Staff
Who We Are
Our students, staff and faculty work together to make our
school a safe, engaging, rigorous, learning environment.




Only the BEst
We Know How to Make Learning Fun For Kids
The mission of SAIS is to provide a progressive American style learning environment where all students develop and apply the knowledge, skills and habits of mind necessary for academic, workplace and personal success anywhere in the world.
Our small school serves as a community nucleus that invites strong support from parents and community members as well as closer working relationships among the school staff.
SAIS Staff

Dr. Laura Flaxman
Principal
lflaxman@szsais.org
About Laura

Nathan Abbott
Assistant Principal
nabbott@szsais.org
About Nathan
Nathan (Nate) Abbott has over a decade of experience in the classroom and over four years of administrative experience. He has enjoyed teaching students from kindergarten to university. He has a BA in Asian Studies and an MA in Secondary Education. Mr. Nate has presented at various trainings all over the United States on topics that included Project Based Learning, language acquisition, student engagement, classroom management, and staying in the target language. He has also had the opportunity to work with and give trainings for the Confucius Institute in Beijing, China, and he can speak Chinese fluently. Besides being a passionate educator Mr. Nate is a husband and father of 5.

Kenneth Purser
Director of Instruction and Maker Education
kpurser@szsais.org
About Kenny
Kenneth (Kenny) Purser is an independent consultant helping schools and non-profits re-design their school and implement active, relevant, and engaging projects for students. Before becoming a consultant, Kenny developed his love for well-designed project based learning as a student who learned best by doing, creating, and designing projects. This passion found a great fit with Outward Bound and then Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound where he developed a foundation in project based learning, teaching science to middle and high school students in New York City, Boston, Berkeley, and Oakland. Mr. Kenny was one of the founding principals for Envisions Schools and then Regional Director for Expeditionary Learning. His varied career has focused on project based learning, experiential learning, Linked Learning, and the Maker movement.

Geoff Stainton
Director of Admissions
About Geoffrey

Lucy Zeng
Assistant Principal
About Lucy
Lucy Zeng has worked in international education for over a decade. She is the administrative backbone of Shenzhen American International School and has been part of the core team that has built the first Project Based Learning school in Shenzhen. She has a deep understanding of what administrative needs are required to create a thriving makerspace in an educational setting, as well as administrative support that is required to produce student platforms.
Lucy has been on the producing team of the Nanshan School Maker Faire for the past four years. Lucy is a strong advocate of PBL, Maker culture, and Design Thinking as she believes these methodologies bring about meaningful learning to students.
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Faculty

Janet Stainton
Kindergarten Teacher
About Janet
BA in Early Childhood Studies
Teaching Certificate City and Guilds 710
This is my 10th year teaching abroad in China. My experience is mostly in pre-school and Kindergarten.
I have taught here in China at the Clifford International Kindergarten for 6 years and then I moved to American International School of Guangzhou in preschool for 3 years.
Previous experience has been teaching part-time in England teaching sports and dance whilst bringing my family up at home.
I love teaching because it brings me great pleasure to see young children learn something new. I love that they are inquisitive and want to know many things. I want to help the children enjoy learning. I want them to be excited about learning. I believe that when children are happy they learn well.
My hobbies are sports and dancing. I love going to the theatre and seeing musical shows and spending time with my family.

Edwin Nieves
G1 Teacher
About Edwin
Edwin is extremely excited to be part of this great institution. He is originally from New York City, has been working in the field of education since 2005 and really enjoy teaching young minds. This will be his first-time teaching in China so he looks forward to learning so much from this country. Prior to moving to Shenzhen, he taught in South Korea for almost 7 years. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Nyack College in 2004 and currently working on his Master’s degree in Special Education at Touro College. He is bilingual, speaking English and Spanish both at native levels. In addition, he can also speak Korean and Chinese. During his time off he enjoys sight-seeing, learning, Latin dancing, and listening to music.

Finnbarr O'Callaghan
ELE2 Teacher
About Finn
Mr. Finn grew up near Washington D.C. in the United States. His passion for science led him to become a certified science and social studies teacher. He has been teaching in America, Korea, and China since 2014. Mr. Finn aims to promote a love for science while challenging his students’ ability to understand the mysteries of the world around them. Mr. Finn is an outdoorsy guy who spent much of his childhood catching various animals at the local creek. Along with this, he is an avid golfer and fisherman.

