Amy Loveday Hu has lived and worked in China for 18 years.  She is an experienced head of kindergarten and primary bilingual learning environments. Prior to joining DSAS/KCIS she led a well-respected dual immersion KG and primary school in Beijing, that catered for both local and international families.  Her music, classroom and English as a second language teaching experience of more than 20 years, provides her with a broad and deep understanding of the needs of children.  Her passion for making children’s early years the best possible foundation for future learning and success, drives her and her team to help children be the best that they can possibly be, every day!

Coco Fan has been teaching primary, middle and high school students since 2000, having previously worked as teacher, head of the World Language Department, MYP Coordinator and principal of IB ( primary and secondary) program. Coco holds a Master’s degree in TCSOL from Eastern China Normal University and a Master of International Leadership and Change from The Education University of Hongkong. Coco is an official IB Examiner, Reader, MYP Workshop Leader , School Visiting Team Member and Program Leader. In her spare time, Coco enjoys playing tennis, hiking and travelling with the family.

• 21 years of teaching and management experience (primary school, middle school, high school)
• 20 years of IB teaching and management experience (PYP, MYP, DP, CP)
• IB DP Language examiner
• MYP School Visiting Team Member and Program Leader (participated in the secondary school visits of Beijing Keystone School, Guangdong Country Garden, Changchun American School and many other schools)
• CIS/ WASC/NCCT School Visit Officer (participated in the certification of Shanghai Dulwich International School, Guangzhou Uthloy International School, etc.)
• Coco has worked in IB (K-12) schools such as Nanjing International School, Wuxi Taihu International School, Discovery College Hong Kong and The Affiliated Foreign Language School of SCNU
• Master of Education, TCSOL, East China Normal University, Shanghai, Master of International Leadership and Change, Hong Kong Education University
• TESOL certificate from Aston University

Stefan Sjodin first arrived in China in 2011. He is a very experienced educational leader and has previously worked at Jiaoda Fuzhong in Shanghai and Renda Fuzhong in Beijing, as well as for Dipont Education in Shanghai.

He is a truly international educator and has held school posts in Sweden, England, Egypt, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia. He has worked as an examiner for the AQA examination board in England, and he is currently an examiner for the IBO. Outside of schools, Stefan has worked with organisations such as the Malaysian Ministry of Education and China Online Education Group.

He grew up and attended secondary education in Sweden. He studied at Stockholm University in Sweden and the University of Southampton in England. He has also completed masters-level courses at the School of Education at Harvard University in the USA.

Outside of education, Stefan is a licensed sea captain and a sergeant in the Swedish First Royal Cavalry.

Yuemei has been an educator and teacher for more than 30 years, after working in one of the best Middle schools in the Jiangsu province for 5 years, she then joined Guangdong Country Garden School where she was responsible for develop primary Science curriculum. Then she worked as the head of IB MYP school of Jurong Country Garden School , the head of IB PYP school of Overseas Chinese Academy Suzhou , academic principal of Shanghai Fushan Zhengda Foreign School , Chinese Principal of Nordanglia Nantong School. She has a rich experience in Bilingual education and the IB programme. This rich experience has equipped her with excellent team-working skills, as well as the ability to communicate at all levels, to solve problems creatively.

Fiona You graduated from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom in 2003 with a masters degree in education. After working in the UK for four years, she returned to her hometown of Wuxi to work as a lecturer at the School of Foreign Students at Jiangnan University. A year later she left to join Dipont Education, becoming responsible for the international curriculum centre at Wuxi No. 1 Middle School in 2008. Currently, Fiona is responsible for finance and administration at the AP curriculum centre at Tianyi High School, the A-level and IB curriculum centres at Wuxi No. 1 Middle School, and the A-level curriculum center at Nanjing Senior High School of Jiangyin. She is responsible for Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science and Yinghe Bilingual School.

Fiona is a qualified college counselling teacher, accredited by the University of California, Los Angeles, supporting many students through course choices and college applications. She has visited many universities in different countries and participated in various industry conferences at home and abroad, giving her an understanding of education systems overseas.

Ms. Cindy Jiang, who has been engaged in education for more than 20 years, has rich experience in education, teaching, and school management. She served successively as vice principal of junior high school, director of personnel section in education bureau, director of discipline inspection office, secretary of the party committee of a four-star high school, member of Wuxi new union, vice president of Xishan district new union, president of Xishan district Dongbeitang new union.

Ms. Cindy Jiang insists on carrying out the concept of “conscience, responsibility and skill” in her work and life. “love and responsibility” are always in the first place. She actively assumes the responsibility of educating students. Diligent in practice and persevering in pursuit of excellence, she constantly broadens her international vision, and actively engages in exploring and practicing the Chinese and Western integration pastoral care system.

