Ms. Kathryn Richardson, Master of Wellington College Hangzhou, has been in Education for 21 years. She taught in London schools where she quickly progressed into leadership positions. In September 2014, Kathryn moved to Dubai as a Deputy Headteacher in a British curriculum international school, and in 2016, she was promoted to the Head of Primary at their newly opened sister school. Kathryn has a bachelor’s degree in Education, specialising in maths and science. In addition to this, she has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Management and is a qualified facilitator for the National Qualifications of Middle and Senior Leadership. Kathryn has a passion for school improvement and strongly believes in making sure every child reaches their true potential. Kathryn has redesigned school curriculums so that they are creative, personalised to each individual pupil, and provide challenge for all. In her spare time, Kathryn enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with her family.
Chang started as Finance & HR Manager at Wellington College International Tianjin after she returned to her home city Tianjin in early 2011. She was transferred to Wellington College International Shanghai at the founding stage, in charge of Finance and Services since 2014. From 2017, Chang focused mainly on finance for all Wellington College International Shanghai, Huili School Shanghai and Huili Nursery Shanghai at a capacity of Senior Finance Manager. She now starts her new role as the Bursar for Wellington College Hangzhou, which has been her third school within Wellington China Group. Before her joining in Wellington, Chang started her career at a Fortune 500 company, grown from a staff member to the leader of the accounting department over five years after she graduated from Tianjin Normal University. In 2003, she decided to go to the UK for her pursuits in both academic and practice and subsequently completed her BSc in Applied Accounting, ACCA qualification and MSc in Accounting with Finance. Chang worked as an auditor in a firm located in Mayfair London for three years and a half and gained valuable oversea working experiences. After years of practice, Chang is qualified as a fellow member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and working on her formal membership with Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.
Ms. Ivey Wang graduated from East China Normal University with a bachelor's degree in Chinese International Education and completed a master's degree course in Educational Psychology; She holds a master's degree in Education from Plymouth State University. Ivey is an IB examiner and qualified IB Middle Year Programme(MYP) Principal; She has obtained the certification of Leading School Course from Harvard Graduate School and the teacher training certification of ACTFL and Positive Discipline; She is also the Off Campus Practice Project Advisor of East China Normal University.
Ivey has been engaged in international education for nearly 17 years. She has worked in several top international schools in Shanghai where she developed the skills of multi-cultural understanding and communication, as well as the understanding and practice of internationally recognized pedagogy, and gradually became a leader from a teacher. She worked as K12 Chinese Curriculum Coordinator at Shanghai American School, then served as school Curriculum Director and Primary School Principal at two international bilingual schools in Suzhou and Shanghai. She integrated Chinese and western education concepts and wisdom, built a collaborative and efficient team, led the development of integrated bilingual immersion curriculum, and always committed to creating more opportunities for students’ development.
Ivey adheres to the mission of International Educators, which is to provide future oriented education for students, focus on students’ holistic development, and improve their global competence and well-being. Through leading education innovations, she dedicates to cultivate lifelong learners with deep Chinese cultural roots and international mindedness, who will be able to communicate confidently on the international stage and deal with global issues in the future.
Mr. Conrad Botha is an early years educator from South Africa, holding a Bachelors of Business from the University of South Africa as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Master of Education from the University of Nottingham in the UK. He started his international education journey over 10 years ago, working in various international and bi-lingual early years settings in China. During this time, he has used experiential learning through a relationship-driven environment which provided rich and meaningful bi-lingual experiences to support children in developing their unique approaches to learning. He began as a teacher but soon moved up to take the position of Curriculum Coordinator and Campus Manager for a leading bi-lingual network of schools in Shanghai. He thoroughly enjoyed this role which allowed him to advocate best practice and ensure quality learning within a caring and supportive environment. Conrad continued his studies to enhance his knowledge and skills, completing a Master of Education, whilst being employed at a British International School in Shanghai. Conrad then moved on to support the expansion of an education group, overseeing the successful opening of two new campuses as Academic Director. This involved combining best practice from the UK with that of the Chinese Ministry of Education as well as recruitment, the strategic management of the project and mentoring opportunities with fellow school leaders. The role further allowed him to continue to promote quality learning environments and experiences for families, ensuring that children, parents and educators built a sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘enthusiasm’ for bi-lingual early years education. Under his care, the school grew tremendously with strong enrolment, a quality program and a diverse learning community. Conrad now brings his experience and strong knowledge of bi-lingual education to Huili Nursery Hangzhou. He embraces a collaborative leadership approach and is motivated to work alongside all learning community members at the nursery as it seeks to reaffirm its reputation as a centre of excellence in early years education. He believes in lifelong learning and thrives on ongoing research. Conrad has a personal interest in bi-lingual education and values open communication as a tool to build trusting and respectful relationships with others.
Tracey, originally from Shanghai, graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia, with a Bachelor Degree of Science and a Master Degree of Education. In addition, she has a Bachelor's degree of Teaching in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Technology, Sydney. After teaching at Kuring-gai High School in Sydney, Tracey continued her career in Beijing and Shanghai when she moved back to China. From 2013 to 2016 Tracey developed and implemented the Bilingual Mathematics Curriculum in the International Division of the Beijing Haidian Foreign Languages School (BHFLS). During her career in BHFLS, her teaching was acknowledged with an award for the best demonstration of teaching in the Sixth “China-Sweden International Mathematics Education Forum”. For the past four years, Tracey worked as the Head of Secondary at Vanke School Pudong (VSP), and has played a vital role in the whole start-up of VSP, from preparation to the opening of the school and the continued development of the integrated bilingual curriculum.
Under her leadership, the Secondary Department of VSP has developed with right direction and cautious speed. At the end of the 2019-20 school year, the first graduates of the Lower Secondary School did an excellent job in being accepted to word-class high schools at home and aboard. Tracey loves kids very much. She believe that one of the important roles of an educator is to provide students with the skills to adapt to the demands of their future education; to cultivate in them the initiative to learn in various scenarios; to enhance self-directed learning and teamwork as well as to foster a life-long learning mind-set. Tracey believes that as well as having the power of critical thinking, it is of paramount significance for students to develop benevolence as a way to enrich their inner selves and the worlds of others with whom they interact.
Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, Ms. Perry worked as a Senior Deputy Head for 3 years, having previously held roles of Senior Teacher, Head of department and specialist Science teacher within Hertfordshire, England. After being awarded a distinction in her Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Ms. Perry taught secondary science before taking on the challenge of completing a Graduate Certificate in Chemistry Education, enabling her to teach both Biology and Chemistry to A-Level.
Having had a broad view of the education system from 4 to 18 years, Ms. Perry has gained knowledge and expertise in understanding the progression of a child’s learning journey. She strongly values key characteristics, such as resilience, that can be developed through education and enable children to reach their potential. With a previous career in the Mental Health team, Ms. Perry is acutely aware of the importance of positive mental health and pastoral care within education and strives to ensure that every child under her care is equipped with the necessary skills to ensure a positive and bright future.
Ms. Perry has always enjoyed challenging herself, both physically and academically. She has successfully completed the London Marathon and has recently started learning how to play the saxophone as well as learning how to speak Chinese. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling with her family, experiencing the variety of cultures and environments that the world offers.
Hatty is proud and delighted to be in a profession where she inspires young minds to share her love of learning while facilitating the pursuit of their life interests. She believes that a successful education should feed a student’s innate curiosity to allow them to flourish into well-rounded independent individuals who are fully prepared to thrive in higher education and beyond.
After completing her degree in Mathematics MA (Hons) at the University of Edinburgh, she began her career in education in 2005 through the prestigious graduate programme Teach First. It was here that she knew she had found her calling; inspiring students to enjoy and be curious about the wonders of mathematics. Her talent for classroom practice was formalised with her admission to the Outstanding Teacher Programme in North London. As her career progressed Hatty became School Director of Mathematics, where she led a dynamic team to great success through its first set of public examinations. By creating academic challenge and system of support for her students and staff, she ensured that students not only met but exceeded their targets. Looking for change and adventure, Hatty began working at Kellett School, The British International School in Hong Kong in 2012. As Deputy Head of Sixth Form, she was an integral member of the founding Sixth Form team, where she oversaw the pastoral care and closely monitored the academic progress of students while helping them on their paths to higher education. She has supported applicants to a wide variety of destinations including Oxford and Cambridge and Russell Group universities.
Hatty is thrilled to be building Wellington College Hangzhou’s Sixth Form, where students will receive world class pastoral care, exciting academic challenge and ample opportunity to develop as individuals. She believes that empowering our students with an excellent education will enable them to succeed in their lives.
Mr. Shen Guoqiang is originally from Hangzhou and has been devoted to junior high school education in Hangzhou for 31 years, working as an English teacher, English language teaching researcher, teacher trainer and vice principal. Before joining Wellington College in Hangzhou, he has worked at Hangzhou Jianlan Middle School as Vice Principal. His research interests and expertise involve bilingual education, curriculum design and development, teacher training, TESL teaching, cross-cultural communication, and study abroad planning. Mr. Shen believes that a strong curriculum is like a track leading pupil’s growth and development. In a bilingual environment, with highly qualified and professional local and native English teachers working together in small classes, we can not only successfully transform our pupils’ cross-cultural communication skills and improve their second language acquisition. We can also promote interdisciplinary interaction and knowledge integration, and help our pupils achieve well-rounded development and personal growth.
Ms Joy Qiao is the founder and Chair of Governors of Huili Education and Wellington College China. She has been devoted to international education in China for many years and is committed to fostering exchanges and partnerships with Britain. Having grown up in Shanghai, Ms Joy Qiao attended the University of Oxford from which she holds a BA in Computer Science. She then worked in the IT industry for a decade in a variety of sales and marketing roles in the UK, Germany and China. Becoming a mother motivated her interest in education and inspired her advance into the international education sector. She has extensive experience in multi-lingual communication and cross-cultural co-operation and is a critical bridge for bringing together the multiple partners involved in setting up Wellington College in China. Ms Joy Qiao also holds an EMBA degree from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and is fluent in Mandarin, English and Shanghainese. She is married with two children, both of whom are attending Wellington College International Shanghai.
Over the last eight years, May has led two groundbreaking innovations in higher education: NYU Shanghai and ShanghaiTech. Utilizing her experience in various industries (financial services, education, and marketing), insight into entrepreneurship and deep understanding of the innovation ecosystem in China and the U.S., May offers strategic advice to large organizations on change management and digital transformation. Moreover, her ability to bridge academic research and product development gives her a unique ability to drive innovation within an organization. As a leader, May articulates a clear vision, formulates strategy, and oversees execution with attention to detail. May received a B.A. from University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She was a Visiting Foreign Student of Peking University. She is a member of the World Economic Forum and the Global Future Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is also a mentor for Chinaccelerator Shanghai, the Board of Directors of National Partnership for Women and Families, the Lifetime Trustee of NYU School of Law, and the Board of Directors of Chelsea Day School.
Ms. Lydia Cheung is the Financial Controller of Italian luxury fashion brand INNIU. She is a visionary finance professional with extensive technical knowledge in international luxury fashion industry that she previously worked for Burberry, Dolce & Gabanna and Balenciaga. Ms. Cheung has been appointed as the Non-Executive Director of Wellington College International China Management Ltd since 2016. Lydia has more than 20 years of financial management experience in the United Kingdom and Greater China. Her expertise anticipates strategic investment, optimize capital structure, budget control, implement financial recommendations to achieve business objectives and enhance sustainable long-term shareholders value and profitability. Lydia graduated at Queen Mary College (University of London) with a BSc. (Hon) Statistics and also holds a MBA degree from Oklahoma City University, USA. She practiced as an auditor in London after graduation. Lydia is primarily based in Hong Kong. Relocated to Shanghai in 2008 for luxury brands working and living across China, Hong Kong, London and Italy. She is married with one daughter who is a graduate of The Wellington Academy UK and is currently starting her Postgraduate in Luxury Brand Management.
Mr Scott Bryan is the International Director for Wellington College. He is responsible for developing Wellington College International’s schools’ business and working with partners to ensure the reputation and quality of those schools.
Scott has a BSc (Hons), PGCE and Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Studies. He has a thorough understanding of the United Kingdom (UK) independent sector and a wide range of international experience from more than 20 years of working in education. His school leadership experience includes three successful Headships; in the UK, United Arab Emirates and more recently as a founding Head in Switzerland.
Scott has previously held the post of Strategic Director at a leading UK Independent School, including responsibility for developing international business. He has also served on school governing bodies and chaired the finance committee. He brings extensive experience in international schools business, strategic planning, regulatory compliance, school improvement and mentoring of senior leaders.
He is office-based at Wellington College in England, with both his daughters currently attending Wellington College in England. In his spare time he likes to visit the Swiss Alps, where he enjoys skiing and a variety of outdoor sports.
Mr Jean-Paul Churchouse is an Old Wellingtonian, having attended the College from 1989-1994 where he was an enthusiastic member of the Talbot House. He graduated from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), in 1998 with a BA in Political Science.
Jean-Paul is a Managing Director for Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong. He has been in the finance industry in Asia for 19 years, primarily based in Hong Kong but also spending several years in Tokyo. He began his career at a distressed debt fund before moving to ING Barings in a Convertible Bond sales role. He then worked at Nomura before joining Goldman Sachs in 2005 in Tokyo.
He moved back to Hong Kong to sell Convertible bonds and Equity derivatives in 2007. In 2010 he took over the institutional middle market sales business before moving to Private Wealth Management in 2014 to take over the capital markets businesses in Asia. His role involves advising Ultra-High Net Worth Clients in the region on protecting and investing their wealth.
Jean-Paul is an avid sailor, having represented Hong Kong a number of times over the years and is also an enthusiastic snowboarder and golfer. He is married to Tamsin and has two young children.
Ms Maya Tarabay Schisano is one of the founding members of the Friends of Wellington (FOW), serving as the Events Chair since 2014 and the Chair in the 2018-19 school year. She worked closely with the College to achieve an open, dynamic and inclusive culture.
Maya has a BA in Interior Design, Marketing and Fine Arts from the American University of Beirut in Lebanon and is fluent in Arabic, French, Italian and English. Currently living in Shanghai, Maya has lived in the United States, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Australia.
She has extensive experience working in the luxury goods industry, and was at one time a global account manager at Prada. Maya also has experience in public relations and marketing, consulting for various Lebanese businesses as well as MSN Arabia and Sabil Water. In addition, she spent some time working as a presenter for the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) in Lebanon.
Maya first became seriously interested in education when her boys first started school at Wellington College International Shanghai in 2014. Recognising the alignment between the College’s philosophy and ethos and her own, she put her energy and focus as a parent into working towards that common goal: a school in which all children can thrive and that her boys are proud to be Wellingtonians.
Tracey, originally from Shanghai, graduated from the University of Sydney, Australia, with a Bachelor Degree of Science and a Master Degree of Education. In addition, she has a Bachelor's degree of Teaching in Secondary Mathematics from the University of Technology, Sydney. After teaching at Kuring-gai High School in Sydney, Tracey continued her career in Beijing and Shanghai when she moved back to China. From 2013 to 2016 Tracey developed and implemented the Bilingual Mathematics Curriculum in the International Division of the Beijing Haidian Foreign Languages School (BHFLS). During her career in BHFLS, her teaching was acknowledged with an award for the best demonstration of teaching in the Sixth “China-Sweden International Mathematics Education Forum”. For the past four years, Tracey worked as the Head of Secondary at Vanke School Pudong (VSP), and has played a vital role in the whole start-up of VSP, from preparation to the opening of the school and the continued development of the integrated bilingual curriculum.
Under her leadership, the Secondary Department of VSP has developed with right direction and cautious speed. At the end of the 2019-20 school year, the first graduates of the Lower Secondary School did an excellent job in being accepted to word-class high schools at home and aboard. Tracey loves kids very much. She believe that one of the important roles of an educator is to provide students with the skills to adapt to the demands of their future education; to cultivate in them the initiative to learn in various scenarios; to enhance self-directed learning and teamwork as well as to foster a life-long learning mind-set. Tracey believes that as well as having the power of critical thinking, it is of paramount significance for students to develop benevolence as a way to enrich their inner selves and the worlds of others with whom they interact.
Mr. Conrad Botha is an early years educator from South Africa, holding a Bachelors of Business from the University of South Africa as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Master of Education from the University of Nottingham in the UK. He started his international education journey over 10 years ago, working in various international and bi-lingual early years settings in China. During this time, he has used experiential learning through a relationship-driven environment which provided rich and meaningful bi-lingual experiences to support children in developing their unique approaches to learning. He began as a teacher but soon moved up to take the position of Curriculum Coordinator and Campus Manager for a leading bi-lingual network of schools in Shanghai. He thoroughly enjoyed this role which allowed him to advocate best practice and ensure quality learning within a caring and supportive environment. Conrad continued his studies to enhance his knowledge and skills, completing a Master of Education, whilst being employed at a British International School in Shanghai. Conrad then moved on to support the expansion of an education group, overseeing the successful opening of two new campuses as Academic Director. This involved combining best practice from the UK with that of the Chinese Ministry of Education as well as recruitment, the strategic management of the project and mentoring opportunities with fellow school leaders. The role further allowed him to continue to promote quality learning environments and experiences for families, ensuring that children, parents and educators built a sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘enthusiasm’ for bi-lingual early years education. Under his care, the school grew tremendously with strong enrolment, a quality program and a diverse learning community. Conrad now brings his experience and strong knowledge of bi-lingual education to Huili Nursery Hangzhou. He embraces a collaborative leadership approach and is motivated to work alongside all learning community members at the nursery as it seeks to reaffirm its reputation as a centre of excellence in early years education. He believes in lifelong learning and thrives on ongoing research. Conrad has a personal interest in bi-lingual education and values open communication as a tool to build trusting and respectful relationships with others.
Ms Jenny Stone is a fully qualified teacher from Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom and has spent over twelve years working as a creative, holistic and skills-based upper key stage 2 teacher. Although able to teach all primary subjects, her specialist interests are the Humanities subjects and using these as a basis to embed English, Science and Maths skills. Having an ethos of continual professional development, she considers herself a lifelong learner and is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Primary Leadership.
Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, Ms Jenny worked as an assistant principal in a Cambridge International School in St Petersburg, Russia and, before that, she was an associate headteacher at Westminster School in England. In these roles, Ms Stone led initiatives to improve academic success of pupils with English as an additional language and used data and tracking systems to ensure all children had the opportunity to reach their full potential.
Organising extra-curricular trips and enriching learning experiences for children is a passion of Ms Stone. In her spare time, she is keen to get into the outdoors to explore - her hobbies are hiking, white-water kayaking and skiing. She is very much looking forward to a new adventure in Hangzhou.
