Adam Hassan is from London and has a strong background in both ESOL and Literature. Besides being a passionate teacher, he is also interested in art, film, reading, as well as cycling, running, and football. He values creativity, collaboration, and uniqueness most in his students.

Adam completed both his BA in Literature and his Post-Graduate Certificate in Education at the University of East London. The school’s vibrant and eclectic style of teaching has influenced his pedagogy deeply. Adam is an enthusiastic and caring teacher who is always suggesting popular books to read to his students and combining his knowledge of literature and education to make them lifelong learners and readers.

Adam has worked for many top schools in Beijing, such as The High School Affiliated with Peking University (北大附中) and Beijing No. 2 Middle School (北京第二中学). He has also worked in various public schools in Britain. He is excited to be working at BCIS as a Secondary School English teacher where he hopes to share his passion for literature with all his students.

Adam has a post-graduate diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language and has worked as an IELTS Examiner. Therefore, he is well aware of the English standards non-native speakers need to get into top universities. He is committed to supporting all his students, no matter where they are from, to get into their dream universities.

Alex is from the northeast of China and holds a bachelor's degree in Material and Physics Science. He holds a High School Teaching Certificate and is trained for Design Technology. Alex started working as a member of the Secondary School Design Technology team at BCIS in 2017. As a bilingual and globally minded educator, Alex enjoys teaching all aspects of the design processes. With many years of experience working with students from different grade levels, Alex is an enthusiast of project-based learning which encourages students to creatively apply problem solving skills to all academic disciplines and throughout their life.

In his extra time, Alex enjoys traveling around China and the world to experience different cultures. He is also an avid fan of all types of sports and has coached secondary school volleyball teams.

Alison Sae-Sue is a graduate of Edinburgh University, and has a PGCE in English, EFL and ESL. She joined BCIS in 2013 after working in Vietnam, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Colombia, and Sri Lanka. Alison has accumulated more than 30 years’ teaching experience with adult learners and Middle School students.

Alison’s interests include traveling as widely as possible through the countries she has worked in, exploring museums, and trying the local food. She particularly enjoys traveling within China to visit its varied landscapes and experience its rich and diverse culture.

Andrew Morrissey hails from sunny South Africa, and has been in Beijing for the last 14 years. He previously taught in two other international schools in Beijing, and before that was a trainer in Dublin, Ireland. This is his third year as a BCIS family member, and he loves the energy of the school and teaching his favourite subjects: Humanities and Geography. When not at work, he can be found with his wife and their two children. Otherwise, he may well be out on his bicycle in training for the next triathlon.

Erica is a local Beijinger and has been teaching Mandarin Chinese since 2015. She worked for a language learning center in California before moving back to Beijing where she joined BCIS in 2016 and started her journey towards teaching position. Having worked in the LS and EAL Team for 4 years, she is excited to move into the new role of Chinese Language and Literature teacher, and keep exploring teaching approaches that process with the changing times and developing her own professional literacy.

Erica completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in business English from Capital University of Economics and Business in 2012 and obtained her master’s degree in linguistics from California State University, Long Beach in 2015. She also holds a High School Teaching Credential.

Outside the classroom, Erica enjoys reading, drawing and various kinds of physical exercises. She considers herself incredibly fortunate to continue serving as a member of the BCIS community.

Ashley is from Michigan, USA and has worked as an international counsellor since 2014. Ashley has a Master’s degree in Educational Counseling and certification in School Counseling.

She has been a school counselor for all age groups from kindergarten to grade 12. Ashley has worked in Singapore and Hong Kong and is glad to be a member of BCIS.

In her spare time Ashley enjoys traveling and exploring new places, hiking, and enology.

Ashely grew up in the United States, but has been teaching abroad for most of his professional career. His international teaching career began in China in 1999. He has since moved on to leadership positions in international schools in Thailand and Saudi Arabia. He is excited to be getting back to China to teach.

Ashely holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Master’s in Education from Framingham State University. He has a broad background in education. He has been a Homeroom teacher, an ESL Department Head, and a Technology Coordinator. His deep passion for learning about other cultures and people has led him to travel extensively, spending time in over 70 countries. He took a year off prior to joining BCIS to travel full time for a year with his wife, Marca, and two boys.

Ashely is very excited to be part the BCIS community.

Bonnie is an American Chinese originally from Beijing. She left Beijing at a young age and has been back working and living here since 2015. Bonnie has an unusual journey to education and international education. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from University of Maryland at College Park, her Master of Engineering degree in Structural Engineering from Cornel University and pursued a career of structural engineering for six years in New York City. She found her calling when she explored her interest in helping the underdeveloped parts of the world and changed her career to education. She has worked in Guinea, Mali, Thailand, Vietnam and the rural communities of Yunnan.

Bonnie has experience teaching grade 6-10 in Mathematics, Science and Design, and training and supporting adults in their pursuit of becoming a teacher. She is passionate about facilitating learning for students, so they are exploring and thinking how the world works and drawing connections between knowledge and their everyday applications.

In her free time, Bonnie loves to exercise and photograph nature, get out in the northern hills of Beijing to cycle long distances, go on a hike, bird watch, and spend time with her parents.

Charles Grant is originally from Jamaica and has been in Education for thirteen years; He has experience in working as a social and emotional Guidance Counselor and soccer coach in Jamaica, a health teacher and soccer coach in Venezuela, and prior to working at BCIS, was a University and Career counselor at an American school in Mexico.

Charles holds a College Counseling Certificate from the University of California Los Angeles, a Master’s degree in Education from Framingham State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Guidance and Counseling from Northern Caribbean University.

Charles is a strong advocate for students at BCIS. He ensures that every student is educationally nurtured and empowered to pursue their desired goals. He mentors students with their university search, works with students using group and individual sessions, and ensures that they are equipped for the next chapter of their lives. Charles works hands-on with students in mapping their career path, on the physical university application, the university essay, and personal statements, among other things.Outside the classroom, Charles loves to play and coach soccer, he is an ardent chess player, and he also enjoys spending time with his family. Charles is here in Beijing with his wife Natalie and his three children, Jaden, Xander, and Ella-Paige.

