Secondary

Mr. Luke Abbott MS English Language Arts and Science

Mr. Lucas Abbott is excited to join the AST community for the 2022-23 school year. He began his teaching career in 2008 as a high school PE and English teacher in Dalian, China. In 2010 he moved to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam where he taught grade 5 for two years. Since returning to Canada in 2012 he has been teaching grade 6 and 7 looping in middle school in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Lucas earned his Bachelor of Education at the University of Victoria, and his Master of Educational Leadership at Simon Fraser University. He enjoys connecting with his students beyond the walls of the classroom through coaching and clubs and has served as the first aid attendant at his school for the past 3 years. Lucas is moving to Taiwan with his wife, who will also be teaching at AST, and his two children who are enrolled to start the school year in August. His whole family is excited to start a new chapter in Taiwan with AST!

Ms. Yao-Wei Chang Chinese

Ms. Yaowei Chang has been teaching Chinese at AST for 15 years and is still very enthusiastic about teaching. AST provides a great learning environment for both students and teachers, so she enjoys sharing her knowledge and keeping up her passion for teaching and self-growth. Ms. Chang teaches Chinese for native speakers in the secondary. She believes that language learning should be fun and practical so she uses authentic materials in class. For the past 7 years, she has been the supervisor of the HS Red Cross Club, working with the students to be involved in first aid training, donating food to the Food Bank and coordinating culture exchanges with Fazhi ES (from rural Nantou County). This year, she will also be supervising the Interact Rotary Club and hopes to create more opportunities for students to become involved in community service. Ms. Chang is looking forward to the 20-21 academic year!

Mr. Tom Dodge AP Physics

Mr. Thomas (Tom) Dodge is excited to teach at AST for a ninth year! Prior to 14 years teaching experience in high school math and physics, Tom obtained a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Arizona conducting research and publishing papers on metal fatigue reliability of alloy steel. He also has 25 years industrial experience as a mechanical engineer in design and development of equipment used in the manufacturing of disk media and semiconductor products. Tom’s most recent classes include AP Physics, AP Statistics, Geometry and Algebra 2. Tom is looking forward to participating as faculty supervisor of the Badminton Club and Team joining in with the students' passion for the game. He lives in Dakeng and enjoys hiking and trekking in Taiwan’s mountains as well as playing the occasional game of golf.

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski Humanities and Secondary Assistant Principal

Mr. Ethan Dombkowski has been passionately teaching for the past 16 years, five of which have been at AST and the rest in Florida, USA. He will begin his sixth year at AST teaching 7th & 8th grade Social Studies, AP Human Geography, and AP Microeconomics, as well as fulfilling the role as the High School Student Government Advisor. He is a fervent lifelong learner who enjoys surfing, skateboarding, reading and any type of ocean/water activity. He is a proud father of 2 amazing boys and the lucky husband of Ximena Dombkowski who also teaches at AST.

Ms. Ximena Dombkowski Spanish

Ms. Ximena is looking forward to another year at AST. This will be her 4th year as a Spanish and Latino Culture teacher for the secondary where she teaches Spanish 1-4 and AP Spanish. Before moving to Taiwan, Ximena taught Spanish to high school students in Florida, USA for 5 years. Ximena is extremely passionate about the Spanish language and its culture and enjoys teaching the different levels of Spanish while incorporating her psychology and Life Coach expertise. She uses this to understand her students and to accommodate for each one’s learning style to maximize their growth and achievement. Ximena likes to travel, cook and spend time with her husband and two teenage boys. She is Colombian and likes to share her culture and histories in and outside the classroom.

Dr. Madeline Gonzalez HS Mathematics

Dr. Madeline Gonzalez is excited about learning and returning to teach for the 2020-2021 year. Prior to working at AST, Madeline taught mathematics in Shanghai, was a researcher for two years in Estonia, and taught at numerous universities and state colleges in Florida. She earned her BS in Mathematics Education and MA in Applied Mathematics at the University of South Florida and her PhD in Cryptography at Florida Atlantic University. Madeline believes in the potential for all students to succeed in math and ensures high expectations combined with lots of support. She finds inspiration in seeing her AST students grow academically and socially.

Ms. Lily Hsu HS Science

Ms. Lily Hsu is excited to be back for her 16th year at AST. She is from Southern California; attended UCLA to get her bachelor of science degree in psycho-biology and her master's of education degree in science instruction. She taught in Los Angeles for three years before moving to Taiwan. This year, she is teaching chemistry, biology, and AP biology. She enjoys swimming, playing badminton, baking with her two kids, and traveling.

Ms. Megan McHugh MS English Language Arts and Science

Megan hails from Chicago, IL where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with an Endorsement in Middle School English, Science, and Social Studies from Judson University. Megan began her teaching career working for a Title 1 middle school as a 7th and 8th grade English/Language Arts teacher for three years where she taught inner city students from various socioeconomic backgrounds. During her time working with this population of students, Megan became the first teacher in the Midwest to be certified in AVID Excel which trains teachers to be a language coach for a school's EAL population. This training helps students, who speak more than one language, get on track for College and Career Readiness, as well as, build a closer academic relationship with the English content. Megan is going into her fourth year at AST, and excited to add Science to her list of content classes she is teaching. Megan also serves as the MS STUGO Coordinator, and WASC accreditation coordinator for AST. In her free time, Megan is currently working on her Masters in Education Administration from the University of Wyoming.