Dr. Wei Sun holds a Ph.D in Educational psychology from Virginia Tech, specializing in Science education. Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, she served as the Academic Director of STEM Department in Dipont Education. Dr. Sun worked closely with 33 international curriculum centers based in China’s top schools, delivering academic programs and extracurricular activities. She also designed and delivered international science curriculum to K-12 Schools and provided professional developments to international school teachers. Prior to Joining Dipont, she worked in Qualcomm® Thinkabit Lab™ at Virginia Tech National Capital Regional as Lab Administrator and leading instructor. She supported the establishment of STEM curriculum in plenty of public schools in Northern Virginia area. With her outstanding background in both education and engineering, she has been a professional tutor of FIRST FRC Robotics Competition for many years, and served as judge of 2019 NASA OPSPARC InWorld Innovation challenge.
Charlotte Fong is from Cheshire, England. As an undergraduate, she studied for her BA (Hons) degree in Dance Practices at the University of Liverpool John Moores. During this time, she was particularly interested in the field of Dance Education, which further developed her knowledge of the curriculum and teaching to a variety of learning styles. Charlotte then continued to gain her PGCE in Primary Education through Liverpool Hope University. During her career, Charlotte has taught children across all primary classes and experienced different curricula and pedagogical styles. She believes that education should be engaging, interactive and accessible. Teaching English in a bilingual setting is an exciting opportunity for Charlotte and she relishes in the idea of helping to support and develop the students understanding of language. Alongside teaching English, Charlotte still has a passionate for dance and performance. She first began dancing at the age of 4, competing in national dancing competitions before moving on to study contemporary dance and musical theatre. In previous teaching roles, she has taught several dance styles including jazz, ballet and Bollywood. Charlotte is excited have joined Joining Xian house, as their House Master and helping to create a nurturing and supportive environment for all students and staff.
Alice Wang completed her Master’s degree at Harvard University, specialising in Language and Literacy Education. During her time at Harvard, Alice joined a research team to examine how bilingual experiences could shape cognition and learning using neuroimaging and behavioral methods. Before that, she spent four years at Beijing Normal University for her undergraduate qualification, majoring in Chinese Language and Literature. Alice is a nationally certified secondary school Chinese teacher. She has experience working with beginner, intermediate, and advanced students from various cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Alice Wang worked in Tsinghua International School in Beijing as a high school Mandarin teacher. She also worked as a 10th grade homeroom teacher, integrating collaboration, engagement and cultural diversity into classroom management. Alice started practicing yoga three years ago. She believes that achieving peace of mind is a major life accomplishment. She is also a pet lover, living with a rabbit and a corgi dog.
Before joining Huili school , Alice worked in a public junior high school in Hangzhou after graduation and have many years of working experience in teaching Mandarin . It gave her solid basic teaching skills and flexible teaching methods. This experience also brought her strong organizational, management and communication skills. During her tenure, she was awarded the title of excellent teacher at the district level. Her papers won the second prize in the province and the first prize in the city. She undertook the task of sending teachers to the countryside at the provincial level and obtained the B certificate of mental health counseling. In college Alice majored in Chinese Language and literature. Because she is interested in cross-cultural communication sometimes she has taught Chinese as second language and in her part time also she learnt Japanese for more than 2 years. She likes traveling and swimming in her part time and it will always make her feel relaxed and easy. She is open, proactive, patient , caring and able to assess pupils’ interests, needs and developments. She is familiar with the recent development of Primary Mandarin teaching theory and practice. Getting along well with students brings her happiness and she believes she can influence more people through education .
Ms. Liu Shan graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University in 2018 with a master's degree in Chinese International Education. She holds a Chinese teaching certificate for high school and has several years of teaching experience. She taught for one year at the Confucius Institute in Istanbul, Turkey and for one year at an immersion public charter school in South Carolina, USA. Her two-year multicultural and international teaching experience allows her to truly understand bilingual culture, immersion teaching methods and the diverse environment of international exchanges. She loves teaching and children and her passion and enthusiasm is a significant feature of her teaching. She teaches with students at the center and stimulates them to learn through interesting activities. Besides teaching, she also has a passion for life. In her spare time, she loves traveling, photography and crafts. Playing the guitar is the secret for her to relax.
Min Xiong has a master’s degree in Education from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s d from Changsha University. She has dedicated herself to becoming a life-long educator and learner, and strives to instill a similar ideal in all of the students with whom she works. In her spare time, she loves reading, baking, jogging and spending time with her family. After seven years of teaching in the United States, Min Xiong decides to join a positive force bringing changes to education in China. She is excited about the bilingual program at Huili School Hangzhou, because it is such a great match with her past teaching experience. She not only has experience teaching Chinese Language Arts in elementary and middle school, but has also taught math and science in 5th grade for several years. As a member of the Summer Curriculum Committee at her previous school, Min Xiong helped develop curricula for K-9 Chinese Language Arts, K-5 Math and Science. She hopes to bring what she has learned and practiced in the U.S. to Huili and contribute to bilingual education in China.
Francesca completed her Master's Degree at Nankai University, majoring in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. In 2017, she worked as a Chinese language teacher in one of the confucius classrooms in Colombia, where she was responsible for the whole year Mandarin course of the third grade. During this working period, she also organized various activities which were related to traditional Chinese culture, such as Chinese talent club, Chines Day , Chinese Bridge for secondery students and so on. This acdemic backgroud and overseas teaching experience provided her with her current skills and a deep understanding of education. In her spare time, Francesca loves reading, she thinks that habit is vital for keeping her mentally active. She also practices caligraphy regulary, which is a good way for her to get inner peace. If there is a long holiday, she would like to travel around and soak herself in different cultures.
Sharon has worked as a primary school teacher for the past 4 years. One year was in the Sunflower Trilingual School of Thailand and the other three years were in the Hangzhou Yinhu Elementary School. Sharon worked as a Chinese teacher and as a homeroom teacher. Sharon received two Bachelor’s degrees, one in Chinese Literature and one in Finance, from Xi’an Jiaotong University. She also successfully earned the certificate for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages, issued by the Confucius Institute Headquarters after graduating from Beijing Normal University. Abundant experience teaching Chinese in different environments allows Sharon to know, respect and embrace cultural diversity. There are three keys elements which make her popular among the children: deep understanding of children’s psychology, interesting and inspiring classes, and patience for developing children’s confidence. Sharon believes that education is not the filling of a pail but the lighting of a fire. With this idea in mind, she devotes herself to triggering children’s curiosity in exploring the world and developing enthusiasm and habits of study by encouraging them to question, reason and research. She herself has been researching how to foster children’s healthy and stable emotions and a range of good behavioral habits which has proved effective. Outside of school Sharon is a calligraphy enthusiast. She believes that immersing herself in calligraphy can produce a deep state of relaxation and a tranquil mind. She won the second prize of the teachers’ calligraphy contest in 2019. Also, she has always taken part in outdoor exercises such as hiking, swimming, and mountain climbing. She is always open to taking up new challenges. Sharon believes that actions speak louder than words. She’d like to be an example for good actions and she takes every opportunity to influence children to become well-rounded individuals. It is an honor for Sharon to join Huili School Hangzhou - the best place to brainstorm and have cultural exchange. Let’s shine together at this amazing Huili community!
Luna worked as a Mandarin teacher for one year at Glashiebun Primary School in Aberdeen, UK while completing her Master’s degree in Education from Wuhan University. After graduation, she worked as a primary school English teacher for two years in Hangzhou. These valuable teaching experiences at home and abroad have not only helped Luna further understand the characteristics of the Chinese and British teaching systems, but also lay the foundation for her future teaching. As a Mandarin teacher, Luna was responsible for delivering lessons to 252 pupils aged 4 to 11 in Glashieburn Primary School, as well as carrying out China-related cultural activities at the Confucius Institute of the University of Aberdeen. Luna guided pupils to participate in both a New Year Poster competition (for which they placed in the top 3 of P1-P3 in Scotland) as well as a successful performance for a Chinese New Year celebration. Seeing the children perform confidently on the stage, Luna felt that nothing could be happier than this. As an English teacher, Luna has designed teaching aids such as menus and flying chess according to students' learning styles (visual, auditory and kinesthetics learners), and guided students to construct mind maps by designing mini books and flap-books. In addition, she also designed a "time-out box” to help pupils confront their feelings and release their emotions. Through the "sound level card", she has guided pupils in learning to use appropriate volumes in different occasions. She has maintained her habit of writing a letter to parents every week to give feedback on pupils’ learning and growth. In her spare time, Luna has actively reflected on teaching, and through her own efforts, she has successively obtained the International Baccalaureate Certificate in Teaching and Learning (IB-PYP), and the Certificate in English Language Teaching-Primary (CELT-P). She believes that teaching is a lifelong-learning career and this encourages her to move forward. Luna is very kind, helpful and considerate. People who know her are impressed by her bright smile. She is very excited to be joining Huili School Hangzhou as a Chinese teacher, and she is looking forward to starting and enjoying her Huili journey!
Lily Wang graduated from Hubei University majoring in Teaching Chinese To Speakers of Other Language. After graduation, she taught at a famous IB International School in Guangdong for three years, and then at an international school in Wuhan for one year. Thanks to the teaching experience in international schools, she does not stick to the traditional teaching mode, and likes to try different methods, hoping that children can get a better learning experience. In daily life, she pays attention to the relationship with children, teachers and friends with children. She pays attention to the cultivation of daily behavior and learning habits and strives to guide children to become independent and introspective people. She believes that "there must be a teacher for three people" and is committed to becoming a lifelong learner.
Iris Wang graduated from the University of Bristol, UK with a degree in Psychology of Education. Thanks to her overseas education, she has developed a deep understanding of the differences between education in the west and in China. In her graduation dissertation, she surveyed the factors that strongly affect Chinese students’ ability to think critically, discussing the differences between Chinese virtue-oriented learning and western task-oriented learning in detail. She firmly believes that the Chinese education system should incorporate the best features of the western model in order to facilitate student development. Before her postgraduate studies, she worked as an early education instructor at Gymboree, during which time she developed a profound appreciation for the happy learning concept and the use of lively activities when teaching. Only interesting classes can stimulate children's curiosity and attention, during which full-time participation can be achieved to promote children's progress.
Ann Huang completed her Master's Degree at Beijing Language and Culture University, specializing in Chinese Teaching. In the period of graduate study, she was selected by the Chinese government to teach Chinese in an immersion program in Michigan, US. Her motivation and passion for international education has been stimulated since then. From 2019 to 2021, Ann Huang worked in Gumley House Convent School in London, UK, teaching Chinese for over 100 secondary students to support their GCSE learning and Cambridge Pre-U learning. Before that, she worked in an IB MYP school in Guangzhou, teaching Chinese and calligraphy to Y7&Y8 students. During this working period, she participated in the internationalized curriculum research program (No. GDJY-2015-A-b028) organized by Guangdong Institute of Education. Ann Huang is fully aware of the importance of cultivating students' critical thinking and creative thinking. Ann Huang aims to become a life-long learner. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano and guitar.
Matthew is a primary school teacher from the UK. After graduating from the University of Lincoln with a BA (Hons), he first came to China in 2012 and promptly fell in love with the country. Matthew has a keen interest in personalising the learning journeys of his students. He knows that all students come to the classroom from unique situations and firmly believes that all have the right to access the content, be challenged appropriately and encouraged to reach for the next level. He is a lifelong voracious reader and through his experience in both the UK and China, he has developed a passion for the development of reading in young learners. He finds much joy in sharing with students the experience of blossoming as a reader and opening the doors to a universe of imagination and discovery. Outside of school, he loves to cook and prides himself on his ability to find substitutes for ingredients he cannot obtain in China. He enjoys theatre and improv, appearing in a number of shows during 2019 in Hangzhou and starting an improvised comedy podcast during 2020; he credits this skill to years of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop games. His wife recently gave birth to their first child, and he spends much of his free time walking around Hangzhou with his family and their dog.
Kaz has been teaching since 2003 and has worked in international schools and bilingual schools in China and Thailand. He received a distinction from Nottingham University in his Postgraduate Certificate of Education. Kaz has worked as a primary and secondary teacher and middle leader since 2011 and has been an EAL coordinator in three different schools. He worked for Nordanglia for 10 years and was given an outstanding contribution award for his work as Head of EAL in one of their schools. In his last role, Kaz was also international cohort lead for grade four and a member of the Primary Leadership team.
Having spent most of his teaching career overseeing EAL provision, Kaz is a strong believer that bilingualism is an extremely powerful tool for children and that all children, regardless of their level of English, have the right to be taught an age appropriate curriculum with appropriate scaffolding and support. Kaz has devoted most of his teaching career to researching ways to plan inclusive lessons for bilingual language learners of all levels and developing strategies to help language learners access curriculum lessons taught in English. Kaz has two bilingual children himself who have both learned to write Chinese within two years of joining a bilingual school, so is very aware of the challenges faced by bilingual language learners and the benefits of being fluent in a second language.
Kaz is very happy to be based in China and has been learning Mandarin Chinese since first arriving in China in 2003. He is an ex-professional guitarist and lutenist who studied music at the Royal College of Music in London and is still a keen musician who loves playing for fun, listening to music and supporting students who are learning instruments or performing in shows. In his spare time, he loves travelling with his family and learning about the fascinating cultures of different cities and countries.
After graduating from the University of Birmingham with a degree in Greek and Roman Studies, Daniel had a number of different roles in hospitality, retail and business administration. However, it was in 2000, once he completed his RSA/CELTA, that he found his true vocation a teacher. After a summer’s teaching at an English private school he spent two years teaching students of all ages in Tokyo, followed by a year in Taipei delivering an English language curriculum in a kindergarten. When Daniel returned to the UK he embarked on his Post Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of Hull and has been teaching across the UK ever since in Hull, Bradford and Portsmouth, and abroad again at the British International School, Bratislava. He has had the privilege of teaching children from a huge range of socio-economic backgrounds and nationalities. During his career, Daniel has, at various points, had responsibility for leading History, Music, Talk for Learning (a programme designed to put talk at the heart of the curriculum), Reading and Mathematics. His experience has helped to hone his teaching and education philosophy down to some core beliefs: that education has a transformative effect on pupils’ lives; that all learners can succeed; and that a school’s wider role must include developing the qualities of respect and responsibility within the community. In his leisure time, Daniel likes to read, walk in the countryside and follow the ups and downs (but usually downs) of Portsmouth Football Club. He has always had an interest in travel, history and culture and is looking forward to indulging these interests in the beautiful city of Hangzhou, with his wife and two young children.
Nick has worked as a primary school teacher for 15 years on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. He completed a two year post graduate degree in Education after earlier completing a Bachelor of Applied Science (Human Movement Studies) and Bachelor of Business (Marketing), from the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane. Nick has a wide range of experience teaching in the primary school setting, having taught Year 3, 5 and 6 as a classroom teacher. His specialty, however, is teaching upper primary school students with the aim to develop their academic and personal skills to fully prepare them for life in Senior (High) School. He also has a passion for sport and has taught Physical Education and Sport lessons to students from Prep through to Year 8. Nick’s philosophy of teaching is to take pride and joy in nurturing children on their journey to both academic and personal success. His goal is to enable students with the necessary skills to engage with and contribute to a global, multi-cultural society and to mold and shape their love of learning. Nick’s rapport with students and expectation of being the best of themselves, is the core essence of his teaching philosophy, as it is also what he strives to live by in his own life. Nick and his wife have a love of travelling and have travelled extensively around the world, including a visit to their sponsor child in Tanzania. Most recently, they took a one-year sabbatical to travel extensively through South and Central America. Nick has also lived in Hertfordshire, England as an overseas cricket player for one season and he coached cricket to a variety of school and club teams during his time in England. Nick also enjoys staying fit and healthy through a variety of exercise including fitness circuits, yoga, bike riding, and hiking. He loves being outdoors and participating in team sports. Nick and his wife are excited to join Huili School and Wellington College International Hangzhou respectively. They are looking forward to the opportunity of teaching in bilngual and international settings and they will both offer a skill set that is unique and experienced with respect to their global view of education and life.
Darren joined Huili School Hangzhou having previously worked in a large Primary School in Worcestershire, serving a richly diverse cohort under the inspiring leadership of Val Weddell Hall, OBE. Over the last two years, he has taught in Year 4 and Year 5, taken part in teacher flash mobs and YouTube videos for World Book Day and been interviewed on the radio with Pudsey Bear for Children in Need. Some of Darren’s highlights from this time are; engaging the parents in topic workshops, organizing a star gazing evening and working as head of the Charities Faculty raising money for local and national projects. Darren trained as a primary school teacher after a 10 year career in retail management before realising his dream of becoming a teacher and graduating from The University of Worcester with First Class Honors. Whilst studying towards his teaching degree he spent 3 weeks volunteering as a teacher in Madagascar. He works every day to thread creative curricula throughout his lessons to ensure that children have clear links to tangible reasons for their studies. He believes that this themed approach has allowed him to put into practise all that he has learnt about different learning styles. He is passionate about sport especially football and golf and enjoys passing on this love of sport through extra-curricular activities such as: Lacrosse, tag rugby, dodge ball, balon prisonnaire, tennis and football. He believes that it is extremely important for children to work at staying fit and healthy and supports the view ‘a healthy body leads to a healthy mind’.
Krystle Niksch was born and raised in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. After completing her Bachelor of Education degree at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Krystle started her teaching career in Qatar. Although her plan was to spend only two years working abroad, she found herself mesmerised by the culture, lifestyle and ease of travel. She continued to spend a total of five wonderful years working at an international school as a primary teacher in Qatar. As Krystle is fascinated by multicultural and religious diversity, she feels fortunate to have worked with children from over 50 countries around the world in the international setting. Krystle loves working with students and always keeps herself busy with activities in the school community. She coached both athletics and triathlon and enjoyed organising sporting events between different schools for her teams. Along with English, Science is one of Krystle’s passions. She has developed the teaching and learning program in Year 3 to encourage an enthusiasm for science. Creating a teaching plan that is learner-centred and focuses on more hands-on activities was a rewarding task for her. She loved seeing the students make progress in science, grow more confident in using the correct scientific terms to explain their findings, make scientific connections and have fun while they were learning. Outside of the classroom, Krystle enjoys staying active by running and practicing yoga. She firmly believes that bringing some of her yoga practice into the class can help transform the classroom ethos and atmosphere. As yoga helps coordination through fine and gross motor control, it helps increase the student’s strength, flexibility and body awareness while teaching children to take care of their bodies and work safely. Krystle believes that the classroom should be a calm, safe and happy place where we all work together to cultivate better communication, focus and problem-solving skills. Krystle feels incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to move to China and start her new adventure at Huili School Hangzhou. She looks forward to continuing her growth and development as a teacher, surrounded by a new, diverse culture and working alongside bright minds.