Christopher was born and raised in New York City, USA by two proud South Korean immigrant parents. He obtained his bachelor's degree in International Studies from Korea University in Seoul, South Korea, and has worked in education ever since then, including at international schools in Incheon, South Korea, Nagoya, Japan, and Shanghai, China.

In Design, Christopher enjoys the blending of the creativity of art and the logic of science, as well as the different methods designers can use to better understand the world and shape their creations to solve problems for a variety of people with different needs and desires. Christopher is a big fan of new technologies and how we interact with the world. He is an avid gamer and advocate for Virtual Reality and other technological advances and applications for consumers and is excited to see what the future holds.

Outside of the classroom, Christopher is active and enjoys physical activity and team sports. He has been head coach for volleyball, basketball, and softball teams, as well as in individual sports and activities such as golf, swimming, and personal fitness, but his passion is American Football.

Christopher is happy to be a member of BCIS and looks forward to meeting and working with all of you!

Ilich was born and raised in Pamplona, Colombia. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Science from the University of Texas at Arlington, United States.

He began his career as an international teacher in 2012 when he moved to Tokyo with his wife. In 2014, Ilich and his family moved to Beijing, where he retrained as a teacher. He obtained a Postgraduate Certification in Education from the University of Nottingham in England and a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction in Science from the University of Texas. Since then, he has worked as a PE teacher assistant, PE, Music, and Nursery homeroom teacher at the ECC, and he is very excited to join the Math department in the Secondary School.

Ilich aims to inspire young adults to become life-long learners, guide them to discover their passions, and use their strengths to succeed in their future education and positively impact our society.

Ilich enjoys spending time with his wife and two-year old daughter, likes traveling, reading, and challenging himself with new physical activities. In addition, he likes playing football and basketball, riding his bike, practicing CrossFit and Kite-Surfing, and playing the drums.

He is excited to be part of the BCIS community and share his love for math and science with his students.

Cornel was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa and attended the University of Johannesburg where he qualified as a rehabilitation therapist and sports scientist before pursuing a career in education.

Cornel has a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary Education and a Masters degree in International Education Administration from the University of Sunderland in the UK. Cornel is a strong advocate of self-directed, experiential education that allows students to explore their own interests, transfer learning to a real-world context, and to better understand themselves as learners and human beings in a larger global community. Cornel has taught internationally for over 15 years in South Africa, Taiwan, New Zealand, and most recently in Hong Kong.

When he is not at work, Cornel enjoys running, reading, and travelling the world with his wife, Rensia. Cornel is very excited to be part of the BCIS Community and to further explore the rich cultural experiences that Beijing has to offer.

Dina comes from Seattle Washington where she attended high school and played soccer, eventually accepting an athletic scholarship to play at Notre Dame de Namur University in California. At Notre Dame she received a BS in International Business and then worked in California at an asset management and financial planning company named Waddell & Reed.

Dina was not yet ready to settle down and decided to teach business English in South Korea. For four years she taught in schools and with companies like LG Chem and CAS. Upon completion of this work, she returned to the University of Maine, with her husband Donald, to obtain a Bachelor in Secondary Education.

Dina’s next move was to teach business and economics in Kuwait and where they adopted a dog, Zena. After two years of teaching and coaching soccer in Kuwait, the family moved to Abu Dhabi where they stayed for the next 6 years. During this time they had their daughter named Ava. Dina and her family are very excited to be in Beijing.

Csilla is Hungarian, born and raised in Transylvania. She is an experienced international educator with more than twenty years of experience across a range of areas, most recently primarily focused on providing opportunities for young people to further explore and develop their academic and personal identities through the use of drama and theatre.

She has a master’s degree in applied theatre from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, London and a master’s degree in special needs education from University of Nottingham, UK.

She has spent her adult life living and teaching across three continents. After finishing her bachelor's degree, she moved to the UK, where she lived 15 years. In 2014 her sense adventure and passion took her to Jordan then Kenya and most recently to Mumbai, India.

She loves watching life theatre, traveling, and meeting new people.

Dave Nguyen was born in Vietnam but was raised in Oshawa, Ontario in Canada. He earned his Bachelor of Science Honours in Computer Science at Trent University. He then received his Bachelor of Education at the University of Western Ontario.

Being exposed to theory, stimulated by the basic love of concepts and mathematics, was a marvelous experience when Dave was a student, and Dave shared these same experiences in mathematics with his students when he was a Math teacher and Math Team Leader in previous years at BCIS. As of 2015, Dave is now the HS coodinator, and relishes the challenge the role brings.

During his spare time, Dave enjoys playing competitive sports, especially basketball and badminton. He also loves to get around Beijing on his bicycle and scooter because he doesn’t like being stuck in traffic.

Mariann comes from Florida in the United States and has over 20 years of teaching experience. She worked for many years in schools in Florida, before moving overseas in 2007. She has taught in Leipzig and Berlin in Germany, Busan in South Korea, as well as Shenzhen in China.

Mariann has a bachelor's degree in early childhood education as well as a Masters of Education from The University of Florida and has recently completed a master's in computer programming from the University of York. She has worked in kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Mariann has served as Maths and Literacy Coordinator in previous schools.

In her free time, Mariann enjoys sewing as well as learning Chinese. She loves travelling and likes to find new cultures and cuisines to enjoy.

Mariann is grateful to be a part of the BCIS community and to live in Beijing. She likes to use her weekend to eat jiaozi, explore the city and other places in China. Her husband, Andrew, also works a BCIS as a Grade 3 teacher.

Dom is from the UK and has been teaching internationally since 2007. Previously, he has taught in Thailand as the head of Performing Arts and in Beijing where he has taught music. While teaching overseas, he has run music festivals, produced musicals, and conducted and trained ensembles and choirs. As a musician, he is principally a percussionist, which he transferred to after being a pianist for 15 years.

He became passionate about learning percussion during his studies at the University of Manchester and furthered his learning in Education at the University of Nottingham. He is passionate that music be available to all, as well as a force for collaboration, growth, and unity in an ever changing world.