Ms. Laura Moye HS Social Studies, Model United Nations Coordinator

Ms. Moye is passionate about global citizenship and helping students develop as critical thinkers and lifelong learners. Ms. Moye grew up in Hong Kong, where she attended British and American schools. She has an M.A. in History with a teaching concentration from George Mason University and participated in a two-year teaching fellowship at Stanford University. After being a student activist for human rights for five years, Ms. Moye developed a fifteen-year advocacy career with Amnesty International USA. She transitioned into teaching, her "college plan A" in Washington, DC, where she taught history and geography for five years. Ms. Moye loves living in Taiwan and helping students make connections and contributions to real-world issues.

Mr. Tim Michael Secondary Humanities

Timothy (Tim) Michael is happy to be starting his ninth year at AST teaching sixth and seventh grade social studies, film criticism for middle school students, and interior design for high school students. Prior to teaching at AST, Tim taught humanities at Morrison Academy Kaohsiung for seven years, and was the Library/Media Coordinator for two of those years. Tim was also a librarian before becoming a teacher. Education captured him and he received his M.Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan University through a residency program located in Tianjin and Beijing. As an Army "brat," Tim attended Kindergarten at Morrison Academy Taichung, first grade at Taipei American School and attended five different schools in the U.S. and Hong Kong. He finally returned to Taiwan and graduated from Taipei American School. Tim now considers Taiwan his permanent home. Social studies has become his most enthusiastic focus, and he presented at the EARCOS Teacher's Conference in 2018. Tim looks forward to another year of helping students discover the history of the world, and how/why it matters.

Ms. Jordan O'Brien Grade 8 Math, HS Geometry and Algebra II

Jordan O’Brien is thrilled to be joining the AST team for the 2022-23 school year! Ms. O'Brien earned her Bachelor of Science and Arts in Mathematics at the University of Texas along with a certificate in Business Foundations. She has been teaching high school math in Austin, Texas for the past three years. Ms. O’Brien is passionate about helping students see the beauty of math and the way it manifests in the world around us. She is looking forward to meeting all of her new students and getting to experience life in Taiwan.

Ms. Suzanne Pearson MS Science

Suzanne Pearson is returning to AST for her 3rd year as a middle school science and high school environmental science teacher. She has 13 years teaching experience. Ms. Pearson has taught high school math for 11 years in Olympia, Washington and science for 2 years at AST. She holds a B.A. in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University in Bothell Washington, a Master's in Teaching from St. Martin’s University in Lacey, Washington and she is a National Board Certified Teacher in EA Mathematics. Ms. Pearson believes that experience is the best teacher and learning by doing is an important part of the process in acquiring and deepening understanding. As a triathlon and swim coach, Ms. Pearson drives home the importance of students doing the work in order to reach the finish line. Much of teaching is coaching, helping students find that they have what it takes to be successful is a skill that they will use their entire life. Suzanne was born in Taipei, as the US air force brought her family here in the early 1970s. She spent the first 45 years of her life in the great Pacific Northwest swimming, camping, hiking and biking. Ms. Pearson is now living in Taichung with her husband and youngest son. She and her husband have a total of 6 children and two grandchildren back in the United States!

Mr. Joel Sparks HS English and AP English Language and Composition

Mr. Joel Sparks is delighted to be joining AST’s learning community for the 2022-23 school year. Joel began his teaching career as an EAL teacher in Korean public schools, and his teaching journey has since taken him home to Canada and onwards to Turkey and China. Joel will be moving to Taiwan from Dalian, China, where he currently teaches English Language Arts, Film Studies, and AP English Language and Composition. Joel holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from the Universities of Saskatchewan and Ottawa as well as a Bachelor of Education from Nipissing University. A lover of stories and outdoor adventures, he enjoys books, films, and video games alongside trekking, motorcycling, and photography. Joel looks forward to sharing his passion for living, learning, and personal growth with the students at AST next year.

Ms. Tisa Spinelli MS Mathematics

Ms. Spinelli is excited to begin her sixth year at AST in the Secondary Mathematics Department. She has her Master's Degree in Early Childhood Education, a K-8 Math Endorsement, and an ESOL Endorsement from Georgia State University. Ms. Spinelli is passionate about building a strong community with her students and the families of AST. Before coming to Taiwan, Ms. Spinelli taught in the Guangxi province of China and in Atlanta, Georgia (USA). In her free time, she loves to study Mandarin and explore the islands and beaches of Taiwan!

Mr. Johnson Ting Computer Science/Robotics

Mr. Johnson Ting, though originally from Taichung, has been in Canada most of his life. He completed his Master’s degree in Digital Learning and Education at National Taiwan Institute of Science and Technology, a Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia and a Diploma of Technology Education from British Columbia Institute of Technology in 2012. In addition to his degrees, he has self-taught all the computer science skills he needed and has been making websites, fixing tech, and automating processes for businesses since he was 11. This led him to a plethora of experiences in both tech and education. Johnson is a jack-of-all-trades and able to help with almost anything, and if he can't he can probably point you towards someone who does. He has taught everything from Woodwork and Goldsmithing to Robotics and AP Computer Science. Having worked in the tech industry, he emphasizes practical and technical skills in the courses he teaches to prepare students for the real world. He pushes students to build connections with the community by building projects and websites.