meet the teachers

 
Early Childhood Team | Elementary Teachers | Middle School Teachers | High School Teachers | Specialists

Early Childhood Team

Last name: Elliott
Name: Tenley
Nationality: American
Email: t.elliott@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-Kindergarten 1
Profile: Ms Elliott is returning to AISR after a two year hiatus in the United States. Ms Elliott worked in our Early Childhood department for five years when she was last here. We are very pleased to have her back on the faculty.
Last name: Bakker
Name: Nicole
Nationality: Dutch
Email: n.bakker@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-Kindergarten 1 Assistant
Profile: Nicole Bakker trained in the UK and is a fully qualified NVQ 3 Teaching Assistant. From 2002 until 2005 she worked at Newton Primary school in Chester, UK. From 2005 to 2008 she worked as a Teaching Assistant at Dee Banks Special Needs School, also in Chester. She brings with her years of experiences in both primary and special needs education. After she was repatriated to The Netherlands she joined the AISR in 2009. The international environment at AISR allows Nicole to practice her British education in her home country.

Last name: Parra
Name: Gema
Nationality: Spanish
Email: g.parra@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-Kindergarten 1 Assistant
Profile: Gema moved to The Netherlands over two years ago as expatriated from Spain. Her backroung as Labour Lawyer was complemented with a Pedagogic Course at the University of Cadiz, Spain. This is the third school year as Pre-Kindergarte 1 Assistant Teacher.
Last name: Willen
Name: Beth
Nationality: American
Email: b.willen@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-Kindergarten 2
Profile: Ms Willen is coming to us from California and is married to Mr. Holcomb, teaching Math and Algebra at AISR.  Beth has worked in both China and Israel and joins us with her two elementary school age children Matthew and Gwenyth.   
Last name: Uys
Name: Lize
Nationality: South African
Email: l.uys@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-Kindergarten 2
Profile: Mrs. Uys, or as she is known by the students, Ms Erasmus, has been a substitute teacher at AISR for the past few years and joined the Pre-K 2 Program for four-year-olds two years ago. Mrs. Uys is originally from South Africa and is here in Holland with her husband, a local dentist.
Last name: De Waard
Name: Mary
Nationality: American
Email: m.dewaard@aisr.nl
Department: Teacher Assistant Pre-K 2,
Profile: Mary comes from Los Angeles California, USA. She has been living here in The Netherlands for 15 years and has been working at AISR for nine years.
Last name: Lee
Name: Sarah
Nationality: American
Email: s.lee@aisr.nl
Department: Kindergarten
Profile: Sarah joined the AISR teaching staff in 2007.  She was raised on the high plains of Wyoming, U.S.A., where she graduated from the University  of Wyoming.  She was awarded a BA in Elementary Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood in 1981 and a MS in Child and Family Studies in 1996.  She also has an endorsement in Early Childhood Special Education.  Sarah previously taught a variety of grades in Wyoming, including online classes at the university level, and at an international school in Moscow.
Last name: Pilbrow
Name: Trina
Nationality: New Zealand
Email: t.pilbrow@aisr.nl
Department: Kindergarten
Profile: This is Trina's third year at AISR as a Kindergarten teacher. Originally from New Zealand, Trina trained at Waikato University where she earned her Bachelor of Education. She has  wealth of experience having taught children in  early Elementary in New Zealand, England, Luxembourg and now here in Rotterdam.


Last name: Hanne
Name: Olivia
Nationality: French
Email: o.hanne@aisr.nl
Department: Kindergarten Asistant
Profile: Olivia has been working as an aide at AISR for 12 years now, having helped in many different departments along the way.

Elementary Teachers

Last name: Graham
Name: Sue
Nationality: American
Email: s.graham@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 1
Profile: Sue comes from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, USA. Sue spent 14 years working in the Pittsburg Public School District. This is her seventh year at AISR.

Last name: Ballantyne
Name: Nicole
Nationality: Canadian
Email: n.ballantyne@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 1
Profile: Nicole was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. This is her first time living in Holland. She has taught in Grade 1 and Grade 3. She has also taught canoeing, rock climbing and other outdoor adventure activities. Nicole attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario for her Honors B.A. and went on to York University in Toronto, Ontario for her degree in primary education.
Last name: Sherritt
Name: Erin
Nationality: Canadian
Email: e.sherritt@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 2 (job sharing with Fiona Blaauw)
Profile: Erin comes from London, Ontario, Canada. She has taught in Canada, Egypt and S. Korea. This is her eight year at AISR.
Last name: Blaauw
Name: Fiona
Nationality: Australian
Email: f.blaauw@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 2 (job sharing with Erin Sherritt)
Profile:
Fiona is Australian and taught in a remote mining town in W.A., before traveling and settling in the U.K. for 9 years, where she taught in a London Prep-School. She has taught all the Elementary Grade levels,  but is particularly pleased to be teaching Grade 2 at AISR. Fiona and Erin Sherrit will be job-sharing the grade 2 class this year. Fiona is expecting her first child and while on maternity leave, Ms Jo Simeone will be job-sharing along with Erin Sherrit.