Angy started her career in education in London five years ago, after completing her Postgraduate degree in education with a specialism in foreign languages from Goldsmiths University of London. Over the years she has been very fortunate to work with children of a wide age range, allowing her to obtain a deep understanding of the academic evolution of a child from their beginnings in primary school, to being ready for that next step into secondary school. Over the course of her career Angy has experienced teaching in different school settings, from schools for children with special educational needs to an international bilingual school in northern Italy. She is proud to say that this exposure to different educational settings has given her the oportunity to increase her repertoire of teaching tools and strategies, as well as how to put them in practice to ensure the content of lessons reaches the different learning styles in her classroom. One of Angy's biggest passions is to understand the different styles of learning presented in a given group of children. She has been trained by The National Autistic Society in London on the implementation of different strategies and tools in the classroom that can assist with teaching children as individuals. It is very important to her that a child has the oportunity to share their strengths in a subject, all the while being positively encouraged to find the passion to improve in areas where they need support. In her spare time Angy enjoys joining sporting events with different charities. She has competed in a half marathon, a few 15K runs and a couple of bike riding challenges to help raise funds for Cancer Research, among other charities. She likes to set challenges for herself and has recently taken up martial arts classes with her son; they have both now received their Yellow Belt certification in Taekwondo. Angy believes that to inspire children, there needs to be an element of self motivation and passion for goals, only then can this energy be transmitted to the children so they can achieve anything. Angy is glad to join the Huili School Hangzhou team, where a fantastic year lays ahead, full of oportunities to guide children into becoming outstanding global citizens ready to take on any challenge that may come their way.
Eva Yu graduated from Clarkson University in 2016 with a Master of Arts in Teaching degree. She also has earned a Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from Beijing Normal University. She has a love of Hangzhou having spent 4 years here when she was a student of Zhejiang University of Technology. She has the New York State Chinese 7-12 teaching certificate. She has 3 years experience of teaching Chinese to a diverse student body in the United States. She is an enthusiastic, energetic and passionate Chinese teacher who is dedicated to helping students reach their full potential and becoming knowledgeable and responsible global citizens. Eva is an ardent reader, a keen writer and an open-minded traveler. In her spare time, she likes to explore new things both in literature and the real world .
Bridget earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications at the University of Technology in Sydney and continued her education with a Graduate Diploma in Education from Sydney University. In her role as a teacher of English and History in the beachside town of Coffs Harbour on the east coast of Australia, Bridget has a vast range of teaching experience, having taught students when they first enter high school in Grade 7 to seeing those same students off after they complete Grade 12. Some highlights have been coaching debate teams which have gone on to win at state level competitions, providing opportunities for students to travel to Sydney to see live theatre, and organising the annual weeklong trip to the nation’s capital, Canberra, where 90 Grade 10 students learn about history, science, politics, culture, law and art by visiting the top institutions in these fields. Bridget has taught all levels of both English (Language and Literature) and History and is passionate about both. At the heart of her teaching is the desire to create opportunities for students to find their ‘voice.’ She teaches her students to learn from mistakes and to build on success. Furthermore, she believes that success is not measured by scores alone, but by valuing the effort that goes into being the best that one can be, in whichever fields one pursues. Bridget was selected by the Sydney Jewish Museum and Gandel Philanthropy in Australia to travel to the World Holocaust Memorial Center in Israel to undergo training in Holocaust Education. She was subsequently invited by the International School for Holocaust Studies at Yad Vashem to deliver a workshop at its International Education Conference in 2008 and then invited back to participate in a Graduate program for international educators in 2010. She has used her knowledge of appropriate Holocaust pedagogy to create many programs of learning for students aged 12 to 18, ensuring that such learning is delivered in a sensitive and ethical way, whilst encouraging her students to value the lessons that such an education invites. As a Leader of Learning, Bridget has worked with her College’s middle leadership team since 2014. She has trained in school improvement to develop effective strategies to better engage with students, parents and staff. Key to improving pedagogy is a willingness to learn from others and as a qualified ‘Peer-to-Peer’ classroom observer, Bridget will often be found in the classrooms of her colleagues, learning from their talents and assisting them with identified areas for growth. She looks forward to bringing a touch of ‘the land down under’ (aka Australia) to her classes at Huili School Hangzhou. Bridget enjoys reading, travelling, especially to sites of historical interest, and dining out, and when she is not walking the beaches of Coffs Harbour she can be found with her family hitting the ski slopes of Australia’s Snowy Mountains.
Mr. Edwards balances his joy for teaching alongside a wealth of classroom knowledge; the former evidenced by his success upon pupils’ learning and the latter firmly backed up by his dual Degrees: a First Class Honours in English and a second grounded within the science of education itself. Within the classroom he places great importance on the crucial, reciprocal relationship between the guiding teacher and the learning pupil. He takes pride in his lessons and teaching.
Mr. Edwards started his teaching journey in the UK, working as a Learning Support Assistant prior to moving to Wales to undertake his training. In the years since, he has taught in a wide range of schools throughout the British Key Stages. He has also spent time abroad teaching in Asia. He highly valued the experience this gave him. Mr. Edwards leads his classroom through exciting lessons geared around the promotion of respect. He firmly believes that any time spent teaching should be focused upon nurturing pupils to become good, well-rounded humans. Grit, determination and resilience are key characteristics that he seeks to kindle throughout his classes.
In his spare time, Mr. Edwards is a strong proponent of a healthy lifestyle, and enjoys leisure activities which push him to be physically active. He is a voracious reader and writer, hoping to write a book encouraging young students to be open in their interactions.
Ashley Dean grew up in Ferguson, Missouri in the United States. He believes that teaching is an
essential and life affirming act, like baking bread, or gardening. Ashley has taught at public
schools, international schools and American universities. In addition to teaching, Ashley is also
passionate about coaching athletic teams. Active in athletics from an early age, Ashley
competed at the university level in cross country and, track and field. He attended the
International Writing Program at City University of Hong Kong, where he received a Master's of
Fine Arts in Writing. The author of one book, he regularly publishes poetry and book reviews in
literary magazines. He is the editor of the literary journal Transpacificism. He is currently working
on a book manuscript on teaching poetry in the secondary school. Ashley is a believer in the
transformative power of learning and a strong proponent of bilingual education. An avid reader
of Chinese poetry, his own work has been influenced by the Tang masters, like Meng Hao Ran,
Li Bai and Du Fu, as well as contemporary poets like Lan Lan. Outside of the classroom, Ashley
enjoys spending time among the trees, drinking tea, and adventures with his son.
Xu Jiahui graduated from the University of Hong Kong with the Master of Education Degree. Her major is Teaching Chinese as a Second Language (IB Program). She graduated from Zhejiang Normal University with a bachelor's degree. Xu Jiahui has a National Chinese Teaching Certificate, a National English Teaching Certificate, as well as the IB Teaching Certificate. When she was in Hong Kong, she had the chance to be an Intern IB MYP Chinese Teacher in the Independent Schools Foundation in Hong Kong. She also worked as a research assistant in CACLER within the Faculty of Education at the University of Hong Kong. Xu Jiahui worked as Bilingual Teacher in an international school in Shenzhen, and in a private school in Hangzhou. She focuses on improving students’ critical thinking and problem-solving skills. In her free time, she likes music and dance.
Ms Jane Xia received her Master’s Degree from Sun Yat-sen University, majoring in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry. She has devoted several years to the research on genetic diversity and to the conservation of living marine resources. Due to her excellent academic performance, she was awarded a number of honours and awards, including the National scholarship of China. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Biology Science from Nanjing Normal University which is famous for teaching students to be good teachers. She has the National High School Teacher certificate. She has a great passion for teaching, and has experiences of being tutor for overseas students. For now she works as a theme teacher in Huili School Hangzhou. She wishes to use her patience and guidance to help students to build solid scientific literacy and logical knowledge structure.
Candice graduated from Changchun Normal University,. She majored in Mathematics and applied Mathematics whilstn getting a Mathematics bilingual teaching certificate in the university. She started to work in an international school in Guangzhou in 2011. She was mainly teaching IGCSE and A level mathematics, and she was the Head of the Mathematics Department in that school. She once organized students to take part in the Waterloo Mathematics competition and most students got medals in the competition. From 2014 she transferred to work in an international school in Hangzhou, she was the exam officer of A level exams in that school. The students she taught went to top 50 Universities in UK, e.g Imperial College, University college London….. She likes teaching, and she always said ‘she is born to teach’. She is very patient in class, and she likes to be with children. She likes to study and she got 7 in IELTS test. She joined in Huili school in 2018, she is proud of being a teacher in Huili.
Katy has worked as a primary school teacher for 18 years in Cheshire after completing a 4 year BEd (hons) at Chester College, a college of The University of Liverpool. Throughout her teaching career, Katy feels fortunate to have worked in the same school for many years. This has provided her with the opportunity to not just see individual children make progress over a year, but in some cases whole families over many years. These valuable experiences have helped Katy to develop her appreciation for the positive impact school and family links can have in an educational setting. As a Primary Maths Specialist, Katy has been an ambassador for implementing programs from early years across the primary ages that encourage and develop an enthusiasm for mathematics. It has been very rewarding for Katy to see children grow more and more confident as they begin to reason and explain their thinking, make mathematical connections, and improve their mathematical fluency. Along with Maths, Katy’s passion is technology. She recognises that the effective use of technology in the classroom can lead to accelerated and sustained progress across many subjects. Whilst working in the UK, she was an ambassador for several projects and thoroughly enjoyed sharing her expertise with her peers from other schools. She hopes to develop these skills with her new colleagues in Huili. During her own school days, Katy enjoyed participating in competitive sports. It was no surprise that, once teaching, she was quickly identified as PE lead in her school and has worked hard over the past five years to ensure her school was the first in the borough to earn the prestigious Platinum School Games Mark. In her spare time she is improving her cooking skills and is looking forward to trying the local cuisine. After teaching in the same area for such a substantial amount of time, Katy is also looking forward to discovering the delights of Hangzhou and the surrounding area. Katy is very excited to be joining Huili School Hangzhou and in particular the Maths department where she will work as part of the team to develop motivated and independent learners. Moving to China, being able to experience such a different culture and engage with smart, intelligent and motivated minds, is such a fantastic opportunity for Katy, and she cannot wait to get started.
Kiko Wang completed her bachelor’s degree at Zhejiang University of Technology. After her graduation, she worked in Hangzhou New Oriental School as a primary school maths teacher. She joined in Huili School Hangzhou in 2018 and got the title of Excellent Teacher in Kaifa District in 2020.
Jane is a young, energetic and passionate theme teacher. She graduated from Nanjing University in 2014 and gained the postgraduate recommendation from the same university. Three years later, she completed her Master's degree with three school-level academic scholarships. During the postgraduate studies, she also got a job in TAL Education Group to teach maths. For now, she is already maths teacher with more than three years of teaching experience, and someone who also maintains good relationship with her students and parents. She believes good communication between teacher and parents is essential for a student’s healthy growth. She believes as long as the child has enough choices to find the most suitable one for himself, he can develop his potential to the greatest extent and make him a better person. In her spare time, Jane loves to cook for her family and feels the magic and happiness of cooking. She also likes sports, especially badminton.
Lisa completed her master’s degree at the University of Warwick and majored in Food Security from the School of Life Science. With a strong academic background, she spent one year in teaching Mathematics in an American High school, called Barstow School. She tutored the students for Canadian math competitions many times and has been awarded the Best Instructor. She also has taught SAT and AP Calculus in International Courses Department Zhejiang University for two years. All these working experience makes her quite familiar with international education systems and specialising in mathematics teaching. The experience of teaching provided her a comprehensive understanding of education. What's more, she is also good at communicating with young kids and families. In her spare time, she likes to spend time reading books and traveling around. She is also a big fan of music. She can play several music instruments and can sing songs well.
Jennifer completed her Master of Arts in Teaching at Clarkson University, Schenectady, NY in 2017. She has also been educated by Xi’an International Studies University for her undergraduate qualifications. Jennifer has two years teaching experience in public schools in the United States. Jennifer is extending her K-12 teaching license of New York State. In the school year of 2017-2018, Jennifer was a 3rd grade Maths and Science Teacher at a public immersion school in Amherst, Massachusetts. She excels at building positive relationships with students. She grew up in Xi’an, a historic city of 13 dynasties. She used to be an interpreter at Shaanxi History Museum. She also went to Egypt as a voluntary language teacher in 2012. Jennifer can speak both English and Korean. She is very passionate about teaching, and she enjoys traveling around the world and exploring new cultures. She also has a cute corgi!
Ms. Sherry Luo entered the School of Life Science of Wuhan University for undergraduate study in 2004. After that, she was awarded with a full scholarship from the Department of Microbiology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong to undertake a Masters. After graduation, she worked in the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen Mingde Experimental School, Lunhua Education Group and Yew Wah International School. She has a teacher qualification certificate issued by the Shenzhen Bureau of Education and a PGCE certificate from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. In addition, she has the title of a First-Class Secondary Teacher. She is highly enthusiastic about education particulalry inquiry-based and experiment-based teaching. She is dedicated to helping students develop scientific literacy and skill of logical thinking and problem-solving.
Mr Hetherington has worked in a variety of roles across the 11-18 age range with experience working as part of the senior leadership team as a behavioural lead, Head of Department and as a Head of Key stage for Science. He has a passion for ensuring every child achieves their potential and has developed the pedagogical approaches to ensure he is able to facilitate this.
Mr Hetherington studied biochemistry and medicine both at Cardiff University and obtained his Post Graduate Certificate in Education in Chemistry with a post 16 Enhancement from Brighton University. Mr Hetherington has taught Chemistry, Physics and Biology to GCSE level and has taught both Chemistry and Physics to A level. He has also recently completed his Master’s in Education with his thesis focusing on student behaviour and enhancing student engagement across all subjects. He has also almost completed his National Professional Qualification in Middle Leadership with a project focusing on how to improve student outcomes in science using technology.
Mr Hetherington has played rugby at a semi-professional level for a number of years including playing in some of the biggest rugby stadiums across the United Kingdom. More recently he has transitioned into competitive powerlifting.
Sunny graduated from East China Normal University with a master's degree, majoring in ecology. She got her bachelor's degree from Ocean University of China. She has a national high school biology teaching certificate. She was a steam teacher in the cooperative unit of Zhejiang STEAM Collaborative Innovation Center. She is familiar with children's psychological and behavioural cognitive development. She is good at designing interactive, exciting classes to enable students to master knowledge and skills in interesting interactive projects. She is an enthusiastic person. In her spare time, she is an art lover. She likes singing, dancing, reading and writing. Huili school's values have deeply attracted her. She is willing to work with Huili for the growth of pupils.
Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, Mr Richards worked as a head of department for 14 years at a variety of schools and also is a member of the teaching alliance which utilizes his specialism in ICT and business studies to support other schools.
Before entering teaching Mr Richards held the position of general manager within a large private business and commerce and also ran and operated a successful business.
He also has worked in pastoral roles, supporting young people. He is passionate about young people realizing their talents and abilities and values key competences strongly including having confidence, self determination and resilience, that can be developed through education and learning.
Mr Richards believes that every child does-matter and through his knowledge, understanding and expertise will work with young people to help them achieve their full potential.
Mr Richards always enjoys challenges he enjoys swimming and visits to the gymnasium. But his greatest passion is to travel and loves to learn and develop ideas from other cultures. He has great passion and enthusiasm for learning and developing new skills and loves to experience different environments that the world offers.
Debby Bauman was born and raised in an verdant olive garden in Turkey with fond memories of many days spent in adventure, exploration, wonder, and creativity. She has a Masters in Education through Cairn University and a Bachelors in Art Education through Taylor University in Indiana, where she had the opportunity to study art and art history abroad in the picturesque countryside of Orvieto, Italy. After completing her Bachelors, Debby taught as an art teacher in every grade level from primary up through high school, ran community art workshops, facilitated inner city art programs for underprivileged students, and ran her own pottery studio where she created and sold her work at art fairs and events.
Debby's mission is to facilitate an atmosphere of social and creative growth with the intent of developing the whole child into a global citizen adept at cross-cultural collaboration through art. Her and her husband, Michael's, global upbringing is what led their family to move to Shanghai where she taught primary art for three years at Transformation Academy Shanghai before moving to Hangzhou to continue teaching art at Huili. In addition to Turkish, Debby can speak French and is looking forward to continuing her Chinese language learning. Debby's creative hobbies include abstract watercolor painting, marbled paper making, and wheel thrown pottery. She enjoys hiking with her family, playing volleyball and Spikeball, and hosting people at her home. Debby, her husband Michael, and two children, are very excited to be part of the Wellington family in Hangzhou.
Having obtained a first class honours degree in Design Technology Education and a Secondary PGCE, John has been teaching in the UK for more than 16 years. He has a wide range of experience teaching Design Technology from Early Years through to Post 16, including teaching Electronics, Product Design and Systems and Control to A Level. He also has significant experience teaching Food Technology, ICT and Computing.
John spent a number of years teaching at senior schools in Derbyshire. He has enjoyed the role of Head of Department for the last 6 years at one of the country's leading prep schools located in South Derbyshire. John has relished the opportunity to develop the children’s confidence and technical skills in the workshop environment promoting creative and independent problem solvers who are not afraid to take risks with their work. John has a successful track record of preparing pupils for their scholarships in Design and Technology to their senior schools. He has also managed the school's Greenpower Motor Racing Team, giving the students the opportunity to design, build and race their own electric racing cars. John is interested in exploring ways in which motor sport based activities can aid pupils' understanding of engineering.
Prior to beginning his teaching career, John worked in Medical Engineering for both the NHS and a large international company specialising in radiotherapy equipment.
In his free time John enjoys being outdoors (camping, walking and running) as well as travelling and relaxing with a good book.
