We are pleased to be welcoming the following new teachers to the Arusha Campus in August 2009.
Bob Woods, Director. Bob is from the USA.
Dear Members of the International School of Moshi Community,
We have been asked to provide a brief biography for you as one way in which you can begin to know a little more about us.
My academic history includes a BA degree in Drama and Speech with a Masters Degree in Education. I am a certified elementary classroom teacher as well as a qualified school administrator. Both of the certifications are held in the state of California in the USA. My career in education began in California as a classroom teacher and soon transitioned into an administrative post.
Amelia’s academic background includes several Bachelors Degrees, a Masters in Education as well as National Board Certification in the USA. She also has training and work experience as a speech pathologist in Portuguese from Brazil.
My first international experience was in Saudi Arabia where I worked for six years. This was followed by a nine year working experience in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which is also where Amelia and I met. From Rio we moved to Alexandria, Egypt for four years and have been working the last six years in Helsinki, Finland.
We have two children, actually young adults who are both in university. Tatiana is in university in London while Felipe is attending class in Southern California. We remain close thanks to the internet and SKYPE talking daily as though we were all still in the same house.
I have always had a favored physical activity in my life. The activity itself has changed with place and time. The activities I have favored include open ocean outrigger canoe racing off the California coast, distance running, and volleyball. Since Amelia and I met, we have shared learning karate and scuba diving. The current favored activity is indoor rowing. With our own machine we can workout when we have the time and we don’t have to worry about a gym or special hours. I hope to have passed my 5,000,000 meter mark by the time I arrive in Tanzania.
We hope this gives you a small idea of some of the experiences that have gone together to make us who we are today. We are extremely excited about the prospect of becoming members of the ISM community. At the time of our visit we felt very welcomed, almost as though we were returning to a place we had been before. We look forward to learning more about the school, its practices and traditions and are eager to contribute to the next page in the history of ISM. We look forward to seeing you again in August.
Bob & Amelia Woods
Mirjam Berghuis, French teacher; Mirjam is Canadian.
Andrew VanderMeulen, Humanities teacher: Andrew is Canadian.
How do you summarize your life into a few paragraphs? Well let me begin with my husband Andrew. We met when we were nine. He was the cute new boy in the class. We became friends soon after that but did not start dating until the ripe old age of 18. Needless to say, we know each other very well.
I attended l'Université d'Ottawa for both my Bachelor's in French and for my Bachelor's in Education. Teaching was a dream of mine since high school and as my parents put it, they always had suspicions that I'd end up overseas.
After three years of teaching in Ontario, Andrew and I took a real leap of faith and joined the staff at Sana'a International School for four years. I loved living in Yemen - what an amazing country filled with amazing people. Our next teaching opportunity found us in sunny Bahamas. The beaches are gorgeous and the lifestyle is very relaxed; we are thoroughly enjoying our second year here. Both of us are very much looking forward to diving into our new lives in Tanzania. I can't wait to do some more camping (it's very frowned upon here) and some real hiking (hiking here results in a nasty case of poison wood - the evil cousin of poison ivy).
Andrew and I have been blessed time and again. We are most grateful for our beautiful children. Simone, three going on either 16 or 65 - depending on the day - provides constant entertainment. Theo, our 4 month old, is ever the patient little brother - putting up with the ministering of two mothers. They are one of the main reasons we chose ISM. We want our children to go to an excellent school, grow up in a loving community and experience the great outdoors.
Andrew VanderMeulen:
Greetings from The Bahamas! My name is Andrew VanderMeulen and I have been teaching Secondary Humanities for nearly a decade. If you have already read my wife's brief bio, you have learned about our two fantastic children, Simone and Theo, and about my good fortune of having a talented teaching spouse. The majority of our married life has been spent teaching overseas, beginning with four wonderful years at Sana'a International School in Sana'a, Yemen, from there moving on to Lucaya International School in The Bahamas where we are completing our second year.
