new qiss faculty members for the 2012-2013 academic school ... faculty introductions... ·...

New QISS Faculty Members for the 2012-2013 Academic School Year

Vitality, Courage, Sensitivity, Intelligence, Compassion

Welcome our new Lower School Principal, Ms. Alejandra Chavez: Hello from Santa Cruz, Bolivia! My name is Alejandra Chavez and I am very excited to be joining the QISS team as the Lower School Principal. I am originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia but was raised most of my life in Australia. I like to think I have the best of both cultures. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Education. I come to QISS with 18 years of international education with previous post-ings in Bolivia, Turkey, Indonesia, Venezuela and Bahrain. My experi-ences include teaching kindergarten, first grade, first and second grade

combination and kindergarten through grade 7 art. I am also the founder of the Art Lessons For Kids blog and author of several eBook tutorials written for teachers and parents who teach art. My blog has enabled me to connect with educators from all over the world and create a community of learning and sharing best teaching practices through my posts, Facebook community and newsletters I send regularly to over 600 people! I have a wonderful son named Sebastian, or Sebey as we like to call him, who will be starting grade 5 when we join QISS. We both love cooking, traveling, singing, making new friends and playing tennis. The opportunity to work in China was a truly unexpected surprise and I thank Peter for introducing me to Dr. Jay and Dr. George. The ‘dream team’ won me over completely with their charisma and desire to do great things for QISS. I cannot wait to meet all the students, parents and teachers and work together to continue making QISS an inspiring place for students and teachers to thrive and reach their potential and beyond. I feel honored to be part of this new adventure in one of the most fascinating countries ever. See you all very soon!!

http://www.artlessonsforkids.me



Welcome our new Grade 5 Teacher, Ms. Michelle May: Greetings and Salutations QISS Community! My name is Michelle May and I am pleased to be joining the school as the reading/writing teacher at the fifth grade level during the 2012 – 2013 school year. I was raised in the Midwest section of the United States, but have been living in the Pacific Northwestern region for the past 11 years working for Vancouver School District in “America’s Vancouver” in the state of Washington. I do have a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with emphasis on the arts. Dur-ing my educational career, the majority of my time has been

teaching seventh grade English and Social Studies as well as coaching volleyball. Although, I have experience at the 5th, 6th, and 8th grade levels too! In my free time, I like to complete crossword puzzles, read, hike, cook, bowl, travel, sing, watch movies and spend time with friends, both old and new. I am looking forward to spending time in Qingdao and can’t wait to meet all of you!



Welcome our new Lower School Music Teacher, Ms. Amy Vanek: My name is Amy Vanek and I am thrilled to be joining the excellent QISS team as the Lower School Music Teacher. I am coming to Qingdao from Be-thesda, Maryland where I taught both high school and elementary music. While in Maryland I taught general music, chorus, guitar, piano and IB music courses for 6 years. I received my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Maryland where I studied vocal performance and music education. I received my certification as an International Baccalaureate Music instructor in 2008 and have continued my education by taking graduate music courses at West-minster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey.

Music has always been a central part of my life and I love singing and performing music of all genres. I have had wonderful experiences sharing music with others, especially children. Through teaching music to children I have found that they build the confidence to express their thoughts and feelings more openly. I believe music is a universal language that can teach all of us how to better understand and appreciate the diverse world we live in. Aside from music, I also enjoy traveling, cooking and learning about new cultures. I was drawn to QISS instantly because of the unique culture, architecture and the music styles in Qingdao. I look forward to learning more about Chinese Opera, cooking and hope to learn to speak the lan-guage. I'm honored to be teaching with the 2012-2013 QISS staff and can't wait to start making music with the students.



Welcome our new Lower School ESL Teacher, Ms. Katie Peters: Hello, I am Katie Peters and am looking forward to joining the QISS team as an ESL teacher servicing the lower school students. I currently live in Ankeny, Iowa which is a small suburb of Des Moines. I am working as an elementary teacher associate, a substitute teacher, a tutor at a learning center, and a women's soccer coach at my alma mater, Faith Baptist Bible College. I gradu-ated with my Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from FBBC and am currently finishing up my Master of Science degree in Education and ESL at Drake University.