Michael Penney
PE Teacher
About Mike
Mike grew up in Belleville, Ontario, Canada and graduated from Nipissing University with a Bachelor of Physical Education and a Bachelor of Education. He is currently completing a Masters of Education from the University of Ottawa (M.Ed.) and will graduate in December 2020. Mike has been teaching Physical Education in China for over 7 years, and at SAIS for 3 years. When not at school Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, geocaching, and travelling.

Matthew Koo
Middle School Teacher
About Matthew
Matt is a Canadian certified teacher who completed both his Honours of Science degree and his Bachelors of Education degree at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. Matt has worked with learners of all ages, specializing in inquiry-based teaching and one-on-one tutoring. For the past two years, Matt has been the IB Coordinator at Hokmah International School.
Matt is a passionate teacher who strives to help his learners reach their full academic potential. He aims to push his learners to do their best, all while maintaining a safe and friendly learning environment. Throughout his teaching career, Matt has worked extensively in developing a variety of differentiated teaching techniques and incorporating them into his classroom. As a strong advocate for inquiry-based learning, Matt uses activities such as games, puzzles, and scenarios in his lessons to give learners both an engaging and meaningful learning experience.

Anel Tromp
Art Teacher
About Anel
Anèl grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She graduated from The Open Window Institute with a Bachelor of Art in Visual Communication Degree as well as a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from UNISA. Before teaching in China, she taught English and Art in South Korea for 3 years. This will be her second year teaching Art in Shenzhen. She is passionate about Art as a way of enriching learning. Her hobbies include drawing, painting, cooking, reading, sport and travelling.

Ellen Abbott
G4 Teacher
eabbott@szsais.org

Laura Felusiak
G6 Teacher
About Ms. Felusiak
Ms. Laura Felusiak holds Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and German from the University of Szczecin, Poland and Fachhochschule Dortmund, Germany. She has earned her Master’s degree in Germanic Studies – Second Language Acquisition from the University of Texas, and Master of Business Administration from the Texas A&M Prairie View University, USA.
She is Texas State certified in the areas of social studies, German Language, and English as a Second Language and has taught all these subjects, including AP Economics, World Geography and Sociology.
Her teaching philosophy relies on a student-center approach. She believes that effective learning occurs when students are engaged, and when new knowledge is relevant and applicable to their daily lives.
At SAIS, Ms. Felusiak is teaching Humanities, and is looking forward to enjoying and contributing to the dedicated SAIS community.

Mark Moran
Humanities Teacher
About Mark
Mark grew up in Maryland, USA before teaching in African-American and Latino communities in Chicago. Along with degrees in international studies and education, Mark has an MA in English from the University of Nottingham, UK and has taught English across a variety of levels in Thailand and Cambodia helping to establish an IGCSE program at a top bilingual school in Bangkok and recently teaching A Level English in Phnom Penh. He also has acted in the theater and has sung in classical choirs and operas. An avid cyclist, Mark looks forward to exploring Shenzhen and beyond on his bike.

Cristen Haynes
G2 Teacher
About Cristen
Cristen Haynes currently has six years of classroom teaching experience. She earned her BA in Cultural Anthropology and TESOL certification from the University of Utah, and her Teaching License from University of West Florida.
Cristen has lived in Zhuji and Shanghai before coming to Shenzhen two years ago. Prior to China, Cristen lived in Rabat, Morocco. Although she is quite at home in Shenzhen, she considers moving to Portugal to explore her ancestry, but also looks forward to eventually returning her birthplace on the central coast of California in the United States.
Cristen is an educator who guides students towards the attainment of their individualized learning goals. She takes great pride in seeing her student make academic gains, but she places an equally strong focus on social and emotional learning and emphasizes growth mindset. Ultimately, she hopes her time with students will contribute to their becoming creative, resilient, life-long learners.

Parker May
G3 Teacher
About Parker
Parker May is a professional teacher with half a decade of experience in the classroom. He has inspired students from Kindergarten to Primary school. Parker left his hometown in New Jersey to study art and design in Philadelphia receiving his BS in Art and Graphic Design. Besides inspiring students and teaching in the classroom Parker enjoys training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

Andrew Slingerland
Music Teacher
About Andrew
Andrew grew up in New York State before moving to Ohio to study at Capital University for his Bachelor of Music in music education, with a concentration on instrumental music. His primary instrument is the saxophone, but he learned to play and teach several instruments as part of the degree. In 2019, Andrew completed his Master of Music in Music Education through SUNY Buffalo State.
Andrew has been teaching internationally for more than seven years having taught music in Sweden, South Korea, and China with students of all ages. He enjoys seeing pupils develop as musicians, and encourages a style of teaching that enables students to find their own voice in music incorporating new practices learned in each teaching situation.
In his spare time, Andrew enjoys running, cooking food from different cuisines, practicing instruments, attending concerts or musicals, and traveling to explore new experiences and cultures.