Outside of the classroom, Dom loves swimming. He is a scuba diver, but enjoys nothing better than having a musical jam. Reading while traveling is also a must. He sees the amazing abilities of where our BCIS students are and what future potential they have, in ensembles and in class. Most of all, however, he feels privileged to be part of the BCIS community.

Dylan is from Johannesburg, South Africa. He studied at WITS University where he obtained his Bachelor of Education Degree, majoring in Physical Education and Economics. He taught in South Africa for 6 years before moving to Shanghai and then to Beijing. Dylan enjoys the challenges and privileges of living internationally and loves that he gets the opportunity to travel to different countries, experience different cultures and meet people from all over the world.

Dylan has always been a passionate sportsman and loves pushing himself to his limit to see what he is capable of. He believes that Sport and Physical Education is an important part of one's development as it teaches us a number of life skills that are important if we are to be happy and successful members of the world's community. He enjoys coaching as it allows him to interact with students in a different environment and learn more about what drives them to be good human-beings.

Dylan considers himself very lucky to be a part of the BCIS community and is excited to pass on his knowledge of PE and sport to the students here and hopefully develop, in them, the same passion for sport and life-long learning that he has.

Echo is from central China and has more than 10 years of experience teaching Chinese to students in both South Korea and Beijing. She worked as a Mandarin teacher at Daejeon Foreign Studies Institute in South Korea for three years. Before joining BCIS, she worked as a Chinese teacher at another international school in Beijing for eight years.

Echo holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Linguistics and is currently undertaking a Master’s Degree in Psychology.

Echo has two adorable children. In order to help them experience different cultures, she likes to take them traveling in her free time. She also enjoys reading and Chinese traditional painting.

Elle is from Hebei Province. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hebei University of Science and Technology. She joined BCIS in 2016 as a member of the Secondary School Learning Support team to give students constructive learning and well-being strategies both inside and out of the classroom.

Elle believes students can learn both the skills of achievement and the skills of well-being in school and is excited to become a Character Education teacher in BCIS where she can help students learn about their own character strength and combine them with their academic skills to achieve the best of themselves.

In her spare time, Elle enjoys learning new things and spending time with her friends. Traveling the world was her dream when she was a student and she is going to start her journey in the near future.

Scarlett Liu is originally from Hebei and grew up internationally with her diplomat parents. She moved to Washington, D.C. when she was 9 years old, returned to China for middle school, then finished high school in New Jersey and Maryland.

Scarlett completed a double degree in psychology and teaching (Honours) at Monash University, winning the University Medal for Undergraduate Academic Excellence. She is a registered teacher in both Australia and China and is currently pursuing a Master of Education from the University of Melbourne.

From her experiences in Eastern and Western education systems, Scarlett developed deep understanding and compassion for students navigating through the complex challenges of culturally and linguistically diverse contexts. Combined with her passion and expertise in psychology, she is dedicated to helping BCIS learners maintain wellbeing while excelling academically.

Beyond the classroom, Scarlett is an artist, dancer, outdoor sports enthusiast, and animal lover. Nature is her greatest source of energy, relaxation, and inspiration.

Erin grew up in Grapevine Texas and received her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Texas Tech University. In 2014, she moved to South Korea to teach Middle School Science at the Korea International School, Jeju Campus. She is excited to be a part of the Design Technology team. Besides being a passionate educator, she loves hiking, traveling, and orchestra shows on the weekends.

Erin considers herself to be incredibly fortunate to be a part of the BCIS community and is excited to live in such a historically rich and exciting country.

Fariza is proud to be a part of BCIS. She is from Astana, Kazakhstan. Fariza holds Bachelor of Computing Systems and Software Engineering. She is one of the first graduators from International IT University.

Fariza is passionate about Computer Science and teaching in this field, as she left an IT company to become a teacher.

Outside of the classroom, Fariza enjoys reading scientific fiction books and she is a big fan of football. She is very excited to explore China's splendid nature, historical legacy and rich culture.

Fiona grew up in Northern China and obtained a masters degree in Applied Linguistics in Beijing. During her post-graduate study, Fiona spent a year teaching Chinese in Korea as part of her research program. Since then, she has taught Chinese at different international schools for over ten years, with experience on variety of programs.

Before joining BCIS, Fiona was working in an international school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As an enthusiastic and caring person, Fiona finds learning with students very rewarding and inspiring. She deeply believes in lifelong learning and always seeks opportunities for innovation and development as an educator. She thoroughly enjoys being a member of the BCIS community.

In her spare time, Fiona likes reading, painting and sketching. She also enjoys swimming and playing badminton.

Stephen Yu was born in beautiful and sunny Southern California in the United States.While working toward his degree at California State University, Fullerton, Stephen was fortunate enough to study abroad at Peking University which inspired his love for living in China.With his degree and Sales/Marketing experience with China Southern Airlines Los Angeles Office, he decided to make the move to China.

After working in business for 10 years Stephen always thought back to when he was inspired by his teachers while in college.Utilizing his real-world business experience in the classroom Stephen hopes to inspire the future international business leaders.

Aside from teaching, Stephen loves to be active in sports like running, swimming, water polo, biking and weight training.When at home he loves to cook and listen to music with his wife Yang and their new baby boy Kodi.

Garrett is an American from Tennessee. He has visited China in the past and is loving his time living in Beijing. Before joining the world of international education, he had never been on a plane, and now he has been teaching abroad for 6 years. He received his Biology degree and teacher certificate from Carson-Newman University. He has worked in the USA, Kuwait, and the Philippines. Now he's enjoying exploring the streets of Beijing with his wife, April, a Grade 4 teacher at BCIS.

Garrett has experience teaching every grade level from 6-12 and loves what each different age group brings to the classroom. He spent the last four years at Brent International School Manila teaching middle school science and then Biology. He works every day on being a lifelong learner and modeling this for his students. He hopes by the end of the year, his students understand that mistakes are a beautiful piece of science and part of being a learner!

In his free time, Garrett loves swapping stories about the school day with his wife, helping her find unique book stores on their travels, and playing video and board games. You can find him traveling by train on holidays.

Rory is originally from South Carolina, USA.He attended the University of South Carolina where he obtained a bachelor’s in history and a master’s in teaching secondary social studies. Through study-abroad opportunities provided by his university, Rory fell in love with traveling. After graduating and earning his state teaching license, he immediately moved to China to begin his career as an international educator.