Before returning to the states two years ago, I lived on the beautiful island of Saipan for three years. During my time there, I taught grades 4 to 6 at an international school, coached several soc-cer teams, and played on various soccer teams, including the women's national team. I absolutely loved my time there, but left with the purpose of receiving additional training in teaching ESL. I'm excited to return to China as I had the opportunity to teach ESL for one month in the city of Chengdu six years ago. When I'm not having a blast teaching, I love to be outside doing something active, whether it be playing soccer, coaching soccer, going on a run, or hiking. I also love music, so I enjoy singing and playing the ukulele. I enjoy planning trips to see new places and having friends over for games or movies. I'm looking forward to meeting all of you very soon!



Welcome our new Pre-K Teacher, Ms. Sarah Parker: Hello! My name is Sarah Parker and I will be the new Pre-K teacher at QISS. I live in the northeast part of the United States in Danville, Vermont, with my daughter Hannah. Hannah will be a 7th grade student this year at QISS. Here in Vermont we are fortunate to enjoy the traditional four seasons, as well as “mud season” in the spring! We have fun outdoors with activities such as skiing, skating, sledding and snowshoeing in the winter, and hiking, biking swimming and camping in the summer.

I am a graduate of Wheelock College with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education, and have been teaching since 1985. I have taught preschool through third grade over the course of time, and am currently teaching a preschool class of 3 and 4 year-olds. Right now we are becoming serious bird watchers, as we have constructed bird feeders and the chickadees and goldfinches are flocking outside the classroom window. Very thrilling! I am excited to be able to work at QISS, and look forward to becoming part of the inspirational team that is devoted to “cultivating hearts and minds and a joy for learning”. I hope to share my passions with my students, and learn about theirs as well. Together, we will build a classroom community built on caring, love and respect. I look forward to meeting all of you!



Welcome our new Upper School Art Teacher, Ms. Jennifer Nicklas: My name is Jennifer Nicklas and I am absolutely thrilled to be part of the QISS community! I have been teaching high school ceramics, drawing, and sculpture for the past five years. I received my Bachelor of Science in Art Education from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona and then moved back to my home state of Kansas. I enjoy hiking, traveling, meeting new people, making art, visiting museums, and (most importantly) eating. I am coming to QISS after meeting Jay and George in Boston. Their

enthusiasm and commitment to education definitely jibes with my own philosophies about teaching and learning. Seeing how, where, when and why people learn is fascinating to me. I love the moment when students forget they are learning because they are so invested in what they are achieving. I look forward to working with teachers in other disciplines to come up with some fresh and exciting ideas to inspire students. My family will be joining me on this adventure and my son, Oskar, predicted we would end up in China. Needless to say he is very happy about our move. During our time in China, I hope to acquire some of the language, meet new friends, explore, learn (and eat) a lot! I cannot wait to meet everyone and be a part of such an energetic and talented community of teachers, students and parents. See you all in China!



Welcome our new Lower School Grade 4 Teacher, Mr. Shane Kurtz: Hello, my name is Shane Kurtz and I will be the new 4th grade teacher for the 2012 – 2013 school year. I am originally from Pennsylvania and I am cur-rently in my 6th year of teaching elementary school. I started teaching 5th grade in Darlington County, South Carolina where I also coached basketball at Lamar High School. After two years in South Carolina I decided to move to Maryland and have been there ever since. In Maryland I have been teaching 6th grade for the last four years and have been integrating Chinese culture into

the curriculum every year. I have already had a chance to visit China twice and am very excited about being able to teach in Qingdao. Aside from teaching, I have been coaching basketball to kids ranging from the ages of 8 – 18 for the last 12 years. I have always enjoyed coaching basketball and it was one of the big reasons why I decided to become a lifelong educator. I received my bachelor’s degree in elementary education from California University of Pennsylvania in 2005. While in college I always had a desire to teach overseas when I graduated and now I am more than happy that I am getting that chance. As an educator, I believe in developing project-based learning into the curriculum so the students can experience reaching an end product that is worthwhile to them. I am looking forward to joining the QISS team and meet-ing my new students soon!



