Board Members:

Principal – David Bedford 

Mr. Bedford was born in Manchester, England. After graduating with a degree in Experimental Psychology from the University of Oxford (Pembroke College) he trained as a Science teacher through the Teach First programme. Whilst working in Birmingham he completed a Masters in Education and Leadership with a research focus on rewards and motivation. He is also TEFL and TESOL certified. He came to Weihai in August 2011 to teach Biology and Chemistry and in July 2012 he was made the Principal of ZKIS. In August, 2013 he was joined by Rachel Drake and in July, 2014 they were married in sunny England. As well as his teaching and administrative duties, Mr. Bedford supports in the new school dormitory. Mr. Bedford enjoys a wide variety of activities outside of his work including cycling, badminton, travelling and playing the piano. He is honoured to serve the Zhongshi community.

Director of Administration – Daniel Kim

Daniel Kim has worked at ZKIS for 6 years as a teacher and School Director. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Korea, and also holds a teacher’s license. In the US he has studied English and School Administration receiving a School Administration Certificate from University of California, Riverside University with an emphasis on student services. Recently he has gained an online TESOL qualification. Before Daniel came to China he worked for four years at Sunae High School and Changgok Middle School in Korea. Following this he began work at ZKIS, firstly as a PE teacher for 2 years and then as School Director. Daniel lives with his lovely wife and two sons and is passionate about serving those around him.

Board Member – Penny Porter

Miss Porter is from the US and is one of our longest serving teachers. She is a graduate of West Kentucky University where she received an MS in Educational Administration. She has over 30 years teaching experience and has taught extensively in both the US and China. She moved to ZKIS in 2003 and has served as both an English teacher and a Department Head. Her knowledge and depth of insight make her a valuable member of the School Board. Miss Porter is unmarried and enjoys reading, cooking and spending time with friends. She is also currently researching and writing a book (for family reading only) of her ancestry.

Heads of Department (In order of seniority and length of service to the school):

Vice Principal  – Lucia Dominguez

Mrs. Lucia Dominguez graduated Master of Education at De La Salle University with Physics Education as her major. She finished Bachelor of Secondary Education with Mathematics and Science as her major and minor, respectively. She holds a TESOL certificate and Certificate of units in Masters of Arts in Applied Statistics. She has taught Physics and Research in the Philippines for eight years and has taught English, Math, Science and Physics in China for seven years. She was a Master Trainer of the Intel Teach to the Future Program and was awarded one of the First Philippines Innovative Teachers Leadership Awards. As a well-trained educator, she has served as a teacher trainer, Physics lesson plan writer, and Science Fair coordinator. As a mother of two children, both studying at ZKIS, she believes that ZKIS both provides the best environment and great opportunities, necessary for her children’s holistic development.

Assistant Principal for Student Affairs – Tobin Holden

This is Mr. Holden’s second year at ZKIS and he is grateful for the opportunity to serve the Zhongshi community.  Mr. Holden teaches Middle School Mathematics and coaches wrestling. Mr. Holden has taught mathematics and coached in the United States as well as Thailand.  Mr. Holden holds a Master’s degree in Education and is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational administration at Concordia University, Portland with his wife, Diana. He enjoys spending his free time with his wife and two daughters, Dee and Zoe.

Head of Primary & Grade 5 Advisor – Xochitl Tobias

Mrs. Tobias has been working as an English teacher since 1994. She has a degree in Education and she is an IBO certified teacher. She has worked in an international school for 13 years. She has taught Language Arts, Science, Math, and Social Studies. Besides her teaching experience, she has worked as a Science Lab attendant and advisor of the United Nations group. She was promoted to Head of Primary in June 2013 and alongside her committed team has helped restructure our Primary School, significantly improving the education programme for our youngest students.

Head of Chinese – Mrs. Angela Liu (刘亚)

Angela Liu is the Head of Chinese Department. After finishing her degree in Archives Management, she went to study international education in Singapore. She joined ZKIS in 2004 and she has been teaching here ever since. She believes in the Chinese saying that “to offer others a gourd of cup, we have to have a bucket of water first,” so she took the TCSL curriculum at Beijing Language and Culture University 7 years ago. Her husband works at a construction company and her daughter is pursuing her Masters degree in Macau. She enjoys listening to music, shopping, and playing with kids after school. She thinks education is not only about teaching knowledge, but also about teaching them the way to be good people. She cares about improvements in students’ academic achievement as well as their personality and behavior. Angela has taught a lot of students from many countries. She has a dream to teach students from 20 different countries!

