About Us
Dominican International School is a Catholic, private, English medium school owned and governed by the Dominican Sisters.
Dominican International School is a Catholic, private, English medium school owned and governed by the Dominican Sisters.
Sr. Ma. Zenaida T Ancheta, O.P has over 40 years valuable experience as an educator. This includes serving as a dietary manager in educational and other institutions. She holds a Master’s degree in Education (Private School Administration) under the Institute for Catholic Education at the University of San Francisco, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education with a major in Home Economics and minors in Art and Music. Furthermore she took a correspondence course in Food Service Management from the Catholic Health Association in the U.S., as well as a Dietary Manager Independent Study course from the University of Florida.
As a young Dominican missionary, she was sent from the Philippines to the Province of St. Ferrer mission in Taiwan to continue her apostolate to minister to the young and the elderly. Furthermore,she served as a Dietary Manager/Nutritionist at the St. Dominic Senior Care Home in Barrigada, Guam (USA). Her steady vision and results-driven management style led to her taking up the position of Principal at the Dominican Catholic School in Guam, which she held for many years until the school was WASC/WCEA accredited. She joined the DIS Administration in 2014/15 to oversee this school’s accreditation process, which will be concluded during the 2016/17 academic year. Her vision has been translated into many positive results in the school.
Ms. Coney Catalan-Pido holds a Master's Degree in Education major in Educational Management. She finished and completed her master's at Atlantic International University. She is also a licensed teacher and has more than ten years of teaching experience in the Philippines, both in local and private elementary schools. She has previously served as the Executive Secretary, Registrar, and Student Affairs Coordinator for The Dominican School of Cebu for five years.
She has been the School Registrar & Admission Officer for DIS-Taipei since 2013 up to the present.
Ms. Iris Chang holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science, and has been at DIS since 2003. Prior to 2003, she worked as a Librarian in academic libraries in California, Wyoming & New Mexico in the United States and also worked in Human Resources in Silicon Valley, California. Ms. Iris has an interest in business and took business courses while employed by academic libraries in the university setting. She also organized a series of well-received employee benefits workshops while employed by UC-Santa Cruz. Ms Iris is not shy to go the extra mile for teachers and students, especially the Grade 12 students when they do research for their Senior Project. She is very organized and everyone is proud of the efficient DIS Library.
Mr. Ian holds an advanced degree in Computer Technology from the Hagonoy Institute of Technology, a Bachelor’s of Secondary Education from St. Paul’s College of Ilocos Sur, as well as a Bachelor’s of Science in Information Technology from St. Paul University in the Philippines. His certifications include web design and multimedia communication as well as a teaching licensure for secondary education. He has been with DIS for the past nineteen years and currently teaches ICT (Information and Communications Technology) in the middle school and is the Management Information Technology Head and Audio/Visual Supervisor. He is also involved in and leads various technological changes such as the modernization of equipment planning/design in DIS Taipei and DIS Kaohsiung. He is responsible for the layout and design of the yearbook, is an accomplished photographer, and was responsible for the cover design of the school’s accreditation self-study. He is also the recipient of many certificates of appreciation for the excellent service that he provides the school. Mr Ian is a member of the DIS Steering Committee that oversees the execution of the school’s School-wide Action Plan and all other accreditation-related tasks.
Sr. Rosa Dabhi, CCV, (Carmelite Sisters of Charity of Vedruna) is a qualified and certified teacher hailing from India, who has served Dominican International School for over ten years. She taught in both India and Taiwan, teaching both English and Religion.
