Farewell to the leaving upper school faculty

By Amber Wu (‘23)

As the 2022-2023 school year comes to an end, the Taipei American School (TAS) community will bid farewell to several faculty members, including Upper School Principal Mr. Andrew Lowman (he/him), Political Science Teacher Ms. Beth Clarke (she/her) and History Teacher Mr. Luke Walker (he/him).

Mr. Lowman walking down the hallways, chatting with other faculty members, is a familiar scene to the upper school community. Now, after 14 years at TAS, he will be embarking on his next journey in the U.S. after this school year.

Upon arriving at TAS in 2009, Mr. Lowman initially worked as a personal academic counselor. He has since worked as a college counselor, the director of college counseling, the upper school associate principal and now the upper school principal.

It is difficult for Mr. Lowman to pinpoint one favorite memory during his time at TAS as all students have different passions. “One of the most incredible things about our school in our community is the sheer amount of incredible things happening that we consider

After four years of teaching political science courses and serving as the assistant coach for the Speech and Debate team, Ms. Clarke has decided to pursue her dream of becoming an Episcopal priest in the U.S.

After teaching in the U.S. for 16 years, Ms. Clarke wanted to gain the experience of teaching abroad, so she applied for a political science teacher position at TAS and began teaching here in 2019.

When Ms. Clarke initially moved to Taiwan, she encountered challenges involving adjusting to a new environment. “A lot of my big obstacles were just learning

After wrapping up an activity-filled Advanced Placement (AP) European History class, Mr. Walker realizes that his eight years in Taiwan, just like the contents taught in his classes, will soon become history after his move back to the U.S. this summer.

When Mr. Walker first arrived at TAS in 2015, he had to alter his teaching methods to support students’ academic achievements. “It’s no secret that TAS is a high academic performing environment, so coming in, I had to adjust to the culture for the first couple of years,” he said. “I needed to rethink some of the practices that I did for different lengths of class time.” to just be normal,” he said. “Everywhere you look, there’s life and there’s things happening. I think the incredible thing about our community is just how many wonderful opportunities there are for students and how students throw their whole heart into it.”

Throughout his years at TAS, Mr. Walker reminisces the most about the first few years where he created fun and engaging activities for his AP World History students.

The biggest obstacle that Mr. Lowman faced throughout his years as the upper school principal was ensuring that students were able to learn effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The COVID-19 years would be kind of the subtitle of my time as principal, and I am so proud of our community over the past four years and the resilience of students,” he said. “I’ve seen some of the most incredible work done by teachers as they have had to rethink everything to be able to provide [lessons] online or to be able to still make things happen even though there were all how to overcome the culture shock of moving to someplace so different from where I was from,” she said. “But then once I adjusted to those things, I actually found my life here very pleasant: The students here are really kind and easy to work with.”

Throughout her time at TAS, Ms. Clarke’s favorite memory was chaperoning Frolic last semester. “It was a moment of just such joy because it was like really one of the first dances that the school had been able to have [since the pandemic],” she said. “Just to be able to see kids having fun and not being worried about COVID restrictions and the faculty getting to spend time together has just been such a relief because everyone

“I remember laughing and having a really good time with my first classes in 2015 and 2016. We used to do some things that I no longer do in AP World Historyjust because the course has changed, which were a little more creative, a little more silly, and it was fun to see kids relaxed that way,” he said. “The Napoleon trials in AP European [History] and Ghengis Khan trials in AP World [History] were entertaining to watch kids be a little more creative, a little more expressive and engaged with the history they’ve learned.”

Something that Mr. Walker learned during his time at TAS is to be as authentic in the classroom as possible to establish and elevate the relationship between him and his students.

“Authenticity in the classroom is something that’s really important as it drives positive learning experiences and good teaching. Never once was I ever afraid to just these government restrictions in place.”

Mr. Lowman will return to Raleigh, North Carolina after this school year to spend more time with his family and loved ones.

“I’m a firm believer in that when you leave someplace you should leave happy, and I’m very happy. I love TAS and I love Taiwan,” he said. “I am thrilled that I get to leave a school I love and when I’m happy. There are lots of things pulling [me] back to the U.S. at this time in terms of just being closer to family and makes it the right time for us to start our next adventure.”

Ultimately, Mr. Lowman has loved being a faculty member at TAS and believes that the main takeaway during his time at the school is that what makes TAS special is the people. “As a member of the faculty, I have always been just blown away by the people I get to work with and by the students: learned how to have fun again.”