Head of Science – Allan Alipio (Grade 12 Advisor)

Mr. Allan Alipio is a Cum Laude graduate of Mariano Marcos State University in the Philippines with a double degree (AB/BS – Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, major in Biology). Before coming to Zhongshi, he worked as a Science teacher in an international school in Bahamas for five years, in Japan for three years and in a Canadian school in Nanjing, China for one year. This year, he is teaching AS level Biology, IGCSE Biology and Science.

Head of Teaching and Learning – Arsenio Sumeg-ang  (Grade 8B Advisor)

Mr. Sumeg-ang graduated with a degree in Agriculture, major in Agricultural Extension at the University of the Philippines — Los Banos . He is a member of Gamma Sigma Delta (UPLB Chapter), an international honor society recognizing excellence in agriculture and related sciences.  He has been teaching English for over 10 years. He has taught for two years in the Philippines and served as a regional and national trainer for school paper advisors. He has also done research for an organization of schools in the Philippines and wrote and published a book on the ethnography of the major ethnolinguistic groups in the Cordillera, Philippines before coming to China in 2003. He has worked as an Academic Advisor at a language school in Hefei City, China prior to joining the teaching staff of ZKIS. He is currently taking a diploma course in language and literacy leading to MA in Language and Literacy Education.

Head of Mathematics – Vibhavarri Barnes

Mrs. Barnes comes from India. She has majored in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. She has also finished two Masters Degree in Business Administration major in Tourism and MS Mathematics.  Math has always been her passion because she believes that it provides an ordered way of looking at God’s creation.  She wants to share her joy and love for Maths to students so they can see the majesty of God through math. She has more than ten years of teaching high school students. Her favorite verse in the bible is from Philippians 4:13- “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”

Head of English & Grade 6 Advisor – Meribel C. Swank

Mrs. Meribel Swank graduated Cum Laude at Saint Louis University in Baguio City, Philippines where she completed Bachelor of Secondary Education, major in English and Literature and minor in Computer Education. She is a Professional Licensed Teacher and is a holder of a Temporary Teaching Certificate for the State of Florida, USA. In 2009, she qualified for the Initial Certificate to become a New York City Educator in New York City, USA. Mrs. Swank is TEFL-certified by the International TEFL and TESOL Training in Thailand. She is also certified in TEFL-C Basic and TEFL-C Advanced through Columbia University. Passionate about learning, Mrs. Swank is the kind of educator who likes to push her students to excel academically while inspiring them to balance faith, family, friends, and fun. Mrs. Swank likes computers, photography, leisurely walks, biking, badminton, hanging out with family and friends, and swimming.  She is married to Joe Swank of Idaho, USA.  They are blessed with two healthy and happy sons.

Teachers (In Order of Advisory Grade):

Renierose Deligencia – Grade 1 Advisor

Renierose Deligencia comes from the Philippines. She graduated with a degree in Secondary Education major in Biology. She has experienced teaching kindergarten students in the Philippines. In 2011, she came to Zhengzhou, China and taught Music and Movement to the Chinese students. This is her second year of teaching at Zhongshi Korean International School. She is the Grade 1 advisor.

Crystal Yusten- Li – Grade 2 Advisor

Crystal Yusten-Li has been teaching at Zhongshi since August 2010. She is married to a wonderful chinese man and they have a son, whom they call Elijah. She believes that she was sent here to leave a mark on children’s hearts and to lead them to a path of understanding and love for others. She is thankful that He has allowed her to be in  China and at ZKIS. She is very proud to be a part of the Zhongshi family. She prays that she will do her part to bring the  light of His love to the children that she teaches.