Dr. Mercia de Souza holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership, and Master’s degrees in Applied Linguistics and Marketing Management. She also holds a Post-Graduate Higher Diploma in Education, a Bachelor’s degree with three full majors – English Literature, Psychology, and Afrikaans and Dutch Literature and Linguistics. She has been involved in numerous aspects of Education for four decades. In South Africa, her country of origin, she was a High School teacher, but after eleven years in the classroom, she left the school environment to become Head of the Education Division at the South African Institute of Marketing Management (IMM) where she became an accreditation specialist, developing the Institute’s accreditation process. In 2000, while she was Head of Education at the Institute of Administration and Commerce of Southern Africa (IACSA) in Cape Town, she was awarded Fellow Membership for Life for her contribution to education in Southern Africa, especially in the field of accreditation, by the IACSA. In 2001 she was recruited for Samsung’s elite Globalization Team in South Korea, but after three years in the corporate world she became International Relations and Marketing Manager at a Korean university. She has been at DIS for almost a decade. In 2006 she was awarded a gold medal by the University of Moscow for her contribution to International Education, and in January 2015, she was awarded a certificate of recognition for her contribution to Education by Phi Delta Kappa (PDK) International, a U.S. professional organization for educators, for the work she is doing with Global Issues Network students at DIS. The school awarded her the DIS Star Service Award for her major role in getting the school WASC accredited. During her many years in education, she published texts books and study notes, wrote prospectuses and marketing materials for a number of academic institutions, and published numerous education-related articles in newsletters, magazines and journals. She is a regular speaker at international conferences
Ms Apao Hsu holds an Advanced Diploma in Business. She is a graduate from Blessed Imelda, a DIS sister school. She has been with DIS for the past thirteen years. Prior to working at the school, she worked for a travel agency for ten years, and was in the insurance business for eight.
Ms. Milagrosa “ Agosh” Librea has a Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in Social Studies, a Bachelor of Theology, and a Certificate in Philosophy. Furthermore she has Master’s degrees in Education (Child Study) and Philosophy. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Philosophy. She attended several Chinese courses and speaks the language fluently. Furthermore, she studied many aspects of Theology at institutions in Rome (Italy), Spain, the Philippines, and India. Ms Agosh is certified to teach from lower school to university level. In spite of her very busy schedule, she also teaches the DIS Community Service Program for Seniors.
Ms. Agosh has 15 years’ teaching experience at all levels both in the Philippines and Taiwan. Apart from teaching students, she also participates in training seminars for teachers covering the subjects of pedagogy and culture.
Ms. Agosh was the first graduate student in the Philippines to present a Master’s Thesis at International level with “A Comparative Study on Preschool Curriculum of Philippines and Taiwan.”
Mr. Joe Schoeman has been the DIS Curriculum and Academic Coordinator for the past 13 years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education, a Master’s degree equivalent in Psychology and a further Master’s degree in Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment. He is a certified and registered teacher. Before being promoted to his current position, Mr Joe was a DIS Grade 5 Homeroom Teacher for three years. He taught in his home country, South Africa, in public schools for three years before coming to Taiwan. During 2015, Mr. Joe was invited by WASC to join an accreditation team (Visiting Committee) to visit a school in Taiwan.
Mr. Tank Tien holds a Master’s Degree in Education Policy Making and Leadership. He has been at DIS since 2004 and is currently the Perfect of Discipline and the Chinese Language Subject Leader. He has six years teaching experience in a Vocational High School before coming to DIS.
Ms. Sophie Tsou holds a Bachelor in Finance. She started her career at DIS, and has been here for the past nine years.
Mervin Villaroya has been teaching for fourteen years. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Management Technology. He is a qualified and licensed teacher. He has eleven years’ experience teaching ICT and held other positions such as Vice Principal for Discipline and Sports Director at Aquinas School in the Philippines. He is currently, studying towards a Masters’ degree in Education.
Mr. Samir Eddio holds a Bachelor of Secondary Education , a Diploma of Social Studies Education, and Certificates in Mandarin Chinese. He is a professional licensed teacher who hails from the Philippines. He has 21 years’ experience as a teacher, of which he has spent ten at DIS. Mr Samir is an accomplished singer and musician, who shares his talents when leading the singing during Mass, and occasionally entertaining the DIS family with his wonderful voice.
