Originally from Wales, and joining us from an outstanding international school set to becoming the first High Performance Learning School in Romania, Ms Hawkins’ love of art began at a young age. She believes that art inspires ideas, encourages creative thinking, and offers insight into an ever-growing, exciting industry. Inspired by her secondary art teacher, she left school after her A Levels to study a foundation in art and design before completing her BA degree in photography, obtaining a TEFL, and going to work with students in Valladolid and Barcelona, Spain, for two years.
Knowing that teaching art was her calling, Ms Hawkins completed her PGCE in Cheltenham and worked as an art and photography teacher in the UK before moving on to international education three years ago. She is currently the Head of Creative Arts at an international school in Bucharest, Romania.
Her hobbies include photography, visiting art galleries and travelling. Living in Romania, she has learnt to ski and tries to spend as much time as possible on the slopes during the winter season, something she’s keen on continuing here in Slovenia. Ms Hawkins is very excited to move to Ljubljana and looks forward to teaching art here at BISL.
After gaining a BEd (Honours) in Primary Education, Ms Thomas worked in a school in North Wales for the first 7 years of her teaching career. Whilst teaching full time, she gained her Masters in Education and specialised in Special Educational Needs and English as an Additional Language.
Experienced in the world of international education, she has taught in China, Australia and Italy, before moving to Slovenia. Joining us from an international school in Milan that is part of a global group of schools, Ms Thomas worked with WWF and eco schools to educate children on how to be good global citizens and how important it is to look after our world. She believes outdoor education is very important as it develops children’s creativity, problem-solving, independence and confidence.
In her spare time, Ms Thomas loves to hike, read and travel. She has visited every continent in the world and has been on an expedition to Antarctica!
Ms Kenealy completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Wolverhampton. She also obtained her PGCE and QTS in Secondary Music. As an experienced secondary music teacher, having worked both in the UK and internationally in Indonesia, she also had the pleasure of teaching Expressive Arts, Drama, Creative Minds and CPSHE.
Ms Kenealy feels that seeing the delight on students’ faces as they come to understand something or the pride they exhibit when someone sees the value and effort in their work is priceless – this is just one of the many reasons why she loves to teach and cannot wait to join the BISL team.
Ms Zupanc is a highly skilled mathematics tutor and educator, currently pursuing her master's degree at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty for Mathematics and Physics. With almost 12 years of experience in tutoring, she has developed a deep understanding of mathematics and the ability to communicate complex concepts in a simple and understandable way.
Ms Zupanc has worked as a substitute teacher in Slovene schools such as Gimnazija Jesenice and Šolski center Kranj. She has also worked at BISL in 2018 and 2019, where she was highly regarded by students and colleagues alike for her exceptional teaching skills and her ability to connect with students. Ms Zupanc is passionate about sharing her knowledge of mathematics with anyone seeking it. She believes that everyone has the potential to excel in mathematics and that with the right guidance and support, anyone can achieve their goals.
In her free time, Ms Zupanc enjoys exploring nature, hiking, cooking, and spending time with her pets. Her love for the outdoors and her passion for mathematics make her a valuable member of the BISL community.
Mr Černi is from Slovenia and spent 8 years living in Australia before moving back. He has worked with elite private schools coordinating the entire volleyball program, training students of all ages to compete in local, national and international competitions. Mr Černi was an international volleyball player himself, representing Slovenia all around Europe.
Other than his passion for volleyball and sports in general, he enjoys inspiring all ages to be fit and healthy being a personal trainer and having successfully run his own business. With his extensive knowledge of sport, he is able to motivate students to achieve.
Ms Jones has passion in biology, having recently studied Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth. During her studies she gained an insight into the biology systems that underpin sports performance. During her teacher training she was able to translate her dedication for biology into teaching.
Ms Jones makes a good fit in BISL because of her own experience of growing up in a bilingual environment and having worked as a Learning Support Assistant. This enables her to relate to and support students with English as an Additional Language.
Ms Jones own core values are harmonious BISL's values of excellence, respect, responsibility, integrity and compassion. She shrives to inspire lifelong learners and caring global citizens in the next generation of young people.
Ms Tušar is a highly qualified chemistry teacher, having completed her BSc in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry and conducting research on biodegradable plastics at the University of Warwick. She went on to complete her PGCE at Warwick and has since taught at two "Good" secondary schools in the UK.
Ms Tušar is passionate about science education and believes that every student has the potential to excel in the subject with the right guidance and support. She is dedicated to creating a positive and engaging learning environment that inspires her students to develop a love for science.
In her free time, Ms Tušar enjoys cooking, hiking, and playing handball. Her involvement in the MEPI program, exhibitions, and volunteering demonstrate her commitment to creating well-rounded and socially responsible students.