Heidi Riegel – Grade 3 Advisor/ Head of Pastoral Care

Heidi Riegel is Canadian, but she grew up all over the world, spending almost as many years out of Canada as in it. She spent many of her childhood years in India when her parents were teachers there. She had also spent some time in the United States and Italy. She had been teaching for four years in Canada. Most of her teaching experience is in Elementary but she had also taught Grade 7 and Junior High science. In her teaching career she had also the privilege to teach English in Japan for two years to students ages 5 through 15.  She has two degrees from the University of Alberta. The first of these degrees is in History and Classics, and while this will always be something she enjoys, she felt that this was not the career for her. So after graduating from this program in 2005, she took a second degree in Elementary Education.Her family is quite small. Both of her parents are teachers by trade. Her father is currently teaching at High School in a small town in Central Alberta. Her mother has recently retired. She has a younger sister who has just finished her PhD in chemistry at the University of Calgary.She has a range of interest from science to history and reading. She particularly likes children’s literature and she is always happy to discuss good books. She is excited about what is going to happen this year in the classroom and in the school.  She looks forward to working with other staff and learning  together.

Sunny Zhang – Grade  4  Advisor

Sunny Zhang holds a bachelor’s degree of accounting from both Yanbian University in China and Chungnam National University in South Korea. She finished the TESOL program at Sookmyung Women’s University in Korea (One of the best TESOL programs in Korea) and received the Certificate of YL-TESOL(TESOL for young learners) and the Certificate of Reading Specialist. Sunny graduated from Oklahoma City University in the States with High Honor, receiving her master’s degree in TESOL. She also holds the Teacher Certificate from Oklahoma State. Sunny is fluent in English, Korean and Chinese. She loves children and took an active role in different volunteering teaching programs while in university, such as English Summer Camp in 비금도 and Read Aloud program in 청파유치원. In America, she worked as a teacher in Linwood Early Learning Center. She also worked at Community English School at Oklahoma City University. Her primary responsibilities included designing curriculum, training other volunteer teachers and teaching students from diverse backgrounds and levels. In her free time, Sunny enjoys cooking, baking, travelling, listening to music, reading, and hanging out with friends over a cup of coffee in a café. She has recently begun compiling a book of recipes for her own enjoyment. Sunny is always ready to help anyone in need.

Chris McHolm & Tessa McHolm – Grade 7 Advisor

Chris McHolm was born and raised in Saskatchewan, Canada. Recently he has received his bachelor of education degree through the University of Saskatchewan, major in Social Studies and minor in Drama. Before this he had spent some time in British Columbia, Canada doing an outdoor leadership program. Every summer since the age of sixteen he had been a part of various summer camps working with kids, and more recently working at a camp with adults and kids who have special needs. He has spent some time traveling around the world to various places such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and Thailand to spend time volunteering at schools, and orphanages. This is his second year at Zhongshi International School, which he is thrilled to be a part of. Aside from teaching, his other passions include sports, technology, and sharing laughter with friends!

Mrs. McHolm is from Canada and married her husband 2 days before moving to China in 2013. They are looking forward to continuing to get to know the students in China throughout their time here. She has always had a passion for working with children and youth of all ages. She has done a lot of work planning activities for students both in and out schools. She is also passionate about helping other people; this passion has taken her to Nicaragua, Costa Rica, South East Asia and now China to volunteer her time to work in schools and orphanages. She loves to travel with her husband and to try new things. She is currently working on getting her Nursing degree but has taken a break to work at Zhongshi International School. She has also studied in British Columbia and received a Certificate in an outdoor leadership program. Additionally she took a TESOL course to better help students with their English. Outside of school she loves to bake, cook, read, exercise and travel. She is very social and always willing to help someone in need.

Jacquelyn Melissa Standifird – Grade 8A Advisor

Ms. Standifird is from the US. She grew up and went to school in southern California. She studied Human Development at the University of California San Diego where she received her Bachelors of Arts. After spending a semester attending Calvary Chapel Bible College Italy, she decided to follow her childhood dream and become a teacher. She received her teacher training from California State University specializing in Middle School Education. Her teaching license includes Multiple Subjects in Elementary Education and Secondary Social Sciences, Biology, Psychology and Dance. Her first year teaching was here at Zhongshi, where she was the 4^th grade advisor. She is currently teaching Middle School History and Geography. Ms. Standifird likes to do sophisticated things like going to coffee shops with friends for a chat and taking quiet solitary walks along the beach. She also likes less sophisticated things like snacking on too much sugar and poorly singing songs from Broadway musicals at random.

