HSINCHU
AMERICAN
SCHOOL
Your Future Begins Here
Teachers
Ms. Burden, Marie-Louise
Ms. Burden will be going into her sixth year of teaching at HAS and loves being a part of the HAS family. This year, she will be stepping into the role of middle and elementary chair as well as teaching Life Science and elementary and middle school PE. Alongside these classes, Ms. Burden will also be advising the Middle School Student Council and be the academic advisor for 7th grade.
Ms. Burden studied Human Movement Science and Recreation at North-West University in South Africa. She also has her Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of South Africa and her Masters in Education from The College of New Jersey. Ms. Burden is from Johannesburg, South Africa, and is in her 11th year of teaching in Taiwan. Before moving to Taiwan, she taught in South Africa and also coached and managed various sports teams. She has extensive experience teaching English Language Learners (ESL) of various levels and enjoys being outdoors in her free time.
Mrs. Ferris, Brittney
Mrs. Ferris will be entering her second year at HAS. Last year, she taught in middle school teaching literature, social studies, math, and writing to 5th graders, as well as writing to 6th graders. For this 2022-2023 school year, she's joining the elementary team as the 5th grade teacher! She looks forward to teaching all subjects, especially science, because she enjoys doing science experiments!
Mrs. Ferris is from Seattle, USA, and graduated from Washington State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Her teaching journey began in South Korea, but she has spent the last eight years teaching in Taiwan with her husband. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her daughter and husband, as well as exercising, playing board games, crafting, traveling, and watching movies.
Mr. Ferris, Patrick
Mr. Ferris is excited to return to HAS this year as a full time teacher. Last year, he taught AP Economics. This year, he will be teaching marketing, ESL, physical science, high school physics, and AP physics. He has 8 years of experience teaching and traveling in Asia, but has spent the majority of his time overseas in Taiwan.
Mr. Ferris was born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, and received a Bachelor of Science in Meteorology and Economics from The Ohio State University. He loves learning new things, playing competitive games and sports, and taking care of his amazing daughter and wife.
Mr. Hall, Mitchell
Mr. Hall will be entering his fourth year at HAS as the Associate Principal. He will also be teaching AP Chemistry and Biology. Mr. Hall taught middle school and high school science in a number of schools in Queensland, before moving to Taiwan in 2019. He is passionate about teaching and loves the sense of community and family that is HAS.
Hailing from the sunny Gold Coast in Australia, Mr. Hall has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Queensland, and a Graduate Diploma of Education from the Queensland University of Technology. He is a lover of the ocean and water and spends his free time swimming, surfing, and fishing.
Mr. Kloppers, Alexander
Mr. Kloppers will be returning to HAS as a full-time teacher in 2022. He will be teaching AP Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Grade 6 Math, and Grade 6 Earth Science. Mr. Kloppers is from the East Coast of Australia where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science from The University of Queensland and is currently completing his Masters of Secondary Teaching at The University of New England. He has experience working and living internationally for a number of years, finding inspiration and passion for teaching. In his free time, Mr. Kloppers likes to explore the mountains and environment of Taiwan.
Mr. Kudra, Michael
This is Mr. Kudra’s third year at HAS as the 2nd-grade homeroom teacher. He teaches his students the core subjects of Reading, Writing, Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies. He is from Dearborn, Michigan in the United States and has lived in Hsinchu for the past 4 years. He has been teaching in Asia for over thirteen years, in both Taiwan and South Korea, mostly with younger learners in grades K-6. He brings lots of positive energy and enthusiasm into his classroom and strives to create a fun and productive learning environment for his students.
Mr. Kudra has a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University, a Master’s Degree in Education with an emphasis on Teaching Multilingual Learners from Moreland University, and an elementary education teaching license from the state of Hawaii. He loves being a part of the HAS team and looks forward to having a fantastic year with all of the students!
Mrs. Lai, May
Mrs. Lai is thrilled to be back for her second year at HAS. She will be teaching Elementary and Middle School Art, AP Studio Art, and Art History. She has over 10 years of experience teaching English and common core curriculum to young and adult learners. She believes art is a universal language, and visual art can be used as an entry point to critical thinking in other disciplines. She is particularly interested in teaching process art, which favors creativity, expression and experimentation over a final product.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she attended inner-city public schooling where she formed meaningful relationships with individuals from diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds. She later attended Oberlin College to earn a B.A. in Art History, National Chiao Tung University for an MBA, and most recently, The College of New Jersey for her teacher certification.
Mrs. Lai enjoys nature walks, good food, meditating and doing nothing!
Mr. Loi, Enoch
Mr. Loi is excited to be back at HAS for his fourth year. He will be teaching British Literature, AP Literature and Composition, World Geography, and High School P.E. He will also be serving as the Athletic Director.
