FACULTY
FACULTY & STAFF
Homeroom Teacher (G5W)
Adrienne Hill
1st Grade Homeroom Teacher
Samuel Popham
1st Grade Homeroom Teacher
Sian Li
2nd Grade Homeroom Teacher
Priyashinee Govender
3rd Grade Homeroom Teacher
Crystal Yuille
3rd Grade Homeroom Teacher
Tynaiza Murphy
4th Grade Homeroom Teacher
William Tran
4th Grade Homeroom Teacher
Ben Ghiglione
5th Grade Homeroom Teacher
Jeremy Scaramuzzi
5th Grade Homeroom Teacher
Augustina Droze
Art Teacher
Jason Roden is from Alabama, which is a southern state in the United States. He has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English education and a master’s in instructional technology. He taught English for two years in Alabama and eight years in China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing). Teaching is his passion, and he is always striving to learn more about how to teach students effectively so that they can become well-rounded, lifelong learners. He has a particular interest in learning how to incorporate various forms of technology into the teaching process to engage and assess students.
Jason Roden
ELS Teacher
Rebecca Werner
Music Teacher
Grace Ma
Primary Eastern Art Teacher
Alise Brooks is from Virginia in the United States. She has been teaching at the primary level for 22 years in American and China and has been working in China since 2017. She has been the Head of 2nd Grade since for 15 years and the head of Grade 3 for 2 years. She is currently a two-time National Board-Certified Teacher. In 2017, she was added to the Congressional Record for Teacher of Distinction and received a Certificate of Congressional Recognition by the United States Congress.
She is dual-licensed and certified to teach both K-3 primary education and English as a Second Language K-12. She attended George Mason University where she received a bachelor’s degree in both Health Education and Psychology and a Master of Education Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has also co-presented with 1st-3rd grade teachers at Virginia Math Teachers Conference.
Alise Brooks
Primary School Instructional Coach
Linda Hu
1st Grade Teaching Assistant
Lisa Liu
1st Grade Teaching Assistant
Chen Li
2nd Grade Teaching Assistant
Daisy Li
3rd Grade Teaching Assistant
Samantha Fang
3rd Grade Teaching Assistant
Cici Hu
4th Grade Teaching Assistant
Essie Yan
4th Grade Teaching Assistant
Connie Jiao
5th Grade Teaching Assistant
Maureen Shang
5th Grade Teaching Assistant
Jingjing Li
Chinese Teacher
Smiley Cheung
Chinese Teacher
Rong Wei
Chinese Teacher
Ping Huang
Chinese Teacher
Yifan Dong
Chinese Teacher
- English Language Arts Department
- Modern World Languages Department
- Science Department
- Math Department
- Social Studies Department
- Chinese Department
- Art Department
- Technology Department
- PE Department
James Cusack
ELA Teacher
Scott Eyler
ELA Teacher
Laura White
ELA Teacher
John Weil
ELA Teacher
Joshua Penley
ELA Teacher
Nathalia Hardy
ELA Teacher
Candace graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a specialization in Middle School. She also received her Master of Arts degree in Educational Leadership from North Central College (Illinois). She has taught primary, middle, and high school English, including AP Seminar. Candace has taught in Illinois, Texas, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou before moving to Beijing to join the THIS family!
Candace Williams
ELA Teacher
Rachel St. John has been teaching for 16 years, largely in South Korea. Rachel has worked as a literature professor in Korean universities, a middle school English as a Second Language teacher and middle school literature teacher. She was most recently the Head of English for Junior School at an international school in China. She has a bachelor's in Media Arts, a Masters in Education and a CELTA certification. Her favorite thing is teaching students to love reading!
Rachel St John
ELA Teacher
Meagan Ray
ELS Teacher
Danny Arias
ELS Teacher
Michael Padilla
ELS Teacher
Andrew Gatewood
ELS Teacher
Christophe Eloy
French Teacher
Yolanda Talero
Spanish Teacher
Alex Cross comes from a family of educators. Since graduating from Tennessee Tech University in 2015, she has been teaching English to Chinese learners. Holding certifications in ESL and elementary education, she believes that language is crucial to success in all subjects. She is passionate about helping all students succeed, regardless of their starting point.
Alexandria Cross
ELS Teacher
Naomi Kerwin
Primary ELS Teacher
Jason Roden is from Alabama, which is a southern state in the United States. He has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in English education and a master’s in instructional technology. He taught English for two years in Alabama and eight years in China (Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing). Teaching is his passion, and he is always striving to learn more about how to teach students effectively so that they can become well-rounded, lifelong learners. He has a particular interest in learning how to incorporate various forms of technology into the teaching process to engage and assess students.
Jason Roden
Primary ELS Teacher
Fatima Hachem
Chemistry Teacher
Laz Chatzimanolis
Biology/Environmental Science Teacher
Xiaobin Xu
Physics Teacher
Paul Moon
STEAM Teacher
Florian Brocard
Physics Teacher
Aden Ghebre
Science Teacher
Adam Fitzwater
Science Teacher
This is Michael Brunt’s 22nd year of teaching. He has a Master’s degree in Science Education with a focus on the geo-sciences and is a U.S./Texas certified educator in Secondary Life-Earth Science. Michael also holds certifications in AP Environmental Science and STEM Robotics.