Ellice Ohl – Grade 9 Advisor (Literacy Coordinator)

Miss Ohl teaches 9th grade English and 10th/11th grade Set 2 English in the Upper School. She is an American from Western Pennsylvania, where she also attended a small Christian liberal arts college, virtually unknown outside of Pennsylvania except for refusing Federal government funding, called Grove City College. Miss Ohl’s degree and US teaching certification is for Secondary English Education, but she hopes to continue her education in the near future.Miss Ohl’s favorite part of teaching English is reading comprehension, but she also loves getting to know her students and do school activities with them outside of English class. When she is not teaching, she likes to read, write, paint, explore Weihai, and spend time with her Zhongshi family. This is her third year teaching at ZKIS.

Diana Holden – Grade 10 Advisor

Diana joined our Zhongshi family last September 2013. Besides teaching middle science and Grade 10 Biology, she is the team house mom for the fierce hawks! She has been teaching ESL, Biology and middle school science since 1999. Prior to Zhongshi, she taught in the USA and Thailand where she met her husband Tobin. They have two beautiful daughters, Dee (11) and Zoe (4). Diana has a Master’s Degree in education (Curriculum and Instruction) from Assumption University in Thailand, a B.Sc. in Zoology from WCC, India and a Cambridge RSA-CELTA certification in teaching English as Second Language to adults. Currently, she is pursuing her doctorate in teachers’ leadership from Concordia, Portland, along with her husband. In her free time, Diana loves going on dates with her husband, playing with her daughters and hanging out with the Zhongshi family.  She also enjoys traveling, experiencing new culture, playing guitar, reading and listening to music. However, she is excited to be at ZKIS, preparing and developing servant leaders for the global community!

Rachel Bedford – Grade 11 Advisor

Rachel Bedford came to ZKIS in August 2013. She is the dormitory manager as well as Grade 11 advisor and an upper school English teacher. She is from the UK and studied Modern Languages (French and German) at Oxford University. As part of her course she spent a year teaching English in Hamburg, Germany. After graduating she spent another year working with young people in Hamburg before training as a French and German teacher through the TeachFirst program in the North East of England. As part of her training she completed a Masters in Educational Leadership with the University of Warwick. She also holds a TESOL certificate. She is married to Mr. Bedford since July 2014 and they really enjoy being part of the Zhongshi community. She is excited to see how ZKIS develops in the future.

Subject Teachers:

Chinese – Judy Wang

Judy Wang graduated from Harbin Institute of Information Technology, with English as her major. She taught for two years at her college right after graduation, and then she joined the Foreign Language Institute where she taught English to school’s foreign teachers. In 2008, she joined the Chinese teaching staff of the Korean school where she taught Chinese to beginner learners in both the primary and upper school. This is her first year of teaching at the international school. She loves learning, so she always strives to improve her teaching skills and knowledge, so she took an Advanced ICLTA certificate course. She is passionate about her work and her students.

Chinese – Annie Choi

Annie Choi comes from Harbin. She graduated from East China Normal University in Shanghai—one of the best normal universities in China. She has a teaching license and BA in Chinese Culture and Literature. She used to work as an intern at No.1 affiliated high school of ECNU and Shanghai Pinghe Bilingual School International Department. She met her husband in Shanghai and got married in Los Angeles this summer of 2014. Mrs.Choi enjoys reading, playing with kids and travelling; now she is learning golf.Mr.&Mrs. Choi joined ZKIS this year, and she hopes she can teach the students not only language and culture, but also how to love and respect as well. “So now faith, hope and love abide; but the greatest of these is love.”

Chinese – Ruth Xia (夏蕊)

Ruth Xia graduated from Hulunbeir College and Inner Mongolia University. In 1997, she started working at an academy as a Mandarin Chinese teacher. She worked there for four years before she went to teach at a local high school. Mrs. Xia moved to Weihai in 2005 and started teaching at Zhongshi that same year. She has been teaching here ever since. She enjoys being a teacher because it gives her an opportunity to develop and mold the minds of her students and develop her character at the same time. She likes reading, watching movies, travelling and online shopping. She lives with her engineer husband and 4-year old son.