Rory has now been teaching in China for over 5 years where he has taught students of varying ages and abilities. As an educator, he is passionate about helping young people develop into confident, critically thinking, globally minded individuals. He is proud to be a part of the BCIS family where he is continuing to pursue this passion and develop his own teaching practices.

Outside of the classroom, Rory enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family. His favorite part of being an international teacher is meeting people from all over the world and developing long-lasting friendships. He also loves playing sports, exploring new places, and being around animals.

Jenelle Kirchoff is from the state of South Dakota in the United States. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in sociology and psychology. After writing academic papers for her undergraduate work, she realized that her heart was in research and writing. After earning her master’s in library science, she started working in academic and school libraries. Nearly 10 years later, she has enjoyed every moment with her students in the library. She holds a United States professional teaching license as a certified Library Media Specialist. Ms. Kirchoff is also certified to teach philosophy and modern intellectual history.

Jenelle has a special fondness for picture books for young children and believes that reading is the foundation of academic and personal growth. One of Jenelle’s greatest joys is guiding students in research and writing. Students often find her browsing databases and helping students with their citations. She believes that libraries are the heart and soul of a school and give students a place to expand their academic and personal interests.

After spending three years in Shanghai, Jenelle and her two sons are enjoying the beautiful capital of Beijing. In her spare time, Jenelle enjoys attending the ballet, reading, and playing board games with her children.

Hailing from Ontario, Canada, Ian graduated from the University of Guelph in 2000 with a degree in History, and completed his Masters in Education at Niagara University in 2003.

Always interested in travel and new experiences, Ian moved to China right after graduating and has been teaching here ever since; first in Tianjin and then in Beijing. In that time he has taught Grades 6 to 12 a wide variety of Social Studies and Humanities courses.

Also a qualified school counselor, Ian is an educator who is passionate about developing the whole student and helping them to accomplish more than they ever thought they could. In the classroom he actively uses technology to engage students in learning whenever possible, and outside of the classroom enjoys devoting time to extra-curricular activities.

Ian enjoys living in Beijing and experiencing the culture. In his free time he loves travel, outdoor activities, playing basketball, photography, and sampling international cuisine.

Jarrod, originally from Ohio in the United States, completed his Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics Education in May 2009. In August of that year, he hopped on a plane to China and has been teaching in the country ever since. Until 2016, he taught at Beijing National Day School, a highly ranked and well-recognized Chinese National School. While there, he taught Oral English, Pre Calculus, and AP Calculus. Jarrod feels incredibly lucky and blessed to have had the opportunities he has had to further his career while in China. He is also very excited to be at BCIS.

When Jarrod isn't teaching, he enjoys spending time with his friends, staying up to date on all the biggest TV shows and movies, and exploring new and exciting places in Beijing.

Karen is from Melbourne, Australia and has been teaching and counseling internationally for the past 17 years in Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Italy and now, very happily, in China. Karen is an experienced middle school classroom teacher and a qualified counsellor specialising in adolescent health and well-being. Karen has teaching and counseling experience with students of all ages, but she especially loves working with young people in the middle years, helping them to navigate the adolescent journey.

Karl Mejia hails from the Philippines and has been with BCIS since 2017. He has an educational background from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Special Education and Physical Education. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s degree in Inclusive Education.

A dog lover, Karl presently has 4 lovely canines back home. He loves playing competitive indoor volleyball wherein he has played for his respective elementary, high school, and college teams. He also enjoys dancing and working out with his friends and colleagues.

Karl is very happy to be a part of the vibrant BCIS community. He loves interacting with the students and is always keen in supporting the needs of anyone!

Katherine (Katie) Petch is a member of the BCIS Physical Education teaching staff, and also a Grade 7 Advisor. She moved to China from the UK in 2012, after serving as Head of PE at a school in Liverpool for three years, as well as a teacher of dance, drama and outdoor education. She holds a BA in Primary and Secondary Education for PE from Liverpool John Moores University in the city of Liverpool, UK.

Katie took the bold decision to move her life and career to a new country and culture in 2012, and since then has been enjoying her new life in Beijing. Besides her general interest in fitness, she has a love of gymnastics and other sports, as well as hiking. She also loves drama, reading, and also travel, given her fondness for exploring new places.

She is excited to be part of the BCIS team, and loves working with such a culturally diverse student body and faculty on a daily basis.

Kent Courage is from Buchans, Canada and obtained his teaching degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland. He started his overseas teaching career 5 years ago after teaching across Canada for many years. Kent has been a proud member of the BCIS community for 3 years. Kent is a passionate and enthusiastic PHE teacher who enjoys teaching and coaching sport for our school and plays on numerous sporting teams around Beijing in his spare time.

Lauren is from Cheshire, England. She completed a degree in Coaching and Sports Development in 2010 at Manchester Metropolitan University, before going on to study a Post Graduate Diploma in Education at Bolton University.

Throughout her life, Lauren has been extremely passionate about sport and fitness, excelling in Netball predominately, but also focusing on Basketball, Football, Rounders, Badminton, and Gymnastics. Since studying and practicing sport and fitness in her own life, she has an extensive understanding of the benefits for young people to take this forward, and she is keen to educate her students of this.

Lauren spent five years teaching in Lancashire as a Senior Lecturer in Sport, Head Netball Coach and Advanced Practitioner. She then decided to take a sabbatical for twelve months to travel the world, whilst also being involved in volunteering, teaching, and coaching. After seeing the world and immersing herself in such diverse countries, it became clear that this was going to be more of a permanent move, cementing her ambition to teach overseas. She has now made the decision to start a life in Beijing and teach at BCIS as part of the PE Department. She considers herself to be incredibly fortunate and is very excited to be a part of the BCIS community. She is looking forward to living in such a vibrant, culturally diverse and unique country.

Mark is from the United Kingdom and has been teaching internationally since 2006. He has taught previously in South Korea and has been teaching here in Beijing for the past 7 years. Mark has taught language and literature and both Language A & B.