Mr. Loi grew up in sunny Southern California and received a Bachelor's Degree in Literary Journalism and a Minor in Education from the University of California, Irvine in 2011. After graduating from college, Mr. Loi came to Taiwan to live, travel, and directly experience his family’s cultural background. While in Taiwan, he discovered a passion for teaching and returned to UC Irvine where he completed a Master of Arts in Teaching with an English Language Arts credential.
In his free time, Mr. Loi enjoys reading, exploring Taiwan's beautiful natural environments, and practicing movement.
Mr. Luther, Jeff
Mr. Luther is very excited to begin his first year at HAS. He will teach 7th and 8th grade
Writing and Literature as well as Journalism. Mr. Luther holds a B.A. in English Literature, and an M.A. in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Idaho. He also completed his certification as a college admissions counselor through the University of California San Diego.
A joyful nerd at heart, Mr. Luther loves reading, writing, gaming, and all things science fiction and fantasy related.
He hopes to inspire in his students the same love of literature that has helped shape his own life.
Mr. Murphy, Camren
Mr. Cam (Mr. Murphy was already taken) is returning for his second year at HAS. He is teaching 6th, 7th, & 8th grade Social Studies, Modern World History, and AP Modern World History. He will be serving as the director of the Model United Nations.
Born and raised in Southern California, Mr. Cam earned a Bachelor’s in Liberal Studies Learning & Teaching and a Social Studies/History Teaching Credential. He has been teaching in the US and abroad for the last five years.
Mr. Cam enjoys traveling, hiking, playing guitar, and reading.
Mrs. Román, Denise
Mrs. Román is entering her third year at HAS. This year, she is looking forward to teaching at the high school level for Introduction to Literature, Introduction to Writing, and American Literature as well as the middle school level for 6th Grade Literature and 6th Grade Writing.
Mrs. Román graduated with a Masters degree in 2010 from Long Island, New York with a dual certification in Special Education and English for grades 7-12. She taught in New York public schools for middle and high school before moving to Asia in 2012. Since living in Asia, Mrs. Román has taught in all levels ranging from Kindergarten to university. Although she has been an educator for over ten years, she has taken extensive professional development courses throughout the years to continuously grow as an educator.
Mrs. Román is an avid reader of nonfiction and mystery novels. She also enjoys music, dancing, biking, and taking road trips around Taiwan. Within the past two years, Mrs. Román has cycled both the East and West coast of Taiwan. She hopes to continue her cycling journey in different parts of the world.
Mr. Thompson, Shane
This will be Mr. Thompson’s fifth year at HAS. He will be teaching the grade 4 Homeroom which includes, Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing, and Literature. Mr. Thompson will also be running after school clubs and will be very active in sports activities at school all year long.
Mr. Thompson earned his Bachelor of Arts with a History major and English minor in 2006. He earned his Bachelor of Education in 2017 and went on to his Masters in the following year. Mr. Thompson is from eastern Canada but has been living in Taiwan for 11 years. Mr. Thompson has also taught in an immersion program for 6 years teaching English full-time to Taiwanese students. Mr. Thompson is very active and loves hiking, sports, and playing board games whenever possible with friends and students alike. He focuses on creating a fun, and entertaining learning environment for his students.
Mr. Shantz, Aaron
Mr. Shantz is excited to start his third year here at HAS. This year, Mr. Shantz will be teaching World Literature, Sociology, AP Psychology, AP Research, and College Essay, an eclectic mix to be sure! Mr. Shantz is also extremely happy to be helping to coach the boy's basketball team with Mr. Loi.
Mr. Shantz graduated with an MA and has completed all of his doctoral coursework in sociology at the University of Toronto, with a specialization in the sociology of knowledge and education. Mr. Shantz has over 10 years of teaching experience in both Canada and Taiwan at the university, high school, middle school, and elementary levels.
In his free time, Mr. Shantz loves to run, play basketball, read and listen to music. Mr. Shantz is truly thankful to be spending this third year in the unique culture and community here at HAS. Go Wolves!
Ms. Sliger, Rebecca
Ms. Sliger is very excited about starting her first year at HAS and is thrilled about teaching Grade 1. Ms. Sliger is originally from Nashville, Tennessee, and received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee in Psychology and a minor in Exercise Health Science. She is currently in the process of getting her teaching license through the University of West Florida, specializing in ESOL, English Speakers of Other Languages. Ms. Sliger has been teaching abroad since 2009, but most of that time (10 years) has been in Taiwan. She has also taught in South Korea and Poland.
In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, cycling, and baking.
Ms. Tsai, Teresa
This will be Ms. Tsai’s fifth year at HAS. She teaches Math courses from Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Statistics, Precalculus, and AP Calculus AB/BC. She coaches students in the HAS Math Team, helping them gain confidence in advanced Math activities. She also helps with the Math/Science Homework Club and co-advises the 10th graders with Mr. Loi.