Alejandro is a passionate teacher and artist who strongly believes that anyone can sing and make music. He focuses his teaching from a holistic point of view always making sure every single pupil he teaches feel included, validated and makes consistent progress in their learning. Alejandro was born in Armenia, Colombia. After several relocations within the country his family stablised in Medellin, Colombia where he gained a Bachelor of Music Education Degree with UNAC “Corporacion Universitaria Adventista” in 2005. Alejandro then started teaching music at primary and secondary levels. He moved to London, UK in 2008 looking to improve his English language skills and had the opportunity to teach music at John Keble Primary School where he established a successful music department with a wonderful and winning choir in his borough. Alejandro worked as Head of Music at Eaton House the Manor Pre-Preparatory School in London before moving to Huili School Hangzhou. Alejandro has focused his musical artistry in singing, choirs, conducting and drama. He is a professional baritone singer with a powerful, velvety and tantalising voice. He possesses wonderful stage presence with the ability to connect with audiences. He started singing from an early age and showed natural music talent. On his arrival in London in 2008, Alejandro joined the London Philharmonic Choir singing at different venues like The Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Festival Hall. He has sung in many operettas, a few operas and even an amateur version of Addams Family the Musical - as the main character. In his very little spare time Alejandro enjoys socialising, travelling, learning languages and watching movies. His biggest passion, after music of course, is eating! Alejandro is incredibly excited to be in Hangzhou and working for such a phenomenal school like Huili School Hangzhou. He has fallen in love with the school values and identity. He is also very much looking forward to learning Mandarin and helping others to fall in love with music.
Robbie has worked as a secondary music teacher and head of music departments in the North West of England for 5 years since receiving his PGCE. In addition to his PGCE, Robbie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in music production, a higher diploma in music production, and a level 3 national diploma in music technology. Throughout his teaching career, Robbie has gained a vast degree of experience in several schools. Completing part of his training in a musical futures champion school enabled him to specialise in developing schemes of learning and assessment centered around independent, practical student study. In his first post, Robbie took charge of a music department where he utilised technology to increase engagement and improve results whilst also developing new events with the wider performing arts team, giving students the opportunity to perform publicly. By working with departments from across the school, he was able to help develop the holistic experience of students within school. In his post prior to moving to Huili School Hangzhou, Robbie was head of music at a large school in the English Lake District. He was responsible for all music programs from grade 7 up to grade 13 at A level which enabled him to develop programs for a wide spectrum of learners and varied content. In this post he was responsible for a large amount of live performance opportunities for students such as a large scale school musical, termly music concerts, festive concerts, music for student celebratory events, and school performances at local festivals and events. Before moving into education Robbie toured the UK and Europe as a performing musician and DJ. He has released original music through several notable record labels which have been played on radio stations including BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1Xtra in the UK and have also been commissioned for TV advertisements. Robbie believes that his passion for music, alongside his experiences within the industry and in education, have helped him become a practitioner that can enable young people to gain self confidence and academic success through a variety of different musical directions and activities. When he is not creating or performing music, Robbie enjoys visiting the gym, playing badminton and he has a keen interest in food. He is also an avid football fan which he enjoys both playing and watching. Robbie is extremely excited about joining Wellington and being part of its incredible continued success alongside a great network of staff, students and parents. The opportunity to be a part of such an institution where world class facilities and a reputation for excellence come together for the benefit of intelligent and motivated young people is one that he looks forward to with great pride.
Lisa is an Australian teacher who has 17 years experience writing and delivering a Japanese and dance curriculum in the Elementary, Middle and High school sectors. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Arts (Dance) and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with a minor in Japanese Language Studies. She takes great pride and joy in nurturing children on their journey to personal success and whilst acting in various administrative roles, discovered her ‘niche’ working in the Middle Years (13-15 years). As a result, Lisa has been a Middle Years Year Level Coordinator for 10 years, managing staff and students in pastoral care. Lisa’s philosophy of education is to build a lasting rapport with her students teamed with an expectation of them striving to be the best of themselves. She also strongly believes in enabling her students to have the necessary skills to engage with and contribute to a global, multi-cultural society. In role-modeling this philosophy, Lisa and her husband love to immerse themselves in different cultures and they have travelled extensively around the world. She has also lead numerous international school tour groups and studied twice in Japan. In addition to Japanese, Lisa can speak conversational Spanish and she is looking forward to learning Chinese throughout her time at Wellington and living in Hangzhou. Along with her skill of teaching Dance as a subject, Lisa has a strong personal background in Performing Arts. Beginning dance at five years of age, she has experience singing, acting and dancing in Musical Theatre Performances, competing in Eisteddfod’s, completing board examinations and performing as a Tapper and Jazz Singer. Lisa has also choreographed a number of dances for a variety of events to differing levels of ability. She loves to regularly participate in yoga classes and has a passion for health, lifestyle and being outdoors. Lisa and her husband Nick are very excited to be part of the Wellington family and are looking forward to having the opportunity to share their knowledge, skill, passion and experience with the staff and students at Huilli School Hangzhou and Wellington College International Hangzhou.
Throughout his life Mr. Thaxter has been an active contributor to the performing arts community. After completing his undergraduate degree in Music Management, he graduated with his Postgraduate Certificate in Education from a world top 100 University. His life as an educator began after graduating, when he took a position as a music teacher in America. He worked with a wide range of students aged 5-17 and inspired them to take to the stage and express themselves through the performing arts. Before long, Mr. Thaxter’s journey brought him to Hangzhou, where he has continued to teach for the past four years. Mr. Thaxter understands that every student is an individual and values the unique educational needs of each child. He is committed to promoting progress in every student’s learning and strives to create a welcoming learning environment in his classroom for children to confidently grow and learn. As a lifelong learner himself, Mr. Thaxter enjoys a challenge and has completed the Hangzhou half-marathon twice since living in the city, and enjoys studying Mandarin in his spare time. He is also an avid lover of the arts and is a regular contributor to the city’s art scene.
Annabelle Jin completed her master's degree at Oregon State University and her undergraduate degree from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in music education. She is a pianist and singer and is also adept at French Horn. She conducted the Oregon State Women's choir, community choir, an orchestra and performed in public concerts. Now Ruiting has worked as a high school music teacher in international schools for 3 years and has taught the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Music course. Her students have received A* in their IGCSE exams. Many of her students received ABRSM music theory certificates and awards in international music competitions. Annabelle Jinreceived many "Outstanding Teaching" awards in music competitions, including the 2020 Liszt Youth International Piano Competition (China), the 2019 UK Royal International Art Competition and more. Annabelle Jincompleted her recent research which was published in a journal, title the Psychological Development and Teaching Design of Music Learning for High School Students. Annabelle Jin has also completed several training programs. Some of her courses include International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme ( IBDP) Music, IGCSE Music, Orff Schulwerk, Plano Kodály, and choral teachers training. Ruiting was the supervisor of the Student Union in an international school. She organized many school events and helped students with their leadership. She also was the judge of the Zhejiang Musicians Association Music Level Exam and the judge of the Zhejiang Youth Art Conference.
Nathan Witter has been a Primary School class teacher for the past three years in London, specialising in both Physical Education and Science. He has a Bachelor's degree in Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention as well as a Master's degree in Strength and Conditioning from Middlesex University, London. Before Nathan obtained his PGCE in Primary Education from St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, he worked alongside top athletes and professional football clubs to improve athletic performance. Promoting healthy yet active lifestyles to children, is one of the fundamental reasons why Nathan chose a career in education. Which is further supported through his ten-year experience, coaching children from Primary to Secondary level. He is an individual that uses all of his professional strategies, to ensure that he teaches children with imaginative and highly enthusiastic lesson approaches. Nathan believes that through fully engaging children, he can produce independent and secure learners. Nathan has an immense passion for all sports, especially football, rugby and mixed martial arts, in which he has previously practiced at a competitive level. He has an interest in travelling and finding out about other cultures, as well as applying his experiences to further develop and inspire himself both personally and professionally. As well as wanting to motivate and broaden the knowledge of Physical Education to the children of Wellington College Hangzhou, Nathan is delighted to be given the opportunity and challenge, to gain new life and teaching experiences in China.
Christy hails from Edinburgh, Scotland and has been teaching for five and a half years. He started his teaching profession at Balfron High School in Stirlingshire. Soon after, he took up a permanent PE Teaching position at the High School of Dundee where he taught Nursery, Primary and Secondary education. Christy has gained excellent teaching experience through numerous and increasing levels of responsibility. During his time in Dundee, Christy took the lead in designing and implementing the new Higher certificate SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) PE programme and was responsible for the continual adaptability, assessment, examination and coursework for this course. Christy is a UKCC Level 2 Rugby qualified coach and led his High School of Dundee Under-16 side to the 2018 Scottish Schools Cup Final at Murrayfield, Scotland’s National Stadium, in which they narrowly lost to the rugby-renowned George Watson’s College. As Head of Athletics, Christy compiled, implemented and administered the extra-curricular Athletics programme for the entire school. Within the PE Department, Christy was also responsible for creating and organising the inaugural Sports Awards Dinner to raise the profile of school sport. This is now an established annual event in which past guest speakers such as Andy Nicol (British and Irish Lion and Scottish Calcutta Cup winning captain) have spoken. His philosophy as a teacher is to provide an engaging, stimulating, challenging and positive environment in which pupils can meet their full potential, and firmly believes that Physical Education and Sport develops children physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. He wants his pupils to excel to the best of their abilities and to be innovative thinkers, socially confident and lifelong-learners who possess an international mindset. He is passionately committed to delivering first-class teaching, with an unwavering focus on ensuring that each pupil thrives on the sports field and achieves their full potential, and an absolute commitment to excellence. He is committed to taking part in, and expanding, the programme of extra-curricular sport. Christy thoroughly enjoys taking an active role in school extra-curricular programmes and has travelled the world on sports tours, along with other departmental trips, in which he has visited places such as South Africa and the USA and a number of European cities including Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona. He is excited by new countries and cultures and is looking forward very much to starting the next chapter of his career in Hangzhou. Outside of the workplace, you will either find Christy on the rugby pitch, at the side of a rugby pitch or on the golf course. From an early age, Christy has been a devoted sportsman. He has represented Edinburgh Rugby age groups as well as the University of Exeter, but has more recently taken up distance running. Christy completed the Helsinki Marathon in 2015, but admits that 5km and 10km distances are his forte from now on! Christy is incredibly excited to join Wellington College International Hangzhou and is looking forward to challenging himself in a new and different environment along with being exposed to a new culture, interacting with local people (and attempting the local language!) and experiencing local cuisine.
Young Chen graduated from St. John ’s University with a Master ’s degree in Sport Management and a Bachelor ’s degree from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). Young has been a national first-level athlete and an ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) Level 1, 2 and 3 qualified swimming coach. Young was a competitive swimmer and she has more than 15 years of swimming training experience. She has participated in multiple national and provincial swimming competitions and won the champion and Sportsmanship Award in the National University Swimming Championships in the junior year at university. Young has a dedicated academic background and coaching experience in both China and the United States. She is an ASCA qualified swimming coach in the field of USA swimming and age groups, has lifeguard certificates for First Aid, CPR, AED and CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) training certificates.
Young has participated as a volunteer in the Make a Splash youth swimming activity organized by the USA Swimming Foundation and the Pan American Games trials organised by Swimming Canada. After graduation, Young taught youth swimming development projects at Queens College and Manhattanville College in the United States, and organised the JH team to participate in the swimming tournaments in the New York metropolitan area. After experiencing different sports, Young became more passionate and enthusiastic about swimming. She strongly recognises that academic research, communication develop and implementation programmes are inseparable for successful coaching. Young firmly believes and wishes to pass on to children that sports not only teach them a life skill, but also inspire them to be physically and psychologically more powerful and independent.
Jack completed a 4 year B.Ed. (Hons) in Sports Studies and Physical Education at University College Cork and, for the past 6 years, has since worked as a Physical Education teacher. Throughout his teaching career, Jack has been fortunate to have gained valuable experiences in different school settings. Jack has worked as a Physical Education teacher in Ireland as well as in British schools in Spain, which have allowed him learn about and celebrate different cultures. For the past 3 years Jack has been the Head of physical education at the British School of Navarra where he developed the school's sports programme as well as teaching PE to students from 5 - 18 years old. Jack is looking forward to bringing his knowledge and expertise to Wellington at such an important time for the school. Sport has played a significant part of Jack´s life and he places huge value on the importance of sport in developing the whole child. As a youngster Jack excelled at cross-country running and gaelic football before turning to rugby and football in his teenage years. Now Jack does road cycling, running, swimming and yoga on a regular basis and he hopes to complete his first sprint triathlon this year.
White Wang worked at Wellington College International Shanghai teaching primary school and middle school physical education for 5 years while completing his PGCE in Physical Education from Durham University, UK. During his early age, White was competing and representing Tianjin as a youth shot putter before gaining his college degree from Tianjin Normal University. Besides, he gained a FAW (Football Association of Wales) football coaching certificate and Chinese national Lifeguard certificate. Throughout his former sporting career and teaching experience, White feels fortunate to train among elite athletes and has worked in a wide range of different settings. These valuable experiences have helped White to develop his appreciation for the positive impact on pupils’ development that can be found in an educational setting. Along having a life-long enthusiasm of sports and teaching, White has also been a house tutor for the previous two years. He has been often recognised as having outstanding pastoral care for his pupils and will go to great lengths to support their development. White has an immense passion for all sports, especially athletics, badminton, tennis, football and golf. He has an interest in travelling and finding out about other cultures, as well as applying his experiences to further develop and inspire himself and pupils both personally and professionally. As a family he just moved into Hangzhou with his wife Chang and daughter Lexie, White is very excited to take on a new adventure in the most beautiful and vibrant city of China.
Emily achieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Zhejiang University and a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Shanghai University of Sport. She completed the IBPYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme) training courses in Singapore and achieved the 'Make The PYP Happen In The Classroom' Category 1 and the PYP Assessment Category 2 certificates. She has worked as a Physical Education teacher in Fudan International school for 4 years, and 4 years at Shanghai United International school. For the past 2 years, Emily has worked as the Head of PE and Sport at Shanghai United International School and taught primary upper grades. She has also worked with Shanghai Schools Sports Association, organizing and hosting events at her school. As a Physical Education Specialist, Emily helped develop and implement the IB Primary Years Program (IBPYP) to encourage and develop an enthusiasm for sport. It was rewarding for Emily to see children grow more confident as they began to develop sporting skills and attitudes. Throughout her teaching career, Emily feels fortunate to have worked in a range of different settings with a diverse membership of both staff and pupils. She has a passion for teaching pupils, and a willingness to work with pupils inside and outside the classroom in sports and other activities that enhance the life and spirit of the school community. Sport has played a significant part of Emily´s life. She enjoys playing tennis and basketball in her spare time and is interested in reading about health and fitness. She has always had a passion for athletics being involved in sporting competitions throughout her schooling life. Emily is very excited to be part of Hangzhou Huili School at such an important point for our school, where we have the opportunity to develop a motivated and engaged learning environment within the Wellington community.
Mr. Yi graduated from Shanghai University of Sport, he majored in elite swimming training and he has gained a huge amount of experience coaching and working alongside professional athletes. His second major is tennis,and he has huge enthusiasm about that sport. Ares has a strong and impressive background in aquatics and as a competitor Ares gained a national title in the 100m breast stroke and a silver medal in the 400m individual medley as the national level sportsman. Since pursuing a career in coaching he has gained a national certificate in swimming coaching and also in life guarding from the Shangahi swimming institute. Before taking up the post of aquatics coach at Wellington College Hangzhou, Ares was a lifeguard and swimming coach at Disney Land, Florida in the USA. Ares has made the first swimming perform ace squad at Hangzhou Wellinton school and he is very much looking forward to developing all swimmers at Wellington but is particularly driven to boost the profile of the College at national or international competitions. He really enjoys sharing his life experiences, especially in sports, to inspire children and young people in establishing their own distinguished attitude towards sport. Ares believes sport can, and will, make children happier by embracing physical fitness, personal development and a greater sense of team spirit.
Yaochen graduated from Nanjing University,she has Certificate of swimming athlete at the national first-level,American Swimming Association (ASCA) level1&2 Certified Coach. she has won many national and provincial awards and won the NO. 11 in the Olympic trials in open water swimming games. She has 11 years of teaching experience as a swimming coach she has Lead students to participate in various competitions organized by the International School League,Education Bureau and social organizations. YaoChen is very happy to join Huili. She hopes to cultivate the sportsmanship of lifelong sports also she hopes to lead the student to achieve more excellent results
Phoebe Jin completed her bachelor’s degree at The Education University of Hong Kong with First Class Honours, majoring in English language education. Later, she earned her Master’s degree from The University of Hong Kong, specialising in Comparative and Global Studies in Education and Development. Phoebe Jin has rich study and work experience from different parts of the world, including the USA, the UK, Australia, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and mainland China, which has made her willing to embrace various cultures and developed her unique teaching philosophy. Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, she worked as a teacher in a primary school in Hong Kong where she taught English. In addition to this she was also the year-level coordinator and e-learning coordinator of the Engish. Phoebe won a Merit Award in the International Outstanding e-Learning Awards (English Language Education). She sees herself as a passionate and patient teacher with a strong, open and kind heart, and she believes teachers should inspire students to be life-long learners. In her spare time, she enjoys movies, reading and travelling.
Linda Wang taught English in Tianjin Foreign Studies University for many years after graduation from Tianjin Normal University. She moved to New Zealand in 2004 and continued her teaching career abroad. She has taught English to students who are from different countries with diverse cultural and educational backgrounds, distinct age groups with various needs and uneven levels. She came back from New Zealand to China last July and started working as an English support teacher in Huili, Hangzhou. She received a Master’s Degree in Economics in Tianjin Finance and Economics University. Before that, she majored in foreign languages and literature in Tianjin Normal University and got her Bachelor’s Degree and Certificate of Post-graduate in English. She also got the Certificate of TESL at New Zealand Institute of Studies. She received a professional training in track and field events while she was in her secondary school, therefore, she is fond of sports. Being a national-grade judge of track and field events, she has participated in many sports games which include; Annual NEC Marathon Tournament, Annual In-doors International Track and Field Events Invitation Meet, the 21st Univesiade and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As everyone knows, education acts as the most powerful tool for the individual’s personal growth and is thereforea an important element for the civilization of human society. The more developed life becomes, the more necessary education will be. Therefore, teaching is one of the most vital and prestigious jobs in our society. Being a teacher was always therefore her life-long dream. She thinks she is a lucky person who has been doing her favourite job her entire life. Teaching is a quite rewarding job especially when she sees her students growing mentally, physically as well as academically day by day. It is a life-long process that needs to be reinforced throughout life. She is passionate about teaching as she enjoys the process of teaching while learning and improving herself along with her students.
