Tara Taupier

While Tara Taupier found herself in the position of Tamalpais Unified High School District (TUHSD) superintendent almost by chance, her first job on an assembly line making computer cables was far from unplanned. Growing up in Lowell, Massachusetts, in a family of seven, Taupier’s parents strongly believed in the value of education and had each of their kids work a factory-style job to instill that same belief in them. For Taupier, this meant spending one of her summers during high school waking up early to get to her job at 6:00 a.m., then toiling away until her shift ended nine hours later, at 3:00 p.m.

“It was brutal,” Taupier said of working that summer. However, her parents succeeded in fostering the importance of education in Taupier, who knew out of high school that she wanted to pursue a career in teaching. At 25, she got her first educational job at Lowell High School, where she worked for seven years before landing a role as a social studies teacher at Redwood High School.

“When I interviewed [for the Redwood position], they forgot to tell me to prepare a mini lesson, so I had to come up with something on the fly, which at the time I thought was purposeful–and honestly, I thought it was a bit odd–but it all worked out, so that was maybe that was a blessing in disguise,” Taupier said.

During her time as a social studies teacher, Taupier felt fulfilled and happy where she was, so when a former superintendent approached her, suggesting she’d be a perfect fit for the opening position of TUHSD superintendent, she wasn’t initially on board.

“At first, I was like, no, no way. Not a job I want. And so, through a lot of conversations with [the former superintendent], he really helped me see that, as superintendent you can be super helpful to the district, and so that was what drew me to the job that, in all honesty, initially didn’t seem all that appealing,” Taupier said. 

Despite her initial trepidation, Taupier became superintendent in 2018 and has worked hard to keep the district thriving for the past seven years. At the end of the school year, Taupier will part ways with TUHSD. However, Taupier is entering retirement after over two decades in education on a high note.

“It has truly been an honor to serve this district,” Taupier said. “I have felt incredibly honored and privileged to have landed in the Tam District, even by just some fluke… And feel like it was fortune shining down on me that I landed here.”

After retirement, Taupier plans to spend more time with family, enjoy leisurely reading, and spend more time outdoors. She hopes the district will continue focusing on creating a sense of belonging for historically underserved students and will remain active herself.

“[In the future,] I hope to be the same person; it’s taken 56 years to become this version of me,” Taupier said. “I want to stay engaged in issues that are important to me; public education is a passion of mine, and I don’t think we as a society should take its availability for granted. We need to remain vigilant that all students deserve access to high-quality public education.”

Richard “Rich” Blasewitz

Walking through the halls of Archie Williams, students will undoubtedly encounter Richard Blasewitz standing in a doorway with his hands in his pockets, watching students pass through his Pit Vipers from underneath the brim of his bucket hat. Most students have played (and probably lost) a game of Chin Chin to him at least once. However, the next generation of Archie Williams students will never know his familiar face or be greeted with a “yee” as he passes.

One of three current campus staff assistants, Rich has worked at Archie Williams for nearly 27 years, but this year, he’s retiring. While the community will miss him dearly, he looks forward to the next chapter of his life.

Rich grew up in the Hudson Valley, New York, until his father, an FBI agent, moved his family to the San Francisco Bay Area. Rich played baseball and ran cross country at Terra Linda High School and later earned a degree in psychology from Sonoma State University. 

After graduating, Rich worked as a group counselor at St. Vincent’s School for Boys, but soon discovered that he wasn’t prepared for the work’s emotional intensity. After working at Rancho Cotati for two years, Rich applied for a job in the TUHSD in 1998 and has been part of the Archie Williams community ever since.

“It was a good job to give back to young kids. I’ve enjoyed this community of San Anselmo and Fairfax my whole life…” Rich said. “I was never a desk person, so [this job] gave me an opportunity to work and stay in shape.”

During his time at Archie Williams, Rich has forged connections with countless students and established himself as a friendly face to wave to in the hallways and a fearsome Chin Chin opponent. Rich learned to play Chin Chin from a couple of students in 2012 who told him to “keep the game alive,” a request he has certainly fulfilled. 

Now, Rich is getting older, and so is his 93-year-old mom. He hopes that after his retirement, he will be able to spend more time with her.

“[My mom] is excited that I’m retiring, and I want to just move on to a new phase of my life. And it’ll be bittersweet. You know, I enjoyed it here, but I think I’m making the right move,” Rich said.

Besides sleeping in every morning, Rich hopes to dedicate his time to hobbies with his newly open schedule, including but certainly not limited to yoga and travel. Rich plans to take a well-earned trip to Iceland in October and hopes to revisit Paris sometime in the near future. Although Rich is moving on to a new, exciting chapter of his life, he’s not going far; he’ll always be happy to say hello to a friendly Archie Williams face.

“[Students can] come back to me 20 years later and introduce themselves [and say,] ‘I don’t know if you remember me, but I’m so and so.’ And the fact that I can remember their name, nine times out of 10, it’s just so exciting to me that I could have that memory,” Rich said.  

Rich is well-loved in the Archie Williams community, and he has many exciting things in store as he moves on to the next phase of his life. But ask any student if they will miss Rich and the answer will be a resounding “yee.”