Last name: Simeone
Name: Jo
Nationality: English
Email: j.simeone@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 2 (coving maternity leave for Fiona Blaauw)
Profile: Jo lived in Australia for 10 years where her two children were born. Jo has been a substitute teacher at AISR in the Elementary School since 2006 and stepped in last year into Grade 2 to cover a maternity leave in the last quarter of the year. Jo and Erin Sherrit job-shared last year in Grade 2 and this year, Jo will cover the maternity leave in Grade 2 for Fiona Blauw. 

Last name: Yamamoto
Name: Nicole
Nationality: American
Email: n.yamamoto@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 3
Profile:

Nicole is from Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. Mrs. Yamamoto started teaching at AISR in 2007.

Last name: Mandić
Name: Aleksandra
Nationality: Serbian
Email: a.mandic@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 3 (covering maternity leave for Nicole Yamamoto)
Profile: Aleksandra was born in Serbia, where she graduated from the University of Belgrade. She was awarded a MA in English Language and Literature. Aleksandra joined the AISR teaching staff last yea and has previously taught at various different grade levels and also worked as an interpreter at an international student theatre festival.  She has also worked as a literary translator on a dramatisation of a novel "The Mad Prince", and this text won two prestigious international theatre awards. In 2008 Aleksandra worked at a large Euro-Asian festival in The Hague (Pasar Malam Besar) and we are delighted that she now joins AISR as a valuable resource in our substitute teacher pool.
Last name: Van Cleve
Name: Jennifer
Nationality: American
Email: j.vancleve@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 4
Profile: With eight years of experience as an Elementary School teacher in Iowa, Mrs. Van Cleve took over responsibility for our Grade 4 in 2007.  Jennifer completed her Master's Degree in Elementary Education and her K-12 Reading Endorsement  before joining AISR and has brought much of what she has learned in her graduate level courses to bear in a practical way in the Grade 4 classroom.
Last name: Forbes
Name: Therese
Nationality: American
Email: t.forbes@aisr.nl
Department: Grade 5
Profile:
This is Therese's second year teaching at AISR. Therese joined AISR as a  substitute two years ago and was the full-time classroom teacher in Grade 5 last year. Therese comes from Alabama, USA. She has a BA and a MA in Elementary Education and has 12 years teaching experience at both private and public elementary schools in Alabama, Florida and South Carolina.

Last name: Benard
Name: Dini
Nationality: Dutch
Email: d.benard@aisr.nl
Department: Dutch
Profile: Ms Dini Benard may be familiar to some of you. Ms Benard taught Dutch at AISR back in 1998 - 2000 and is now back with us again teaching Dutch in the Elementary School. During her time away, Ms Benard lived and worked in Dubai. 
Last name: Gilby
Name: Brenda
Nationality: British
Email: b.gilby@aisr.nl
Department: Elementary EAL
Profile: Brenda was born in India, but has spent most of her life in England and The Netherlands. She has a BSc (Hons) degree in Psychology and a TEFL certificate. She worked as a volunteer teacher in India and has also taught in The Hague. This is her seventh year at AISR.

Middle School Teachers

Last name: Sudzina Schut
Name: Christine
Nationality: American
Email: c.sudzina@aisr.nl
Department: Middle School Science Grade 6, HS Science, HS Biology + Exploratory in Health & Study Skills
Profile:

Mrs. Christine Sudzina Schut comes from the east coast (PA, VA, NJ, SC)  and mid-west (OH) of the USA.  Mrs Sudzina has previous international teaching experience having taught science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Science) to grades 6-9 in Dresden, Germany.  Just before she moved to The Netherlands with her Dutch husband,  Mrs. Sudzina was teaching seventh grade Earth Science in Short Hills, New Jersey, USA. 