Chinese – Chloe Guo (郭晶)

Mrs. Guo is a graduate of Mudanjiang Normal University. During her college years, she was very keen on studying Chinese literature and culture. When she graduated in 2007, she came to Weihai and worked as an HSK tutor at Longmen Academy for three years, where she gained experience in teaching HSK speaking, grammar, and writing. She joined ZKIS in 2009, and she really enjoys working here with all the bobeis. She pours all her passion into teaching them! Mrs. Guo likes drawing, watching movies and traveling. She hopes all the students can improve their Chinese, and go “From China to the World.”

Chinese – Winnie Li

Winnie Li graduated from Central China Normal University—one of the Project 211 schools, and her major is Chinese linguistics. In her college years, she passed CET6 and got a teaching certificate with her degree. After graduation, she came to ZKIS and has been working until now. During these years, she got her ICLTA certificate. She enjoys teaching foreigners Chinese, and also loves her students. Ms. Li is always thinking about how to make her class more fun. She likes dancing, listening to music and learning foreign languages. She really wishes everything can go well in ZKIS and that all students can have a bright future.

ELL & PSME – Taylor Huss

Mrs. Taylor Huss originates from the United State, in the scenic state of Utah. She recently graduated from Moody Institute located in the beautiful Spokane, WA. She and her husband accepted jobs at ZKIS when they were finishing up their degrees at MI, and are so thankful they did. She teaches ELL, PSME and assists in English classes. During her time at ZKIS she hopes to inspire within the students a desire to care and serve each other, those they surround themselves with, and all those they come into contact with. Her time in China, so far, has been enjoying some of her favorite things (surprisingly): meeting and making new friends, eating incredible food, and laughing! She is excited to be a part of an incredible faculty here at ZKIS.

Maths & PSME – Tanner Huss

Mr. Huss was born and raised in the United States. He recently graduated with his wife from Moody Institute with Highest Honors, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree. Both Mr. and Mrs. Huss had never travelled outside of the United States before coming to teach at Zhongshi. Prior to coming to teach in Weihai, Mr. Huss worked as a private maths and standardized test tutor for 8 years. Mr. Huss also previously taught higher maths classes at a college preparatory school in Utah. Besides maths, he enjoys a variety of hobbies like rock climbing, cooking with his wife, and reading.

Social Studies, Primary P.E & Dormitory Assistant – Ieva Furmonavicuite

Miss Ieva was born in Lithuania, raised in England, lived in Australia and now lives in China. She graduated from The University of Nottingham – one of the top 10 universities in the UK – and spent some time studying in the University of Queensland, Australia. She has an LLB in Law with Australian Law. Before coming to China, she previously taught gymnastics and dance. This is her first year at Zhongshi International School. She loves traveling and has been to many countries across four continents.

Social Studies – James Kuhle

James Kuhle was born and raised in beautiful Sacramento, California.  Before coming to ZKIS, he worked at multiple summer camps to pursue his love for the outdoors, sports and working with teenagers. In addition to these interests, he also enjoys snowboarding and passionately following the San Francisco 49ers (in the NFL), both of which have become increasingly difficult as he continues in his favourite pastime of all- traveling. After completing his BA degree in History, in which he received Summa Cum Laude honours, he moved to the UK and received his MA degree in 18th Century History from the University of Liverpool. This year, he is teaching IGCSE and AS Level History, Baseball and Spanish.

ICT – Vikas Barnes

Mr.  Barnes comes from central India and attended a Christian Missionary School where he majored in Math and Science. He also has two masters degrees –Master in Computer Management and Master of Technology in Information Technology. Teaching was a natural move for him since he was always involved in ministries with students and youth of his campus. He is likes programming and his areas of interest are Open Source Technologies and Search Engine Optimization. He is known for his programming skills and he is known as the best “C and C++ language tutor” in his town. In his fifteen years of teaching, he has taught students whose ages range from 14 to 20. He enjoys helping his students prepare for life beyond school and college. He also enjoys playing or watching cricket, spending time with his family and going for an evening stroll.