Mr. John Erick is currently enrolled in a Master’s of Religious Studies, Youth, and Young Adult Ministry program at Fordham Catholic University in New York City, USA. His other qualifications are in Philosophy and Theology from the Dominican Order of Preachers, Philippines; Religious Education at Sacred Heart College in Lucena City, Philippines; a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Sacred Heart College in Lucena City, Philippines; and completed professional units in Major in Values Education. He has a teaching license in Secondary Education from Sacred Heart, Philippines; a Certificate in Catechism from the Diocese of Manila, Philippines; and is an REAP (Religious Educators Association of the Philippines) active member at De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. He currently teaches Religious Studies to Grades 9 and 12. He also helps to facilitate DYM (D'TORCH Youth Ministry Leaders), DOMNET (Dominican Network), and the Mass altar servers. He is currently serving at the Hispanic Community as Choir Moderator, Blessed Sacrament Church (Vincentian Catholic Church) Shipai.
Dr. Pido is the school’s Athletic Director. He holds a Ph.D. in Physical Education, a Master’s degree in Health and Sport Science, a Master of Education in Sport and Coaching Science, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, with a minor in Sports Psychology. His teaching qualifications include being a registered Athletic Administrator, a certified teacher, a Certificate in Sports Performance, and being certified in Adult CPR/AED/First Aid from the International Association of Athletics Federations. He has been a varsity player since high school in basketball, volleyball and competed in track and field events. He has competed nationally and internationally, particularly in track and field. His previous experience includes coaching volleyball, basketball, and track and field events for several years as well as being a personal fitness trainer. He was the Founder and President of Filipino Sports and Fitness in Taiwan in 2015. During a National Collegiate Athletic Association Championship in 2010, he broke an 85-year record for throwing the javelin. He is currently a member of American College of Sports Medicine and a member of Global Human Research and Welfare Society. Dr Pido is an international presenter, who shares his extensive research at global conferences.
Dr. Edward Solis holds a Doctor of Science (ScD) major in Information Systems. He finished his doctorate at Atlantic International University. He finished his Masters in Education major in School Leadership at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines. He has twenty-three years of teaching experience before coming to DIS. He taught in numerous colleges and universities. He taught several subjects such as Physics, Algebra, Trigonometry, Statistics, Geometry, Drafting, Computer, Advertising and Accounting.
He was the Registrar of Aquinas School, an exclusive school for boys owned by the Dominican Fathers in San Juan, Philippines, for 12 years.
Currently, He is responsible in maintaining the school's website.
Arcel Joseph Amoguis teaches Religious Studies & English for Academic Purposes He is the holder of a Bachelor in Secondary Education majoring in English and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy. I has been teaching for ten years.. He has taught in four different Catholic schools in the Philippines, and worked as an English Academic Coordinator in a Bilingual School in Thailand before coming to DIS during the 2019/22 school year. He is currently teaching Religious Studies, Grades 8 and 9, and English for Academic Purposes Grade 10.
Mr. Stephen Black holds BA Honours, and MSc degrees, plus a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education and a Cambridge CELTA. He taught in his home country of Scotland before coming to Taiwan. He has been the Grade 5 Homeroom teacher for the past four years.
Ms. Lillian Chao graduated from the Chinese Culture University with a Master’s Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She has been teaching Chinese at DIS since 2001. She is serious about action research, and she presented her research at the Conference on Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Ming Chuan University 2014. She hopes that research could provide a feasible model for teachers of 2nd language in general, and Chinese in particular, to implement differentiated instruction in their classrooms. Ms Lilian is licensed to teach Chinese as a Second Language.
Mr. Jofil holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education. He has been teaching Art from 2006 to the present school year and is currently teaching Visual Arts, Sculpture, Design, and AP Art courses. His previous experience includes teaching Visual Arts in a Special Program for the Arts at Iloilo National High School in the Philippines. He was also Coordinator for Visual Arts in the entire province. He participated in and coached various art competitions including a global art competition for which he won the grand prize. Mr. Jofil co-authored an instructional handbook for teachers and students while at university.