Last name: Martin
Name: Susan
Nationality: Canadian
Email: s.martin@aisr.nl
Department: Middle & High School - English Grade 7, World Literature Grade 11/12 and IB English A1 (first and second year)
Profile: Susan has a BA in English from the University of Toronto; a B. Ed. from the University of Toronto and is an MA candidate (Educational Studies and Global Studies) with the Athabasca University. Susan has taught English Literature and Language Arts at secondary school level in  Ontario and in an alternative classroom on the campus of the University of St. Michael's College, University of Toronto. Susan brings great depth to the English Department at AISR and teaches from Grade 7 upwards and including Higher Level IB English A1.


Last name: Lubow
Name: Sylvie
Nationality: French
Email: s.lubow@aisr.nl
Department: Elementary & MS French
Profile: Sylvie was born and educated in France and lived and worked in Scotland with her young family for six years. Since then, she has taught of all ages in the Middle East, predominantly in Quatar and Abu Dhabi. Sylvie has also lived in Gabon where she taught in the Shell Training Centre. With this extensive teaching experience, Sylvie move to The Netherlands eighteen years ago and has been teaching at all age levels in AISR for the last fifteen years.
Last name: Temminck
Name: Ruud
Nationality: Dutch
Email: r.temminck@aisr.nl
Department: Dutch Elementary, MS &HS. Fieldtrips
Profile: Ruud was born in Indonesia and moved to The Netherlands when he was five years old. He was a Special Education teacher in Amsterdam and Haarlem, and this is his twenty seventh year at AISR.

Last name: Marsh
Name: Elizabeth
Nationality: American
Email: e.marsh@aisr.nl
Department: Social Studies Grades 6 and 8, Yearbook + English Grade 6
Profile:

In her third year at AISR, Mrs. Elizabeth Marsh teaches Grades 6 and 8 Social Studies, along with managing the Yearbook and teachng English to Grade 6. Her teaching experience spans from Grade 6 to Grade 12 and began in Virginia. Mrs. Marsh has also previously taught in Bahrain and Hawaii before settling in the Netherlands.

Last name: Wah
Name: Justin
Nationality: British
Email: j.wah@aisr.nl
Department: Elementary P.E.
Profile: Justin was born in England. He has worked in Bali and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is his fourth year at AISR.

High School Teachers

Last name: Van Cleve
Name: Chad
Nationality: American
Email: c.vancleve@aisr.nl
Department: HS Co-ordinator, Social Studies Grade 8 (encorporating Global Issues) IB History + P.E. for Grades 6+7
Profile: Hailing from "America's Heartland" and the State of Iowa  is Chad Van Cleve. Mr. Van Cleve is our High School Coordinator as well as teaching IB History, Social Studies and Global Issues, and Physical Education for Grades 6 & 7. When not in the classroom you will find Mr. Van Cleve coaching AISR track.
Last name: Armstrong
Name: Evelyn
Nationality: Dutch
Email: e.Armstrong@aisr.nl
Department: HS French & IB Coordinator
Profile: Evelyn was born in Dakar, Senegal and stayed mostly in French speaking West African countries and Nigeria. Evelyn got her International Baccalaureat Diploma in Oestgeest, the Netherlands, and went on to study two years of Medicine at Erasmus, Rotterdam. She changed the course of her studies and obtained her Masters in French language and Literature at the University of Leiden. She has worked at Language Institutes and Dutch schools and this is her 11th year at AISR.
Last name: Akerboom
Name: Marga
Nationality: Dutch
Email: m.akerboom@aisr.nl
Department: Middle School French + Middle and High Scool Dutch
Profile:

Marga taught French and Dutch up to IB level B, A2 and A1 at International Schools in Egypt and Poland where she also was the Head of Languages and the Curriculum Coordinator. In Warsaw she also was the Director of the Dutch school. Marga is an IB examiner. This is her seventh year at AISR.

Last name: Vanderlaan
Name: Rebecca
Nationality: Canadian
Email: r.vanderlaan@aisr.nl
Department: Schience 7+8, Environmental Schience + IB Biology
Profile:
Mrs. Vanderlaan joined AISR in 2007, following her dutch boyfriend (now husband) to the homeland of her grandparents.  She currently teaches grade 7 & 8 Science, grade 11 & 12 Environmental Science and IB Biology.  She is certified to teach general science, senior science and biology for grades 7-12, by New York State and the province of Ontario.  Mrs. Vanderlaan enjoys traveling and has had teaching assignments in Canada, the US, Ecuador and England. 