Ms. Clarke will be moving to Virginia in the fall, where she will be learning to become an Episcopal priest at Virginia Theological Seminary for the next three years. “This is something I’ve thought about for a really long time. This transition has been very planned out,” she said. “I’m sad to leave, but not for another teaching job: I’m leaving because I’ve totally changed careers.”

Overall, Ms. Clarke will miss how welcoming and friendly the people in Taiwan have been to her. “I have never been in a situation on campus or off campus where someone was unwilling to help me,” she said. “In the interpersonal interactions be myself in the class to teach or speak to students and young minds in a manner that I felt was not only appropriate, but supportive,” he said. “It’s also really important to remember the growing pains that I went through as an adult and as an educator, that one thing you can hold true to is being yourself.”

Mr. Walker will be taking a sabbatical year in Michigan following the end of the school year and will search for a new job after living in Taiwan for 11 years.

Overall, Mr. Walker appreciates the good experiences and support in the community. “I’ve had a good teaching experience and I’ve been lucky to have significant support from the community over the past several years when I really needed it to be there for me,” he said. “Sometimes we forget that we’re a community because we work so hard and are always chasing that one thing, but just remembering where you are in line upon the

The people really make this place,” he said. “Obviously we also have incredible facilities and programs, but all of those come because of the people, who are just amazing and do incredible things.”

I’ve had with people here, they are just so helpful and kind, and I will always take that with me.”

Chris S. runs Tomorrow Taipei, a sustainable fashion brand

By Aina Chen (‘26)

Tomorrow Taipei is a student-run sustainable fashion brand founded by Chris S. (‘24, he/him). Chris sells items such as t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts through his website. By running his business online, Chris is able to reach an international audience and can easily promote the clothing line.

Chris started his business during the summer of 2021. He was prompted to start a clothing line because of his interest in business and his concern about the negative impact of fast fashion on the environment.

Through his sustainable fashion business, Chris wanted to make the biggest impact possible by prioritizing the environment before revenue. The fashion industry often produces clothes made of synthetic fibers that are not biodegradable and are destructive to the environment. According to Chris, Tomorrow Taipei uses 100% cotton approved by the Global Organic Textile Standard which also reduces water consumption by 243 liters per garment. This reduction in water usage contributes to the conservation of resources, especially in the face of clothing manufacturers’ significant consumption of water. Chris added that the use of cotton also reduces carbon emissions and prevents around 1.7 grams of microplastic from entering the ocean.

The process of creating the business was not easy for Chris, as he had to undertake many steps and effectively execute his plans to ensure the success of his business. Before launching his business, Chris first had to build a website, hire the right designers and find the right manufacturing companies. “Since I was going to be an online business, my website is basically

[my] brand name,” Chris said. “It [also] took a long time to figure out which manufacturers are actually sustainable and supporting the social fashion message.”

Throughout the entire process, it was crucial for Chris to keep the message of sustainability in mind, ensuring that he found the right materials and selected the most environmentally friendly manufacturing company. In addition to that, Chris also had to coordinate with shipping companies and market his clothing line through platforms such as Facebook. Chris was able to break even, which is when the revenue an individual generates in their business is equal to the investments they have put in.

Customers also expressed their appreciation for Tomorrow Taipei’s commitment to sustainability. “I really like the values that he

Tomorrow Taipei sells clothing online. [LOGO COURTESY OF CHRIS S.] is promoting and I think that the style and designs of the clothes are also really cool,” Will Hsu (‘24) said.“I think Tomorrow Taipei’s clothing is unique in its style and has great quality,” said Simon R (‘24), one of Chris’ first customers who has supported him along this journey.

Even though it would be difficult to shift the business to the U.S. after Chris graduates, he hopes to spread the message of sustainability in his social entrepreneurship ventures in the future.

SUMMER BREAK TRAVEL DREAMS: SUMMER BREAK TRAVEL DREAMS:

where TAS students want to travel

“I want to travel to the south of France or any coastal city in Europe because I love the beach.”

“I would like to taste all the delicious food and visit all the beautiful places in Paris and Rome.”

“I want to go to Sydney, Australia to see the Sydney Opera House.”

“I want to go to Ontario, Cananda. I think it would be pretty cool to check out the Niagara Falls.”

“I want to travel to the Maldives because the pictures look absolutely breathtaking.”

“I haven’t been to Tokyo, Japan in years, so I would really love to go back for the amazing food.”

“Buen Camino! I’m excited to walk from Portugal to Spain.”

“I’d love to visit Phuket, Thailand because I want to experience the beautiful places and culture!”

“I would love to visit the volcanoes in Hawaii and to take photos of the view.”