Alice Yu
Alice Yu has been our HR Officer since September 2012. She enjoys working in this very diverse and international environment. Alice graduated from Shanghai Technical Urban Management College in 2010, and continued to pursue further study in Shanghai Jiao Tong University majoring in English in 2011. During college time, she often took part-time jobs. She found her passion in HR Management in her first job as junior administrative staff. To pursue her career in HR, she later went to work in the HR Department of a Foreign Service Company before joining WISS.
Arlene Kline
Arlene was born in Northern Ireland and has worked in London, Spain,
Holland, and Israel before coming to China. With a strong background in computer design and technology, Arlene has worked in the IT industry in the UK since 1995, teaching IT, managing projects and providing IT consultancy services to many Fortune 500 companies. Arlene prides herself on nurturing confidence, competence and creativity with technology. She enjoys leveraging technology to support the educational goals of the school. Arlene has a Bachelor of Art degree in Fine Craft Design, a Master of Science degree in Computing & Design from the University of Ulster and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Nottingham. Her son Ethan is also part of the WISS family.
Fred Ding
Mr. Ding received his BS from East China University of Science and Technology and completed the Master of Commerce at the University of Sydney. He has worked as a mentor in USYD Mentor programme to support and encourage a small group of new postgraduates in building personal networks and sharing experiences.
Jenelle Kirchoff
Head and Secondary Librarian
Ms. Jenelle Kirchoff is from the United States. She has nearly 18 years of experience teaching students of all ages. She found her passion in school libraries and has a masters degree in Library Sciences. She is a certified school Library Media Specialist. Jenelle has a special fondness for picture books for young children, and one of her greatest joys is guiding students in research and writing. She thinks that libraries give students a place to expand their academic and personal interests. Jenelle and her two sons are excited to be members of the WISS community.
Dr. Jose Manual Gonzalez
Director of Student Support Services / PYP School Counselor
Jose is from Spain. He has worked for 20 years in school counseling and special education in a variety of environments, from public and private schools in Spain to international schools in the Middle East. Jose has a Master's degree in Education and PhD in Social Psychology. He is married and has two sons at WISS. His love for falconry, as the bond of brotherhood between peoples and intangible heritage of humanity, led him to use falconry as an educational resource for students with socio-emotional problems.
Joseph Mercurio
CP Production Arts Teacher / Theatre Technical Manager
Joseph Mercurio was born in Melbourne and raised in Fremantle, Western
Australia, before moving to work in Sydney. He has worked in a wide range of styles (from dance through opera, corporate and architectural) in Australia and internationally. Joseph was lighting designer Props Field of Play for the Closing Ceremony of the Sydney 200 Olympics. He has collaborated with leading theatre makers, including Stephen Page, Angela Chaplin, Sue Healey, Juliàn Fuentes Reta, Phillip Adams, Natalie Weir, José Coronado, Roger Hodgman, Chrissie Parrot and Graeme Murphy. An ongoing commitment to education has seen him lecture in many schools and universities during his career. He was Lighting Coordinator at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (Edith Cowan University) for 4 years. Joseph was the Coordinator of Performance Technology at the Victorian College of the Arts and Music (University of Melbourne) for five years. He has given workshops on lighting at Beijing International Biennial, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, TIA Madrid and Prague Quadrennial.
Kevin Jian
With a strong passion for education, Kevin pursued his Master of Arts degree in the Teachers College, Columbia University. Before returning to Shanghai, he worked in the Korea International School in Seoul. Kevin is excited to be working at WISS to ensure all facilities related work is being done in a safe and efficient manner.
Laura Guay
Director of Visual Arts / Visual Arts Teacher
Ms. Laura Guay is Canadian and met her husband while teaching in South Korea – it was love at first flight. She and her husband Todd Hurst have lived and taught in South Korea, Canada, Wales, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil and now China. Laura has a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of New Brunswick and a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in Art Education from Concordia University. Laura loves art and believes that she is the luckiest teacher in school because her subject is the most colorful. She loves running around her children Miles and Ella who are students at WISS and she loves crochet, yoga, books, sketching, painting, traveling and laughing… a lot of laughing. She loves inspiring students to find art in the world and let it inspire them.
Nicolas Elguea
Director of Performing Arts / DP Music Teacher / IBDP Music Examiner
Mr. Nicolas Elguea is from Spain and has been passionate about music all his life. He obtained his music teaching degree in his home country, later moving to Chicago where he earned his bachelor's and master's in orchestral studies at the Chicago College of Performing Arts in the specialty of clarinet. He has extensive international experience performing in symphonic orchestras and bands touring in the US, Spain, France, Italy, and Japan. In 2010, he joined the British School of Navarra, Spain as a primary music teacher; this gave him a remarkable perspective in international education. Nicolas joined WISS in August 2012; he loves being involved in all musical projects supporting students all across school; encouraging young performers and instilling appreciation and love for music.
Renee Gian
Director of Admissions and Marketing
Ms. Renee Gian has been an educator for nearly 20 years, teaching a variety of subjects throughout her career before becoming the Admissions Director of a large international school in Cairo. Originally from Buffalo, NY; Renee earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Canisius College and her Master of Arts in Education from the University of Northern Iowa. Renee began her career in international education in Alexandria, Egypt and then moved to Cairo where she spent 18 years before moving to Shanghai with her son. She enjoys working in dynamic, culturally diverse, and caring communities. So she is thrilled to be part of the WISS community especially during this very exciting time of growth.
Tony Anderson
Director of PHE and Athletics
Mr. Tony Anderson holds a Bachelor of Physical Education from Brock University, a Teaching Certification from St. Bonaventure University, and a Master of Educational Leadership and Principal Certification from The College of New Jersey. He has 23 years of experience in teaching and as an administrator in various schools in Ontario, Canada, in Dubai, UAE and in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He has a passion for sports, is an avid ice hockey player, and relaxes with long rides on his custom chopper! He is at WISS with his wife Renee and daughter Emma.
Xiao Lan Gu
Ms. Gu brings to WISS the expertise she has developed in managing transportation and logistics through 12 years' experience at other international schools. Xiao Lan is happy to join WISS and serve the needs of all its students and families.