Dr. Brandon Maguire

When asked what his aspirations were for the incoming Dean of Student Life, all he had to say was that they’d “put the interests of students first,” encapsulating his impact here. He was never afraid to argue with the administration and those in power when he felt rules were unfair. He was never too safe, but never too lenient, and was always perfectly rational.

Dr. Brandon Maguire, the Upper School Dean of Student Life (DoSL) at Taipei American School (TAS), has been at the school for decades. After 22 long years, however, he is ready to retire back to his home in Maine. 

After working at TAS for a large majority of his professional life, Dr. Maguire’s job description has been anything but simple. He first began as the Upper School IB/AP coordinator, where he was responsible for preparing students and organizing external examinations. On top of that, he also eventually took on the role of History Department Chair.

He made his last position change four years ago when he became the Dean of Student Life. As the dean, he is in charge of the non-academic aspects of TAS, such as hosting social events, organizing Spirit Week and being an approachable daily presence. 

This year, he has also gone back to his roots of being a history teacher and taken on teaching AP European History. 

Around the school, Dr. Maguire is one of the most respected and well-received members of the faculty. This is expected, since he acts as a bridge between the students, teachers and administration. Apart from managing student logistics, he also leads the Student Government, a group of elected class representatives who organize school-wide events like Field Day, Frolic, Spirit Week and Prom. To many students, his lively participation in student life was what made him such a great facilitator.

“Given the opportunity to work with him in Student Government, I saw how much he advocated for students to have more. More fun, more funds, more opportunities,” said Alex C. (’29). “It was never really our ideas versus his, but our ideas collaborating with his instead.”

To many of the students in Upper School, Dr. Maguire’s decision to move back to Maine is a tough loss. It’s undeniable that Dr. Maguire has set a high bar for his DoSL position, and that next year’s DoSL has big shoes to fill.

Mr. Nathan Paxton

After 28 years of teaching, Mr. Nathan Paxton is departing from Taipei American School (TAS) and bidding farewell to his colleagues and students in Taiwan. He first arrived on the island in 1998 to teach computer science, later transitioning to the mathematics department, where he taught various courses, ranging from Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II, a variety that demonstrates both his adaptability and longevity at this school. 

Education was never Mr. Paxton’s original plan. In college, he was originally majoring in business, working hard and getting poor grades, while his roommate studied education and teaching with seemingly little effort and high grades. “I think he had a bigger influence on me becoming a teacher than me wanting to be a teacher,” Mr. Paxton admits. Once he made the switch, though, he found he genuinely enjoyed it. Before TAS, he spent nine years teaching at a public school in Virginia. His path abroad began almost by chance: a conversation with a friend teaching in Kuwait sparked his curiosity about international teaching, and from there, he began searching for opportunities overseas. He ended up at TAS and stayed here for nearly three decades.

What kept him here was more than just the job. Mr. Paxton met his wife here, raised two sons on the island, and watched them compete at IASAS. “For me, my most cherished memories will be watching my two sons play in IASAS and winning gold medals,” he says. His roots in Taiwan are long-standing, and he shared that he will deeply miss the island. “Taiwan gave me opportunities that I never thought I could have in life,” he reflects, pointing to the country’s culture, its food, its convenience, and the warmth of the people as the things that he will carry with him.

As for what comes next, Mr. Paxton is taking it in his stride. He and his family will return to his home in Virginia, but beyond that, he has no fixed plans, saying that “the beauty of not working is having no plans.” And when asked what he hopes his students will take away from his classes, his answer has nothing to do with math: “Never take yourself so seriously that you can’t laugh and have fun in life.” 

Ms. Melanie Hamre

Ms. Melanie Hamre has been a Taipei American School (TAS) Upper School college counselor for seven years. Since arriving at TAS in August of 2019, Ms. Hamre has become a vital part of many TAS upperclassmen’s lives—serving as a steady hand to guide students through the turbulent waters of university admissions.

When Ms. Hamre was studying at Harvard University, she volunteered her efforts to be a student tour guide and panelist. Through her experiences of working in her university’s admissions office, Ms. Hamre discovered her passion for helping students with the environment and identity shifts that come from transitioning from high school to college, which she simply refers to as “the transition.” “That was the first time I really realized how many people are involved in the transition,” she recalls. After years of working in international admissions and non-profit work, Ms. Hamre decided to move to the other side of the desk. She counseled students at the United World College in New Mexico before deciding that she wanted to move to Asia to gain a more global perspective. This is what led her to TAS. 

After years of working in international admissions and non-profit work, Ms. Hamre decided to move to the other side of the desk. She counseled students at the United World College in New Mexico before deciding that she wanted to move to the Asia region to gain a more global perspective. This is what led her to TAS. 

Ms. Hamre’s first impression of the TAS environment was how “intense” it was, though she emphasized that she found the students “warm, excited, and very thoughtful.” Although her tenure has been marked by significant upheavals and changes—including the COVID-19 pandemic that occurred only six months following her arrival, as well as the transitions between four different heads of school—she is incredibly proud of the unified work culture that she was able to take part in fostering with her co-college counselors. 

Still, Ms. Hamre remains honest about the hurdles she faces as a college counselor here at TAS. When asked about what she won’t miss, she stated that “[she] won’t miss trying to change students’ minds and behavior around the same 20 schools that they apply to,” she admits. “Sometimes it’s really just kind of screaming into the void…there are so many great schools out there. It’s not only 20; there’s 2,000.” 

As this school year ends, Ms. Hamre will bring her expertise to the American School in London in the United Kingdom, taking up the role of Dean of University Advising. Although she’s enjoyed her time at TAS, she states that she “[feels] like seven years is a healthy amount of time to have made some changes and leave a legacy, [while] also not [becoming] so entrenched.” Even though she states that it’s wonderful how many staff and teachers stay at TAS for over a decade, she thinks that it’s important for the school to have fresh leadership, and looks forward to the new perspective of a different school culture and environment.

As she prepares to head towards the opposite end of the globe, Ms. Hamre leaves us TAS students with a final, valuable piece of advice of being open minded and enjoy the college application process. “I love when students really lean into the activities, the writing, and the conversations we have. I love watching that growth. And they do grow a lot in one year. I think if they’re only approaching it as ‘I’m just going to get this done’ and ‘I’m going to just go through the motions,’ they miss out on a really cool experience that’s a different kind of learning. And it can really change them.”