Ms. Cindy Jiang, who is keen on international education, has firmly and deeply felt the connotation of international education: Real international education does not depend on where the students are, but lies in the content they have learned, the methods they have understood, and the correct value. And these are what DSAS actively puts into practice in cultivating students.

DSAS undertakes a glorious mission. Working in DSAS allows Ms. Jiang to have a more intuitive and profound perception of the charm of international education. The school attaches more importance to the general education based on “whole-person education” and a global perspective. School also pays attention to cultivating students’ innovative spirit and critical thinking based on “international perspective”, the pursuit of “teaching students in accordance with their aptitude”, training students’ sustainable development, and continuous pursuit of happiness…… DSAS put students on the world level, so that they stand higher and far-looking, increasingly in line with the talent needs of global competition.

In her spare time, Ms. Jiang prefers reading. She is an expert lecturer appointed by Wuxi Federation of Trade Unions and a public reading promoter. She has been practicing reading promotion for a long time. Ms. Jiang also spent a lot of time on in-depth study and research of adolescent psychology and devoted herself to the research and practice of family education.

Mr Elsayed hails from the UK and joined us in our first year of operation. He has 10 years of teaching experience, having taught at international schools in Egypt, England, and China. He teaches Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Primary and Secondary school sections, and also consults with our teachers on integrating the use of technology in their classrooms. After pursuing a successful career in the IT industry, focusing on website and database development, Mr Elsayed entered the teaching field with real-world experience of how IT is used in industry. He teaches a subject he is passionate about and loves to pass on practical skills to his students.

Mr Elsayed’s teaching philosophy revolves around building strong and friendly relationships with his students. He believes in the power of persuasion and aims to be a facilitator who encourages students to understand the relevance of ICT and how it is embedded in so many aspects of modern life. After several years with us, he is still excited to be a member of the Wuxi Dipont School for Arts and Science team. He views it as an opportunity to teach at a great school which equips students with the skills they need, and shapes their attitudes towards not only learning but also understanding how the lessons they learn are relevant to their lives. Mr Elsayed’s main interests are computing and sport. He also supports technology-related co-curricular activities, such as our 3D printing CCA program.

Hailing Wu has worked in international and comparative education for over a decade. Before joining Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science, she was director of teaching and learning for seven years at an international school that runs a distinctive English/Chinese dual immersion programme for both kindergarten and elementary students in Beijing. She received her doctorate (PhD) in curriculum and instruction from Michigan State University .

Hailing views each child as a unique and whole individual and strives to support his/her individual development. She believes in the power of active learning and that children learn best when engaged in multisensory experiences and hands-on enquiries. She also explores cooking, outdoor learning and other similar activities with young children as part of their co-curricular experiences.

Hailing is excited to be part of Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science, because it supports children’s bilingual and intercultural learning through a variety of rigorous programmes and highly qualified professionals.

Sophia went to Leeds University, UK in 1996 to read Music Technology from which she graduated in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science Honours degree. Sophia is an experienced performer and holds grade 8 singing and advanced level voice qualifications from the Royal School of Music. She also has drama qualifications from the London Academy of Dramatic Arts (LAMDA) and was a junior opera performer for the English National Opera where she was employed in various operas at the London Coliseum Opera House and The Palace Theatre, including a tour to Germany.After working for eight years in TV and Radio management roles in central London, including the BBC, Sophia moved to Dubai with her family and began a new career in Education. At that time, Sophia had a particular interest in early childhood education and qualified to become an Early Years Educator. Studies included understanding the comprehensive knowledge of the role and responsibilities of working with children, understanding of the care required to work with young children and knowledge that children’s well-being is paramount at all times.Sophia and her family moved to France where she accepted a teaching post at an International Bilingual School in Montpellier. During this time, Sophia studied her Masters level Post Graduate Certificate in Education with Buckingham University. Her studies enabled her to frequently visit the UK during her practice to collaborate and work with teachers and lecturers from top UK independent day and boarding schools where discussions covered the latest practices and research in teaching and learning, pastoral care and special educational needs. Sophia worked as curriculum coordinator for English, Music and Science across the primary school in addition to teaching English subjects to French students. Sophia was also involved in planning overseas school visits to the UK where she was responsible for the onsite education, care and welfare of students.

Sophia joined DSAS in August 2018 as a Homeroom Teacher and was responsible for planning and delivering the online English curriculum to Grade 1 students during the covid pandemic. In 2019, Sophia was promoted to English Coordinator of the Bilingual Primary school where she is responsible for managing the routine operation of both staff and curriculum within the Bilingual Primary English section.

In August 2021, in addition to leading the English curriculum, Sophia is thrilled to be appointed Assistant Head, Pastoral for the Bilingual Primary School where she will also be responsible for developing and implementing the pastoral care program.