Mark has an undergraduate from Huddersfield university and a post graduate degree in education from Birmingham university. He is a committed life-long learner who encourages students to take ownership of their learning. Mark works hard to equip students with the necessary skills, rather than just knowledge to ensure they fully develop their potential.

Outside of the classroom Mark enjoys a variety of sport with football his biggest passion. Mark has been fortunate enough to coach football in previous schools from grade 6 to 12. He enjoys hiking around the city and venturing further out as well. He is passionate about travel and enjoys reading in his free time.

Mary comes from western China and has worked in Beijing for more than ten years. She graduated from Beijing International Studies University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Language and Literature, then pursued the study of Mass Communication in the Communication University of China, where she received her Master's degree. She also holds a Chinese High School Teaching Certificate.

Mary has more than ten years of teaching experience in both local and multi-cultural contexts. She joined BCIS in 2011 as a member of the EAL and LS Team in Secondary School and is excited to move into the new role of History Teacher. As a passionate and dedicated educator, she has been working with students of different grade levels across different subjects. She enjoys the time with students and is keen on exploring practical teaching approaches that can better support students' core competence development.

Mary enjoys music, reading, and technology in her spare time. She considers herself very fortunate to be a long-serving member of such a vibrant and supportive BCIS community.

Mary Rose has taught science in Kuwait City, Mumbai, Boston, and NYC. She earned her Masters in Science Education from Columbia University and studied Philosophy and Math for her undergraduate degree. Her interdisciplinary education sparked a fascination in the intersection of different ways of knowing and how society values different kinds of knowledge; more than one of her science classes have been known to wrap up with a conversation around everything from global politics to Platonic forms. As an educator she pushes her students to value critical thinking, logical consistency, and empathy. She is excited to join BCIS and continue challenging students and herself to grow and learn.

Outside the classroom, Mary Rose has a proclivity for big cities and may finally have found one busy enough for her in Beijing. Besides exploring megatropolises, she enjoys drawing, the occasional Bach sonata, and running enough to balance cooking and eating ridiculously large amounts of food with friends and family.

Matthew was born in the United States and calls Detroit and Louisville home. He has two majors for his Bachelor’s of Science from Central Michigan University in Biochemistry and Biology. He earned his Master’s in Education from Western Kentucky University specializing in inquiry based teaching methods modeled after UTeach. Prior to being a Secondary Science teacher, Matthew worked as a research assistant and graduate student at Penn State University. He started his teaching career in 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky teaching Chemistry and coaching Quick Recall. He also worked as a Technology Integration Specialist working with teachers and administrators in implementing technology to support learning and school growth. In 2015, he moved to Bangkok, Thailand to start his teaching career internationally, where he has taught both Biology and Chemistry. Additionally, he has continued to work with students, teachers, and administrators as the Technology Integration Specialist. He has also coached Tournament of the Minds at the elementary level in Bangkok.

Matthew is fortunate to be a part of the BCIS community and is excited to share his love of science with his students. Students in his classroom will be engaged with the course through inquiry and rigorous curriculum. He enjoys working with the diverse student population at BCIS.

Outside of the classroom, Matthew and his wife, Sara, enjoy traveling and remaining active. Matthew is involved in distance running and Gaelic Football.

Miriam is originally from Florida, USA. She attended Florida State University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in English Education 6-12, an ESOL endorsement, and a Professional Educator’s Certificate. In 2018, she earned her Master’s of Education in Learning and Technology.

Miriam has bounced back and forth between teaching in Busan, South Korea and Wellington, Florida. During her seven years of experience in South Korea, she has gained experience teaching English from elementary schools all the way to universities. In the USA, she taught 9th and 12th grade English, Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) General Paper, and AICE Global Perspectives.

In her free time, Miriam enjoys playing soccer, bowling, reading, traveling, and trying new food. She also has a passion for planning fun events with friends. Miriam met her husband, Seth, in Busan, South Korea. He is also a teacher at BCIS.

Miriam is thrilled to be a part of the diverse BCIS community.

Monique is a passionate art teacher from New York, USA. She graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Potsdam in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, majoring in Education, Art History, Art Studio and a minoring in Museum Studies. She graduated with honors from St. Lawrence University in 2010 with a Master’s Degree in Education and has taught in rural and urban parts of the United States, Western Africa and has spent the last 5 years teaching in China.

Her teaching career has allowed her to teach diverse learners of all ages from all over the world. As she has taught pre-kindergarten to secondary school, she has faced many challenges which have contributed to her development as an educator and as a human being. Throughout this journey, not only has she grown as an individual, but as a global citizen as well.

Monique’s passion for visual arts and creative thinking has been a natural fit teaching abroad. The only thing she loves more than teaching internationally is spending quality time with her son, Almanzo. Outside of the classroom, Monique enjoys creating art, visiting galleries, as well as swimming, running, rugby and many other outdoor activities. She and her family are very happy to be a part of the Beijing City International School community.

Natalie Harvey has been in the field of education for 19 years. She is excited to be currently working at BCIS as a Secondary School English teacher. Natalie has had Middle and High School teaching experience in Jamaica, where she is from, The United States, Venezuela, and Mexico. She is an avid reader, and she loves to travel with her family, swim, and eat!

Natalie has served as a 4th grade Summer Literacy Coordinator for the Jamaican Ministry of Education, a Classroom Teacher at Ebeneezer Middle School in Sumter, South Carolina, Head of the English Department at Escuela Bella Vista in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Classroom Teacher, Head of English Department and subsequently Vice Principal and Principal at the American School of Tampico, Mexico.

Natalie holds a Certificate in International School Leadership, a Masters of Arts in Education from Wake Forest University, and a Bachelor's Degree in Language Education: English. She has recently started an Ed.D. in Instructional Leadership with Wilkes University. She is trained in Cognitive Coaching, the use of various technological platforms, and Standards-Based Learning and Grading.

Natalie is excited to form connections with her students, share her love for reading and writing with them, and inspire them to become or keep growing as enthusiastic learners.