Last name: Holcomb
Name: Jeff
Nationality: American
Email: j.holcomb@aisr.nl
Department: Math 6 +7, Algebra 2 HS, Year 2 IB Math
Profile: Mr. Holcomb comes to us from the state of California but has also worked in China and Israel during his career. He has many years of experience at both the middle and high school levels.   
Last name: Boot
Name: Lynda
Nationality: English
Email: l.boot@aisr.nl
Department: HS Social Studies/TOK & CAS, IB CAS Coordinator, IB History
Profile: Lynda comes originally from the UK.  She has taught in New South Wales, Australia and the UK, before she moved to the Netherlands.  Lynda is an IB examiner.  Her passions are music and traveling.  This is her 27th year at AISR.


Last name: Houlder
Name: Irene
Nationality: Dutch/SouthAfrican
Email: i.houlder@aisr.nl
Department: High School Geometry + IB Math
Profile: Mrs Houlder is originally from South Africa where she earned her degree in Applied Mathematics and Environmental Biology after which she completed a post-graduate Diploma of Education. Mrs. Houlder has taught High School Math in South Africa and also has experience in computer programming, website development and administration. This year she will be teaching High School Geometry and IB Math at AISR.



Last name: Rosenblatt
Name: Larry
Nationality: American
Email: l.rosenblatt@aisr.nl
Department: IB Physics, IB Math & Algebra 1
Profile: Larry comes from Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He was an electrical engineer for twenty years before becoming a teacher. Larry taught in Austin, Texas, before coming to The Netherlands. Larry started at AISR in 2006.
Last name: Zeilstra
Name: Robert
Nationality: American
Email: r.zeilstra@aisr.nl
Department: Athletics Director, Grade 8 P.E., HS Physical Education & Health
Profile: Robert was born in The Netherlands but emigrated to the USA when he was one year old. After University, he returned to Holland as a professional basketball player.  This is Rob's thirty first year at AISR.

Specialists

Last name: Lipp
Name: Alison
Nationality: Canadian
Email: a.lipp@aisr.nl
Department: Curriculum Co-ordinator, Middle School Co-orindator, English Grade 6 & Accreditation Co-ordinator
Profile: Ms Alison Lipp joined us two years ago from her most recent school, Marymount School in Paris, where she was an elementary and middle school teacher, as well as the Department Head for Social Studies. Ms Lipp started her teaching career in her home country of Canada as an elementary school teacher. She is also our Curriculum Coordinator and has extensive training in that area from a number of universities in Canada. Ms Lipp is currently working in our English department as the 8th Grade English teacher.

Last name: Krumrei
Name: Phil
Nationality: American
Email: p.krumrei@aisr.nl
Department: Computer & IT Coordinator
Profile: Phil was born in Tennessee, USA. He worked in the USA, prior to his arrival in The Netherlands in 1963. This is his eleventh year at AISR.
Last name: LeMieux
Name: Carol
Nationality: American
Email: c.lemieux@aisr.nl
Department: Elem/MS Computer/IT Department & Pre-Algebra
Profile: Carol comes from Michigan, USA. She has taught IT in Michigan and was a sixth grade teacher in Clear Lake, California. This is her sixth year at AISR.
Last name: Driver
Name: Kate
Nationality: American
Email: k.driver@aisr.nl
Department: Kindergarten-Grade 12 Counselor
Profile: Kate Driver, MS, NCC, is originally from Maine in the United States.  She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, and a Master of Science in Counseling from the University of Southern Maine.  She has a background in college admissions, working in the Office of Graduate Admissions at USM while earning her Master's.  She has worked with elementary students and was employed by Poland Regional High School in Poland, Maine last year as a high school counselor.  Kate is also a National Certified Counselor (NCC).  She takes a holistic approach to school counseling, focusing on the academic and emotional health of all students.  She is very excited to develop the role of PreK-12 Counselor at AISR.  This is her Kate's international position.

