Teachers

Elementary teacher

Eeva Sirkku Konola

Ms. Eeva has a master’s degree in education. She is also a qualified subject teacher of mathematics, English, Finnish, Literature and has a diploma in leadership and administration in education (Principal’s qualification).

She has more than 35 years of teaching experience in all grades, from KG to Middle School, mainly the Finnish educational system. She has been teaching overseas for 8 years, in the UAE, Oman and Maldives.

ELEMENTARY TEACHER

Chantal Butzbach

Chantal Butzbach is our Kindergarten Teacher. She is from the United States and has over 19 years of experience teaching in Morocco, Congo, and China.

Design teacher & EAL support TEACHER

Joseph McPherson

Joseph is our Design & EAL support teacher.  He has taught in Japan, China, Vietnam and the US. After 3 years of supporting IB Design teachers at his previous school in Vietnam, he is excited to share his love of the creative process with the students of DAS. Mr. Mac also enjoys cycling, sailing and exploring music through the flute and guitar.

Elementary TEACHER

Nicole Roetter Gresback

Nicole Roetter Gresback has been an elementary teacher for 26 years. She taught in the United States, Taiwan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and most recently in Myanmar.

ELEMENTARY TEACHER

Alex Maros

Alex Maros is the teacher for Grade 4. He is from the US and has been teaching at different schools in the USA for the past 6 years.

Secondary Mathematics TEACHER

Wilson Ashton

In his 12th year of teaching both in the United States and overseas, Wilson Ashton taught secondary and IB math. Wilson taught in Texas, China, and Colombia, from Algebra to Calculus. Aside from math, Wilson has two United States Soccer Federation coaching licenses, and has also coached volleyball, table tennis, and the math team.

Elementary Principal

Johanna Winberg

Johanna Winberg is the Elementary School Principal. She is a teacher and principal from Finland, and she has a master’s degree in Education. Johanna has previously worked in Sweden, Qatar and Lebanon.

Middle school social studies teacher, and high school business management TEACHER

Jeffrey Gresback

Jeffrey Gresback is our middle school social studies teacher and high school business management teacher. He has M.Ed. from the University of Minnesota, USA. His intellectual pursuits have brought him to delve deeply into the history of the Middle East while studying at the American University of Cairo. His initial academic foundation lies in the social sciences of geography, economics, and history. The countries he has taught before include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Taiwan, Myanmar and Saudi Arabia. 

Health and Physical Education TEACHER

Ali Bougrine

Ali Bougrine is a Wellness Teacher for Grade PreK4 to Grade 5. He is from Morocco and has taught at international schools in Morocco and Indonesia for the past 7 years.

Middle School Maths TEACHER

Mark Martin

Mark Martin is from Athens, Georgia, United States. He has 15 years of experience as an educator in mathematics and has served on several departments like School Improvement Leadership Team, Mathematics Chair, Curriculum Writer Committee, Data Team Leader, and Benchmark Assessment Committee member.

Elementary teacher

Sirkku Huuska

Sirkku Huuska is an elementary school teacher at DAS. She studied in the USA and UK. She has a master’s degree in sciences of education from The University of Helsinki in Finland. She has more than 15 years of experience in professional teaching in Finland and Denmark. 

Elementary TEACHER

LaShonda Terry

LaShonda Terry started her teaching career as an elementary school teacher in the U.S. She later earned her MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and went on to teach in the UAE and Mauritania. She also taught online classes to students in China.

ARABIC TEACHER

Mohammed Omari

Mohammed Omari teaches Arabic Language to Grades 1 to 9. He is Moroccan and has been teaching Arabic at various schools in Morocco for the past 6 years.

Elementary Teacher

Michelle Khallafi

Teaches Kindergarten at DAS. She is from the United States with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education and is certified in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). She has over 7 years of teaching experience at different schools in the USA.

College Counselor

Sandi Engler

Sandi Engler is our College Counselor and Student Well Being Team Leader. Originally from the USA, she has spent the last 35 years working overseas in India and primarily Turkey where she served as a teacher, Director of English, and Director of College Counseling. Sandi is a member of both IACAC (International Association of College Admissions Counselors) and NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counselors). Her expertise spans across setting up and managing college counseling departments; advising and preparing students for university applications worldwide, as well as maintaining strong relationships with university representatives.

ELEMENTARY COUNSELOR

Lyubov Borisova Waters

Lyubov Borisova Waters is our Elementary School Counselor. She is an American citizen with over 27 years of experience working as a school counselor and principal.

ARABIC TEACHER

Adil El Megaless

Adil El Megaless teaches Arabic Language to Grades 1 to 9. He is from Morocco and has been teaching at different schools in Morocco for the past 16 years.

Wellness TEACHER

Angel Araoz

Angel Araoz is originally from Cuba where he taught physical education for 9 years. He came to DAS from Finland where he worked for the past four years.

French Language Specialist

Anniina Kapanen

Anniina Kapanen is a French acquisition teacher.  She taught French, Spanish and literature in Finland for the last ten years. She has also worked as an educator in Portugal and Mexico.

Librarian

Melanie Tahan

Melanie Tahan is our PK-12th grade school librarian. She has been a teacher and school librarian for over 25 years. She has taught in the United states, Japan, Morocco, Scotland and Myanmar.

ELEMENTARY TEACHER

Michelena McPherson

Michelena McPherson teaches Grade 5 at DAS. She is American and has over 24 years’ experience teaching at schools in Japan, USA, China and Vietnam.

International Diploma Programme Coordinator & English TEACHER

Nancy Shay

Nancy Shay is the International Diploma Programme Coordinator and an English teacher at DAS. She taught in the United States for over three decades and has also taught internationally in Israel and the Cayman Islands.

ELEMENTARY TEACHER

Megan Skaggs

Megan Skaggs teaches Grade 1 at DAS. She is from the United States and has spent the last 10 years at different schools in the USA, Egypt, Albania, and China.

PREK TEACHER

Shalin Guillen

Shalin Guillen teaches students in PreKindergarten at our school. She is from the United States and for the past 5 years has taught at schools in France, Morocco and the USA.

Secondary Counselor

Alison Pluim

As a secondary school counselor at DAS, she is here to support our students’ social and emotional well-being. Her previous experiences include working as a DP psychology teacher and upper school counselor in other international schools in  Indonesia, UK, & Marrakesh. At home in Canada, she has worked in private therapy and as a counseling therapist with children & youths in clinical mental health settings.

Elementary Music TEACHER

Liz (Elizabeth) Wolden

Liz is the Elementary Music Teacher at DAS and has taught in the US, Egypt, Myanmar, India, UAE and Vietnam.