Ms. Robeth is currently enrolled in a doctoral program in Education in Curriculum Development and holds a Master’s degree of Education in Reading, a Master’s degree in Education in English as a Second Language, as well as a Bachelor of Secondary Education with a major in English. She is a Licensed Teacher and currently teaches English for Academic Purposes. Her experience includes being a resource person for Diagnosis and Remediation of Reading Difficulties; Production Adviser for Creative Writing; and an Academic Coordinator teacher for Research, Creative Writing, Academic and Professional Purposes, and general Reading and Writing.
Mr. Erwin holds a Bachelor’s of Sports Science degree from the University of Santo Tomas. He has been coaching track & field athletes as well as basketball players for the past years and currently teaches PE and Health classes. He enjoys sharing with students not only the skills that they need to be good athletes, but also the skills of working together in teams.
Ms. Janice holds a BSc degree in Home Economics, a post-graduate diploma in Education, and she is a licensed educator. She is currently a facilitator for Senior Project and teaches Family and Consumer Science as well as Middle School Science. Her previous teaching experience includes 6 years of teaching Home Economics to Grade 9-12, and at DIS teaching a variety of subjects in the fourteen years that she has been at the school. She is a member of the DIS Steering Committee that oversees the execution of the school’s School-wide Action Plan and all other accreditation-related tasks, and she serves as a member of the school’s Recruitment Committee. She received the D’TORCH award for outstanding service to the school in 2017.
Mr. Ronaldo holds a Bachelor of Music majoring in Clarinet. His past experience includes being a former music teacher and band conductor of De La Salle Lipa, an instrument’s tutor of Brent International School, a choir/band/orchestra conductor, and a speaker/workshop facilitator for band/orchestra ensembles and soloists. He was also enlisted as personnel of the Philippine Air Force and the Treasurer of PASAMBAP INC. He was a prize winner of NAMCYA (National Music Competition for Young Artist) in 2003 for Clarinet Category A.
Mr. Leon Henrico holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music, a Higher Diploma in Education and a TESOL qualification. He is currently teaching Music to Middle and High School students, and Language Arts to Grades 9 and 10. Before coming to DIS, he taught in various other schools in Taiwan and South Africa. He is a choir master who has trained choirs internationally, including opera choirs. He says that his greatest achievement was training a Brass Band that won a national competition in South Africa, which was then invited to perform at an international festival in Nice, France.
James Henselman has lived and taught in Taiwan for over 20 years. Although his father was in the Air Force, which enabled James and his family to live in places such as Italy, Turkey, Texas and California, he considers Tacoma, Washington his home in the United States. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Central Washington University in 1994. After a few years working in juvenile corrections, he went on to attain his Master of Arts in Teaching from City University in 1998. He holds teaching certification for K-8 in Washington State. James also takes pride in the time he spent working for the Dept. of the Army, Child Youth and School Services, under the Dept. of Defense, as a school liaison officer. Serving military families and their school-aged children was an honor and privilege for him. James' wife is Taiwanese and he has a daughter in the ninth grade. James enjoys reading, information technology, sports, hiking and various other fitness activities.
Mr. Michael holds a Bachelor of Education in the Urban Diversity Division, an Honor’s Degree in Science and is currently enrolled in a Master’s degree program in Education and Technology. He is a certified Science and Physical Education teacher, TESOL certified, and SmartBoard Certified. His previous experience includes 20 years of teaching from K-12 & Post-Secondary. He is currently the Algebra 2 and Middle School Science teacher. In addition, he has been a martial arts practitioner for almost 25 years.
Andrew Hogenson has a Master’s Degree in Teaching from the University of Southern California with special certification in educating gifted and talented students. He also holds additional degrees in History, English, and Philosophy. He is fully licenced to teach in the state of California. Andrew has been teaching in Taiwan since 2007 and joined DIS in 2018. He teaches Social Studies, American History, and AP United States History. Andrew is a certified Model United Nations Advisor through Best Delegate and has been an MUN Club Moderator and DISMUN Teacher Director since 2019.
