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Preparing our students today, for the future of tomorrow

Preparing our students today, for the future of tomorrow

Middle & High School

  Principal  

    HS ELA Teacher/High School Director

    Nathan Lewis

    Nathan received his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California: Davis and his teaching accreditation from California State University: Bakersfield. He taught World History at Stockdale High School before moving to Taiwan, where he's taught English and Social Studies since. Nathan has 18 years of instruction experience and currently teaches High School English Language Arts and Literature. He believes in a positive reinforcement approach to teaching, wishing to share the fascination and wonder of the wider world with his students and is intent on providing the language skills needed for such. His interests include music, puzzles, trivia and games.

    MS ELA/HS Spanish Teacher/Middle School Director

    Roger Astorga

    Roger received a Bachelor’s degree in education, majoring in foreign language teaching, from the University Ramón Llull in Barcelona, Spain, and later on, the QTS (qualified teacher status) from England. He is currently studying online for a master’s degree in one of his passions, ancient history. He also holds numerous online certifications in topics such as education, special education, paleontology, math, history, and psychology from universities worldwide, such as the University of Alberta, Johns Hopkins, or Yale.

    He grew up in a bilingual family in Barcelona, Spain, where he developed his love for languages at an early age. He has already taught six different languages in several international schools, from elementary school to university level, in countries in Europe and Asia (Spain, the Netherlands, China, and Taiwan).

    He has been (and still is) a language student, so he empathizes with the struggles that students face when learning a new language. He uses the tools he learned himself as a student, the ones he learned as a teacher, and his ten years of language teaching to provide his students with all the resources they need to succeed.

    In his free time, Roger enjoys reading books about historyspending time with his wife, his son, and his two cats, as well as playing video games and traveling.

      

    MS/HS Science/Health Teacher

    Hugh Schalkwyk 

    Hugh is from South Africa and is a qualified Petroleum Geologist with a master’s degree in Applied Geology.

    His previous work experience has taken him to countries across the African continent, including the USA,France, Ireland, Scotland, and Norway.In his tenure, he became proficient at project management, operations, subsurface 3 dimensional well logging and training new staff. In 2015, Hugh turned his passion for training into a desire for education and completed a TEFL certification at The International English School (TIES) in South Africa. He has been teaching in Taiwan since 2017 and with his zeal for science, he became the Head Elementary STEM Teacher at Kang Chiao International School, Linkou Campus, not long after joining the institution.

    Besides being flexible and responsive, Hugh brings an acute sense of loyalty to the rules and regulations that oversee projects. He believes that innovation is the key to success, be it in science or beyond.He is currently designing all the STEM programs for the Elementary School and is excited to introduce the broad field of science to young minds.Apart from education, Hugh is an avid sports person who revived his semi-professional rugby days playing for the Taipei Baboons International rugby club during the rugby season. He also loves cycling, hiking, and all things outdoorsy.Hugh looks forward to his new roles as both the STEM Coordinator for the Elementary School and as the new High School Director.

    MS/HS Math Teacher

    Bernise Santos 

    Bernadette Santos (Bernise) received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines, and obtained a Master's Degree in Mathematics from the same university. She taught senior high school and college students in De La Salle University for 3 years before moving to Taiwan to pursue higher education. In 2019, she entered National Taiwan Normal University as a PhD mathematics student. She joined TYAS as the middle school mathematics teacher in 2021. Bernise is passionate about teaching with the goal of making her students enjoy learning mathematics and apply it in life.

    STEM/Science Teacher

    Russell Stuart

    Russell received a Bachelor of Arts from University of Otago. He also obtained a PGCE from Moreland University in America, TEFL through Hess Educational Organization in Taiwan, and his teaching license through the Hawaii Board of Education. 

    Russell has a total of twenty years of teaching/coaching experience; twenty years coaching martial arts, and thirteen years teaching language and science in Taiwan. He strongly believes that students grow best in a fun learning environment that allows them to step out of their comfort zones and make mistakes. People learn best from mistakes with an understanding of how to process their mistakes into lessons for future reference.

    In his free time, Russell enjoys playing strategy games, especially chess, watching debates and lectures, carving, cycling and gaming.