Music – Luis Rodriguez

 

 

 

 

ELL (Primary)- Michelle Alipio

Mrs. Michelle Alipio is from Australia and studied music (flute performance) at the University of Queensland. After graduating, she worked as a professional flute player in the Royal Australian Air Force Band in Sydney. During her 7 years there, she traveled to New Zealand, East Timor, China, Thailand, Cambodia and Japan.  After leaving the Air Force, she moved to Japan and lived there for 7 years, where she taught English in primary and middle schools, and English Conversation Schools.   She also gained TESOL certification during that time. Michelle met her husband, Mr. Alipio, in Jaan and they are now blessed with twin boys.  Michelle enjoys reading, movies, travel and spending time with her family.

Music – Jiho Kang

Mr. Kang was born and raised in Daejeon, Korea and studied Materials Engineering at Chungnam National University. After graduating from CNU, he went on to study church music at the Korean Baptist Theological Seminary where he earned a Masters in Divinity in Church Music, with orchestral conducting as his major. In 2007, he went to the US with his family and during their stay in America, he studied worship music and finished a Doctor of Ministry coursework. For two years, he taught advanced band at Berean Baptist Academy, a private school in North Carolina. He also served a local Korean church in Fayetteville, North Carolina for five years. He likes baseball, road biking, and roasting coffee. He has a beautiful wife like a fruitful vine and three kids like olive plants.

Support Staff:

Office – Peter Gao

Mr. Gao is one of the staff members at the International school. He studied English in the Zhongshi Foreign language institute four years ago. After graduating from the school, the principal suggested that he work in the International School. He has been working here for around 3 years. He loves working with foreign teachers because they are kind and they try their best to teach the students. He says he has learned a lot from them too. Sometimes he helps them with trivial things because he can imagine that working and living in a foreign country is hard and he wants to be of assistance. Mr. Gao likes reading books, talking with friends and watching movies, especially American movies.

Recruitment Officer/Cover Supervisor – Racquel Accab- Sumeg-ang

Before coming to China, she has served as a recruitment officer for an agency in the Philippines sending qualified teachers to China. She joined her husband in Hefei in 2007 and acted as an HR for his school. She is a member of a homeschooling organization in the Philippines having homeschooled her son for three years. Racquel wears many hats at ZKIS. She is a laboratory technician, recruitment officer and cover supervisor. She is in charge of organising the Graduation Programme of the school and other events. She maintains the school’s Facebook Page and website.

Librarian & Music Assistant Teacher – Sarah Kang

Mrs. Kang is the librarian for both the Korean and international schools, but she also assists her husband with the school orchestra. While in America, she worked with CFNI Dallas in Texas, where she was a children’s camp staff, and when they moved to North Carolia, she found a job as a piano teacher in one of the schools there. She enjoys teaching children, and she really likes working with the students here at Zhongshi. She has a very big family and they live together in a big apartment — she and her husband, their three children, one nephew, two nieces, and the daughter of her friend. Her family enjoys riding bikes together and through their music, they bring joy to the Korean and Chinese communities in Weihai. She loves Zhongshi, and she believes that the school is adequately preparing the students to go “From China to the World”.

Grade 1 Teacher Assistant – Jean Li

Administrative Assistant – Rose Kim

Rose Kim’s favorite subject was math during her school days. She majored in math in her university and earned a teacher’s license and bachelor’s degree at the same time. She was an YWAMer (Youth with a Mission) and she had been to Laos, India, Taiwan and the Philippines and so on as missionary. She taught math in an academy for 1 year after she graduated. She came to Zhongshi in 2006 to teach math and met her husband Daniel. She taught math for 2 years in Zhongshi. As soon as she got married, she went to the USA to learn English with Daniel. Whilst studying in the USA, she gave birth to their first son, Philip. She came back to Zhongshi in 2010 and taught math for another year. She needed a break to give birth to their second baby- Nathan. When she came back, she taught math in the Korean School for half a year. Now, she is back again at the international school but not as a teacher but an administrative staff. She works closely with her husband. This year the Kim Family now lives in the dormitory, which makes this year so special. She looks forward to be a good helper for the school, teachers and students.

Translator & Interpreter – Anne Lee