Last name: Lychak
Name: Ken
Nationality: Canadian
Email: k.lychak@aisr.nl
Department: Special Education
Profile: Ken comes from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He has worked in schools in Alberta, The Arctic, Colombia, Bahrain, and Jordan. This is his fifth year at AISR.
Last name: Moroney
Name: Sara
Nationality: American
Email: s.moroney@aisr.nl
Department: English as an Additional Language Coordinator
Profile: Sara grew up in Boston and commenced her third level education in New York where she qualified with a BA in Political Science from Fordham University, New York City. Sara also holds an MA in Urban  Education and English as a Second Language from Florida International University in Miami and is Certified in Elementary Education and ESL K-12 by the State of Virginia.She has taught many different age groups ranging from pre-K to adults and has taught in both public and private schools in Ecuador, Miami and Virginia  over the last 16 years. This is Sara's 7th year here at AISR where she brings her wealth of training and experience to bear on the development and implementation of the English as an Additional Language program. 
Last name: Gutierrez
Name: Josue
Nationality: Mexican-American
Email: j.gutierrez@aisr.nl
Department: IB Spanish, MS & HS Spanish & EAL
Profile: Mr. Gutierrez is coming to us from the State of Kansas in the United States where he has been teaching Spanish, History and EAL for the past five years. 
Last name: Koenig
Name: Karin
Nationality: South African
Email: k.koenig@aisr.nl
Department: EAL
Profile:  
Last name: Blackburn
Name: David
Nationality: British
Email: d.blackburn@aisr.nl
Department: Elementary and MS Art
Profile: David comes from London, England. He has taught Art & Design in London and Surrey since 1997. He has been teaching at AISR since 2006.
Last name: Ford
Name: Rachel
Nationality: Dutch/American
Email: r.ford@aisr.nl
Department: Art Department - Teachers Assistant
Profile: Rachel was born in the Netherlands but moved to the United States when she was 19 years old. She went to college in the US and earned a degree in Political Science.  Having lived and worked in several states since 1991, she had her first expat experience living in Kingston, Jamaica.  Rachel was involved in the PTA at the international school in Kingston and continued this trend when moving to Rotterdam in 2006.  Initially acting as Outreach Coordinator for the Parent Teacher Association at AISR, she now hold the position of Chair of the PTSA. In addition to her work with the PTSA, Rachel has recently joined the AISR staff, working with David Blackburn in the Art Department in the Elementary School. Rachel has one daughter, Skyler, in 3rd grade at the school.
Last name: van Leijden
Name: Nikki
Nationality: British
Email: nikkivl@aisr.nl
Department: MS/HS Art, IB Art & Photography
Profile: Nikki was born in Scotland. She has worked in international schools in Manila, Bonn and Antwerp. This is her seventh year at AISR.
Last name: Dailly
Name: Patrick
Nationality: British
Email: p.dailly@aisr.nl
Department: Elementary & MS Music
Profile: Patrick comes from London, England. He has worked in secondary schools in the UK, Moscow, Cairo and The Hague, and was a lecturer at Leeds University. He is passionate about developing a musical culture within the school where everybody feels that they can take part. He is also interested in the development of music and drama and has been keen to support the production of elementary school musical shows in recent years. This is his fifth year at AISR.
Last name: Rimbach
Name: Bianca
Nationality: German/American
Email: b.rimbach@aisr.nl
Department: Music Department Assistant & Grade 3 Teachers Assistant
Profile: Bianca is in her second year working for AISR. Last year she was a substitute teacher for all grade levels. Originally from Germany she is fluent in German, English, knows some Spanish, reads and understands some Dutch. She has a degree for early childhood education. She taught kindergarten in Germany for two years, got married and moved to the USA. There she worked as a preschool teacher and an aid in a classroom with children with special needs. After living in Colombia, South America for a couple years her family moved to Colorado and Bianca worked as a horseback- riding instructor. She also finished her TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) certificate and specialized in “Young learners”. Bianca has two children: Liam in third grade and Catalina in second grade.

Last name: Gibson
Name: Ewan
Nationality: Scottish
Email: e.gibson@aisr.nl
Department: Pre-K1-Grade 2 Music
Profile: Mr. Gibson comes to us from Scotland with a wealth of experience in working with students in Early Childhood and Elementary School. He has been in The Netherlands since January of this year and is well settled into the Dutch way of life.
Last name: Shipman
Name: Stewart
Nationality: American
Email: s.shipman@aisr.nl
Department: Library
Profile: Stewart Shipman has been  our AISR Librarian since July of 2007. He had previously been a librarian in both elementary international schools,  high schools, and combination K-12/public libraries. Stewart attended a week of IB librarian's training in 2008, and will attend an IB training for Extended Essay coordinators in November, 2009. The entire Shipman / Lee family enjoy traveling and biking, and are certainly in the right place for that here in Holland . You may want to ask Stewart and his wife,  AISR kindergarten teacher Sarah Lee,  about the six-year trip around the world they made with their bicycles.
Last name: Lara
Name: Maria
Nationality: Venezuelan
Email: m.lara@aisr.nl
Department: Library Assistant
Profile: Maria comes from Valencia, Venezuela. She has also lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This is her eight year at AISR.