Jaclyn grew up in Memphis, Tennessee in the southeastern United States, where she developed her love of live music and barbecue and her passion for social justice. Gaining her teaching credentials through Teach For America, Jaclyn taught mathematics in the United States for 5 years before moving to Lima, Peru. There she taught mathematics and humanities and served as an instructional coach for 5 years. She joined YueCheng Education as a Curriculum, Teaching & Learning Specialist in the YueCheng Education Research Institute.

Jaclyn believes that education is the biggest lever for making the world a better place for all – safer, healthier, kinder, and more just and equitable. With that being said, she is passionate about students developing the skills and mindsets to become curious, risk-taking, reflective people who are self-aware, compassionate agents of change. She tries to live her life according to her principles for education, asking questions, researching, making connections, considering implications of choices, taking purposeful action, and doing so in collaboration with others. She loves the continual challenge and inspiration that comes from being an educator who seeks growth and connection.

Jaclyn loves learning through reading and through a variety of experiences. In her free time, she enjoys being active in nature, spending time with animals, and exploring Beijing.

Nicole Bonnah is from London and has been living and working in China since 2013. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, News Media, and Film, and a Masters Degree in International Journalism. In addition to eight years teaching experience in China, Nicole is a documentary filmmaker and has also written for a number of Chinese and international publications, including China’s Global Times, China-US Focus, and local expat magazine, BeijingKids.

Nicole is a strong advocate of project-based learning that immerses her students in a creative and self-directed learning experience. Nicole prides herself on offering students the opportunity to diversify their reading to provide contextual learning, a foundation upon which to develop global-mindedness, and foster a love for reading and writing across platforms. Nicole is very excited to be a part of the BCIS community and further exploring the literary interests of her students.
As well as reading and writing, Nicole enjoys traveling and seeking out different culinary experiences around the world. Nicole enjoys cooking and has keen interest in Middle Eastern cuisine. She enjoys listening to music and finding unique places around the city to purchase vinyl and discover new artists.

Brianne is proud to be a member of the BCIS community. Before coming to Beijing, she taught in Genoa, Italy for three years. Her positive experience as an exchange student in Japan in 2008 inspired her to pursue her career as an international educator. She graduated from the University of the Philippines with honors in 2012 and was right away appointed to develop an inclusive program for Oakridge International School. Afterwards, she taught in Brent International School Manila and International School in Genoa - both of which contributed a lot to her growth as an educator. She is a firm believer of continuous learning and collaboration when working with colleagues and teaching students in the classroom.

Outside of school, Brianne enjoys travel and photography. She is always curious to know about different cultures and try out new cuisines from various places. She married her husband, Vince, not too long ago and they are delighted to build their new home in the marvelous city of Beijing.

Olivia graduated from Beijing Language and Culture University with a Bachelor's degree in Chinese literature and a Master’s degree in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. With a ten-year career in international schools, Olivia is qualified to teach Chinese from primary to secondary school. She especially enjoys teaching the Chinese Language and Literature Course and has gained rich expertise in this field.

As a warmhearted and dedicated educator, Olivia enjoys teaching and being with students. Additionally, she has a flair for language and has published her writing in literary magazines. Her teaching experience continues to also strengthen her ability to arrange and write curriculum. Furthermore, she enjoys exploring new teaching strategies, such as trying Inquiry Based Learning and applying Inter-disciplinary Units in Chinese class.

To be a life-long learner and competent professional, as well as to support students in BCIS to her greatest abilties, Olivia has spent years studying to become a Certified International Senior Psychological Consultant and National Level 2 Psychological Counselor. She firmly believes that, “Education goes with pleasure, as well as the formation of character.”

Patrick comes from Kenya and holds a Masters of Science degree in applied Mathematics and bachelors of education degree. After graduating, Patrick began working with international schools in Kenya before moving to the United States of America where he taught Mathematics in a public high school.

His quest to teach in international schools made him come to Beijing in 2008 and ever since Patrick has enjoyed teaching and learning here in BCIS.

Besides his regular teaching schedules, Patrick enjoys associating with the students and parents in community events, such as sports. He plays and coaches volleyball and is especially excited about the sports facilities in the school.

Patrick hopes to learn Chinese language to enable him make the most of living in Beijing and exploring China as whole.

Pedro is originally from Fafe, Portugal. Sports have been his passion from an early age. Pedro played Handball and Futsal at a competitive level and was also a Handball coach for many years. His love for sports led him to pursue studies in the area so he could understand the foundations of sports. Pedro became a teacher because he wanted to inspire students to be more active and have a healthy lifestyle.

Pedro completed his Bachelor in Physical Education in Portugal. He has taught PE since 2007, having started in Portugal. In 2012 Pedro started teaching internationally and from there he taught in East Timor, Thailand, Qatar and now China. In 2015 Pedro completed his Masters in Sports Science as he believes lifelong learning is the key for a happy and successful career.

Recently Pedro has been involved in Triathlon. This has become one of his passions as he can combine swimming, cycling and running in the same sport while also enjoying beautiful landscapes while training. In his free time Pedro loves to travel and explore new places, hiking, road tripping especially by motorbike, eating delightful food, watching documentaries, movies and TV shows. Pedro is delighted to be in Beijing and proud to be part of the BCIS family.

Phil has been a teacher for over 25 years. He is originally from New York. He graduated from SUNY Oswego with a Bachelors in History and a teaching credential. He obtained his Masters in Special Education from UNC Greeley in Colorado. He and his wife, who is a school psychologist, moved overseas in 1998. Since then, he has worked in Morocco, South Africa, Russia, and Vietnam.

Phil and his wife spend their holidays in their home in Sandpoint, Idaho with their two teenage daughters. They have enjoyed living in various places and experiencing what each country has to offer. In his spare time, Phil enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling.

Phil is happy to be part of the BCIS team and enjoying being in Beijing.

Born and raised in Kigali, Rwanda, Placide has spent the last fourteen years abroad. His fascination with nature, adventure and learning through inquiry started when he was a young boy scout. His teaching of Science is built upon making a connection between classroom knowledge, theory, models and the real world.