“As educators, it is our duty to ensure the physical, social and emotional welfare of pupils. It is the essential foundation upon which learning can take place. At DSAS, we are a world class community aspiring to excellence which includes promoting a high standard of pastoral care, further than a basic commitment to welfare. Our pastoral care extends to every aspect of school life in order to foster pupils’ personal development as much as their academic progress. Our core values – respect (敬), compassion (仁), honesty (诚), collaboration (合作) and personal responsibility (责任) all contribute to a positive school culture that puts the wellbeing of students and staff at the forefront of everything we do.”

Sophia will continue her studies in September where she will embark on a Masters in Educational Leadership and Management with Buckingham University.

Sophia still enjoys performing and is a key member of the school musical CCA in addition to embracing Chinese culture by learning to play the Erhu and read Chinese music.

Heather Hu has been teaching primary since 2011 , having previously worked as homeroom teacher, Year coordinator, PYP Coordinator and Academic principal of primary school. Heather holds a Master’s degree in Education of the Education University of Hongkong. In her spare time, Heather enjoys playing violin , running and travelling .

• 10 Years of Chinese National Curriculum Integrate with International Curriculum Experience in Guangzhou,China.
• 8 years of IB teaching and management experience (PYP)
• IB certificates in advanced leadership research,the role of the coordinator ,the concept-based learning,making the PYP happen in the classroom,the teaching and learning ,the PYP assessment and the IB Global Conference 2018,2019,2020 of Attendances
• Certificate of Completion of International Curriculum Development and Implementation Research Project of Guangdong Education Research Institute
• Awarded the Title of Excellent Education Administrator in Huangpu District ,Guangzhou,China.
• Certified Positive Discipline Familly Facilitator

Ms.Yin Xie got her Bachelor’s degree from Shanghai International Studies University, majoring in English Language and Literature. She got her first Master’s degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in Teaching and Learning. Her second Master’s degree is from Harvard University in Human Development and Psychology. In the past 10 years, Yin worked at St. Paul’s School, an elite boarding school in Concord, NH, U.S. She was a full-time foreign language teacher and advisor at St. Paul’s. She was well-loved by students and colleagues at SPS. 

Yin joined DSAS in November 2021 as Assistant Head (Pastoral) of Lower Secondary School. She is committed to building a fair, kind and responsible community. 

Yin was born and raised in Wuxi. She is glad to come back to her hometown and contributes to the international education here.

Erin Christensen is a global-minded leader and educator with 15+ years of experience teaching and lecturing in International School and University settings in China and the USA.

Mr Christensen graduated from California State University, Chico in 2003 with a BA in International Relations and a BA in French while also enjoying courses in other subjects ranging from computer science to nutrition to anthropology. He also has a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sunderland, UK.

In 2005, Erin moved to China where he accepted his first teaching post as a lecturer at Beijing University of Science and Technology. Since then, Erin has developed his exposure in International education settings across China and was Head of the English Department at Nanjing Foreign Language School’s International Centre, in addition to teaching Cambridge IGCSE and IB courses to students for 4 years. In 2018, he joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science as a founding member of staff and is responsible for aligning the English program as Head of Department.

‘I am a strong supporter of cross curricular teaching and learning, and firmly believe in the application of knowledge learned. Learning multiple languages provide filters for the world: they can help open doors and help understand the world communities our students will soon enter.’

As a native of Northern California, Erin is quite enamored with the natural environment and enjoys the great outdoors. His hobbies include gardening, soccer (football) and trail running. When unable to escape into nature, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading literature and philosophy and from time to time dabbles in computer programming.

Mandy Wang is starting her 14th year in International Education. She began her career as college counselor and language training teacher after graduating with her first master’s degree in Chemical Engineering in 2007. During the following 14 years, as college counselors and deputy principals of student life, Mandy was dedicated to provide students best possible opportunities out of classroom, in their everyday school life, to prepare students as lifelong learners who can master the 21 century challenges. During this time, she also received her second Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Management.

Mandy is a dedicated lifelong learner and is excited to join DSAS in August, 2021 as Assistant Head (Pastoral) of Upper Secondary School. Her vision is to create a learning and living community at DSAS with all stakeholders, and to best support students’ learning and developing opportunities.

On a personal note, Mandy has two cute dogs, a 10-year-old border collie and a 5-year-old corgi.

Tim Malone was educated at Wells Cathedral School, one of the oldest independent schools in the UK. He went on to obtain a degree in Applied Social Sciences from the University of Lancaster before completing a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) from the University of East Anglia. He is a highly experienced practioner with over 20 years’ teaching experience. Having already successfully led the sports departments at Town Close House and Langley School in the UK, he promotes physical and mental wellbeing through sport and exercise and he has a strong track record of success in national schools’ competitions.