Welcome our new Lower School PE Teacher, Mr. Mike Dorchak: My name is Mike Dorchak and I am thrilled to be joining QISS as the Lower School Physical Education teacher. I have been teaching for 25 years in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I love kids and I love teaching Physical Education. Students in my classes have fun, laugh a lot and learn a great deal about becoming the best they can be. I have coached a wide variety of sports in elementary school, middle school and in the community such as football (soccer), track & field, badminton, volleyball and floor hockey. I have taught

grades 1- 10 including PE, regular classrooms and Special Education where I taught students with autism. I did a one year teacher exchange to Darwin, Australia, and lived in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands for a year. I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and later entered the Education/After Degree program where I earned my teaching certificate. My wife, Char, and I are physically active and enjoy running, cycling and working out. I have sailed often and am keen to see what Qingdao has to offer. We have traveled to Costa Rica, London, France, Morocco and the U.S. We appreciate the richness of other cultures and immerse ourselves in them. After having raised five children, with our youngest now in university, we will be on our own for this adventure. I am incredibly excited about this wonderful opportunity, this experience of a lifetime, and am looking ahead with great anticipation to working with the students, parents and staff of QISS and forging new friendships along the way.



Welcome our new Upper School Language Arts Teacher, Mrs. Pia Fennell: Hello! My name is Pia Fennell and I will be teaching middle and high school Language Arts at QISS this year. I was born and raised in New York City, but I have been teaching high school English in Hayward, California for the past three years. I also had the chance to work with students from China as part of our International Program, and they taught me a lot about Chinese cul-ture. I received a Bachelor's Degree in English from Skidmore College in 2005, then completed a teacher certification course at Mills College in Oak-

land, California. I am currently finishing a Master’s Degree in Literature of the Americas from Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. Literature and writing are my passions, so teaching Language Arts and exploring texts from different places and time periods with my students is always an ad-venture. Outside of the classroom I love yoga, knitting and anything to do with animals. I can't wait to get started at QISS and meet my students and the rest of the QISS staff!



Welcome our new Grade 2 Teacher, Mr. Sam Chan: Howdy from Texas! My name is Samuel Chan and I will be the new 2nd grade teacher at QISS for the 2012-2013 school year. I have been teaching 2nd grade for the past five years in the Houston area. This year was my first year at St. Mark’s Episcopal School in Houston. Previously, I have taught 2nd grade in Houston area public schools. Although I have been living and teaching in the Houston area, I am

originally from the Pacific Northwest, where I received my Master’s Degree in Education from Pacific University in Oregon. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in History from the University of Puget Sound in Washington. When I am not teaching, I enjoy playing the piano, tennis, and raising my 1 year old, Simon. I also enjoy travelling. I have taught English in Korea and have volunteered for the Peace Corps in Armenia. Living in China is a wonderful opportunity and environment to raise a child. I hope Simon can learn Chinese and get the experience of living in an international community. I am excited to join QISS and cannot wait to meet all of the students and staff!



Welcome our new Grade 3 Teacher, Mrs. Roseann Chan: Hello! My name is Roseann Chan and I am pleased to be joining QISS as a third grade classroom teacher. I currently live outside of Houston, Texas with my husband and one year old son, Simon. I am originally from the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, where I enjoy spending the summers with my family and friends. I have a Bachelor of Art from Western Oregon University. I have worked as an instructional assistant in ESL in both elementary and middle schools. In

addition, I spent a year in Taejon, South Korea teaching English in a language school. I have been teaching reading, language arts, and social studies in the Houston area for the past four years. I have enjoyed working with diverse student populations and am looking forward to continuing my career at QISS. When I am not in the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my friends and my family. My one year old son keeps me very busy, and I am looking forward to new opportunities for him in Qingdao. I enjoy a wide range of activities including yoga, karaoke, cooking, reading, traveling, and spending time outdoors. I can’t wait to explore all of what Qingdao has to offer. I am excited to teach at QISS and to be part of a wonderful community!