Ms. Carolyn holds a Master of Education from National Taipei University of Education and is currently a candidate for the PhD program at the University of Taipei. She holds licensure for Teaching Chinese in Middle Education, Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, Teaching English as a Second Language, and is a Certified Oral Examiner for Cambridge University. She currently teaches Chinese as a Second Language (CSL). She has 20 years of experience in teaching English as a Second Language to children 3 to 15 years of age. At PCCU, she was voted President of the freshman class because of her dedication to her fellow students and commitment to learning, as well as ranked first position in academic standings and graduated number 1 in the department. For her Master's degree at NTUE, she achieved the top ranking as well and graduated at number 1 in the department. She has studied M-Learning (Mobile Learning), and has been invited to speak at various academic conferences around Taiwan and in Mainland China.
Ms. Samantha Hsu holds a Master’s Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. She is the Ministry of Education’s instructor for training overseas Chinese school teachers as well. She has been teaching CSL/CFL for over fifteen years in Canada and Taiwan.
Isaac Matere is from Kenya. He has a Master’s degree majoring in Optical Fibre and Communication, and a Bachelor’s degree in Education Science. Currently he is a PhD candidate in Digital Learning and Education. Isaac teaches Algebra and Geometry in the Middle and High School. He has 8 years experiences, teaching Mathematics and he has also taught Fundamentals of Optics at National Taiwan University of Science and Technology. He has published papers and presented his research at several conferences. He is also the author of published educational and training materials.
Mr. Konraad Kordula is currently a Grade 3 Homeroom Teacher. He achieved a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in International Studies with a focus in Political Science, and a Master of International Education. He is a qualified teacher who holds a State of New Jersey Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education. He has more than 20 years of teaching experience, working with students of all ages. In Taiwan, he has taught in public and private schools.
Ms. Emily holds a Bachelor of Secondary Education in Physical Education, Music, Art and Health as well as a Master of Science in Physical Education. She also holds a teaching license. She teaches physical education She has previously taught at Saint Louis University for almost 7 years and became dance coordinator there. She was also an ESL teacher in Thailand for one year as well as an adviser in middle school for the Department of Education in the Philippines, teaching Physical Education and Research. Aside from being a teacher in the Department of Education, she had the role of being a Physical Education Coordinator, coach, and tournament manager. She has also conducted the first quantitative research (Phenomenology) at the Institute of Kinetics in Benguet State University.
Ms. Christine Chia-Hsien Lai has a Bachelors’ degree in Sociology, a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and she is a qualified Montessori teacher who specializes in ages 3 to 6. She is a registered Early Childhood Educator. Ms. Christine is currently teaching the K1 class at DIS. She has been at DIS for the past eight years. Before coming to DIS, she taught in Canada. Ms. Christine says, “I think the greatest achievement that I have is becoming a teacher and a mom with 2 lovely daughters.”
James “Seb” Langley holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics and Post- Graduate Certificate in Secondary Education, including Qualified Teacher Status. Furthermore, he holds a B.A. Honours degree in Art and History. He has ten years’ teaching experience. He received the Duke of Edinburgh Award in March 2017.
Ms. Chanting Lee is one of our alumni who returned to DIS as a teacher. She has a Master of Global Media Communication and a Bachelor of Arts (Professional Communication). She also has a CELTA (Certificate for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) qualification. She is a Language Arts and ELL teacher, as well as the driving force behind the Student Torch, the school’s student newsletter.Before returning to her Alma Mater to teach, Chanting developed and edited written and marketing materials for various organizations: print and online media, non-profit organizations, student clubs, and small-medium sized businesses. She also worked as a research assistant at the University of Melbourne. Chanting recently published her thesis as a chapter in From Here to Hogwarts: Essays on Harry Potter Fandom and Fiction (2016) under McFarland.