Believing in a growth mindset philosophy he believes in placing the student at the very centre of the learning experience and encouraging them to achieve through embracing and enjoying challenge, rather than accepting predetermined expectations of their abilities.

Tim has a real passion for rugby. He has over 10 years’ experience playing in the National Leagues and has played in Australia, South Africa as well as in the UK. He is a Level 3 coach and has worked with Premiership Champions Leicester Tigers for 20 years developing young players into their Academy set up and has worked as lead coach in the England U16 programme.

Leo Li graduated with a masters degree in education from Columbia University in United States. Before coming to Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science, he worked as an instructional designer and Chinese teacher in the United Nations Headquarters, the New York Department of Social Service and public schools in China. Years of overseas study and work experience has enabled him to explore the unique pedagogy of Chinese teaching in international schools.

Leo believes that students should have a global vision while fully understanding their own culture; only when they understand their own language can they truly understand the world. He also expects his students could know how to think critically through reading and eventually becoming the talents needed in the 21st century.

Simon graduated in 2017, with a bachelor and a master degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. As part of his master degree, Simon undertook a full-year research project on Quantised State Simulation, winning the first prize in the project presentation. After returning to China, Simon spent a year on the PGCE Distance Learning programme offered by the University of Sunderland, which qualified him as a Secondary Science teacher. Simon joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in 2021, as part of the physics and Oxbridge application supporting team. In his spare time, Simon enjoys playing chess, reading, cycling and watching football. 

Wang Lei graduated in 2015 with a PhD degree in Biomedical Engineering. Then he joined in Neuroscience and Intelligent Media Institute (NIMI), Communication University of China, worked as an assistant researcher, his research area is biological neural networks, focusing on understanding how the biological neural systems work through mathematical modellings. And until now, he has published more than 20 academic papers. From 2017 to now, he worked as AI algorithm expert and group leader in JD group and data science expert in Alibaba group, his works are focusing on applying mathematical approaches especially statistical methods to solve problems in real-world scenarios. Wang lei will join DSAS in August 2021, works as a math competition tutor. He expects to help students improve their math competition scores, but most importantly, he would like to help students form their own learning methods and feel the beauty of mathematics during their studies.

Junfeng graduated in 2014 from University of Rochester with double bachelor degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Maths. Right after, he received the master degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics in 2016 from the Ivy school University of Pennsylvania. During undergraduate, he participated in the Maths Competition which invited over 1000 students from over 70 universities in the US and ranked in the top 20 among all the participants. After graduating from UPenn, Junfeng came back to China and has been working in International teaching for over 5 years. Except the Maths teaching, like AP, ALevel, he is also good at tutoring all kinds of Math Competitions. In after-school activities, he likes water sports including swimming and kayaking. Junfeng insisted the student-oriented teaching philosophy and in the past few years, he helped students receive offers from great universities, like Harvard. Junfeng looks forward to helping students engage in Maths learning and receive the sense of achievements.

Ada is the Head of Maths for the lower Primary school section. She graduated from Jiangsu Normal University and has over 16 years teaching experience. Ada also holds a kindergarten teaching certificate, primary school mathematics teaching certificate and Primary school English teacher certificate. Prior to DSAS, Ada was a maths teacher at Jiangping Road Primary School, Taizhou City, Jiangsu Province and a maths teacher and maths discipline leader at Wuxi Youyi Education and Training Co., Ltd. She has guided students to participate in "Star of China", "Hope Cup", "World Youth Olympic Thinking Ability Assessment", "WMO", "Kangaroo Mathematics", "AMC" and other mathematical competitions where many students have won first, second and third prizes.

Claire received her BA in English Literature (2015) and MA in Second Language Acquisition (2017) in the U.S., where she also gained her TESOL certificate and taught English courses at the local University. During her study and teaching in the U.S., Claire conducted ESL research and attended 2 International TESOL Conventions (Seattle & Chicago) to present her research result. After returning to China in 2018, Claire started her new journey of K12 education. She worked as an online English teaching trainer and was an English editor for English illustration books.

With the rapid growth of international education, Claire has never stopped her professional development. She received training in Lexis education course, gained international bilingual teacher certification, and studied PYP courses. During her teaching career, Claire discovered and experienced the immense power of Drama in children’s growth, which inspired her to start her career as a drama teacher for children. She took acting courses at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London. She participated in many drama workshops to experiment with process theatre, educational theatre for children, and applied theatre.

After joining Wuxi Dipont Arts and Science School in 2020, Claire assisted with the production of several school musicals and Chinese plays. She also directed the school's English children's play. Claire witnessed how Drama can expand students' language and communication ability, creativity and problem-solving ability. She is committed to education drama that facilitates development in children’s self-perception, social cognition, and empathy; establishes values and attitudes; and embodies the art of theater.