Lynn is a highly motivated educator. Her aim is to be a lifelong learner, Lynn is dedicated to using her professionalism to prepare future generations to thrive within an ever-changing global society. Before pursuing postgraduate studies with Monash University, Lynn had a repertoire of employment experience both as a Chinese language teacher and classroom teacher with Shanghai United International School. While ensuring the cognitive development of students, Lynn especially paid attention to the uniqueness of each individual and developed a dynamic classroom environment of innovation and collaboration. After working for six years, Lynn had decided to further enhance the critical thinking and analytical skills which are fundamental to research-based education. Lynn completed her Master’s Degree at Monash University with a specialisation in educational leadership. The theoretical grounding together with the practical experiences will allow her to continue growing as the innovative educator that she strives to be.
Hendrik Smith is from Bloemfontein in South Africa. He graduated from the University of The Free State with a BA in Education specializing in Engineering and Graphic Design as well as Technology. After teaching in South Africa for a year, Mr Smith decided to move to Hangzhou China to expand his career as a teacher. He has now been teaching English in China for two and a half years. While working in China Mr Smith also studied a CELT-P and multiple TKT certificates. During his time in China as an educator, he has grown fond of teaching English to young learners. Mr Smith believes that as an educator we are actively cultivating the next generation of leaders and therefore, have a responsibility to equip these students with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to help them lead to the best of their abilities. He believes in having a culturally inclusive classroom that promotes student participation and focuses on verbal-linguistic intelligence through English emersion. Outside of work Mr Smith enjoys living an active and healthy lifestyle. He is also passionate about photography and have been selected as one of the official photographers of Hangzhou’s Xianghu Lake for the year 2021. Alongside photography, he is also an enthusiastic traveller that attempts to travel whenever the opportunity arises. Mr Smith is looking forward to continuing his teaching career at Wellington College. He is thankful for the opportunity to work at a world class institution that will allow him to further his growth and development as a teacher while working alongside other education experts.
Shiyu Sharon Wang completed the PGCE from the University of Sunderland. Further back, she earned a master's degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, where she majored in the same department as an undergrad.
Sharon worked in Hong Kong for 5 years, her achievements to date have been helping to set up a new school including developing policies, developing reading programmes and STEAM projects, co-creating curriculum maps, and developing co-curricular activities and service learning. As a colleague, she is flexible, open-minded and supportive, She enjoys working collaboratively with others and share ideas to create a shared understanding of best practice.
Sharon enjoys traveling, hiking, diving, K-POP dance,sports, especially soccer games in her spare time.
After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a First Class Honours Degree in Creative Writing, Joshua completed a Post Graduate Certificate of Education at The University of Sunderland. Joshua has experience as a primary school teacher both within the UK and internationally, across all primary key stages including EYFS. Furthermore, Joshua has experience teaching physical education. His Level 3 Diploma in personal training and fitness instructing compliments his experience teaching P.E. Joshua enjoys studying Chinese (he passed HSK3 and is working towards HSK4), writing children’s poetry, playing football and hiking. In the Summer of 2011, he raised money for a Macmillan Cancer Support charity by walking from Lands End to John O’Groats. Joshua’s teaching philosophy is that it is important for practitioners to always be inquisitive and acquire new knowledge. This is to ensure that practitioners continually understand the process of learning from a student’s perspective and maximise inspiration.
Flora Yang graduated with a Master's Degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from Xi’an International Studies University. She holds the Certificate for High School Chinese Teachers and Certificate for Teaching of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. She has 6 years of working experience with three IB international schools in China, Thailand and the U.S. Flora believes education is not limited to classroom, it is also about supporting students to realize their true potential and becoming better versions of themselves.
Miss Neliswa Coleen Hlangulela was born in Richmond South Africa. She has been a teacher since 2013. A 2013 Undergraduate Bachelor of Education in Foundation Phase specialising in early childhood development and majoring in English and psychology at the university of South Africa. Miss Hlangulela received her South African teachers certificate in 2013. She is a 2018 post graduate Honour’s Bachelor of Education majoring in educational management from the university of South Africa. Miss Hlangulela has had an array of training through her career journey. Namely a certificate for teaching the whole brained child, philosophy for children disability, diversity and inclusion to name a few.
Pauline gained a Bachelor of Arts 2:1 Honours Degree in Science from the University of Ulster UK and then followed her passion for working with children and gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Primary Education from the University of Surrey in 1998. Ms Donnelly has specialised in Lower Primary Education and has gained expert knowledge in Early Learning Goals, the acquisition of Mathematic skills (Maths No Problem)and English(Talk for Write). Ms Donnelly has taught in schools for a number of years in the South of England with pupils aged 4-11 and recently internationally. She has a deep understanding of the curriculum and the direction needed in the progression of a child’s learning journey. She encourages children to be self-directed learners and critical thinkers! Ms Donnelly enjoys challenging herself and has recently completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Technology in Education from University of Surrey. In her spare time Pauline likes to keep fit, cook, socialise and is especially looking forward to learning to speak Chinese!
Amy Hu, graduated from Jinan University with a master’s degree of International Relations and achieved a high school teacher qualification certificate. Fascinated by the concept of inquiry based learning, she became a PYP teacher and mainly taught in the upper primary classes for six years.
She believes learning never stops and has completed numerous courses focussed on inquiry based learning. Through continuous self-development courses and two years’ experience of coordinator assistant, she believes that she has a strong understanding and of teaching and learning, especially the integration of national courses and enquiry courses.
Linda Mao graduated from Xiamen University, majoring in the English Language and Literature. She's been teaching English to different age groups since her graduation. Years of first-hand experience has not only sharpened her teaching skills but also deepened her understanding of a teacher's role. As a keen educator, she devotes herself to learning about teaching, listening to students, and sharing with them her values. As a strong believer of lifelong learning, she never allows herself to be dominated by the love of ease.
Chelsea Zhang graduated from the University of Nottingham Ningbo China with a Bachelor’s Degree in International Business with Japanese. She finished her Master Degree from University College London. In Nottingham, she was the head of a radio station, hosted many school events, worked in an English training school as a teaching assistant and homeroom teacher in the holidays, and founded her own English training centre and was also an English teacher as well. Have been a student in the Institute of Psychology, (majoring in educational psychology), she is excited to apply the most advanced psychology knowledge into practice. Chelsea joined Huili School Hangzhou in June 2018. She has been worked as a PA to the Head of Primary for over one year. That experience inspired her curiosity of education and to explore more. In her spare time, Chelsea likes swimming, badminton and watching Japanese drama. She believes that she can acquire much teaching experience and grow quickly.
Bingxin Lin has recently worked as an English teacher for young learners from 3 to 12 years old in Hangzhou Yingpu education Co. LTD for 1 year. During this period, she taught literature, math and science in English. Meanwhile, she communicated with parents about students’ performances face to face or by report and letter. She also attended training programmes to improve her teaching skills and classroom management. After that she changed her job and applied for the position of IELTS teacher in Shinyway Education, Hangzhou. She mainly taught students IELTS reading and writing. Meanwhile, she took part in teaching training, including how to organize a highly effective class, how to impart reading and writing skills efficiently, etc. It was during these 2 years that she accumulated a lot of experience to teach teenager learners and progressed a lot in teaching ability. Afterwards, she worked part-time at another smaller company as an English teacher. To achieve better in academic performance, she also went to Nottingham University to pursue her Master’s degree and she will graduate in November 2020. Bingxin Lin is very happy to join Huili School Hangzhou, where she has the opportunity to devote herself to the teaching of these young learners. She can’t wait to join the Huili family!
Xin has worked as teaching assistant in many schools since high school. The times she worked as a teaching assistant had the greatest influence on her decision to become an educator. She has been a teacher assistant at: the Montessori Kindergarten, the Irvine Art & Music Center, Irvine Chinese school, Backstreet family center, Weekday School riverside and Henninger elementary school tutor program. Xin graduated from the University of California Irvine with a bachelor’s degree in Education Science. During her three years in college, she had the chance to study abroad in Paris for two months. After she completed a Bachelor’s degree, she earned a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Columbia University. Xin’s personal interests are based on two domains: music and travel. Xin started to play the piano around 3 years old and passed the 10th level around 10 years old. She also loves to sing and has joined choirs from elementary school to high school. Because of her passion for music, she took several classes about how to teach music in a classroom at Columbia University. She strongly believes that music education can affect a child in many different and positive aspects.
Jane Liu graduated from the University of International Business and Economics with a master's degree in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages. During her postgraduate study, she was selected by the government to teach Chinese at the Confucius Institute at the University of London Institute of Education in the UK for one year. As a result, she is proficient in intercultural communication and teaching. After graduation, she worked as a Chinese teacher and deputy headteacher of an international class in Beijing 21st Century International School, accumulating valuable teaching experience. In addition, during her undergraduate studies, she has worked as an intern at Yew Wah International School for half a year. As a result, she has extensive working experience in international schools. Liu Jiayi holds both the High school Chinese Teacher Certificate and the International Chinese Teacher Certificate, and her Mandarin proficiency has reached the national level 1b. She is devoted to language and education and loves badminton, swimming and other sports.
Doris Yan graduated from Zhejiang Sci-Tech University with a bachelor's degree in English. She passed and got a Primary school English teaching certificate. During her college period, she held the "English Corner" activity once a week, inviting foreign teachers to participate, actively signed up by students from all majors on campus, and increased their enthusiasm for English. After graduation, she worked as an English teacher at Only Education for two years, realising that every student is unique. Doris is gentle, patient and enjoys getting along with her students. She always respects student development and personality and volunteers to be their good teacher and helpful.
Marcia Wu obtained her master's degree at East China Normal University, specialising in education. Hangzhou Normal University has also educated her for her undergraduate qualifications as an English major. She worked in an internationalised primary school for the past four years, where she was responsible for English language teaching and class management. She is quite optimistic and outgoing and always full of energy. She likes doing sports in her free time.
Rebecca graduated from Jilin Normal University with a bachelor’s degree in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. After graduation, she went to the University of Glasgow in the UK where she took a Master's Degree in Educational Studies. Later, she did her second Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, in the University of Portsmouth. Rebecca holds a high school Chinese teacher certificate. During her study abroad, she worked as a Mandarin teacher in a local Chinese school in Glasgow for two years. After coming back to China, she worked as a Mandarin teacher in a university in Jilin province for one year. Later, she came to Hangzhou as an English teacher in a private high school. Following several years of teaching experience, she is passionate on second langue teaching, which has also strengthened her original choice. The experience of studying abroad helps Rebecca integrate the UK culture and professional knowledge into her second language teaching career.
Ms. Ivey Wang graduated from East China Normal University with a bachelor's degree in Chinese International Education and completed a master's degree course in Educational Psychology; She holds a master's degree in Education from Plymouth State University. Ivey is an IB examiner and qualified IB Middle Year Programme(MYP) Principal; She has obtained the certification of Leading School Course from Harvard Graduate School and the teacher training certification of ACTFL and Positive Discipline; She is also the Off Campus Practice Project Advisor of East China Normal University.
Ivey has been engaged in international education for nearly 17 years. She has worked in several top international schools in Shanghai where she developed the skills of multi-cultural understanding and communication, as well as the understanding and practice of internationally recognized pedagogy, and gradually became a leader from a teacher. She worked as K12 Chinese Curriculum Coordinator at Shanghai American School, then served as school Curriculum Director and Primary School Principal at two international bilingual schools in Suzhou and Shanghai. She integrated Chinese and western education concepts and wisdom, built a collaborative and efficient team, led the development of integrated bilingual immersion curriculum, and always committed to creating more opportunities for students’ development.
Ivey adheres to the mission of International Educators, which is to provide future oriented education for students, focus on students’ holistic development, and improve their global competence and well-being. Through leading education innovations, she dedicates to cultivate lifelong learners with deep Chinese cultural roots and international mindedness, who will be able to communicate confidently on the international stage and deal with global issues in the future.
Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, Ms. Perry worked as a Senior Deputy Head for 3 years, having previously held roles of Senior Teacher, Head of department and specialist Science teacher within Hertfordshire, England. After being awarded a distinction in her Postgraduate Certificate in Education, Ms. Perry taught secondary science before taking on the challenge of completing a Graduate Certificate in Chemistry Education, enabling her to teach both Biology and Chemistry to A-Level.
Having had a broad view of the education system from 4 to 18 years, Ms. Perry has gained knowledge and expertise in understanding the progression of a child’s learning journey. She strongly values key characteristics, such as resilience, that can be developed through education and enable children to reach their potential. With a previous career in the Mental Health team, Ms. Perry is acutely aware of the importance of positive mental health and pastoral care within education and strives to ensure that every child under her care is equipped with the necessary skills to ensure a positive and bright future.
Ms. Perry has always enjoyed challenging herself, both physically and academically. She has successfully completed the London Marathon and has recently started learning how to play the saxophone as well as learning how to speak Chinese. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling with her family, experiencing the variety of cultures and environments that the world offers.
Jack Zhao completed his master's degree in international educational leadership and change at Hongkong Education University in 2022. He was also educated in Hunan Normal University to pursue his bachelor's degree from 2004 to 2008. Before joining Huili school, he had more than five years' experience as head of the Junior High department in the international educational field, focusing on the academy and school administrative affairs. As a result, he is quite familiar with the Chinese national curriculum and other international programs, including Cambridge and IB.
His extensive and diversified school management experience in training teachers, professional development, class management, building learning communities made him successful in his past career development. Being motivated, adaptable, enthusiastic and hard-working in education encourages him to grow. He has a series of qualifications such as IGCSE Chinese first language, IB TOK and IB leadership. His teaching and managerial experiences will significantly contribute to his life in Huili school in the future.
Learning is for life and life is for learning. It is this belief which Helen embodies through her commitment to continually improving her pedagogy. Awarded a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Youth Work by the University of Brighton, she then studied a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with Goldsmiths, University of London before completing her Master of Arts Degree in Education at the University of Nottingham. Inspired by her dissertation topic on improving reading comprehension in preparatory students, she decided to undertake her Doctorate in Education with the University of Glasgow which ensures she is conversant with the prevailing global educational developments and adopts and adapts these to meet the desideratum of the students in her classes. Helen has had the privilege of working in the international private education sector for five years since gaining her Qualified Teaching Status from the University of Reading. The opportunity of working in culturally diverse countries has given Helen an appreciation for celebrating different cultures as well as developing her understanding of being a global citizen. Initially Helen worked in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands as a primary teacher and international school trip leader. A strong believer in holistic education, Helen worked with the students and their parents to fundraise for the trip, ensuring they were consulted on key decisions related to this residential experience. This is important to Helen as she believes the role of educators is not simply to teach academics, but also to prepare students through heuristic experiences with the confidence, transferable skills, resilience and knowledge to enable them to become successful, active citizens in the world of tomorrow. Helen moved to Bangalore, India to teach in an international boarding school as a Mathematics Subject Leader, a role which she thoroughly enjoyed. In this position she re-wrote the Maths curriculum for the primary years, as her research into the inherited regime demonstrated the outcomes being taught to the students were not sufficiently challenging. Helen believes the teaching of Maths needs to include a significant amount of problem solving, reasoning, and real-life contextual work from a young age so students are able to connect what they are learning inside the classroom to the world in which they live. In this role Helen also placed a large emphasis on dialogic marking, providing students with the opportunity to reflect upon their work and give their teachers a greater understanding of what they feel about different concepts, enabling teachers to be able to tailor work to meet the epistemic needs of each individual student. In this position Helen also had the opportunity to organise and participate in extra-curricular activities and events for the boarding students during evenings and weekends. In her spare time Helen thoroughly enjoys running, partaking in charity running events including one recently in India to raise money for dementia. She also thoroughly enjoys travelling to new countries, exploring different cultures, and scuba diving. Helen is very excited about joining the Wellington College Hangzhou team with its values and mission whilst continuing to develop her professional practice in an environment which encourages and advocates a love of learning.
Following a degree in Leisure studies in 1996, Robert went on to complete his PGCE in PE at De Montfort University and has over 22 years of experience teaching at outstanding schools in the UK. From 2001, Robert worked at Charters School in Ascot, Berkshire. During his time there, he progressed from an Advanced Skills Teacher to Senior Teacher in charge of whole school teaching and learning. Consequently, Robert was invited to deliver lectures to PGCE students at the University of Reading as part of their training programme. In his latest role as Assistant Headteacher, he has been responsible for raising standards of performance at KS4 and has managed a variety of faculties across the school including Creative Arts, Humanities, Business and Vocational Studies. He also served for four years as a staff Trustee on the school’s governing body. As an avid sportsman, Robert has coached and played basketball at Wellington College, Crowthorne, UK and coached the Under 18s Berkshire Schools’ County Football team. In his spare time, he enjoys going to the cinema, keeping fit and spending time with his family. Having travelled extensively across America, Africa, Australasia and Europe, he is excited about the prospect of exploring China and the Far East. Robert shares the Wellinton drive to achieve consistently outstanding student outcomes but also a commitment to producing well-rounded individuals who have a strong moral compass and are prepared for higher education and employment. He is eager to play a pivotal role in the future of Huili School Hangzhou and drive the high standards that will propel young Huili pupils on to greatness.
Emily graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in French studies. This included a year living in Normandy, France, teaching English as a foreign language. In 2010, she completed a PGCE in French and Spanish at the University of Exeter and began her teaching career at Windsor Girls’ School in Berkshire. In the past 8 years, Emily has been a Subject Leader and KS5 Lead for French at Charters School, an outstanding 11-18 mixed school in Ascot, Berkshire. Throughout this time, she has mentored and guided MFL students through their university applications with many of those to Oxbridge.
More recently, her role evolved to working within the Sixth Form leadership team providing academic and pastoral support. She has extensive experience in writing university references and advising students across the curriculum and ability spectrum. Aside from teaching, Emily enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading and learning new languages. She is eager to explore Hangzhou and the rest of China with her husband, Robert, and daughter, Gabi. Emily is looking forward to guiding our students to their exciting and bright futures at higher education institutions all over the world.
Ms. Zhao graduated with a BA in English from Ocean University of China and a MA in English Linguistics from University College London. In the past 6 years, Ms. Zhao taught MYP English Acquisition, IGCSE ESL, and English language proficiency tests as an English teacher and worked in university counselling at different international schools in China. In 2016, she was authorized as an IB Examiner for Language Acquisition English and Personal Project in MYP. Ms. Zhao is familiar with the dynamics of Chinese students applying to overseas universities and the university application procedures in US, UK, Canada, Australia and HK. She has advised students in course selection in IBDP, A-Level and AP in line with their university and career plans, and guided students through the entire university application process. Ms. Zhao is a big fan of music and has played piano for more than 20 years. She enjoys swimming and travelling to explore different culture.