Ms Vivian holds an Associate of Arts degree in Commerce and Business Studies from Langara College in Canada as well as a diploma in Early Childhood Education. She has a license to practice in British Columbia with a certificate in Early Childhood Education. She is currently a Grade 2 Homeroom. Ms Vivian has a long association with the school, going back almost a decade, when she came to help out as a substitute teacher in the Kindergarten. She has been a full-time teacher for the past five years. She also taught at a pre-school in Vancouver, Canada.
Ms. Yvonne Lee holds a Bachelor of Science and an ABCTE Certificate in Mathematics (grade 6-12). She is a licensed teacher. Ms. Yvonne has been teaching Mathematics for more than a decade
Mr. Lewis holds a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics with a TESOL concentration from Columbia University. Furthermore, he holds a B.A. degree in Linguistics with a minor in German Language and Literature from the University of Washington. In addition, Mr. Lewis studied in Germany at the University of Heidelberg. He has a diverse background in education having taught English in Germany, Turkey, the USA, and Taiwan. Mr. Lewis has been teaching since 2005. He has experience teaching at primary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions. Mr. Lewis has been teaching ELA and EAL at DIS since 2019.
Ms. Annie holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family Studies and Child Development from Shih Chien University in Taiwan and has Nursery Governess qualifications. She is currently a Lower School Homeroom Assistant in K2 and teaches K1 and K2 Religious Studies at DIS.
Dr. Sophia Lin holds a PhD in Biochemistry from of Oxford University, an MSc in Genetics, and a BSc of Science. She tutored undergraduate courses at Oxford, and the University of Dundee. She also did Postdoctoral cancer research at the University of Dundee, and at Imperial College London. Furthermore, she supervised undergraduate projects and co-supervised master students’ research dissertations at Oxford. When she returned to Taiwan, she was an Assistant Professor in Biology, before joining the DIS faculty in August 2016. She was a Swire Scholar with full sponsorship for Oxford University - only one scholar per year is selected from Taiwan. She published many articles in peer reviewed scientific journals.
Ms. Zoe Lin holds a Master's Degree in Ethnomusicology She has over 15 years’ experience teaching various ensembles, orchestras and other informal music groups. She has experience teaching a large variety of instruments, ranging from woodwinds, strings and brass instruments to percussion and other novelty instruments. She is the founder of the D'TORCH Orchestra and the D'TORCH Junior Orchestra at DIS. Zoe is currently the D'TORCH Junior Orchestra Director. She trained the D'TORCH Orchestra for seven years and performed at numerous conferences, charity events and festivals, locally and internationally. One of the highlights for the D'TORCH Orchestra, was their international tour to Guamin 2015.
Ms. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources Management. She is a registered and licensed teacher. She is currently teaching Kindergarten, and she has taught pre-school students for more than 10 years.
Charles Marks is currently a Grade 2 Homeroom Teacher. He achieved a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in General Studies with a focus in History, and a Master of Elementary Education. He is a qualified teacher who holds a State of New Jersey Teaching Certificate in Elementary Education. He has more than 20 years’ teaching experience, working with students of all ages. In Taiwan and the USA, he has taught in public and private schools. Charles has also co-authored four educational textbooks.
Ms. Jenny holds a Master’s of Arts Degree in English Literature and TESOL as well as a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. Furthermore, she holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sunderland (U.K) She has been teaching English in Taiwan for nine years from elementary school children through corporate classes. She is currently teaching Grade 10 Language Arts and Grade 6 ELL. She is one of the organizers of the Young Shakespeare Playwriting Competition, and a co-organizer of the Middle and High School Vocab Jam.
Bing Racadio has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing majoring in Medical Surgical Nursing and specialized in Psychiatric Nursing, a post-graduate qualification in Secondary Education, and a Differentiated Instruction Certificate from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She holds two Professional Licenses: as a Registered Nurse; and as a Professional Secondary Education Teacher in Biology. She also pursued on Master of Arts in Nursing majoring in Global Health and Nursing Administration, and is currently taking up a Master of Education in Advanced Teaching. Ms. Bing is a Founder of a civic Organization, and was affiliated as a Mentor with Johns Hopkins University’s Coursera Course “The Data Scientist’s Toolbox”. She is also a consultant for Nursing Curriculum Development and Mapping for Nursing Colleges in the Philippines. She holds various certificates including, an Advanced Life Support/ CPR/ AED Certificate from the American Heart Association, a photography Specialization Course from the Michigan State University, and more. Ms. Bing has more than 15 years’ teaching experience in various schools and Universities, including Dominican International School.