Grace Wu has 14 years of international education experience. She has taught IB courses both in primary and secondary schools. She is an experienced teacher with a strong sense of responsibility and good management skills. In her past teaching career, she has obtained the IB PYP Program Category 1,2,3 and MYP language A certificate, and also served as a core member of ACAMIS CLTN.

As the founding teacher of Dipont Arts and Science School, Ms Wu has been serving as the middle management of the school since its founding. As the grade coordinator, she was responsible for coordinating the teaching quality of the grade group and the management of students and teachers, and planning a series of activities such as "Week without wall", Grade 3 10-year growth ceremony. As the leader of the Chinese coordinator, Ms Wu led the Chinese teachers to study the curriculum standards, research the teaching materials and methods, and actively organize and participate in various Chinese activities in the school.

As an educator, Ms Wu believes that teachers should enlighten students with knowledge, influence students with moral character, warm children with love and let their hearts be filled with sunshine.

Howard has been a physical education teacher for ten years. He earned his BD and MD in East China Normal University. With the experience of teaching in three international schools, Howard has been privileged to work with students and teachers in a variety of K-12 settings. He has worked as a PE teacher, classroom teacher, and P4C (philosophy for children) teacher. Howard joined DSAS in 2019. He has a true passion for working with the wonderful students and staff at our school. In his teaching, Howard adjusts his lessons to take into account the wide range of skill and fitness levels that characterize students of different age groups. He attempts to provide all the students with physical education experiences that are both beneficial and enjoyable. 

Jenny Ge, graduated from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics with a major in English Language and Literature. She also graduated with outstanding graduates from the university in the same year. Since graduation, she has been focusing on international English teaching for 14 years. During this period, she has also traveled to Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Australia many times to study language teaching and learning.

During the first 9 years, she taught in different cities in China including Shanghai and Beijing. She is committed to international English teaching and learning and has adopted the lifelong learning approach. During her eight years as a teacher in Beijing, Jenny led her school to join the English Lesson Teaching Competition and teaching seminar activities, where she was awarded the title of "National Excellent English Teacher” in 2010. In 2018, she took part in a ‘Reading Course Demonstration Course Competition’ and again received an award. 

In 2019, Jenny participated in the French applied philosophy training and obtained a certification of children's philosophy. In 2021, she participated in IKTLP leadership training and successfully graduated.

Jenny specializes in how to learn English in various subjects with English as the language carrier. Committed to the ways and means of acquiring English as a second language in the context of internationalization with effective and reasonable integration of various disciplines under the background of practical project-based learning (PBL). Jenny is good at imparting her personal philosophy of teaching and learning to her English lessons, and the concept of inquiry learning is rooted in her teaching practice. 

Jenny joined DSAS (formerly NKCS) in 2019. This school academic year, Jenny was promoted to the position of Upper Primary English Head of Department for G4 to G6. She hopes that together with her colleagues, she can continue to study, refine and optimize the curriculum and use the most suitable English language acquisition methods for her Chinese students successfully.

Ms. Kirsty Kirtley received her teaching qualification from the Northwest University in South Africa, majoring in English and Foundation phase studies passing with a distinction. She has a PGCE from the University of Dundee (UK) and is currently enrolled in their master’s programme.

She is a qualified and registered teacher with the South African Council for Educators, a registered Early Childhood Instructor/ registered Assessor/ registered Skills Development Facilitator all registrations are with the ETDP SETA in South Africa, as well as a registered Ambulance Medic with the Health professionals Council of South Africa. 

Kirsty has over 20 years of teaching experience ranging from 3 months old to adult students. She also has five years of practical ambulance experience. This is Kirsty’s fourth year in China. Kirsty joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in April 2020 and was involved as a PE coach and grade 9 Geography teacher until taking up a post as a KG3 teacher in the kindergarten section of the school in the 2020 academic year. During this time, Ms. Kirtley was in the junior boy’s boarding and resided on campus as a house parent. Ms. Kirtley then moved to grade 1 in the 2021 school year and is currently teaching grade 1 and 2 students; in this role, she provides holistic lessons that support the curriculum content and are relevant to students' everyday lives, making learning a 'real 'experience in the classroom. She has also taken on the leadership role of HOD for English in the Lower Primary section of the school. Ms. Kirtley heads a phonics CCA; she has coached weight training and running. She is involved in the staff wellness programme and is a compassion corner ambassador. Ms. Kirtley has a driving passion for education and looks forward to helping the Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science students become the best they can be. 

Peter Bohovesky earned a BS in Education from Dominican College and an MA in International Education from Endicott College. He has ten years of international teaching experience, and he is a founding member of the teaching staff at Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science. Prior to joining DSAS, Peter spent three years teaching PYP at a full IB school in Dubai, where he regularly practiced the student-centered, inquiry- based teaching methods that have been incorporated into the bilingual model that developed at DSAS. 