Placide completed a Bachelor of Bioengineering at the Beijing Institute of Technology. He earned a PGCEi in Secondary Science Education and an MBA in Education from Keele University, Staffordshire, UK. He taught IGCSE, CIAE A Level and Physics at the famous Renda Fuzhong (RDFZ) International Curriculum Centre and at the RDFZ Chaoyang Branch. There he worked as homeroom teacher, subject teacher and he ran the Science Club where students prepare for a number of international competitions. He won the Outstanding Coach Award for the AAPT Physics Bowl in 2018.

Placide loves traveling, meeting people and listening to their stories. In addition to English, he speaks French, Kiswahili, Kinyarwanda and Mandarin Chinese fluently. His spare time is divided between reading books with his wife Elema and playing with their two children. The whole family considers Beijing their home and is excited to be part of the amazing BCIS community.

Rensia Marais was born in South Africa where her educational journey began. Growing up in Africa means that Rensia has a great sense of adventure and a special love for nature and outdoor activities.

She has a degree in Financial Management from the Rand Afrikaans University, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of South Africa and she is currently finishing an Honors degree in Creative Arts from the Open College of the Arts. After teaching Creative Arts and Language in South Africa, Rensia and her husband decided to travel and teach internationally, teaching English in Taiwan, Social Studies and Art in New Zealand and Theory of Knowledge, Individuals & Societies, and Drama in Hong Kong.

What she appreciates most about international teaching is the opportunity to learn from others and develop a greater perspective of the world. Rensia is excited to be a part of the BCIS community, specifically the Individuals and Societies team.

Rina Tamayo was born in one of the most populated conglomerates of the world: Mexico City. Since then she has had the opportunity to live in other cities, all big: Los Angeles, Paris and now Beijing.

With her two children, Camila and Valentin, she is very excited to live in this ancient and yet modern city. She is a proud contributor to BCIS growing community and is thrilled to be part of the development of an educational project of this magnitude.

Before coming to Beijing she worked for 10 years at a renowned international school in Mexico City. Besides being the Head Librarian for the Middle School and having an Advocacy Class every year, she has served as the community and service coordinator and the honor society chapter advisor. She has had middle years training in Mexico and Argentina and has also attended many workshops in recent educational trends, like differentiated instruction and multiple intelligences, to mention a few.

She received a BA in Cultural Anthropology; an MA in Latin American Studies and a MLS in Library and Information Sciences from UCLA. She speaks English, Spanish, French and understands Portuguese.

Ruby is from Beijing and has been teaching internationally since 2015. She worked for a public charter school at Washington, D.C. in 2015 and then moved back to Beijing where she started working in Learning Support Department of Secondary School at BCIS in 2016. She enjoys spending time with her students and sharing her experience as a bilingual learner.

Ruby completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from the University of Maryland- College Park in 2013 and received her Master’s Degree in Bilingual Special Education from George Washington University in 2015.

Besides being a passionate educator, Ruby loves traveling and experiencing different cultures. She is passionate about learning languages and loves spending time with her friends. She is excited to continue work at BCIS as a Language Acquisition teacher. She considers herself to be incredibly fortunate to continue to be part of the BCIS community.

Sara is originally from Wisconsin, USA. From a young age, she was interested and active in theater performances and decided to spread the joy and love for the topic by studying Theatre Education at university. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Theatre Education with a minor in Spanish and graduated in 2010. In university, she studied abroad in Mexico and fell in love with the challenges and opportunities of living abroad. After getting her degree, Sara moved to Cairo, Egypt for her first teaching position in August, 2010. After that, she lived and worked at a school outside of Chengdu, China. Most recently, she has been teaching Drama and English in Bangkok, Thailand for the last four years. Overall, she has eight years of teaching experience in Drama and English.

Sara loves teaching Drama and producing performances with her students as it is very rewarding to see a student’s confidence and creativity grow. In her free time, she enjoys watching live performances, traveling to new places to experience different cultures, and staying active at the gym with her husband, Matthew.

Sara is happy to be in the vibrant city of Beijing working at BCIS. She hopes to inspire and encourage all students to participate in the arts as she truly believes there is a space for everyone to showcase their unique talents.

Eric Selley is from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada and obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo, and his education degree from the University of Ottawa. He started his international teaching career in Kaifeng, Henan, China, before moving to Beijing. He also spent time teaching in Melbourne, Australia. As a teacher, Eric believes in individualism, inspiring each student to reach their potential and helping them pursue their own interests in a safe and inclusive learning environment.

Outside of teaching, Eric enjoys playing sports, and is a member of several communities in Beijing, including ice hockey (where he is the co-captain of the “Quacken” with fellow BCIS faculty member Donald Caldwell), slo-pitch, and flag football. Eric also enjoys reading and is a big fan of classic novels; his favorites (to name a couple) include “The Great Gatsby” and “The Catcher in the Rye”.

Eric looks forward to the excitement and the adventures that come everyday teaching at BCIS.

An Alabama native, Sara has traveled widely and learned to love a variety of cultures, lands, and people. She was an expat child and has wonderful memories of her international schools and friends. She returned to the United States in high school and adopted the wide-open spaces of Texas. She graduated in 2014 from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas.

Sara began her teaching career right away, teaching for two years in the United States. She taught high school mathematics and soon felt the call to teach internationally. In 2017, she made the move to Beijing and to teach middle school and high school mathematics and is thrilled to continue teaching at BCIS. Sara obtained a master’s degree in Education from Johns Hopkins University and is a committed life-long learner.

Selina comes from Jiangxi Province, and has worked in Beijing for more than ten years. She completed her BA in Chinese Language and Literature from Jiangxi Normal University in 2004, and is currently undertaking a Masters in Education. She also holds a teaching certificate in Chinese Language Teaching issued by China’s Ministry of Education.

Over her 10 years in Beijing, Selina has been teaching in many different schools. Prior to joining BCIS, she was teaching Chinese in an international school in Singapore. Selina enjoys teaching students of different grades and levels and being with them. She likes to help students to see and feel the beauty of Chinese language and culture.

Besides being a passionate educator, Selina enjoys reading, swimming and playing folk instruments in her spare time. She also loves travelling and experiencing different cultures.

Seth is from Wisconsin, USA, and has been teaching English in the US and around the world since 2007. He earned a degree in Spanish Education from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and a Master of Education in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from Framingham State University. His main focus in the classroom is helping students connect with their larger community through service learning and student-guided projects.