Mr. Tim Sampson has a Bachelor of Science degree and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education. He brings his wide set of experience and skills crafted in the years before working with DIS. These years include time working with stakeholder groups for the purpose of implementing landscape level forest resource plans, and also hiking to the peaks of British Columbia’s spectacular interior mountains to inventory wildlife, streams and vegetation for local watershed plans. When he first came to Taiwan he worked as an ELL teacher in private schools in Taipei. Most recently, before coming to work at DIS, he was employed with a high tech web design firm in his second home Vancouver. He joined the faculty at DIS in 2013.
Mr. Gregg holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Letters as well as a Texas Teaching certificate from the United States in English Language Arts and Reading (7-12.) His experience includes teaching in the public school system in the United States. He teaches English Language arts in the Middle School and Religious Studies in the Lower School.
Ms. Victoria holds a Master of Science degree in Physics and a Master of Education degree. She currently teaches AP Physics 1, Physics for Grade 11, and Math for Grade 7. Her previous experience includes teaching in India and Singapore. She has been at DIS since 2004.She is also actively involved in the school’s Campus Ministry.
Jacob Springer currently teaches fourth grade EAL. He holds a masters’ degree. in Teaching and Learning (Distinguished Scholar), Professional Teacher's License, and TEFL certification. In addition to these qualifications, he is a member of the Golden Key International Honour Society. Jacob has eight years’ experience teaching students from kindergarten to sixth grade.
Mr. Elliott Wakeling is a Middle School Specialist with a BSc Honors degree in Land Management, a Master’s degree in Education specializing in teaching English, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education: International, an Advanced TESOL Teaching License and a Certificate from Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Differentiated Instruction. Mr. Wakeling is the Subject Leader for Middle School Language Arts. He is also an ELL (English Language Learning) teacher and a member of the DIS English Proficiency Testing team. Mr. Wakeling has more than 10 years’ experience teaching English in an international school setting. He has a solid commitment to the social development and the academic growth of his students, and always strives to build students’ self-esteem and encourage their understanding of cultural diversity.
Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts from Pennsylvania in the USA. He has a Pennsylvania private school teaching license as well as a PGCEi (Post Graduate Certificate of Education.) He is currently a Grade 2 Homeroom Teacher and he is a Professional Learning Community leader (Master Teacher). His previous teaching experience includes 18 years of teaching Grades 1-6.
Mr. Bill has a Bachelor’s of Science in Education, Communication Arts, as well as teaching certification from Grades 7-12 from the Pennsylvania Department of Higher Education in the USA. He currently teaches Grade 12 Language Arts, Grade 12 Advanced Composition, and Grade 9 Language Arts. He has eighteen years’ experience teaching literature, drama, and creative writing/composition. He is one of the organizers of the Young Shakespeare Playwriting Competition.
Ms. Mafalda Wu has a Bachelor’s degree in Primary Education and a TEFL qualification. She is a certified teacher. She is currently teaching Grade 2 and 3 ELL, and Christian Living to K1 and K2 students. Before coming to Taiwan, Mafalda worked as a Homeroom Teacher, English tutor, and Art teacher. She has extensive international experience, teaching students from Pre-K to Grade 6 in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand.
Ms. Susan holds a Master of Arts in Education and has a TESOL Advanced Certificate in Teaching Language from National Taiwan Normal University in Taiwan. She has been teaching Chinese for over 20 years. Ms Susan is the Subject leader of the Chinese Department. Ms Susan also has other distinctions, she was the first Taiwanese Phi Delta Kapa (an international organization for educators) President in Taiwan, the founder of Spark Toastmasters, and for the past ten years, all her AP Chinese students, without exception, have achieved the maximum score of 5 on the College Board’s Advanced Placement exam.