Following his first year at DSAS, an increasing amount of Peter’s time was scheduled teaching Science each year, until he began teaching Science exclusively during the 2021/2022 school year. He was also given the responsibility of coordinating Science for all of the primary grades. This role has now been expanded to become the new Head of Department (HOD) for Science in the primary division.

Peter enjoys sharing his passion for science with his students, and he believes that teachers who are truly passionate about the content they teach have the best chance of sparking genuine interest in their students. 

Sharon Sun has 18 years of experience in primary school mathematics teaching, and 15 years of working experience as a homeroom teacher. She has worked in Shanghai United International School, Suzhou, Soochow Foreign Language School and other schools. In August 2021, she joined Wuxi Dipoint School of Arts and Science as a mathematics teacher, homeroom teacher and subject leader. She has also participated in the organization of mathematics competitions and activities such as "PMC, AMC,  Kangaroo Mathematics, AMC8 and Pi Day". She thoroughly enjoys the teaching profession. She is full of love for children and pays attention to the personalized development of her students. She has strong basic teaching skills. During her teaching career, Sharon has won honorary titles such as Excellent Teacher, Excellent Homeroom Teacher and Excellent Instructor of the Olympic Competition. She is deeply welcomed by parents and students.

Tracy Zheng graduated from East China Normal University with a Master's Degree. She has been an educator within Chinese Primary Education for 10 years. She is focused and well developed at delivering effective and engaging lessons. Ms Zheng is also good at motivating students to learn by using strategies such as mind mapping for comprehension. In addition, Ms Zheng is an effective teacher who maintains excellent classroom management skills and incorporates collaborative learning and group work in her practice. Ms Zheng is also a dedicated life-long learner as she keeps up to date with educational research. Her philosophy is that her role as a teacher is to ‘bring education is life’, by building learning bridges between students and texts and installing a love of learning amongst her students.

Ms Wang has worked in the education industry for 16 years, and homeroom teacher in an international school for 8 years. She obtained her master's degree in education in 2020. Tracy has rich experience in class management and teaching. She is conscientious and responsible, full of enthusiasm in teaching, and has a strong relationship with her learners. She has been awarded as excellent homeroom teacher for many years.

Tracy’s teaching style is unique and highly recognized by experts. She has won the second prize of the "Blue Sky Cup" in Jiangsu Province and the first prize of the "Pilot Cup" in Xishan District.

After she came to the Dipont School of Arts and Sciences, she performed well in the general training for bilingual teachers, won the first prize, and was hired as the tutor of the "Excellent Teacher Training Project" in 2019.

In 2020, she became the coordinator of the Transition from Kindergarten to Primay Group, leading the team to formulate and implement the "Transition Plan", which aims to help new students and parents of grade one better adapt to the learning life of primary school through a series of activity designs, and lay a solid foundation for lifelong learning.

She believes that education and learning are happy things, and teachers can influence and change students' lives. She is determined to be a teacher who "sees the needs of students" and help students' academic progress and all-round development by establishing a good teacher-student relationship and professional guidance.

Ms. Xing is Grade 2 Coordinator of primary school. She teaches Chinese and also a homeroom teacher. 

She graduated from Normal University and has the teacher qualification certificate of senior high school of English and primary school of Chinese. Ms. Xing has been engaged in the field of education for nearly eight years, and she is familiar with the features of international education. She has dealt with students of different ages from Grade one to high school graduates, and she is also aware of the characteristics of students of different age groups. Since the founding of our school, Ms. Xing has been working in the lower grades and has rich teaching experience and strong communication skills between family and school. While growing up and developing with the school, Ms. Xing has put the school's educational philosophy - " A learning community aspiring to excellence" into practice in her daily teaching work. 

Ms. Xing has always believed that true education is student-centered, practicing individualized teaching methods and creating a good teacher-student relationship, so that students can learn effectively and confidently in a comfortable environment. In the future, she will continue to hold this educational philosophy and devote herself to the front-line education. 

Mr. Maritz received his Bachelor of Arts with majors in Psychology and English, his postgraduate Honours degree in Psychology, and his Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. He is currently enrolled in a Master’s in Education programme through the University of Dundee (UK). He is a qualified teacher and is registered teacher with the South African Council for Educators.

Mr. Maritz has experience teaching in both South Africa and China. In South Africa, he taught Upper Primary students English. While teaching in China, Mr. Maritz has mainly taught lower primary students. 

Mr. Maritz joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in September 2020. He proceeded to teach Grade 1 English, Science and Mathematics. In this role, he provided engaging lessons aimed at developing his students’ understanding of the curriculum in ways that could be applied to their lives outside of the school.  This year, Mr Maritz is a Grade 3 Homeroom Teqacher and Grade 3 Coordinator. Mr Maritz aims to ensure high quality academic, teaching and learning, social, and emotional wellbeing of every student in Grade 3. 

