sung Chih-Ching is appointed principal, and the school opens with two elementary classes and five kindergarten classes.

1969 July: Principal Sung is sent abroad, and the board appoints Sister Dolores Chang Li-Feng as principal.

1971: A special education class is established for children with intellectual disabilities, the first in Taichung.

1973 July: The board appoints Sister Gratia Shih Li-Lan as principal.

1975 June: Bakmun Elementary School in Incheon, South Korea, becomes our sister school. In December, three of its staff visit Yu-Jen.

1980 August: The board appoints Sister Hilda Cheng Mei-Chih as principal.

1983: Under the revised National Education Act, the school is renamed Yu-Jen Private National Elementary School.

1987 September: The new kindergarten building is completed, and blessed in December.

1991 March: The Provincial Education Department rates Yu-Jen an outstanding elementary school in its evaluation.

1994 February: Sister Hilda Cheng leaves to study in the United States, and Sister Gratia Shih returns as principal.

1997 August: A preschool special education class is established.

1997 December: The Alumni Association is founded, and the school celebrates its 30th anniversary.

1998 July: Groundbreaking for the new teaching building, built for the 21st century.

1999 July: The Provincial Education Department rates our preschool and special education classes excellent in its evaluation.

2000 June: The new teaching building is completed and opened.

2002 September: The all-English ESL program begins.

2002 November: Clover Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles becomes our sister school; its principal, Mrs. Maureen Meloved, visits to sign the agreement.

2003 July: Groundbreaking for Phase 2 of the teaching building.

2004 December 18: Phase 2 of the teaching building opens on sports day, and Owairoa Primary School in New Zealand becomes our sister school.

2006 October 5: Yu-Jen TV Station goes on air.

2007 June 1: Bishop Wang Yu-Jung of the Taichung Diocese blesses the new Sacred Heart Garden.

2007 December: Yu-Jen celebrates its 40th anniversary with an arts festival at Chung Hsing Hall and a sports day.

2010 September 17: The math and science discovery workshop opens.

2011 December 22: Yuyao Experimental Elementary School in Zhejiang, China, becomes our sister school.

2013 June 29: Handover to the sixth principal: Sister Gratia Shih retires as principal, and Chan Chih-Jung takes over.

2013 August: Yu-Jen is recognized as an outstanding character education school in Taichung.

2015 August 27: Handover to the seventh principal: Chan Chih-Jung retires as principal, and Wang Chih-Chuan takes over.

2017 December: Yu-Jen celebrates its 50th anniversary with a concert, a sports day and Christmas celebrations.

2019 July: Yu-Jen is recognized as a model school for character education in Taichung.

2020 November: The Ministry of Education recognizes Yu-Jen as a character education school.

2021 July: Handover ceremony for the eighth principal.

2022 May: Viator High School becomes our sister school, and we sign a strategic alliance with Washington High School.

2022 September: We sign a strategic alliance with Stella Matutina Girls' High School and a partnership with MingDao High School.

Awards

Every year, Yu-Jen students win prizes in Taichung and national contests: language arts, English, mathematics, science fairs, computing, music, art, dance, chess, sports and more. The full year-by-year record of awards is kept in the Chinese version of this page. Full history and awards (in Chinese)