I am quite sure that when I was completing my schooling in History and Religious Studies at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, I had no inclination toward locating myself in northern Tanzania, but it has been amazing to find out where risks, some calculated and some less so, can take you. The reality of the transition that is to come is still setting in, but we are very excited to be joining you all on the Arusha campus. I am looking forward to coaching teams, sharing in the wonderful opportunities for excursions and field studies, and of course leaning into some Hard Labour. And as an added bonus, I believe Mr. Moody will even let me teach a class or two!
Carl Love, Technology teacher. Carl is British.
Carl and Pamela ('PJ') and baby Kaia are very excited to join the ISM community there in the Fall of '09! Carl will be teaching technology at the Arusha campus, and PJ and Kaia will be enjoying the rich Tanzanian culture this next school year. Carl taught for 5 years in Toronto, Canada before going overseas - for 3 years in the Dominican Republic. PJ started her overseas teaching in Cairo, Egypt for 3 years. Then - Carl and PJ met in Alexandria, Egypt - where they were both teachers for over 3 years. They then moved on to Helsinki, Finland for 6 years where baby Kaia was born. We all really enjoy music, keeping fit, discovering local culture and cuisine, and more generally - learning a bit more year to year about this great big beautiful world of ours! We look forward to meeting you all soon ...
Erik Meinertz, Music and Drama Teacher. Erik is from the USA.
My name is Erik Meinertz. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. I am certified to teach general and choral music. I currently substitute teach in my community. I enjoy getting involved in the community. I am currently acting in a show at the community theatre. We are performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I also have performed in numerous shows at the university. I have played roles such as Herr Schultz in Cabaret and Slim in Oklahoma. I also direct musicals at the local high schools. I have directed Godspell, Into the Woods, and this June I will be directing High School Musical. I also participate on the worship team at my church and have directed local high school and elementary school choral ensembles. As far as hobbies, I enjoy going for hikes, walks, and sightseeing with my family and friends. I love to play card games and ultimate frisbee. I look forward to working at ISM. I have traveled to parts of Europe, but I have never been to Africa. I am excited to see another part of the world. I am passionate about music and teaching, and I cannot wait to share this with everyone at ISM.
Eanna O'Boyle, Mathematics Teacher & Head of Secondary. Eanna is from Ireland.
Yes, it is an overly familiar background but in looking for a family portrait, we were alarmed to find out that we hardly have any! India was indeed incredible and we spent a lot of time on safari there last winter thinking that it might be a long while before we see majestic wildlife again. We didn't see what was coming. We feel lucky to be going to Tanzania and joining the ISM family. We are, to the best of our knowledge, the sole ambassadors of our nations here in Uzbekistan (Ireland and Luxembourg), although it was in cosmopolitan Istanbul that we first met. Before that, Éanna worked in Spain and Ireland while Sandy was in Lebanon and Luxembourg. Fionn, our son, was born in August 2007.
I, Éanna, have been in various positions over the years including teacher of mathematics, science, chemistry, biology, PSHE and theory of knowledge, department head, and assistant principal. I am an MYP trainer/workshop leader.
I, Sandy, have been a generalist classroom Elementary teacher (through English, French and German), Elementary French specialist and language coordinator. For the first time, I am taking time off to be with Fionn and am looking forward to exploring anything and anywhere that takes our fancy.
We look forward to sharing conversations with you all and with growing into our new life in Arusha.
Shawna Spady, P3/4 Teacher. Shawna is Canadian.
Hello! My name is Shawna Spady. I grew up in a small town outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and attended the University of Alberta in Elementary Education. Since graduating from University, I have taught in schools in my hometown of Lamont, as well as different schools surrounding Edmonton and within Calgary, Alberta, where I lived for 1.5 years before discovering the world of International Schools. I spent two years teaching at Bali International School in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia where I learned to love surfing the white water. Currently I am living in Sao Paulo, Brazil where I am volunteering in different after-school programs in different favelas (shantytowns) close to where I live. I have also had the opportunity to explore different parts of Brazil and Argentina - hence the most recent picture that I have of myself being with Megellanic Penguins just outside of Ushuaia, Argentina. I am looking forward to teaching at ISM and living in Tanzania. I can't wait to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, view animals that I have only so far seen on TV or in a zoo, help build different sections of schools alongside ISM students and staff, and, most importantly, learn with the wonderful students and staff at ISM. See you in August!