As a founding staff member, Ms. Xiao joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science (formerly Nanwai King’s College International School Wuxi) in 2018. Ms. Xiao obtained her master's degree in education in 2014. She has rich experience in international education and teaching, and has participated in international education exchange programs and Sino-foreign cooperation programs of Jiangsu Education Bureau for many times. After joining Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science, Ms. Xiao has constantly challenged herself and grows together with the school. She has been a tutor and Head of Halls House. She has been the Grade Coordinator of the Primary school since 2022. Ms. Xiao hopes to learn together with DSAS students, teachers and parents to aspire to excellence. She firmly believes that without love, there is no education. It is her honor to grow up with children. She cherishes every bit of being with children and enjoys the feeling of being surrounded by happiness every day.

Crystal Shen has worked in international schools in Suzhou and Singapore, teaching students from primary up to Junior High.  She joined Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in 2018 as a G5 homeroom teacher. What’s more, she also helped to develop the Chinese Curriculum as the Primary Chinese Coordinator for 2 years and now is the Grade  Coordinator for G5 .

Crystal believes that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically and socially. It is her passion as an educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking and invites a sharing of ideas.

Emily Que, holds a Masters of Chinese language from the University of Comillas. She also holds a teaching qualification of Chinese language as a second language from Confucius Institute Headquarters(HANBA), IBO Category I Certification.

Emily graduated from Sichuan Normal University in 2002.  After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language teaching and Literature, she completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Chinese language teaching for children at Comillas University in Spain. Post-graduation, Emily was employed as a journalist for SiChuan Educational TV Station, China. Between 2013 and 2017, Emily gained experience as an Elementary and Middle school mandarin teacher in a Chinese immersion program at ChongfahSinsueng Private School in Chiang Mai, Thailand. 

Emily further developed her teaching as a Chinese language teacher at Leman international school – a Nord Anglia Educational Group School. After this experience, Emily moved to Beanstalk international bilingual school, Chengdu where she was a bilingual Chinese language teacher and Head of Chinese. Emily has experience in a range of school including teaching and learning within an IB program. Emily has won multiple honors awards for being an excellent teacher and homeroom teacher. she had also published papers in different professional platform with regards to language teaching and integration from Chinese curriculum to IB.

Xuefang Zhang has 12 years of teaching experience. She is an enthusiastic teacher with a unique teaching style and a strong affinity with children and sense of innovation. She has worked in public schools for four years, taught graduating classes, participated in examination invigilation and is familiar with the Chinese domestic curriculum. In 2013, she moved into international education and has served as an IB essay instructor and a school debate team instructor. She specialises in the design of Chinese native and non-native language courses. For nearly six years, she has focused on the teaching of IGCSE Chinese courses and IBDP Chinese language and literature A courses. In the May 2019 IGCSE examinations, 100% of her students gained ‘A’ grades.

Since joining DSAS, Ms. Zhang has coordinated teachers from various departments to participate in the school’s International Day activities. She has also led the formation of the DSAS Xinghai Literature Society, prepared student essays, established the Chinese culture class research and development team, and optimised teaching and research.

Ms. Zhang often tells children: “Be sure to know where you are going, for that is where your heart is going, but also know where you come from, for that is the soil where you are rooted.” She firmly believes that only by learning Chinese, can we better spread Chinese culture and speak for China in the new era.

Chalice graduated with a Bachelor of Education in 2012 whilst concurrently working as an intern at St Peter’s College, an independent high school in South Africa. Thereafter, upon wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the history, law and management of education within an institution, she completed an Honors Degree in Educational Law and Management. At St Peter’s College, throughout her tenure, she was extensively involved in the Basketball and Drama extracurricular programs aside from her academic role as an educator. After having taught for 6 years at St Peter’s College (Grade 8 to 12 Dramatic Arts), Chalice aimed to enrich her knowledge of the therapeutic benefits of the arts, specifically drama, and did an Honors Degree in Drama Therapy at the University of Witwatersrand whilst still running the Grade 8 and Grade 9 Drama program at St Peter’s College. As an aspiring leader in education, Chalice then took on the opportunity as the Head of Drama at Reddam House Bedfordview in 2017 managing the Grade 8 to Grade 12 High School academic program as well as facilitating and directing the multiple major productions that took place each year. As of August 2018, Chalice ventured into the world of Bilingual and International education as a K to 12 Drama educator and MYP Arts Subject leader, in an IB World school in Jiangsu province, where she developed and headed up a rigorous Arts curriculum (Music, Art and Drama) for the middle school and directed the whole-school major production annually. She now has 12 years experience in education and is always inspired to drive engaging learning spaces that encourage learners to take ownership of their knowledge as well as appreciate and learn from those they witness. Chalice believes in education that promotes independent, creative and confident expression.