    Social Science Teacher
    Matt Swanston

    Matt received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Stanford University while earning All-American honors on the varsity swim team. He then went on to complete his Postgraduate Certificate in Education while student teaching at the American School in Japan. After teaching for two years at the International School of Ningbo, he moved to Taiwan and worked part-time at both Taipei American and Taipei European Schools. He currently teaches High School Social Studies. His interests include writing, swimming, and travel.

      

    Social Studies Teacher

    Gareth Kennedy

    Gareth is an alumnus of the University of Glasgow where he obtained his Master's in History. He also obtained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sunderland in the UK. He completed his teacher training at Taipei European School where he spent eight years as an EAL Teacher and supply teacher. He has gained ten years of experience in education in Taiwan. His educational philosophy is that students should be actively engaged and enjoy learning. Students should feel comfortable in the classroom to take chances and make mistakes -- this is how we learn! In his leisure time, engages in an array of activities including cycling in the park with his son, listening to audiobooks, and watching historical and contemporary documentaries. He is a trained chef and loves to cook steak, and he occasionally plays video games.

    MS Math/HS Science/Physics Teacher

    Marcello Johnson

    Marcello Johnson received his Bachelor’s degree of Education in Intermediate and Senior phase from Cape peninsula University of Technology. Before working in Taiwan, Marcello traveled to Thailand to teach in a private school in the small province of Ranong. He has currently been living in Taiwan for the last 3 and a half years, by teaching English and STEM.He currently teaches the Third Grade, and hopes that his students know that his classroom door will always be open, that he can help them to realize their full potential, and that they care for their classmates and work together in reaching each other’s goals. Marcello enjoys spending time in the outdoors and partaking in different sports activities such as swimming, cricket and football. He is a qualified scuba diver and enjoys nature conservation as well. When he is at his happiest though, is when he is spending time with his family and friends.

    MS ELA/Math Teacher

    Lance Tober

    Lance completed his undergraduate studies at Grand Valley State University in his home state of Michigan, where he studied East Asian Studies and Mathematics. He went on to gain additional license in teaching English at the middle and high school level from the state of Massachusetts. Lance has been teaching middle and high school English and math classes in Taiwan for the past 6 years. As an educator Lance believes strongly in collaborative learning and providing students with a supportive learning environment. He believes that, no matter the subject, good communication skills and command of language are essential for success. Lance’s personal interests include SCUBA diving, snowboarding, and hiking.

    College Counselor

    Damian Williams

    Damian Williams received his M.S. in Applied Linguistics from the University at Albany. He has since worked at a variety of settings, including  university intensive English language programmes, various literacy initiatives for refugees and immigrants, and both public and international high schools in Taiwan. Most recently, he has worked as a student counsellor with NCUK, a pre-university progression in the UK, and has had students progress to universities in the UK, Australia, Italy, and New Zealand. He has also completed university counselling and admissions agent credentials in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, and is in the process of completing an IB Educator Certificate programme with the University of Windsor in Canada and a PGCE from Moreland University in the US. In his free time, he enjoys ice hockey, lakes, and saunas.

    General Affairs Assistant
    Robin Liu

    rliu@tyas.tyc.edu.tw

    Robin joined Taoyuan American School in 2018. He grew up in Taiwan and graduated from the Republic of China Army Official School. After graduation, he served in the Army Airborne Special Forces, specializing in integrated combat techniques. He is the general assistant of TYAS. He loves sports, and participates in marathons and triathlons..

    Students Affairs Assistant
    Indigo Hsu

    ihsu@tyas.tyc.edu.tw

    Indigo joined TYAS in 2018, She graduated from Tainan National University of Arts, majoring material arts and design, and she has been working as an illustrator and a ceramic artist for years. After being an artist-in-residency in US, now she is an assistant in the student affairs office in TYAS. She loves traveling, reading and making ceramic sculptures in her leisure time.

    Nurse
    Amber Chang

    achang@tyas.tyc.edu.tw

    Amber joined TYAS in 2018. She was born and grew up in Taiwan. She graduated from Chang Gung University of Science and Technology with a major in nursing. She is a Taiwan Registered Professional Nurse and has BLS (Basic Life Support) certification. She loves traveling , listening to music and outdoor activities.