Miss Burtrand holds a PGCE in Information Communication and Technology from the UK and has taught ICT and Computer Science for over 12 years at various schools in the UK, Asia and Europe.
Most recently, she has been based in Luxembourg, teaching Computer Science across Key Stage 3 through Sixth Form at an international school rated ‘excellent’ by the Independent Schools Inspectorate.
Miss Burtrand enjoys seeing students progress in her subject and develop a love of learning. In her spare time, she enjoys walking and nature, cycling and relaxing with family and friends.
Mr Hayes has always had a strong passion for sport, representing his native Wales at cricket and tennis as a junior. He studied Physical Education & Sports Development at the University of Worcester before working as a tennis coach in Greece and Turkey. He then returned to the UK to work for Manchester Metropolitan University in conjunction with the Lawn Tennis Association, before moving back to his hometown of Wrexham to work as a PE Teacher.
In recent years, a desire to travel and work abroad saw him continue his work as a PE Teacher in China and Italy, joining us from an international school in Milan that is part of a global group of schools.
Playing and watching sport continues to occupy most of his leisure time, whilst he also enjoys travelling, listening to music and reading.
Ms Fairchild studied Sports Management at George Mason University while also competing as a multi-sport NCAA Division 1 athlete. She was a part of three USA Olympic Development Programmes including US Track and Field, US Rowing, and US Speed Skating.
Recently, she spent four years helping to build and grow DC International School, assisting in the creation and monitoring of students IEP’s. After Ms Fairchild went into teaching, she worked on developing specific sporting skills within students who were training for a range of different sports and has experience teaching students diagnosed with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, executive functioning challenges, autism, and EAL. She also holds an International Neuro-Linguistic Programming Certification.
In her free time, Ms Fairchild enjoys spending time with her family and is also a signed writer, having set herself the goal of having her first children’s book completed by the end of the year.
Mr Aycock was born in Yorkshire but spent his first year in the Turks and Caicos Islands, before seeing out the rest of his childhood on the Isle of Man, in the middle of the Irish Sea. He gained a First Class MA (Hons) from the University of St Andrews in Ancient History and Archaeology, holds an MA (Distinction) in Archaeology from Durham University and a Primary PGCE (Distinction) from Newcastle University. He joins us having previously spent 2 years working at an IB school in Montenegro.
Mr Aycock is extremely happy to be back working in a Slavic country and is very much looking forward to getting a season ticket to watch the local ice hockey team!
Mr Astbury’s love of geography started from a young age, having spent 2 years in Indonesia living in the shadow of an active volcano. When he returned to the UK, he made the decision to enrol at Plymouth University to achieve a degree in geography. He then worked in a summer camp in the USA, teaching sailing for two summers before completing his PGCE in the UK, specialising in Geography.
Since then, Mr Astbury has worked in two schools in the UK, and has been teaching IGCSE and A Level geography and KS3 humanities in Bucharest for the last three years, at an outstanding international school set to becoming Romania’s first High Performance Learning School. Passionate about his subject, with a particular interest in sustainability and the environment, Mr Astbury believes that geography is key to a better understanding of global society and enjoys using geography to fire the imagination and bring the whole world into the classroom.
In his spare time, Mr Astbury enjoys rock climbing and cycling in the summer, and snowboarding in the winter, so he is looking forward to living in Ljubljana - the perfect place to live for these activities!
Ms Kerr is half-English and half-Dutch and grew up in Cyprus. Her favourite part of teaching English is learning about the context of the literature that she is teaching and discussing different people's interpretations of the same text. She is looking forward to teaching in Ljubljana and getting to know all the students.
Prior to joining the BISL team in 2018, Mr Siter worked in an IT firm in Slovenia as a Key Account Manager. After graduating from Ljubljana's Faculty of Arts with degrees in English Language and Literature and Comparative Literature and Literary Theory, he spent more than two years teaching at the Montessori Elementary School in Ljubljana.
Mr Siter is also an experienced translator and a writing enthusiast. Among his many translation projects are the books from prominent authors such as Gary Chapman and the education and creativity expert, Sir Ken Robinson.
Mr Siter is a combination of a bookworm and a people's person. He loves spending time alone, reading, writing or running, but couldn’t imagine a life without his wife and three children or an occasional get together with colleagues and friends.
Ms Collinson grew up in Algeria, Morocco, France, and the UK, completed her degree in German and French at Exeter University, and her PGCE at Oxford University. After teaching these subjects in the UK for many years, Ms Collinson moved into international education, first Ghana, then Romania. She has learned Spanish and Romanian in her spare time.
She has a keen interest in visiting diverse cultures and places of historical interest, as well as drawing on students' own language backgrounds and cultures in her classroom teaching. Ms Collinson likes hiking and continues to travel the world in her own time. She enjoys running foreign school trips. In her last two schools, she has played a significant role in coordinating charity projects.