Patty Sun graduated from the University of Bristol, majored in Education (Teaching and Learning) and got a Master degree in the UK. During her study time, she particularly enjoyed the research elements of her course with a focus on the relationship between teaching and learning. She achieved Grade As in three of her academic dissertations. She gained work experience as a Chinese teacher at international schools in the Philippines and Thailand.
In 2014, she was selected by the Chinese government to teach Mandarin in Liverpool, UK. She taught over 500 students during her time in the UK, with two of her A-level students being admitted for a BA degree in Chinese Studies at the University of Newcastle and the University of Chester. Haomeng started to play the electronic organ and practice dancing when she was young. She has also played the cucurbit flute since she started working. Currently, she is learning the ukulele, and does yoga to relax
Claire graduated from Xiamen University (XMU) in 2014, having majored in Chinese Language and Literature as well as Advertisement. After that, she completed her Master’s degree at East China Normal University (ECNU), specializing in Language Teaching. She has participated in a number of bilingual programs which enhances her understanding in the field of education. During her study at ECNU, she volunteered to practice teaching Chinese at an international school in America, whose curriculum is designed bilingually. In 2016, based on her Chinese immersion teaching experience, her research paper Children’s Vocabulary Acquisition in Chinese Immersion Program was published in Education Curriculum Research (ISSN 2095-3089), Sept. Issue. After graduation, she worked for Hangzhou Yuhai Foreign Language School and gained several teaching awards. Claire has many interests include debating, running and music. She won First Prize in the 7th Freshman Debate Competition in XMU. In 2014, she won the Best debater of ECNU 7th Graduate Students’ Debate Competition. In 2016, she completed a half marathon within 2 hours in San Jose, U.S.A.
Abbie Song graduated from Harbin Normal University with two bachelor's degrees in History and English Education. She is a first-level middle school teacher with 12 years of teaching experience. She went to Canada for further study and exchange, and served as the director of the foreign language center and the leader of the teaching and research group of history,geography, politics and biology in a well-known international school in Heilongjiang province. She was responsible for the organization of the school's foreign language related work and activities, such as foreign language festival, national English speech competition, spelling bee of China, overseas study tours etc. Her courses in history, bilingual history and English are well received by students. She has won the first prize of the individual all-around city in the teaching basic skills competition, and many of her papers and teaching achievements have won the first prize of the provincial level. She is caring, thoughtful and eager to learn.Her hobbies are traveling and cooking.Abbie Song is looking forward to joining the big family of Huili and creating a happy life together with the students and teachers.
Penny worked as a Chinese literature and social studies teacher for three years after she graduated with a Master of East Asian Literature and Culture degree at Rutgers University in New Jersey, USA. She also has Senior High School Chinese Teacher Certificate. Penny's professional background provided her with a solid foundation in social study teaching. Her experiences of studying and working in an international environment enables her to respect various cultures and values, and she works well with staff and pupils from diverse backgrounds. As a social studies teacher, she has a great passion for history, literature and philosophy, and she is good at inspiring students in class. It has been very rewarding for her to see students grow more and more confident as they begin to inquire, investigate, analyze, reason and reflect both in and outside of the class. She believes that rather than practicing and memorizing skills, social studies aims to develop students’ critical and creative thinking skills and allows them to recognize and respect their own culture and diverse cultures in a global context. In her spare time, Penny likes sports and hiking. Regular sporting and other extracurricular activities enrich her life and make her become a more balanced and risk-taking person.
Lynn completed her master’s degree at Nanjing Normal University, specialising in geography and education. Before her postgraduate education, she joined in Teach for China and taught geography as a volunteer teacher in Heqing No.2 middle school for two years, which exercised her communication skills and teaching skills greatly. In her spare time, she often did home visits, sometimes it took her three or four hours to climb the mountains. She is a nationally certified secondary school geography teacher with nine years teaching experience and worked in another international school in Hangzhou before joining the Huili family. Two years ago, she took part in an IB workshop and had been awarded a certificate of completion. Her hobbies are reading, traveling and baking.
Christopher Zhang graduated from the Hong Kong University of education and obtained a master's degree in international Chinese teaching (IB strand). He is an official HSK certified examiner. He holds senior high school Chinese teacher's qualification certificate, international Chinese teacher's qualification certificate and IB international curriculum teaching certificate (DP). He has successively taught in domestic well-known international schools, Thai public primary and secondary schools, and the Confucius Institute of Cairo University, With many years of international courses and overseas Chinese teaching experience. In his spare time, he have obtained the qualification certificate of open water diver. Christopher won the prize in the provincial elocution competition during his university. He like broadcasting and hosting. With excellent language learning ability, and very good at listening and speaking Thai. Mr. Zhang believes that every child has a unique side, and the individual differences make the future of children possible!
Miss Veronica majored in Chinese language and culture with an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Drama and film from Communication University Of China. She holds a senior high school Chinese teacher certificate. She has rich practical experience in the media field and has worked as an intern in Tencent Pictures, Enlight Media and other companies. During her study at school, she participated in the production and promotion of a number of drama and film works. After graduating from school, she worked as a Chinese and drama teacher as well as lead advisor at Tsinghua High School International. She is committed to the research and practice of drama education, actively participated in Chinese and drama education workshops, and obtained the certificate of drama teacher training in Beijing set up by the Central Academy of Drama. In addition to offering Chinese and drama courses, she also led students to hold Chinese drama festivals, which were successfully performed at Meng Minwei Concert Hall of Tsinghua University, which were well received by teachers, students and parents. Miss Veronica is very happy to join Huili, hoping to study and grow with colleagues and students with her strengths, and shine on the stage of life.
Mr. Stephen Speers is an American educator who has experience in both secondary and higher education in China.
Mr. Speers is a North Carolina Teaching Fellow and he earned a degree in Literature and Secondary Education at UNC-Asheville. Upon graduation, he accepted the prestigious Fulbright Grant to teach high school English in South Korea. He then returned to the United States and taught high school briefly before moving to China.
Mr. Speers believes firmly in fostering cultural literacy, critical thinking, and writing skills that enable self-expression. His teaching philosophy is grounded in his time serving as the Lead Writing & Speaking Fellow at NYU Shanghai’s Academic Resource Center. There, he coordinated the writing center, facilitated freshman orientation workshops, trained fellows and undergraduates in writing pedagogy, and assisted in admissions reviews.
Having observed firsthand the common challenges that students face adjusting to the diverse demands of university education, Mr. Speers made it his mission to return to teaching secondary to equip students with the tools be college-ready global citizens. Most recently, he taught at HD Shanghai Bilingual School, where he was the Grade 6 curriculum design leader and he pioneered the campus’s IGCSE Second Language program.
Beyond the classroom, Mr. Speers can be found reading speculative fiction, exploring the unfamiliar, and enjoying life with his family.
Kate is from Britain and has worked as a teacher for over ten years. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Lancaster University and subsequently pursued further studies at Perpignan University in France. On completing her BA Kate worked in local government, before completing her PGCE at Keele University and beginning her teaching career as a French and Spanish teacher in the UK. Kate has worked in various settings and has taught students of all age groups; she feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to gain such diverse experiences.
After teaching in the UK, Kate began her international teaching career at a school in Dubai, teaching children from over seventy different countries. Whilst there, Kate completed her CELTA at IH Dubai. Kate has worked as an English teacher at summer schools in Dubai and the UK, most recently at Sherborne International School in Dorset. Prior to coming to China, Kate spent a year completing further studies and teaching English online to Chinese students. Kate always aims to establish a purposeful and enjoyable learning environment where students can try out new language for themselves and where they feel fully supported. She very much enjoys seeing her students develop their understanding and gain in confidence as language learners. Alongside teaching, Kate has contributed to a variety of extra-curricular activities in her different schools, including sewing clubs, debate and beginner’s language classes. She believes extra-curricular activities are a great way for students to discover new interests and develop as fully rounded individuals. In her free time, Kate is a keen hiker which she combines with her interest in photography. She also enjoys running and yoga, as well as craft activities and reading. As a keen language leaner herself, Kate is looking forward to the challenge of learning some Mandarin while in Hangzhou.
Ms. Brookes joins Huili School, Hangzhou as an experienced Teacher of English, having previously been employed as an Assistant Principal (Teaching and Learning) and Head of Department in London. Ms. Brookes is also qualified as an Advanced Examiner and Moderator for several examination boards within the UK.
Having been employed across a plethora of settings, Ms. Brookes has enjoyed the opportunity to develop a deep understanding of teaching English Language and Literature to speakers of alternative languages. She has also spent several years developing key knowledge of the special educational needs sector and is an advocate of nurturing talent through various 'Stretch and Challenge' initiatives. Ms. Brookes is interested in understanding the learning journey in terms of memory and stress and has written several training sessions on the subject of Metacognition. Ms. Brookes is also a keen supporter of emerging teacher talent and has acted as a university trainee and NQT mentor for some time.
Ms. Brookes is deeply committed to student wellbeing and has previously acted a Wellbeing and Mental Health Ambassador and Form Tutor. She has also developed several debate teams and was delighted to take a group to moot within UK Parliament.
Away from teaching, Ms. Brookes is a keen reader and enjoys art, design and travel. She is currently attempting to master basic Mandarin and is looking forward to travelling across Asia. Previously, Ms. Brookes has obtained her gliders' licence and several marksmanship badges; she also competed at county level cross country and orienteering.
Joe graduated with a degree in English Literature and History from Leeds Beckett University. He then went on complete a School’s Direct PGCE with Edge Hill University. Once qualified, he gained two years teaching experience working at a well-established secondary school in Manchester before moving to Qatar to start his international teaching career. Joe is a Humanities teacher, specialising in History. He has experience of teaching History at KS3, GCSE and A-Level and Geography at KS3. He is a passionate Historian who believes in the importance of History as an academic subject as it helps us understand the past and the ever changing society we live in. At his previous school, Joe was the lead professional for History at GCSE and lead teacher for embedding literacy into the curriculum in the Humanities department. Joe has always taken a keen interest in sports, having played football at school to an excellent level. He has coached football to different age groups both in and out of school. Having the opportunity to experience different extra-curricular activities is vital to help students build their social and life skills and he believes extra-curricular activities help build better teacher/student relationships.
After completing a History degree at Swansea University (Wales), Dan was elected to the role of Athletic Union President where he led a union of over 3,000 student athletes. This enabled Dan to secure his first role within a school as he was appointed Wellingborough School’s first Sports Graduate Assistant. Dan completed his PGCE in the South West of England through the University of Gloucestershire which led to his first teaching role at Swanbourne House School. During the last five years, Dan has been Head of History and an active member of the Games department. In addition to his head of department role, Dan was assistant Head of Boarding and acted as temporary Head of Religious Studies. Alongside Dan’s classroom based work, he has organised many trips to historical areas of interest and he has planned and carried out historical re-enactments for over 250 pupils and staff. One of these re-enactments was based on the Spanish Armada’s perilous voyage around the UK. From above you could see the outline of the UK painted on to the field, with the crescent moon formation of one year group being pursued in formation by other pupils pretending to be English ships, armed with water soakers. He is looking forward to finding out about the local history of Hangzhou and of Zhejiang province. Sport, travel and dining are activities that Dan thoroughly enjoys and he hopes to make the most of them in China. As a keen sportsman, Dan enjoys playing rugby, cricket and over the last twelve months, he has started to enjoy the benefits that regular Pilates have brought him. Pilates and regular physical exercise have helped Dan discover the balance of having a healthy mind and a healthy body. This was further reinforced by Dan attending conferences about the importance of mindfulness for both pupils and adults. Dan is a strong advocate for positive Mental Health as he has raised money for charities related to this matter. One charity drive involved a 15,000 ft skydive over the beaches of Sydney last year. Dan is always open to recommendations on places to eat, special dishes and new locations to visit for short breaks. The Wellington experience in China is an exciting new adventure for Dan and one that he will grab with both hands.
Rachel graduated from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore with a Master of Science degree. She also holds a national high school mathematics teaching certificate. She has worked in an IBDP school as a DP mathematics tutor and junior high mathematics teacher. The teaching experience of international courses and integrated courses has given Rachel a deeper understanding of domestic bilingual mathematics teaching. She loves life. Growing flowers and drinking tea are all indispensable parts of her life. She also likes travelling and hopes to travel all over the country to enrich her knowledge and ideas.
Tiana Ma graduated with a Master's Degree from the University of Edinburgh. She has also been educated by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics during her undergraduate qualification. Before she joined Huili School Hangzhou, she worked in an IB school with both Chinese and international students for two years. During that period, her class remained at the top of the grade. She also organized her students to participate in international mathematics competitions, such as Gauss Mathematics Contests and American Mathematics Competitions, where some of her students won the first prize. These working experiences provided her with a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of international education and mathematics teaching. In her spare time, she is a digital product enthusiast and loves watching mobile phone conferences and searching for digital information. She also dreams of traveling around the world and has been to eight different countries. In the future, she expects to travel to at least one new country every year.
Miss Duanmu graduated from Harbin Normal University, and she majored in Statistics. Before joining Huili School Hangzhou, Miss Duanmu obtained China High School Mathematics and English Teaching Qualification ,and she has worked as a bilingual mathematics teacher for two years and a half in Integrated Department of Shanghai Shangde Experimental School. During the teaching , Miss Duanmu would like to give students enough space to develop students’ own abilities to find the fun of mathematics and gets the support of the students.She values students’ creativity and would like to offer opportunities to develop their creative potential. In her spare time, she is interested in traveling ,painting and finding the joy of life.
Larry has been working as a Second in Science for the past 6 years, having previously been a Specialist Teacher of Science in and around the City of Coventry. After completing his Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Warwick University, Larry has taught Biology to A-Level and gained numerous qualifications to support his ability to deliver enriching learning opportunities to young people. Over his career, Larry has been part of many interesting and diverse learning communities spanning a multitude of different settings. This has helped him to form a love of teaching and recognise the positive difference it can make in the lives of young people. During his first role he helped to build a transition program for pupils making the step up from Primary to Secondary education. Building on this success along with a motivated group of staff, he went on to start a summer school program delivering learning opportunities and life experiences to the same group of pupils. Building on his passion for the outdoors and his background in scouting, Larry helped to start the Duke of Edinburgh Award within his school. Having taken on this challenge he has subsequently qualified as an expedition leader, first aider and rifle instructor. These skills have helped him to provide amazing learning opportunities for the young people he works with, along with developing key characteristics such as resilience and creativity. Larry has always enjoyed being in the outdoors and challenging himself both physically and emotionally. He has recently completed the Chase Walk a 40 mile hike completed in 14 hours and tackled his fear of heights traversing the knife edge ridge of Crib Goch. In his spare time he likes to travel and spend time sat around a campfire.
Kishan has been a teacher since 2007 following periods of work recruiting in the Financial Markets sector and working in student politics as a representative officer. He completed his PGCE at King’s College, University of London and studied his undergraduate MSci(Hons) in Astrophysics at Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London. The bulk of his experience has been spent working in East London. Kishan’s experience has led him to have worked with students from a wide range of cultures and ethnicities in his time in East London. Kishan’s experience has shaped his international outlook to education and his passion for science education for all, to help children become problem solvers of the future. Whilst Kishan’s main academic background is in Astrophysics, he has taught all sciences up to Grade 10. He particularly enjoys practical science, helping students to discover how to develop their scientific thinking and apply it to different contexts. Kishan enjoys bringing the real world into the classroom, from using pin hole cameras to model the eye to asking students to put themselves in the position of microbiologists to fight diseases. Believing that social contexts engage students to learn and make progress. Kishan is a keen cyclist and bicycle builder, having taken part in events like Ride London 46. He has toured France and Holland by bicycle as well. Currently, he has been learning to ride motorcycles with a view to do a tour of China! Being something of a techie, he also builds and codes computers in his spare time. Kishan has a strong passion for learning. Kishan’s likes to use current affairs and his own interests in the classroom to engage students. Helping students to forge a connection with science and their worlds. Kishan believes that children will solve problems that haven’t been invented yet, and this excites him the most about meeting the prospective students of Huili School Hangzhou.
Sarah graduated with a Zoology Degree from Newcastle University. After completing her undergraduate degree, Sarah gained experience working as a graduate at a top preparatory school in Shropshire. She then went on to complete a Schools Direct teacher training course with Edge Hill University. She gained two years teaching experience working at a top Catholic independent school in Manchester before moving to Qatar to start her international teaching career. Sarah is a secondary teacher specialising in Science and has experience of teaching Biology up to A-Level. Her passion for conservation drives her love of educating the future generations about the impact of their actions on the environment. Sarah believes that teaching science gives her an opportunity to introduce younger students to the wonders of Science and help instill a love of Science at a young age. As a teacher Sarah is always looking to improve her pedagogy and trying new things to help challenge pupils and expose them to a variety of different activities to keep them stimulated and motivated. Sarah has always been a sports enthusiast, having represented her county in both Hockey and Cricket. She has also coached many sports, including co-coaching her U13 and U15 Cricket teams to the Lady Taverners indoor final, which took place at Lords Cricket ground. Extra-curricular activities are an important aspect of helping pupils to become the best versions of themselves. Exposure to a wide range of activities can foster a love for a new sport or hobby which may help them develop vital social and life skills.
Mr Dillow is a University of Durham graduate, having studied Natural Sciences with a focus on Biology. Before Mr Dillow beocme a teacher, he worked with black bears in Minnesota (USA), where he taught about the species' behaviour and ecology. As a keen naturalist and birdwatcher, he is interested in all things relating to the natural world - including how humans influence and interact with their own environments.
With the natural world in mind, Mr Dillow works hard to ensure science is stimulating and challenging for all students - through teaching, he hopes to highlight how much sciences interact and that no science can be studied in isolation.
Outside of the classroom, Mr Dillow is a committed sportsman playing cricket and football. More recently, he has enjoyed coaching many sports to junior high and high school students and undertakes long distance trail runs to keep himself fit. As well as sports, Mr Dillow is a practicing musician - he plays the guitar, banjo and violin whilst he can also sometimes be tempted to sing.
Vladimir Dordevic completed his executive MBA degree with Specialism in Finance at the Herriot-Watt University, Edinburg. He has since gathered over 15 years of teaching experience in international schools in Serbia and China teaching both Economics and Business. Mr. Dordevic joins Wellington College Hangzhou after working in Wellington College International Tianjin for two years and completing his PGCEi degree with the University of Nottingham. He is quite opportunistic about the possibilities of inter-school collaboration as well as the potential contribution to the further development and success of the growing Business and Economics department at Wellington Hangzhou. In addition to teaching, Mr. Dordevic is a vivid traveler, cinephile, decent amateur drummer and street photographer.
