MEET OUR TEACHERS
School Faculty in the Spotlight
Elementary SCHOOL 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 SCHOOL 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.
Middle School Maths SCHOOL 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.
Design teacher & EAL support SCHOOL 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.
Secondary School 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.
Middle school social studies teacher, and high school business management SCHOOL 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.
Elementary School 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.
Wellness SCHOOL 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.
Elementary school 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.
PREK SCHOOL 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.
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 SCHOOL 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.
Secondary Mathematics SCHOOL 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.
International Diploma Programme Coordinator & English SCHOOL 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 SCHOOL 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.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 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.
Health and Physical Education SCHOOL 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.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 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.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 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.
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.
ARABIC SCHOOL 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.
Elementary Music SCHOOL TEACHER
Liz (Elizabeth) Wolden
Liz is the Elementary Music Teacher at DAS and has taught in the US, Egypt, Myanmar, India, UAE and Vietnam.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 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.
Elementary school 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.
Learning Support SCHOOL TEACHER
Joan Bolander
Joan Bolander is our learning support teacher. She taught students with a variety of disabilities, learning and behavioral challenges in the United States.
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 School 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.