Ms Jihan Borres holds a Master’s degree in Education, with a major in Guidance and Counselling. She is the guidance counsellor for Lower and Middle School students, and teaches Personality and Social Development (PSD) in the Middle School. She has a decade of experience as a licensed guidance counsellor, working with students at all stages of their development up to college.
Ms. Mary Grace Crisostomo holds a Bachelor of Secondary Education and an Advanced Diploma in Computer Programming Technology. She also holds certificates in various aspects of computer skills. She has been at DIS since 2005.
Ms. Crystal has a degree from the Department of Applied Foreign Languages at Shih Chien University in Taiwan and started as a DIS Library Assistant in 2006. She is currently the Teaching Assistant for the Pre-K class.
Ms. Doris Hsueh holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Business Administration from Shih Chien University and a Bachelor Degree of Arts from American Culture University. She has been a DIS librarian for the past thirteen years, providing faculty and staff with outstanding service. Before joining the DIS staff, she taught English at an international educational group for four years and served as an editor for a children’s English magazine for four years.
Ms. Anne Portillo holds a Bachelor of Science in Education, a Masters of Education in Guidance and Counselling, and has taken 27 units toward a Doctor of Philosophy in Education in Psychology and Guidance. She has twenty years’ experience as an educator, counselling students of various ages. Ms Anne established the first SAT testing center at DIS during the 2014/15 school year. She also presented and published her own research at various conferences and in publications.
Archie A. Racadio has a Bachelorof Science in Commerce majoring in Information Technology, and a Master’s degree majoring in Information Systems (C). She also holds a post-graduate qualification in Secondary Education, a Certificate in Differentiated Instruction from Harvard University Graduate School of Education and she was trained in Cisco Certified Network Associate Routing & Switching (CCNA). Furthermore she holds a Licensed Professional Secondary ICT Teacher. She is currently pursuing a Master of Education in Advanced Teaching. She has more than 20 years’ experience as a teacher and administrator in an exclusive private school and university both in Manila, Philippines and Taipei, Taiwan. She was the school’s Admissions Officer and Registrar for 13 years and was the former MIS/ MIT Head of the school. Archie’s contributions to DIS Educational and IT System includes designing software to digitize student records, creating the Student Data Base System for DIS ‘s Admission and Registration, the DIS E-Gradebook, introducing the use of Google Suite, and the development of the accounting software for the school.
Ms. Rebecca Wu holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business Management, and she also qualified as a Nursery Governess. She joined the school’s library this school year as a Librarian, but during the previous two school years, she was a Teaching Assistant in Grade 2 and the Kindergarten. She has 15 years’ experience in teaching English as a Second Language to children 5 to 11 years of age. She has also been a Homeroom Teacher, Head Teacher, Supervisor, and Vice-Director of the Elementary English Department at local schools.
Takanobu Fukuda has been a teacher at DIS for the past ten years. He has a teaching qualification from the University in Japan specializing in teaching Japanese as a Foreign Language. He also has an MBA from Shih Chien University. Furthermore, Mr Fukuda teaches Japanese in the Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Faculty of Management at Shih Chien University as well.
Dr. Karen Lai has a Ph.D. in Reliability Engineering, Master’s degree in Civil Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. She teaches Advanced Placement Calculus (AB and BC) and Algebra. Dr Karen has been a teacher at DIS for the past 13 years where she has taught all Math levels in the Middle and High School. She also edited Middle and Lower School Math resources for an education company. Before returning to Taiwan in 2001, Dr Karen was a project Engineer in charge of structural design for highway bridges in China. She lists the “Jimmie” Hamilton Award for Best Original Paper for the American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE), and an Outstanding Young Engineer Award from the Chinese Structural Engineering Society amongst her achievements.