Melissa El Sombati is a dedicated educator, originally from Waterloo, Canada. She has 11 years of teaching experience and worked in Canada, Egypt and China. Prior to joining Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science in 2019, she worked as an E-Learning Course Developer and online Entrepreneurship teacher for an international school based in Greece. She has teaching experience with AP, Canadian (Ontario) and IGCSE/A Level. Starting from August 2021, Melissa has been appointed as the Head of Humanities and Director of Teacher Trainee Development. She also teaches Business and Economics in the secondary school. 

Melissa obtained her Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Global Studies/Anthropology from Wilfrid Laurier University in 2004. She then went on to complete a Master of Laws in International Law from the University of Kent. After pursuing a five year career in finance as an investment advisor, she switched paths to pursue her real passion: teaching business and economics. She gained her Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto and most recently earned her specialist qualifications in Special Education Needs and Primary Education from Queen’s University, Canada.

Melissa firmly believes that students need to be empowered to self-advocate for themselves and their learning. Her students are exposed to real-life, relatable material that will inspire them to pursue their passions in life. Students will learn valuable, current skills that will prepare them for careers that may not yet exist. She hopes that some may also be motivated to be entrepreneurs and carve their own career paths. Being open-minded to new ways of learning is the key to success in her classes. The world around us is changing very rapidly, and Melissa feels that she gives her students a toolkit to successfully navigate unknown future changes and challenges. 

During CCA time, Melissa can be found in the pool. As a former competitive swimmer, swimming is her outlet, and it brings her much joy to teach younger children how to swim. Melissa also enjoys traveling, snorkelling, and dancing, especially with her husband and young daughter.

James’ graduated from the University of Lancaster in 2010 reading a BSc in Natural Sciences, then advanced to studying a MSc in Ecology and Environment. After completing his MSC, he discovered the importance of sharing knowledge and education which furthered his path to University of Cumbria, where he trained to become a teacher. Since then, he has collected over 8 years of experience teaching in both public schools and independent schools in the UK and in Mexico.

James believes that the relationship that a teacher can build with his/her students is integral to teaching. With a strong relationship built on trust and clear success, sets a path for the student on having a positive mindset to learning. With these foundations put in place and with correctly scaffolded lessons, James feels that there can be no limit to a child’s learning.

Kurt Shelton believes the role of the educator is to teach students the value of persistence, dedication, and hard work to shape talent into skill and potential into reality. For eight years, Kurt has taught English, public speaking, and competitive debate in China with Dipont Education. Prior to joining Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science (DSAS), he taught for three years at RDFZ Kings College in Hangzhou, following four years at Hangzhou Foreign Language School. Before coming to China, Kurt was Youth Activities Supervisor for the Newark Public Schools and coached the Rutgers Newark Debate Team. He has over thirty years of experience coaching successful debate and public speaking programs. His students have won the NDT and CEDA National Debate Championships four times, including two collegiate Top Speaker Awards. He was awarded the 1997 Lexington Coaches Award of Excellence in Public Speaking, the 2005 Sandra Deleon Award of Service, and the 2010 Jersey Urban Debate League “Coach of the Year”.  His students were the 2011 National Association of Urban Debate League High School National Champions. His students have earned national recognition and been invited to meet with President Obama in the Oval office. Additional awards include the 2010 Jackie Robinson Scholarship, the 2011 Bank of America Student Leadership Summit Award, and the 2010 NAACP student of the year by the Newark chapter.

Ms Jennifer Kong joined Nanwai King’s College School in 2018 as a founding staff member. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in Applied English and later completed an MA of International English from the University of Sunderland. She is a credentialed Chinese educator, a certified IELTS teacher and holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). She has earned the Chinese Eminent Teacher and Scholar award (2011) and has lead provincial and national demonstration classes to Chinese educators (2005-2017). Ms Kong’s former roles at Nanwai have included Deputy Head of Foreign Affairs, Head of English, and Deputy Director of Studies (Fangshan Campus). Along with her duties, she is actively involved with the Harvard Debate Curriculum and leads student groups to participate internationally in renowned student exchanges and symposiums.

With over 14 years’ experience at Nanjing Foreign Language School (Nanwai) in addition to 4 years of teaching in an international school environment, she brings her experience of elite public education practice to the new role of Head of English in the Lower Secondary School at Dipont School of Arts and Science. In the coming academic year, Ms Kong is leading the Lower Secondary English team to integrate best pedagogy into the curriculum and supporting the team to develop best practice inside the classroom to build on the remarkable successes in English Language made by students last academic year.