With over a decade of his tenure in education, Mayur has taught both sciences and economics at IGCSE and A Level. He is an avid tech enthusiast with 9 years of international teaching experience in nurturing and empowering young minds by providing them with superior learning opportunities. Being born and brought up in Kenya, he completed his formal education in India and then completing his QTS with the University of Buckingham. His international experience with ESL students and a basic level of Mandarin Chinese has made a positive impact in classroom learning. Prior to joining Huili School Hangzohu, Mayur was working in Harbin (China) and has led several extracurricular activities, mentored trainee teachers, designed cross-curricular learning projects and served as the head of department and university counsellor. His teaching practice goes beyond providing an engaging curriculum to customising learning experiences for students. His background in science allows him to approach a research-based investigative facet whereas his economics background explores the depth and extent to which social interactions and economic activities impacts the local community, our planet and our very way of living. Mayur is a keen learner and in his spare time, enjoys reading, socialising, travelling and intellectual conversations. Not only is he health conscious but also a foodie. He has grown fond of the Chinese food, people, culture and the economy. Over the past couple of years, Mayur has picked up value investing as a hobby. He is very excited by the possibilities and opportunities offered by Huili School Hangzhou.
Richard Self is an ICT teacher from Nottingham, England. He has been working as a teacher in schools in Nottingham for over 20 years and has been teaching the GCSE curriculum during this time with expertise from ages 11-16. In addition, Richard has taught A Level ICT, A Level Computing and has worked as a moderator for A Level Computing. Richard has a passion for ICT and the way it impacts on our everyday life and as such has passed on this to his pupils so that they themselves are inspired to learn more about it. In the classroom, Richard is enthusiastic and creates a safe and creative working environment that encourages pupils to ask questions, work collaboratively, work independently, to learn from each other, themselves and the teacher. In his spare time Richard has a huge passion for music. Richard has his own home recording studio and has been making music for several years. Richard is also a keen guitarist and has played in numerous bands at several venues in the local area. Richard is incredibly proud to be working at Wellington and is focused on instilling the values in the pupils. Richard is fully committed to ensuring the progress of pupils is outstanding before anything else and is looking forward to working with some of the brightest pupils of the generation.
Mr. Leif Raiha graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Art and Art History and holds a diploma from Sheridan College. He completed his Bachelor of Education at Nipissing University. Leif also holds additional qualifications in Senior Visual Arts and Special Education. Leif taught in Canada and South Korea before coming to China to teach at the Canadian International School in Kunshan, undertaking various curriculum responsibilities including Technology, Science, and Art & Design in addition to his role as IB Coordinator. He then took a position as Head of Art at Kaiwen Academy in Haidian District Beijing, establishing the department, and developing curriculum and enrichment programs. In his free time, Leif enjoys exploring. Traveling and hiking around China affords plentiful opportunities for drawing and photography, and to experience culture and cuisine.
AYA is an Art & Design teacher with more than 10 years’ experience teaching the British and International curriculum. She is highly qualified , inspirational and a hardworking teacher, who has a strong classroom presence along with the ability to make a real difference to the lives of her pupils. She is also an excellent role model to help students meet their own aspirations. AYA graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Cairo University . She has also been educated at The American Univeresity of Dubai. She worked as an Art teacher for the English School of Kuwait and Cambridge International School Dubai.
Mr Peter Hughes, originally from the UK, has worked in education for the past 13 years, both in the UK and internationally, teaching Design and Technology, amongst other subjects. In his most recent role as Deputy Head of Secondary in Abu Dhabi, Peter played an instrumental role in building the school up from the very beginning, and supporting all students from age 5 to age 16. In previous job roles, Peter has held positions such as Deputy Head of Learning, Head of House, Head of Student Welfare and Interim Head of Secondary, and so he has a wealth of experience when it comes to supporting student’s needs. Peter’s main passion in education however, is pastoral care and developing children’s character through personal and social development, and values based education.
Peter is inquisitive and creative by nature, and enjoys visiting museums, galleries and exhibitions. Outside of school Mr Hughes loves to explore and experience new cultures, and loves to travel. Since being appointed to Huili School Hangzhou he has begun learning Chinese, and is looking forward to experiencing everything that the city of Hangzhou has to offer.
Hywel has over 15 years’ experience teaching English as a Foreign Language (TESOL). Hywel has achieved a Masters in TESOL and a PGCE in ESOL (English as a Second Language) from the University of South Wales. Hywel's teaching career began after a number of volunteering experiences in Cambodia and India, where he taught English in a school for young children who have experienced the effects of landmines, and in Tamil Nadu, India at an NGO school for girls. It was through these life-changing experiences that Hywel saw the huge benefits of what acquiring the English language can bring to people by enhancing their standing in life and benefitting their family and their own financial positions through access to more career possibilities. He also noticed the joy in students' faces when learning English, and how it can be an enjoyable and rewarding experience for all. Hywel has spent most of his teaching life outside of the UK working in several different countries. Hywel has taught at high schools in Thailand and Saudi Arabia as well as a college in Wales. For the last seven years, Hywel has been working in Dubai, teaching EAL in a bilingual college, developing learner's academic language proficiency, guiding, and supporting students as they progress in their Bachelor pathways. Hywel has also been active in the student community, organizing cross-campus volleyball and football tournaments, and various excursions to the mountains, treasure hunts, or company site visits to promote career awareness. Hywel is a supportive teacher, who empathizes with learners and truly understands the complexities and challenges of acquiring a second language. Hywel's strengths lie in his ability to instill learner confidence; he takes great pride in seeing his learners enjoying his classes that are cohesive, language-rich and learner centered. Hywel has three young children and is married. As a Welshman, Hywel is a keen supporter of all things Welsh rugby, and regularly plays touch rugby competitively. Hywel is an outdoors person who loves going off the beaten track into the desert with his family, making fires and exploring the natural environment. Hywel is hugely excited to join Wellington, demonstrate his strengths and share a happiness for learning.
Mrs Hillary MacKinnon has 12 years’ work experience in international schools in China. Her work experience has been as an EAL teacher, Pre-Kindergarten teacher and school administrative officer. The rich experience allows her to view and appreciate ideas/opinions from different angles as a student, a parent and a teacher, as well as a westerner and someone from the East. She joined Wellington College Tianjin in 2012 and worked for Wellington College Shanghai in 2013 as a member of the founding team. It’s been an amazingly fascinating experience for her working in Wellington Schools - a truly multi-cultural community having families and teaching staff from all over the world. Having been a Wellingtonian for the past 7 years, she feels very proud to be a part of such a flourishing, welcoming and tightly united family where pupils learn and thrive every single day.
Mrs MacKinnon holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and Literature from Wuhan University, China. She is also a holder of a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate. ‘A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instil a love of learning.’ This is Mrs MacKinnon’s passion in education- to be an inspiring teacher to help students to find their potential and assist them to succeed in the best way they can. Amongst her interests, Mrs MacKinnon enjoys travelling, cooking, and reading. She has joined Huili School Hangzhou with her husband David MacKinnon, who is the Head of Pastoral, and their two young boys Lucas and Laine. She looks forward to continuing to explore the city of Hangzhou and embracing her wonderful experience at this very new Wellington school-Hangzhou Huili School.
Elizabeth graduated with a BSC (Hons) in Sports Studies and Psychology and started her career working with children using sport and art through the Youth Action scheme. The scheme quickly grew and Elizabeth received awards of excellence and innovation from the Offices of the Deputy Prime minister and frequently presented across the UK. A key part of the scheme was to create inclusion and facilitate peer-led decision making something that Elizabeth has used throughout her teaching career. From this success, Elizabeth decided to use her project management skills overseas in the charity sector.
Elizabeth first worked with disadvantaged children in Central America and quickly discovered a passion for teaching English. She then and taught for several charities in Cambodia, and India, before deciding to return to the UK and gain a Masters in Teaching English as Second Language (TESOL). Whilst in the UK Elizabeth taught alongside her studies and taught university courses such as Academic English, working primarily with Chinese students.
Elizabeth has had the privilege of teaching English as a second language in many different countries, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. Most recently Elizabeth taught in the UAE for seven years in a bilingual college and was responsible for course development and leading a team of teachers. Elizabeth focused heavily on pastoral support and would spend a lot of time with her students outside of the classroom. Elizabeth enjoyed visiting the desert and learning about the local culture. Something that she is looking forward to doing in China.
Elizabeth firmly believes in creating a kind and welcoming classroom environment, where students are encouraged to become partners in their own learning journey. Learning strategies and study skills are key areas and Elizabeth aims to equip every student with these skills building a strong foundation in language learning.
Elizabeth has three children so free time is scarce but when able, Elizabeth is a keen reader and also loves walking her dog listening to Podcasts.
Alejandro is a passionate teacher and artist who strongly believes that anyone can sing and make music. He focuses his teaching from a holistic point of view always making sure every single pupil he teaches feel included, validated and makes consistent progress in their learning. Alejandro was born in Armenia, Colombia. After several relocations within the country his family stablised in Medellin, Colombia where he gained a Bachelor of Music Education Degree with UNAC “Corporacion Universitaria Adventista” in 2005. Alejandro then started teaching music at primary and secondary levels. He moved to London, UK in 2008 looking to improve his English language skills and had the opportunity to teach music at John Keble Primary School where he established a successful music department with a wonderful and winning choir in his borough. Alejandro worked as Head of Music at Eaton House the Manor Pre-Preparatory School in London before moving to Huili School Hangzhou. Alejandro has focused his musical artistry in singing, choirs, conducting and drama. He is a professional baritone singer with a powerful, velvety and tantalising voice. He possesses wonderful stage presence with the ability to connect with audiences. He started singing from an early age and showed natural music talent. On his arrival in London in 2008, Alejandro joined the London Philharmonic Choir singing at different venues like The Royal Albert Hall and The Royal Festival Hall. He has sung in many operettas, a few operas and even an amateur version of Addams Family the Musical - as the main character. In his very little spare time Alejandro enjoys socialising, travelling, learning languages and watching movies. His biggest passion, after music of course, is eating! Alejandro is incredibly excited to be in Hangzhou and working for such a phenomenal school like Huili School Hangzhou. He has fallen in love with the school values and identity. He is also very much looking forward to learning Mandarin and helping others to fall in love with music.
Robbie has worked as a secondary music teacher and head of music departments in the North West of England for 5 years since receiving his PGCE. In addition to his PGCE, Robbie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in music production, a higher diploma in music production, and a level 3 national diploma in music technology. Throughout his teaching career, Robbie has gained a vast degree of experience in several schools. Completing part of his training in a musical futures champion school enabled him to specialise in developing schemes of learning and assessment centered around independent, practical student study. In his first post, Robbie took charge of a music department where he utilised technology to increase engagement and improve results whilst also developing new events with the wider performing arts team, giving students the opportunity to perform publicly. By working with departments from across the school, he was able to help develop the holistic experience of students within school. In his post prior to moving to Huili School Hangzhou, Robbie was head of music at a large school in the English Lake District. He was responsible for all music programs from grade 7 up to grade 13 at A level which enabled him to develop programs for a wide spectrum of learners and varied content. In this post he was responsible for a large amount of live performance opportunities for students such as a large scale school musical, termly music concerts, festive concerts, music for student celebratory events, and school performances at local festivals and events. Before moving into education Robbie toured the UK and Europe as a performing musician and DJ. He has released original music through several notable record labels which have been played on radio stations including BBC Radio 1 and BBC 1Xtra in the UK and have also been commissioned for TV advertisements. Robbie believes that his passion for music, alongside his experiences within the industry and in education, have helped him become a practitioner that can enable young people to gain self confidence and academic success through a variety of different musical directions and activities. When he is not creating or performing music, Robbie enjoys visiting the gym, playing badminton and he has a keen interest in food. He is also an avid football fan which he enjoys both playing and watching. Robbie is extremely excited about joining Wellington and being part of its incredible continued success alongside a great network of staff, students and parents. The opportunity to be a part of such an institution where world class facilities and a reputation for excellence come together for the benefit of intelligent and motivated young people is one that he looks forward to with great pride.
Lisa is an Australian teacher who has 17 years experience writing and delivering a Japanese and dance curriculum in the Elementary, Middle and High school sectors. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Arts (Dance) and a Bachelor of Education (Secondary) with a minor in Japanese Language Studies. She takes great pride and joy in nurturing children on their journey to personal success and whilst acting in various administrative roles, discovered her ‘niche’ working in the Middle Years (13-15 years). As a result, Lisa has been a Middle Years Year Level Coordinator for 10 years, managing staff and students in pastoral care. Lisa’s philosophy of education is to build a lasting rapport with her students teamed with an expectation of them striving to be the best of themselves. She also strongly believes in enabling her students to have the necessary skills to engage with and contribute to a global, multi-cultural society. In role-modeling this philosophy, Lisa and her husband love to immerse themselves in different cultures and they have travelled extensively around the world. She has also lead numerous international school tour groups and studied twice in Japan. In addition to Japanese, Lisa can speak conversational Spanish and she is looking forward to learning Chinese throughout her time at Wellington and living in Hangzhou. Along with her skill of teaching Dance as a subject, Lisa has a strong personal background in Performing Arts. Beginning dance at five years of age, she has experience singing, acting and dancing in Musical Theatre Performances, competing in Eisteddfod’s, completing board examinations and performing as a Tapper and Jazz Singer. Lisa has also choreographed a number of dances for a variety of events to differing levels of ability. She loves to regularly participate in yoga classes and has a passion for health, lifestyle and being outdoors. Lisa and her husband Nick are very excited to be part of the Wellington family and are looking forward to having the opportunity to share their knowledge, skill, passion and experience with the staff and students at Huilli School Hangzhou and Wellington College International Hangzhou.
Annabelle Jin completed her master's degree at Oregon State University and her undergraduate degree from the Sichuan Conservatory of Music in music education. She is a pianist and singer and is also adept at French Horn. She conducted the Oregon State Women's choir, community choir, an orchestra and performed in public concerts. Now Ruiting has worked as a high school music teacher in international schools for 3 years and has taught the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Music course. Her students have received A* in their IGCSE exams. Many of her students received ABRSM music theory certificates and awards in international music competitions. Annabelle Jinreceived many "Outstanding Teaching" awards in music competitions, including the 2020 Liszt Youth International Piano Competition (China), the 2019 UK Royal International Art Competition and more. Annabelle Jincompleted her recent research which was published in a journal, title the Psychological Development and Teaching Design of Music Learning for High School Students. Annabelle Jin has also completed several training programs. Some of her courses include International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme ( IBDP) Music, IGCSE Music, Orff Schulwerk, Plano Kodály, and choral teachers training. Ruiting was the supervisor of the Student Union in an international school. She organized many school events and helped students with their leadership. She also was the judge of the Zhejiang Musicians Association Music Level Exam and the judge of the Zhejiang Youth Art Conference.
Nathan Witter has been a Primary School class teacher for the past three years in London, specialising in both Physical Education and Science. He has a Bachelor's degree in Sports Rehabilitation and Injury Prevention as well as a Master's degree in Strength and Conditioning from Middlesex University, London. Before Nathan obtained his PGCE in Primary Education from St. Mary’s University, Twickenham, he worked alongside top athletes and professional football clubs to improve athletic performance. Promoting healthy yet active lifestyles to children, is one of the fundamental reasons why Nathan chose a career in education. Which is further supported through his ten-year experience, coaching children from Primary to Secondary level. He is an individual that uses all of his professional strategies, to ensure that he teaches children with imaginative and highly enthusiastic lesson approaches. Nathan believes that through fully engaging children, he can produce independent and secure learners. Nathan has an immense passion for all sports, especially football, rugby and mixed martial arts, in which he has previously practiced at a competitive level. He has an interest in travelling and finding out about other cultures, as well as applying his experiences to further develop and inspire himself both personally and professionally. As well as wanting to motivate and broaden the knowledge of Physical Education to the children of Wellington College Hangzhou, Nathan is delighted to be given the opportunity and challenge, to gain new life and teaching experiences in China.
Christy hails from Edinburgh, Scotland and has been teaching for five and a half years. He started his teaching profession at Balfron High School in Stirlingshire. Soon after, he took up a permanent PE Teaching position at the High School of Dundee where he taught Nursery, Primary and Secondary education. Christy has gained excellent teaching experience through numerous and increasing levels of responsibility. During his time in Dundee, Christy took the lead in designing and implementing the new Higher certificate SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority) PE programme and was responsible for the continual adaptability, assessment, examination and coursework for this course. Christy is a UKCC Level 2 Rugby qualified coach and led his High School of Dundee Under-16 side to the 2018 Scottish Schools Cup Final at Murrayfield, Scotland’s National Stadium, in which they narrowly lost to the rugby-renowned George Watson’s College. As Head of Athletics, Christy compiled, implemented and administered the extra-curricular Athletics programme for the entire school. Within the PE Department, Christy was also responsible for creating and organising the inaugural Sports Awards Dinner to raise the profile of school sport. This is now an established annual event in which past guest speakers such as Andy Nicol (British and Irish Lion and Scottish Calcutta Cup winning captain) have spoken. His philosophy as a teacher is to provide an engaging, stimulating, challenging and positive environment in which pupils can meet their full potential, and firmly believes that Physical Education and Sport develops children physically, emotionally, mentally and socially. He wants his pupils to excel to the best of their abilities and to be innovative thinkers, socially confident and lifelong-learners who possess an international mindset. He is passionately committed to delivering first-class teaching, with an unwavering focus on ensuring that each pupil thrives on the sports field and achieves their full potential, and an absolute commitment to excellence. He is committed to taking part in, and expanding, the programme of extra-curricular sport. Christy thoroughly enjoys taking an active role in school extra-curricular programmes and has travelled the world on sports tours, along with other departmental trips, in which he has visited places such as South Africa and the USA and a number of European cities including Paris, Amsterdam and Barcelona. He is excited by new countries and cultures and is looking forward very much to starting the next chapter of his career in Hangzhou. Outside of the workplace, you will either find Christy on the rugby pitch, at the side of a rugby pitch or on the golf course. From an early age, Christy has been a devoted sportsman. He has represented Edinburgh Rugby age groups as well as the University of Exeter, but has more recently taken up distance running. Christy completed the Helsinki Marathon in 2015, but admits that 5km and 10km distances are his forte from now on! Christy is incredibly excited to join Wellington College International Hangzhou and is looking forward to challenging himself in a new and different environment along with being exposed to a new culture, interacting with local people (and attempting the local language!) and experiencing local cuisine.