Prior to coming to China, Michael spent 5 years teaching in Thailand and previously worked at the Ministry of Education in Dubai where he helped develop an advance science program in Emirati schools across the UAE. Since 2008, Michael has been passionately involved in teaching and promoting earthquake education with the goal to provide opportunities in which students can become part of, assist in, and/or contribute to earthquake research. His pursuits have led to the development of national and international recognized earthquake educational programs, international conference presentations, and collaboration in earthquake research resulting in scientific peer-reviewed publication. Outside of school and the classroom,Michael enjoys a variety of interests such as traveling, sports, various outdoor activities, and fitness.
Michael Brunt
Science Teacher
Christian Halos
Primary Science Teacher
Jeanne Croker
Math Teacher
Qin Jing
Math Teacher
Devin Murphy
Math Teacher
An Nguyen
Math Teacher
Andrew Werner
Math Teacher
Sujuan Han
Math Teacher
Dana Penley
Math Teacher
Jasmin Delkic
Math Teacher
Yuqing studied Mathematics at Cambridge and Statistics at UCL and Oxford. He was an algorithmic trader in London before he decided to come back to China to pursue his passion for education. He will be giving lectures in Calculus C (grade 12) and Advance Geometry (grade 9/10) this year. His experience in undergraduate teaching will help our seniors transition smoothly and confidently into university level study.
Yuqing Long
Math Teacher
Kyle Schaefer
Social Studies Teacher
Benita Sumita
Social Studies Teacher
Jeremiah Salomon
History Teacher
Deborah Kapraun
History Teacher
Xiaofeng Kang
Geography Teacher
David Fleming
Social Studies Teacher
James Stringer
Social Studies/ Humanities Teacher
Wenting Bai
Chinese Teacher
Cecilia Liu
Chinese Teacher
Chao Qian
Chinese Teacher
Huijun Wu
Chinese Teacher
Chaoran Zhang
Chinese Teacher
Dongqing Gao
Chinese Teacher
Shuying Li
Chinese Teacher
Hongxuan Zhang
Chinese History Teacher
Xiaomeng Jin
Chinese History Teacher
Yue Zhao
Chinese Teacher
Augustina Droze
Art Teacher
Jana Padilla
Western Art Teacher
Erin Gao
Eastern Art Teacher
Debby Lyttle
Instrumental Music Teacher
Tzu-Hsuan Ai
Vocal Music Teacher
Yuanyuan Hu
Theater Teacher
Nishant Sharma
Technology Teacher
Alla Alali
Technology Teacher
Angelito Balboa
Technology Teacher
Rodrigo Escobar
Technology Teacher
Sue Liu
PE Teacher
Dan Li
PE Teacher
Gonçalo Porto is a Portuguese teacher who grew up in the second biggest city of Portugual, Porto. He played sports throughout his childhood and still loves to participate in a friendly game, no matter what sport, as an adult. Gonçalo studied in Portugal and Italy at ISMAI University and the University of L'Aquila during his college period. He completed his bachelor´s and master´s degree in Physical Education and Sports Science, moving in 2019 to China to start his experience abroad.
In his classes, he hopes to encourage sportsmanship, teamwork, and personal growth. In his opinion, students should find physical activities to be a great stress reliever, an escape from frustrations, and an opportunity to strengthen themselves. Goncalo believes in the value of arming kids with practical, lifelong health skills, which cross over the subject matter and develop character. “I can´t do it” is a not allowed phrase in his classes. “PE is Powerful Education”.
Goncalo Porto
PE Teacher
Dorde Joksic
PE Teacher
Thoob comes from America with a degree in Physical Education K-12 from Metropolitan State University of Denver. Born and raised in the state Colorado and would eventually make his debut international teaching career in 2019 in Japan. From there he came to Shenzhen, China in 2020 and has been in China since. Thoob will be bringing his experience from America, Japan and his time in Shenzhen to THIS' new school year as the PE teacher for primary grades 1-4. Thoob has been involved in many volunteer programs for students and has presented at SHAPE Colorado multiple times. He has been an Athletic Director in America and has coached basketball and volleyball. Thoob enjoys seeing kids improve in skill and in strategy.
Thoob Xiong
PE Teacher
Nathalia Hardy
Head Librarian
Stephanee Rausch
Primary Librarian
Joy Zhou
Activity Coordinator
Xiaofeng Kang
Academic Activity Coordinator
Amy Zou
College Counseling Coordinator
Aron Falvo Blesch
College Counselor
Yiting Li
Assistant College Counselor
Gen Li
Assistant College Counselor
Jennifer Fu
Primary Counselor
Laura Zhang
Secondary Counselor
Sunny Sun
Financial Assistant
Maggie Zhu
Financial Assistant
Rita Yuan
Visa Assistant
Annie Hu
Maintenance Coordinator
Cindy Wang
Supplies & Purchase Assistant
Haozhong Zhao
Techinical Support
Wendi Duan
Techinical Support
Stella Hu
Academic Principal Assistant
Sabrina Shi
Secondary Director Assistant
Helen Luo
Primary Director Assistant
Yolanda Yao
Library Assistant
Sisi Wu
Lab Assistant
Qi Shen
Front Desk Receptionist
Sharon Yang
Front Desk Receptionist
Lingyan Peng
Front Desk Receptionist
Mercy Xu
Media
Mia Gu
Media
Nora Li
Admission Assistant
Meiying Zhang
Admission Assistant （Intern）
Yanfei Dou
Dorm Teacher