Sam LoveTro
Teacher
About Sam
Sam grew up in Mesa, Arizona until the age of 18. He then moved to Los Angeles, California to attend university. He studied Sociology and also swam and played water polo at his university. Sports are a big part of Sam’s life and along with swimming and water polo, he also enjoys playing volleyball, badminton, and table tennis. During university, Sam studied in Hong Kong and Chile, both for one semester. Sam moved to Shenzhen, China after university and began teaching. At first he taught English but eventually he received in American teaching certification and Masters in Education while working at various schools all over Shenzhen. Sam married Claire Xu in 2015 and they have traveled to over 20 countries together. In 2018, Sam and Claire moved to Abu Dhabi, UAE to begin working at Sheikh Zayed Private Academy. This is a school named after the founder of the UAE, the best school for Emirati students. After two years in the desert, Claire and Sam have decided to return to China to be closer to family and enjoy all that Shenzhen has to offer!

Omar Maklad
Teacher
About Omar
Omar graduated from the University of Connecticut with a B.S. in Mathematical Statistics and a M.S in Applied Economics from Georgia Southern University. He is a certified Mathematics (Grades 6-12) and TESOL (K-12) teacher. Omar has taught in the USA, South Korea, Japan and China. He has worked with students from elementary to high school.
Omar engages students through thought provoking lessons to connect mathematics to the student’s life. He has a strong passion for teaching mathematics and wants students to enjoy the subject as much as him.

Shelly Amizur
Kindergarten Teacher
About Shelly
My name is Shelly Amizur. I have been working in the education field for the past 12 years. I have a wide range of teaching experience. My experience includes kindergarten and PE teaching, managing a scouts association branch in my hometown, Kindergarten, English and PE teacher for the past three years in Chengdu. I have a Bachelor’s degree in education and am currently pursuing a Master’s in education at Glasgow University of UK. I thouroughly enjoy working with young children because I love the way they perceive the world. Its fascinating to see them grow and experience new things in my classroom. I love witnessing each students learning progress and the class as a whole. For me, educating the young generation is a mission, where the foundation of the children’s education has great impact on their future and the world’s future. It is crucial to shape their lives in a way that will contribute to their personal growth and within society.

Michael Wilkinson
ELE1 Teacher
About Michael
Michael has over 6 years teaching experience with a wide array of age groups taught. I left the Washington, DC area to move to South Korea to teach which turned into over 6 years of experience teaching and educating kids aged from Kindergarten up to high school. I have spent 5 years teaching in South Korea, focusing on middle and high school students with the past year spent teaching in Shenzhen, China. I look forward to a great year ahead!




Dawn Yu
Chinese Teacher
About Dawn
Dawn graduated from Beijing Normal University with a master degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She is an excellent Putonghua speaker, holding a Certificate of Results of Putonghua Proficiency Test, A Level. She had taught Chinese in several local schools in UK. After she came back to China, she has worked in several international schools. Dawn has a wealth of experience both in Chinese and Western education. Based on the experience, she compared and analysed the two different education systems. At SAIS, she combined with PBL teaching philosophy to develop a bunch of Chinese courses which are applicable for international schools.


Cindy Shi
Chinese Teacher
cshi@szsais.org

Teacher’s Assistants





Joy Jiang
KindergartenA TA
jjiang@szsais.org







Becky Chen
G4 TA
bchen@szsais.org

Lily Ren
G5 TA


Rachel Guo
Maker Coach
rguo@szsais.org

Dawn Yu
Maker Coach
About Dawn
Dawn graduated from Beijing Normal University with a master degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. She is an excellent Putonghua speaker, holding a Certificate of Results of Putonghua Proficiency Test, A Level. She had taught Chinese in several local schools in UK. After she came back to China, she has worked in several international schools. Dawn has a wealth of experience both in Chinese and Western education. Based on the experience, she compared and analysed the two different education systems. At SAIS, she combined with PBL teaching philosophy to develop a bunch of Chinese courses which are applicable for international schools.
Administration

Fiona Huang
Administrative Assistant
fhuang@szsais.org




Zac Zhang
IT Supervisor
zzhang@szsais.org

Josef Chen
Logistics Supervisor

Jerry Chen
Security

Zhang Xiaoyuan
Security

Jack Liu
Security