Ms. Tsai received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Sydney, double-majoring in Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics. Prior to becoming a teacher, she worked for several multinational companies with people of diverse backgrounds from around the world. Her work experience enables her to enhance her students by relating mathematical concepts to the real world so that they can use them in everyday situations.
Mr. Wiebe, Dennis
Mr. Dennis will be teaching 3rd grade homeroom in his first year at HAS. He teaches the core subjects of Reading, Writing, Science, Mathematics, and Social Studies. He is originally from Canada but has lived in Taiwan for approximately 15 years. He has 18 years of teaching experience in Canada, Taiwan, Mexico and Bahrain. Mr. Dennis holds a Bachelor of Arts as well as a Bachelor of Education Degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. He also holds a Master Degree and wrote his thesis on Cooperative Learning in the Elementary Classroom. Along with many years of homeroom teacher experience, Mr. Dennis also has experience as a Curriculum Coordinator and an Elementary School Department Head. He has high expectations for all of his students and looks forward to helping them succeed by creating a cooperative, fun and safe learning community in his classroom. His hobbies include traveling, hiking, swimming, cycling, river tracing and scuba diving.
Ms. Wu, Yuan
Ms. Wu is thrilled to start her first year here at HAS as a music teacher. She teaches elementary and middle school music classes, high school band, and high school music appreciation.
She was born in Logan, Utah and grew up in Taiwan and began her music education at the age of six. Throughout her youth, she participated a number of music festivals and won prizes at many local competitions. In 2008, Ms. Wu moved to the United States to attend Michigan State University as a piano performance major student. In the fall of 2013, Ms. Wu joined the Master of Music program at Arizona State University. During her masters study, Ms. Wu participated and performed at PianoSummer, New Paltz, where she studied under well-renowned pianists.
Over the years, Ms. Wu also performed in several master classes, which were held by world-class pianists. Ms. Wu earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance at the University of North Texas in 2021. During her study, she participated in the Young Texas Artists Music Competition and the Lyric Academy Festival in Vicenza, Italy. Besides performing on stage, Ms. Wu is also passionate about piano pedagogy, she minored in piano pedagogy during her Doctoral Degree studies, and she is a music instructor at local music school. Ms. Wu had extensive experience teaching music classes and piano lessons to all ages and levels.
In her free time, she loves to enjoy delicious food, traveling, and spending time with family. Ms. Wu is truly grateful to begin her first year journey at HAS.
Mr. Young, Lee
Mr. Lee Young will be joining us for his first year at HAS. He is an expat Canadian who has lived and taught in Taiwan for 8 years and China for 3 years. His expat life has also included various places in Europe and the Caribbean.
Mr. Young received a bachelor's in Classical Studies at York University in Toronto and has augmented his education with math, and computer science courses. He has taught in Asia for the past 11 years and he is looking forward to working with the students in the Robotics club, and teaching Computer Science and Math.
In addition to spending time with his family, Mr. Young enjoys reading, practicing jiu-jitsu, and tinkering with his computer in his spare time.
Mr. Chaperon, Philippe
Mr. Chaperon is the French teacher for the eighth consecutive year in HAS. This year, he's teaching French levels I, II and III.
Mr. Chaperon is from Nantes (a city in western France) and has been living in Taiwan for ten years. Mr. Chaperon studied Secondary Education in Nantes and graduated in 2000. He also obtained an academic degree in BTS Force de Vente (specialization in Professional sales qualification). He simultaneously did Writing Classical Music studies in the conservatory of Nantes. He has played pipe organ since he was 15 years old.
Mr. Chaperon is from Nantes (city in western France) and has been living in Taiwan for ten years. Mr. Chaperon studied Secondary Education in Nantes and graduated in 2000. He also obtained an academic degree in BTS Force de Vente (specialization in Professional sales qualification). He simultaneously did Writing Classical Music studies in the conservatory of Nantes. He has played pipe organ since he was 15 years old.
Mr. Pérez, Ivan
Mr. Pérez is excited to continue being part of the HAS family as the Spanish teacher for six consecutive years. He will be teaching Spanish I, II, and III. Mr. Pérez received his Bachelor degree in Engineering of Opto-Mechatronics and Materials at the University of Chung Hua located in Hsinchu, Taiwan. He also studied a master’s degree in Technology Management and Business Administration at the same University.
Mr. Pérez is from Mexico and has been living, studying, and teaching in Taiwan for over 10 years. Before arriving in Taiwan, he also lived in Montreal, Canada for three years. His thrilling experience of learning languages such as Spanish, English, French, and Chinese awakened a passion for teaching and sharing the Hispanic Language and Culture.