Welcome our new Middle School Science and Math Teacher, Ms. Melissa Clifford: My name is Melissa Clifford and I am very excited about joining the QISS community! I will be teaching sixth grade science and math, as well as science for seventh through ninth grade students. This will be my fourth year of teaching overseas; I previously taught in India and then Gabon. I have been teaching middle school math and science for five years and love it! I received my bachelor’s degree from Castleton State College in Vermont, and plan to begin a master’s program this fall in both science and math education.

Although I have lived in several states in the United States – and am licensed to teach in two – Vermont is my favorite state and where I consider home. For the past four years, the majority of the students I’ve worked with have been English-language learners. My experiences with students from such countries as South Korea, Japan, France, and Thailand have been some of my best experiences ever as a teacher. My beginning ESL students in India outdid everyone’s expectations when they placed exceptionally high in the NESA Virtual Science Fair, created incredibly imaginative, fun, and educational videos on physics, and were wonderful team players when we did water-quality testing in Kerala on our school’s Week Without Walls. All required a lot of research, writing, and communicating in English, but they rose to the challenge. I think that I’ve learned as much from my ESL students as they learned from me! I love teaching overseas because it allows me and my son, Elijah, to see and learn more about our world. Since beginning my international teaching career, we have visited many countries that we may never have seen otherwise, such as Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Senegal. Traveling to China is a dream I’ve had for more than twenty years, since I first saw a movie by Zhang Yimou, the man who directed the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Although my first love in teaching is science and math, I also enjoy reading poetry, novels,

and non-fiction. My son and I always look forward to discovering the new insects and spiders that live in the countries we visit and we like to take photos of them, too; especially the moths and beetles! I’m not much of an athlete, but I like to swim, ride horses, walk in the woods, and watch football (soccer). I look forward to getting to know all of my students and their interests, as well. I feel that the better I know my students, the better I can make their learn-ing relevant . . . and fun!



Welcome our new Lower School ESL Teacher, Ms. Ruth Duque: Hello, my name is Ruth Duque and I am excited to join the QISS commu-nity as one of the ESL teachers in the elementary school. I started teaching ESL to university students in Ann Arbor, Michigan while I was completing my Master’s program in Linguistics and Teaching English as a Second Language at the University of Michigan. It was then that I discov-ered that I had a passion for teaching. In my teaching career, I have taught students of all ages in five differ-ent countries: the United States, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, and Vietnam.

I have also trained and supervised university students working towards their ESL teaching degree. I have been teaching at international schools for over 20 years and my experience has been intense and rewarding. I feel truly lucky to be able to do in life what I like the most- teach children. I am prepared to make their school experience a truly joyful journey. I believe that learning is a continuous proc-ess. Language learning is an ongoing, social, active and dynamic process. Students need many op-portunities to interact in reading, writing, listening, and speaking with each other. It is my duty to provide the students with as many opportunities as possible to make their learning authentic. My close family consists of three members: my two daughters and me. My eldest daughter Erica lives in Toronto, Canada and my youngest daughter Melissa will be going back to school in Canada as well this year. In my spare time, I enjoy hiking, bike riding, walking, working out, doing yoga, playing board games, playing volleyball, and learning about computer programs. I also love stair climbing and dancing. As a stair climber I ran up 49 floors at the Bitexo Vertical Run in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam last October and as an international folk dancer, I have performed on stages in several countries. During my school holidays, I like traveling, exploring and meeting the local people, so far I have visited 21 countries. I am looking forward to meeting and working with the administrators, teachers, parents, students, and the QISS community in general. See you all in August!

new qiss faculty members for the 2012-2013 academic school ... faculty introductions... ·...

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