Primary School

Ms. Kim is from the US, where she obtained her BA in German from Southeast Missouri State University. She has since completed her teacher certification through the University of West Florida and is certified to teach K-6, as well as English as a foreign language. Ms. Kim has taught in Asia since 2012, most recently at an IB kindergarten in Hangzhou where she gained 2 years of PYP experience and training. She is excited to join the Early Years Team at Hanova.

Mrs. Gibbs is from the US, where she has taught and had experience working with children in various capacities for over 20 years. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from University of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania. One of Mrs. Gibbs’ greatest joys in life is working with young children. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 3 teenagers, as well as being outdoors and exploring nature.

Mrs. Dowdy is a highly qualified classroom teacher who started her teaching career in 2004. She has her Bachelor of Science in Education and is licensed to teach all General Education subjects in primary levels and English as another Language from primary to adult. She has experience teaching all grade levels from Year 1 to MYP. She comes from the Eastern United States where most of her teaching experience has been. She has been teaching in China since 2017. She lives with her husband and 5 children, all of which happily attend Hanova International School. She and her husband are excited to be able to raise children with a global mindset educated in an IB International School. For fun, Mrs. Dowdy loves spending time with her family exploring the amazing city of Xi'an, learning the Chinese language, and doing various arts and crafts. Mrs. Dowdy also plays piano, guitar, and sings with her husband and children.

Mrs Rice hails from USA, but lives in Xi’an with her husband and four children. She gained her BSc in Elementary Education from Northland International University, WI (USA). She has taught children from 2 to 18 years old for more than 15 years in various community programmes, focusing on the full primary programme for five of those years as a trained PYP teacher. She returned to Hanova in January 2015 and was originally one of the founding teachers.

Ms. Andrea is a qualified educator with 20 years of experience teaching in elementary, middle and high schools, as well as language programs for children and adults. She has lived in Colombia, Mexico and the U.S, where she had the privilege to work in bilingual, American and immersion schools.

She majored in Foreign languages Teaching in English and French from Universidad de Antioquia (Colombia), and holds a Master's Degree in TESOL from Greensboro College (USA).

My name is Emma Colling. I was born and raised in a beautiful city beside a beach in New Zealand. I studied a Degree in Photography and Graphic Design and a Post Graduate Diploma in Primary Education in New Zealand. I am extremely passionate about both my areas of study and am so fortunate to be able to combine them as an International Teacher.

I taught for five years in NZ prior to moving overseas where I taught for two years in Jordan in the Middle East and have now taught in two International Schools in Suzhou and Chengdu over the last 4 years. I believe with my experience teaching a variety of different curricula, that I have formed an enthusiastic, creative and adaptable teaching style with a focus on my students achieving their very best.

Something I really value is building relationships, be it with families, the community, colleagues or my students. Relationships, I believe are integral to safe environments that promote risk taking among my students, along with developing a sense of being successful, internationally minded, independent, lifelong learners.

I look forward to getting to know and working with the Hanova Community here in Xi’an.

Mr. MacGregor is from Toronto, Canada. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Radio and Television from Ryerson University. He has Bachelor of Education degree from University of Windsor. He has a Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics with a focus on teaching English as a foreign Language. Mr. MacGregor has taught in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Finland. He was first trained in PYP and MYP in 2003, has taught PYP for 7 years and he enjoys the Inquiry Approach to Education.

Ms. Vejvodova hails originally from the Czech Republic where she gained BSc from College of Industrial Chemistry before training as an Early Years and Primary teacher in India and the UK. She has Diplomas in Pre-Primary and Primary with specialisation in Teaching English as well as in Montessori training. She holds a Postgraduate degree in Comprehensive Management of Children with Learning Disorders from College of Communication and Management in India. She has nearly 15 years of teaching experience in international schools in India and Ethiopia.