Aside from his enthusiasm for working with young learners, Seth enjoys traveling with his wife, Miriam, who teaches 6th grade English at BCIS. He spends his free time reading, following sports, and enjoying good food. Seth strives to live up to the ideals of BCIS and see every student grow as both English speakers and as people.

Shirley is a local Beijinger who graduated from the Capital University of Physical Education and Sports with a bachelor's degree in Physical Education. After graduation, Shirley ventured overseas to study Aviation and, maybe one day will become a pilot.

Shirley began as a PE TA in the Elementary School at BCIS and now, building on her PE background, is a Secondary School PHE Teacher. Shirley is an enthusiastic, engaging sportsperson with a passion for teaching who loves being a part of the BCIS community!

Randy was born and raised in Seoul, Korea as well as Victoria B.C., Canada. Like many of her students, she is a product of the international schooling system. She holds a B.M. in music education from New York University and M.M. in music education from Boston University.

Prior to BCIS, Randy spent the last several years teaching general music, secondary band, choir, directing musicals and hosting band conferences at inner-city schools of Manhattan and another international school in Korea. As a former international school student, Randy understands the environment and the expectations of such schools.

In her free time, Randy enjoys traveling, trying out new restaurants, as well as going on a hunt for a good cup of coffee.

Yuanna is a BCIS Alumni (Class of 2016). After graduating from BCIS, she attended the University of Rochester in the United States. During her time there, she participated in multiple foreign exchange programs that granted her opportunities to study in Hong Kong (the Chinese University of Hong Kong) and Barcelona (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona). She graduated with bachelor’s degrees in applied mathematics and business, and a master’s degree in adolescence education in mathematics. Yuanna holds NYS teaching certificates for Mathematics and TESOL.

Though Yuanna is young, she has had experience teaching maths in urban and suburban schools in the US, as well as teaching EAL in Spain. Her own international background and teaching experiences gave her a sophisticated and unique understanding of teaching diverse learners. She hopes to utilize interdisciplinary connections in her classroom to help students make sense of maths and makes maths accessible to all.

Being an animal lover, Yuanna has a cute orange cat, Tiger, who is the most adorable cat in the world. In her free time, she likes playing with Tiger, baking, and catching up with the latest Marvel movies and series. Her dream (other than being an awesome teacher) currently is to be able to travel to all the Disneylands in the world and ride every attraction.

Jian was born in Jiangsu Province and gained her BA in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at Suzhou University. She furthered her study in Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU) from where she gained her Master degree in Curriculum and Teaching Methodology. Jian also holds a High School Teaching Certificate in Chinese Language and Literature, which was issued by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Education.

Jian taught in Tsinghua University before going to the UK where she taught Chinese at GCSE and IGCSE levels, and Cambridge Pre-U course in Winchester College. BCIS is the first international school she has chosen to work in after returning from the UK.

Jian enjoys teaching and loves being with students and working in a multicultural environment. In her spare time she likes watching movies, traveling, singing and learning other languages.

Timizay is a proud Latina working internationally since 2010. She was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, where she got her Bachelor's degree in Social Science education.

In Bogotá, she worked at English immersion and IB schools for several years before moving to the U.S, where she taught in Language immersion schools in a variety of grade levels. In 2013, Timizay moved to China where she worked at an international school in Beijing for several years in roles such as History , Humanities in Middle School, MUN Adviser, and Middle School Curriculum Coordinator. Besides her Bachelor, Timizay also holds a Teaching License in Social Studies from Washington D.C. and a Master’s Degree in Critical and Creative Thinking from the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

In her spare time, Timizay likes practicing yoga, dancing, knitting, reading, discussing politics, watching movies, and playing board games with her husband Ryan. She is thrilled to be a part of the BCIS community!

Vince is a passionate educator who comes from Manila. He started his international teaching career in 2013 and has loved every second of it. Vince earned his Bachelor’s degree in Education from the University of the Philippines and is currently working on obtaining his Master’s Degree. Some of the various subjects that he has taught in both Asia and Europe include Middle School Science, Computer Science, and Information Technology.

Vince firmly believes in having a growth mindset and practicing collaboration with the members of the school community. He enjoys motivating and challenging students so that they can reach their maximum potential. His main goal is to create lifelong learners who will become agents of positive change in our world.
During his free time, Vince enjoys photography, video production, and boxing. He also loves traveling and trying out new cuisines with his wife Brianne. Vince is a huge geek at heart and can spend hours talking about tech, games, and movies.
Vince is extremely pleased to be a part of the BCIS family!

Yan Long (Mr. Tai) grew up in a small town in southern China, obtained his first teaching degree from Beijing Normal University and is currently studying at Swinburne University, Melbourne for his Masters of Teaching.

Yan Long has previously worked in Beijing as a PE teacher at two international schools, the last was in fact BCIS! He moved to Melbourne, Australia for a few years where he worked in various schools teaching PE and Chinese. Yan Long enjoys being part of the BCIS team again, as it aligns with many of his personal values such as pursuing excellence in teaching, embracing diversity of community, and treating others with respect.

In his free time, YanLong enjoys sharing time with his family and socialising with friends as well as playing loads of sports!

Alan is from Liverpool, United Kingdom and earned a first-class honours degree in education studies from the University of East London, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from the University of Sunderland. Alan also holds a Diploma in Construction which gave him skills in computer aided design, architecture and engineering. Alan has worked in education for over 10 years, most of which he has done internationally in Beijing.

Alan strongly believes in a pragmatic approach to education, where learning is not a matter of telling and being told but an active and constructive process. He advocates for self-directed learning, where students can explore their own interests and apply it to real world scenarios.

When he is not at work, Alan enjoys going to the gym, watching movies, watching football, travelling and spending time with his family. Alan enjoys living in Beijing with its rich culture and history.

Dónal comes from France, England and Ireland and has been living in China for half of his life. Dónal has been teaching art to kids in Beijing for 10+ years. He likes sports, spending time painting and meeting new people. Dónal will teach MYP Visual Arts at BCIS and if anyone wants to pop by during their free time to make art, his doors are always open.