Dear Members of the International School of Moshi Community,
How do you summarize your life into a few paragraphs? Well let me begin with my husband Andrew. We met when we were nine. He was the cute new boy in the class. We became friends soon after that but did not start dating until the ripe old age of 18. Needless to say, we know each other very well.
Carl and Pamela ('PJ') and baby Kaia are very excited to join the ISM community there in the Fall of '09! Carl will be teaching technology at the Arusha campus, and PJ and Kaia will be enjoying the rich Tanzanian culture this next school year. Carl taught for 5 years in Toronto, Canada before going overseas - for 3 years in the Dominican Republic. PJ started her overseas teaching in Cairo, Egypt for 3 years. Then - Carl and PJ met in Alexandria, Egypt - where they were both teachers for over 3 years. They then moved on to Helsinki, Finland for 6 years where baby Kaia was born. We all really enjoy music, keeping fit, discovering local culture and cuisine, and more generally - learning a bit more year to year about this great big beautiful world of ours! We look forward to meeting you all soon ...
My name is Erik Meinertz. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse with a Bachelor of Science in Music Education. I am certified to teach general and choral music. I currently substitute teach in my community. I enjoy getting involved in the community. I am currently acting in a show at the community theatre. We are performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. I also have performed in numerous shows at the university. I have played roles such as Herr Schultz in Cabaret and Slim in Oklahoma. I also direct musicals at the local high schools. I have directed Godspell, Into the Woods, and this June I will be directing High School Musical. I also participate on the worship team at my church and have directed local high school and elementary school choral ensembles. As far as hobbies, I enjoy going for hikes, walks, and sightseeing with my family and friends. I love to play card games and ultimate frisbee. I look forward to working at ISM. I have traveled to parts of Europe, but I have never been to Africa. I am excited to see another part of the world. I am passionate about music and teaching, and I cannot wait to share this with everyone at ISM.
Yes, it is an overly familiar background but in looking for a family portrait, we were alarmed to find out that we hardly have any! India was indeed incredible and we spent a lot of time on safari there last winter thinking that it might be a long while before we see majestic wildlife again. We didn't see what was coming. We feel lucky to be going to Tanzania and joining the ISM family. We are, to the best of our knowledge, the sole ambassadors of our nations here in Uzbekistan (Ireland and Luxembourg), although it was in cosmopolitan Istanbul that we first met. Before that, Éanna worked in Spain and Ireland while Sandy was in Lebanon and Luxembourg. Fionn, our son, was born in August 2007.
Hello! My name is Shawna Spady. I grew up in a small town outside of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and attended the University of Alberta in Elementary Education. Since graduating from University, I have taught in schools in my hometown of Lamont, as well as different schools surrounding Edmonton and within Calgary, Alberta, where I lived for 1.5 years before discovering the world of International Schools. I spent two years teaching at Bali International School in Sanur, Bali, Indonesia where I learned to love surfing the white water. Currently I am living in Sao Paulo, Brazil where I am volunteering in different after-school programs in different favelas (shantytowns) close to where I live. I have also had the opportunity to explore different parts of Brazil and Argentina - hence the most recent picture that I have of myself being with Megellanic Penguins just outside of Ushuaia, Argentina. I am looking forward to teaching at ISM and living in Tanzania. I can't wait to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, view animals that I have only so far seen on TV or in a zoo, help build different sections of schools alongside ISM students and staff, and, most importantly, learn with the wonderful students and staff at ISM. See you in August!