Young Chen graduated from St. John ’s University with a Master ’s degree in Sport Management and a Bachelor ’s degree from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). Young has been a national first-level athlete and an ASCA (American Swimming Coaches Association) Level 1, 2 and 3 qualified swimming coach. Young was a competitive swimmer and she has more than 15 years of swimming training experience. She has participated in multiple national and provincial swimming competitions and won the champion and Sportsmanship Award in the National University Swimming Championships in the junior year at university. Young has a dedicated academic background and coaching experience in both China and the United States. She is an ASCA qualified swimming coach in the field of USA swimming and age groups, has lifeguard certificates for First Aid, CPR, AED and CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) training certificates.
Young has participated as a volunteer in the Make a Splash youth swimming activity organized by the USA Swimming Foundation and the Pan American Games trials organised by Swimming Canada. After graduation, Young taught youth swimming development projects at Queens College and Manhattanville College in the United States, and organised the JH team to participate in the swimming tournaments in the New York metropolitan area. After experiencing different sports, Young became more passionate and enthusiastic about swimming. She strongly recognises that academic research, communication develop and implementation programmes are inseparable for successful coaching. Young firmly believes and wishes to pass on to children that sports not only teach them a life skill, but also inspire them to be physically and psychologically more powerful and independent.
Jack completed a 4 year B.Ed. (Hons) in Sports Studies and Physical Education at University College Cork and, for the past 6 years, has since worked as a Physical Education teacher. Throughout his teaching career, Jack has been fortunate to have gained valuable experiences in different school settings. Jack has worked as a Physical Education teacher in Ireland as well as in British schools in Spain, which have allowed him learn about and celebrate different cultures. For the past 3 years Jack has been the Head of physical education at the British School of Navarra where he developed the school's sports programme as well as teaching PE to students from 5 - 18 years old. Jack is looking forward to bringing his knowledge and expertise to Wellington at such an important time for the school. Sport has played a significant part of Jack´s life and he places huge value on the importance of sport in developing the whole child. As a youngster Jack excelled at cross-country running and gaelic football before turning to rugby and football in his teenage years. Now Jack does road cycling, running, swimming and yoga on a regular basis and he hopes to complete his first sprint triathlon this year.
White Wang worked at Wellington College International Shanghai teaching primary school and middle school physical education for 5 years while completing his PGCE in Physical Education from Durham University, UK. During his early age, White was competing and representing Tianjin as a youth shot putter before gaining his college degree from Tianjin Normal University. Besides, he gained a FAW (Football Association of Wales) football coaching certificate and Chinese national Lifeguard certificate. Throughout his former sporting career and teaching experience, White feels fortunate to train among elite athletes and has worked in a wide range of different settings. These valuable experiences have helped White to develop his appreciation for the positive impact on pupils’ development that can be found in an educational setting. Along having a life-long enthusiasm of sports and teaching, White has also been a house tutor for the previous two years. He has been often recognised as having outstanding pastoral care for his pupils and will go to great lengths to support their development. White has an immense passion for all sports, especially athletics, badminton, tennis, football and golf. He has an interest in travelling and finding out about other cultures, as well as applying his experiences to further develop and inspire himself and pupils both personally and professionally. As a family he just moved into Hangzhou with his wife Chang and daughter Lexie, White is very excited to take on a new adventure in the most beautiful and vibrant city of China.
Emily achieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education from Zhejiang University and a Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Shanghai University of Sport. She completed the IBPYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme) training courses in Singapore and achieved the 'Make The PYP Happen In The Classroom' Category 1 and the PYP Assessment Category 2 certificates. She has worked as a Physical Education teacher in Fudan International school for 4 years, and 4 years at Shanghai United International school. For the past 2 years, Emily has worked as the Head of PE and Sport at Shanghai United International School and taught primary upper grades. She has also worked with Shanghai Schools Sports Association, organizing and hosting events at her school. As a Physical Education Specialist, Emily helped develop and implement the IB Primary Years Program (IBPYP) to encourage and develop an enthusiasm for sport. It was rewarding for Emily to see children grow more confident as they began to develop sporting skills and attitudes. Throughout her teaching career, Emily feels fortunate to have worked in a range of different settings with a diverse membership of both staff and pupils. She has a passion for teaching pupils, and a willingness to work with pupils inside and outside the classroom in sports and other activities that enhance the life and spirit of the school community. Sport has played a significant part of Emily´s life. She enjoys playing tennis and basketball in her spare time and is interested in reading about health and fitness. She has always had a passion for athletics being involved in sporting competitions throughout her schooling life. Emily is very excited to be part of Hangzhou Huili School at such an important point for our school, where we have the opportunity to develop a motivated and engaged learning environment within the Wellington community.
Mr. Yi graduated from Shanghai University of Sport, he majored in elite swimming training and he has gained a huge amount of experience coaching and working alongside professional athletes. His second major is tennis,and he has huge enthusiasm about that sport. Ares has a strong and impressive background in aquatics and as a competitor Ares gained a national title in the 100m breast stroke and a silver medal in the 400m individual medley as the national level sportsman. Since pursuing a career in coaching he has gained a national certificate in swimming coaching and also in life guarding from the Shangahi swimming institute. Before taking up the post of aquatics coach at Wellington College Hangzhou, Ares was a lifeguard and swimming coach at Disney Land, Florida in the USA. Ares has made the first swimming perform ace squad at Hangzhou Wellinton school and he is very much looking forward to developing all swimmers at Wellington but is particularly driven to boost the profile of the College at national or international competitions. He really enjoys sharing his life experiences, especially in sports, to inspire children and young people in establishing their own distinguished attitude towards sport. Ares believes sport can, and will, make children happier by embracing physical fitness, personal development and a greater sense of team spirit.
Yaochen graduated from Nanjing University,she has Certificate of swimming athlete at the national first-level,American Swimming Association (ASCA) level1&2 Certified Coach. she has won many national and provincial awards and won the NO. 11 in the Olympic trials in open water swimming games. She has 11 years of teaching experience as a swimming coach she has Lead students to participate in various competitions organized by the International School League,Education Bureau and social organizations. YaoChen is very happy to join Huili. She hopes to cultivate the sportsmanship of lifelong sports also she hopes to lead the student to achieve more excellent results
Mr. Edwards balances his joy for teaching alongside a wealth of classroom knowledge; the former evidenced by his success upon pupils’ learning and the latter firmly backed up by his dual Degrees: a First Class Honours in English and a second grounded within the science of education itself. Within the classroom he places great importance on the crucial, reciprocal relationship between the guiding teacher and the learning pupil. He takes pride in his lessons and teaching.
Mr. Edwards started his teaching journey in the UK, working as a Learning Support Assistant prior to moving to Wales to undertake his training. In the years since, he has taught in a wide range of schools throughout the British Key Stages. He has also spent time abroad teaching in Asia. He highly valued the experience this gave him. Mr. Edwards leads his classroom through exciting lessons geared around the promotion of respect. He firmly believes that any time spent teaching should be focused upon nurturing pupils to become good, well-rounded humans. Grit, determination and resilience are key characteristics that he seeks to kindle throughout his classes.
In his spare time, Mr. Edwards is a strong proponent of a healthy lifestyle, and enjoys leisure activities which push him to be physically active. He is a voracious reader and writer, hoping to write a book encouraging young students to be open in their interactions.
Ann Huang completed her Master's Degree at Beijing Language and Culture University, specializing in Chinese Teaching. In the period of graduate study, she was selected by the Chinese government to teach Chinese in an immersion program in Michigan, US. Her motivation and passion for international education has been stimulated since then.
From 2019 to 2021, Ann Huang worked in Gumley House Convent School in London, UK, teaching Chinese for over 100 secondary students to support their GCSE learning and Cambridge Pre-U learning. Before that, she worked in an IB MYP school in Guangzhou, teaching Chinese and calligraphy to Y7&Y8 students. During this working period, she participated in the internationalized curriculum research program (No. GDJY-2015-A-b028) organized by Guangdong Institute of Education. Ann Huang is fully aware of the importance of cultivating students' critical thinking and creative thinking. Ann Huang aims to become a life-long learner. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, playing the piano and guitar.
Ashley Dean grew up in Ferguson, Missouri in the United States. He believes that teaching is an
essential and life affirming act, like baking bread, or gardening. Ashley has taught at public
schools, international schools and American universities. In addition to teaching, Ashley is also
passionate about coaching athletic teams. Active in athletics from an early age, Ashley
competed at the university level in cross country and, track and field. He attended the
International Writing Program at City University of Hong Kong, where he received a Master's of
Fine Arts in Writing. The author of one book, he regularly publishes poetry and book reviews in
literary magazines. He is the editor of the literary journal Transpacificism. He is currently working
on a book manuscript on teaching poetry in the secondary school. Ashley is a believer in the
transformative power of learning and a strong proponent of bilingual education. An avid reader
of Chinese poetry, his own work has been influenced by the Tang masters, like Meng Hao Ran,
Li Bai and Du Fu, as well as contemporary poets like Lan Lan. Outside of the classroom, Ashley
enjoys spending time among the trees, drinking tea, and adventures with his son.
Sara Nugent graduated from Louisiana Tech University with numerous degrees. First, she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in International Studies. Her undergraduate studies in English laid the foundation for a passion for the academic pursuit of English study and teaching. She continued her studies at Louisiana Tech University and earned a Master’s in English with a concentration in British Literature. During this time, Sara worked as a graduate assistant in British Literature which ignited a passion for teaching and sharing the classical works of the English language. Shortly after finishing her first Master's degree, Sara acquired a second Master's degree in Teaching in which she coincided her studies with the experience of teaching university students English literature.
After obtaining 3 degrees and teaching university students, Sara was interested in working in the American secondary school system and began teaching high-school students English literature and writing. After 3 years of secondary school teaching, Sara gained an interest in teaching English as a foreign language. After acquiring her TESOL/TOEFL certification, Sara came to China to teach children English as a second language. This was a new challenge for her as it was her first time living abroad and teaching to an age group she had never taught before. During her first 2 years in China, Sara taught English to students between the ages of 3-12 excelling in the field of phonics and reading. This broadened her teaching experiences and made Sara learn to cater her teaching abilities to different learning styles and levels. Through all of her experiences, one aspect that has never changed is her passion for teaching English.
Apart from her various studies and academic endeavours, Sara enjoys travelling, reading, creative writing, and photography. Sara has travelled through Europe and Asia making her a culture enthusiast. She is always happy to learn about new cultures and languages while sharing her passion for English and literature. In addition, she values the importance of reading and encourages a healthy daily dose of reading of any media type.
Sara is a well-rounded teaching professional who has the experience of teaching a wide range of students from preschool to university. She has the ability to adapt her teaching style and content to meet the age, language, and capability levels of her students as demonstrated by her teaching experiences. Sara is excited to be a part of and bring all of her teaching and English knowledge to Wellington College Hangzhou.
Grace Arnstein graduated from the University of Birmingham with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. Whilst studying, Grace volunteered at a local children's hospice supporting the social, emotional and educational development of children with life-limiting illnesses and their siblings. This volunteer work continued as Grace completed her PGCE with QTS at Birmingham City University and throughout her first teaching post at a Walsall primary school where she taught Years 2 and 5 during her time there. Grace's interest in providing education tailored to the individual, with a particular focus on special educational needs, continued to develop as she took on a teaching post as Grade 2 class teacher and English teacher for Grades 1-4 at an international primary school in Romania. During her time in Romania, Grace developed and implemented a cross-curricular learning program which enabled children to make links between subjects and deepen their understanding. Whilst living and working in Romania, Grace volunteered at a charity working with vulnerable young people at risk of human trafficking. Here Grace focused on encouraging the beneficiaries to continue with their education, mentoring them through a variety of difficult situations and providing English lessons to support their school work and broaden their horizons. As a curious and inquisitive learner herself, Grace creates learning environments which allow children to explore, self-direct and take risks when learning thereby encouraging her students to develop a fascination and interest in a range of topics as well as the world around them. From a young age, Grace has been enthusiastic about theatre and performing arts and has previously performed in a variety of productions. At university, she became involved in rock climbing and yoga and has continued to participate in such activities when she is able to do so. Grace is looking forward to joining the team at Wellington College Hangzhou and is confident that she will inspire and be inspired by her students during her time here.
Alison Armstrong moved to Hangzhou with her family in July 2018 to take on the responsibility of leading boarding at Huili School Hangzhou. She has over 20 years of experience teaching in independent education in the UK. Alison has a Bachelor of Education degree with honours in Physical Education and Sport. Prior to joining Huili she was a dedicated and passionate Boarding Housemistress for eight years at Barnard Castle School in the North of England. She was responsible for a boarding house of approximately 50 girls aged 11-19 from around the world, where her role was to lead all aspects of female boarding, supporting their personal, academic, social and emotional needs through school - up until university. She has experience in academic tracking, behaviour support and management and an excellent understanding of the UCAS and QCAS. Guiding pupils through Oxbridge and the Russel Group university process requires specialist understanding which she has learnt over the years. This process, and the reference system for Universities both within the UK and Internationally is another area of her expertise. During her career Alison has always been heavily involved in, and passionate about the pastoral care and welfare of pupils and brings with her great experience. She has taken on numerous roles and responsibilities that have been instrumental in developing her experience. As Head of Personal Social and Careers Education, she rewrote, led and delivered the school’s PSHCE curriculum.She has been responsible for organising and leading school sports tours to South Africa, New Zealand and Chile and Argentina, where she thoroughly enjoyed the various cultural experiences and high quality sports fixtures – they were trips of a lifetime for all involved. Her philosophy is that we are responsible for equipping pupils with the crucial skill sets required to help them prepare for an uncertain future and for the many jobs of the future that do not currently exist. She believes in encouraging resilience and motivating pupils to break down problems and to find a creative solution in order to challenge themselves and their a personal capacity by looking at behaviour and mind-set towards an ever-changing world. Joining Huili School Hangzhou, to set up and lead a brand new boarding house and boarding programme as part of Wellington College has been the pinnacle of opportunity. It is a chance or her to put all her skills to fruition. The prospect of working with pupils from another culture helping them prepare for global citizenship and share her wealth of experience was as opportunity not to be missed. Her ambition / aspiration is to create and develop the best boarding experience possible for the pupils within her care and to support their development. She aims to provide an environment of warmth, trust and empathy through working positively together, but also independently, with support while fostering trust giving individuals the chance to grow and flourish.
Richard has been an Assistant Vice Principal and Director of Sixth Form with 21 years teaching experience with an exemplary career in Teesside in the North East of England. After completing his Bachelor of Education (Honours) Physical Education in Bedford he moved to teach in the North East of England. Richard has been a well-respected Senior Leader who has held whole school responsibilities for a wide range of different areas within the schools he as worked at. Richard's passion in education started from his love of swimming teaching for which he is now a Fellow of the Institute of Swimming. Prior to moving out to Hangzhou he was managing and leading a personalised learning centre looking after educational needs of vulnerable students in a 11-18 academy setting. Using his vast experience and being instrumental in setting up foundation learning in Macmillan Academy, he was able to provide excellent educational outcomes for these students who had incredibly challenging life experiences. Richard is passionate about Mental and Emotional well-being and has guest spoken at conferences and events on the impact of stress on employees and the damage to business productivity. Richard’s academic teaching experience includes A Level and GCSE Physical Education and has led a consistently positive outcome sports vocational course. Outside of the workplace he loves many sports & outdoor sports although his age is reducing the seriousness of the participation. During his earlier adult life, he was proud to say that he represented his country at Rugby League gain five caps and scored a try against England.
Maggie holds a Master's Degree from the University of Hong Kong specializing in Information Technology in Education. She has more than five years of experience in teaching children from Kindergarten up to Junior High Students. Those experiences of teaching and research have broadened her perspective of the world and enabled her to understand the important points of being an educator.
Loris acquired her bachelor's degree at Zhejiang International Studies University and graduated as one of the most outstanding graduates of Zhejiang Province that year. During university years, she majored in teaching English as the second language and minored in French. She received a Zhejiang Provincial Government Scholarship and the First Ranking Excellent Students' Scholarship of Zhejiang International Studies University. She has teaching experiences as an intern in Hangzhou Xuejun High School and Hangzhou Jianlan Middle School. She has been an English teaching assistant during the training period for a Cambridge International English Contest. She also volunteered to work for the First China International Tea Expo, the 13th Student Sports Games of China and the 3rd China-CEEC Cultural Cooperation Forum, doing translation for domestic and foreign friends and providing assistance during the whole events. She has a great passion for the education industry and a strong mind-set for continuous improvement to meet or exceed expectation.
Evelyn Pi graduated from the University with a bachelor's degree and worked with Central China's normal university-affiliated high school of Hainan before joining Wellington College China. The experience provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the education industry. In addition, she has two years of airlines experience as a flight attendant. This strict work completed many important guest service and security tasks. She has learned many skills of communication and knowledge from these experiences. When outside of work, she enjoys cooking a lot and some outdoor activities like badminton after work because they can make her feel relaxed. She is an optimistic and cheerful person who loves life with a positive attitude for everything. Besides, she has many expertise, such as proficiency with design software and independently completing logos and posters.
After completing the double master's degree in international communication and international business in Australia, Selma joined a well-known Sydney local education consulting company. She helped hundreds of international students from all over the world successfully go to Australia. At the same time, she took full responsibility for the articulation programs between Chinese and Australian universities. After returning to China, Selma is still committed to international exchange affairs. She completed several high-quality inter-school visits and exchanges. She also independently completed the upgrade of the company's higher education business and the implementation of the k12 study abroad industry. After the epidemic outbreak, Selma began to think about the issue of technology-enabled education, so she joined the team of education informatisation to cultivate teachers' informatisation literacy and promote education fairness. She participated in many large-scale projects of the company, such as the Tibet Aid Project and Northwest Educational Equipment Exhibition. Years of overseas study and work experience and the precipitation of the education industry have made Selma always maintain her enthusiasm for the education industry. She always believes that every child is unique and eager to be discovered. Therefore, one of the important purposes of education is to stimulate students' interest in learning and love for life, release students' potential, and make them have a perfect personality rather than just a good student.
She started her bachelor's degree at Brisbane University, majoring in hospitality management. For four years, she was in Australia and moved to Switzerland for a further master's degree in Swiss Hotel Management School. She was active during her master's study and was promoted as an event manager to lead the whole team to hold a successful event. After that, she went to America for a one-year internship in one of the Marriott hotels in Nashville as a front office member. She is an outgoing and energetic person who loves to travel worldwide. Overseas study and working experience help her to apply in her future work.
During the summer holidays, Kun Yang worked in two educational, one as a programming teacher for children and another as a homework tutor for primary schools. He is happy to work in a school, as he enjoys working with pupils.