The Kilmore International School Australia Alumni Magazine Excellentia Academica Persequenda Edition 2, June 2014 All the news on past students, find out where they are now and what tkis meant to them VOLUME 1, 2014 1
welcome Dear Alumni, It is a great pleasure to read of the careers and fortunes of former students of the Kilmore International School in our Alumni Magazine. I commenced as Principal of The Kilmore International School in July, 2011. I am a graduate of Melbourne University and was previously Acting Principal of Jerudong International School in Brunei, a co-educational Boarding and Day School of 1500 students in Brunei Darussalam in SE Asia. Prior to that I taught at Wesley College in Melbourne. With my wife and three children, I returned to Melbourne to take up the post of Principal at TKIS. Like many of its students and teachers, I was drawn to The Kilmore International School because of its reputation for academic results and innovation. I believe an international education equips students to be world-ready and prepares them for university and successful careers. With its demanding two-year study of traditional disciplines and evidence that its graduates perform better in higher education than their peers, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is recognised and welcomed by leading universities and colleges around the world. I am delighted that some of our inspiring and experienced teachers whom you will remember are profiled in the magazine. Please stay in touch with your old school. Next year we celebrate our 25 th anniversary and I hope to see you at one of the reunion celebrations we are planning. Best wishes Andrew Taylor Principal 2
1993 1995 Name: LAU, Cham Yat (Vincent) Homeland: Hong Kong Current location: Hong Kong Where is he now: Vincent graduated from TKIS back in 1993 when the school was only a few years old. He returned home and attended the Chinese University of Hong Kong where he completed his Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery. He then furthered his studies with a Master sof Science (Cardiology). After working as a Physician for 10 years, he has now decided to pursue a career in General Surgery. He is now in his second year of 4-year surgical training. Vincent currently works at Tseung Kwan O Hospital in Hong Kong. Vincent is married to a woman called Ivy whom he describes as the most beautiful Paediatrician in Hong Kong. They have 3 gorgeous children; two girls aged 4.5 and 3 and one son aged 5 months. Vincent has so many fond memoirs of TKIS. He thoroughly enjoyed the semi-rural environment where he could find peace and quiet to concentrate on his studies. Name: SHEN, Feng-kai (Andrew/ Andy) Homeland: Taiwan Current location: Melbourne Where is he now: After leaving TKIS almost 20 years ago, Andy studied Computer Science at RMIT and then went on to complete a Masters of Computer Science and then a Masters of Information Systems at CQU. In 2012, Andy founded Hamilton Finley, a real estate agency in Boxhill, and is now a Senior Property Consultant. Ending up in real estate is something Andy never imagined when he was at high school but he loves his job that helps migrants settle down and find a home in the beautiful city of Melbourne (www.hamiltonfinley.com.au). Andy cherishes his memories of TKIS and living at the Golf House with Mr Ives. He believes that the TKIS dining room food is better than most canteens at other schools and universities that he has come across. He advises current TKIS students to cherish every moment of their time at TKIS and says they will understand what he means in 20 years time. His advice to current TKIS students is: Study as hard as you can, IB is worthy of your effort! Andy visited the school a couple of years and caught up with Mr Tony Zanelli (CEO), Mr Pisen Hong, Ms Georgia Wittmer and Mr Raymond Wittmer (Executive Director). 3
1999 Name: Christine Lynch (Now Christine Rowe) Homeland: Australia Current city: Melbourne Where is she now: Christine graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts and then went on to study a Diploma of Education at Victoria University. She is currently the Head of Humanities at Bentleigh Secondary College, where she enjoys working with young people and helping them achieve their goals. She loves her teaching job as every day is different and exciting! Christine married her long-term partner, Brent Rowe in 2013 (pictured together below on a recent holiday to Japan). Christine s fond memories of TKIS include making new friends from around the world, playing cards in the Greenroom at lunch time and the famous International Day, which is a tradition that the school still celebrates every March. Christine remembers TKIS teachers being extremely helpful and always going that extra mile for their pupils. She looks back at how she was treated with respect, kindness and dignity and she does her best to impart these qualities within her own classroom today. Christine advises young TKIS students to take every opportunity that TKIS offers you as there are so many great things that you can achieve with the help of your teachers. Always remember the following Name: ZHANG, Jing (Joanna) Homeland: China Current city: Shanghai Where is she now: After high school, Jing (known as Joanna during high school) moved to the UK to study Computer Science at Imperial College in London. She graduated with her Masters in 2004 and joined UBS investment bank in London. In 2011, the company relocated her to Singapore and more recently to Shanghai. She is currently working as the Director in the Global Corporate Services division helping to expand the company's footprint in China. Jing is also a single mother to two beautiful children, Joanna (fondly known as JoJo) who is 6 and Jude who is 4. Jing has so many wonderful memories of TKIS. She recalls meeting a really nice gardener on her first day at the front door who turned out to be Mr. Raymond Wittmer, the Executive Director of the school! She also fondly remembers Mr Gregory who kindly took everyone in his Year 12 IB Higher Level Maths class to his beach house in Aireys Inlet for the weekend just before their final IB exams. They had lots of revision but also tonnes of fun. Great memories were made that weekend! Jing would like to say to current TKIS students : Be humble or your will be humbled. Work hard, play hard. Kindness is magic Derek (Ricky Gervais). If you follow this.then nothing can go wrong! 4
2000 2001 Name: LIU, Yang (Connie) Homeland: China Current city: Canberra Where is she now: Connie left TKIS after graduating in 2000 and commenced her undergraduate Commerce degree at Melbourne University where she majored in Accounting and Finance. After graduating in 2003, she worked at TKIS for a little while helping out with marketing and student recruitment. She then joined Deloitte and later became a fully qualified Australian Chartered Accountant. She now works for the Australian National Audit Office in Canberra. Connie got married in December last year and has settled into life in Canberra and her new job. She keeps in touch with Mr Hong and paid him a visit last Christmas in Melbourne recently (pictured below). Connie advises TKIS students to enjoy their time at TKIS as it s the starting point of your dream life! Name: CHANG, Yinhan (Avi) Homeland: Taiwan Current city: Los Angeles Where is she now: Avi graduated from TKIS in 2001 and went on to study Kindergarten teaching at Chisholm Institute of TAFE in Melbourne. She then moved to Los Angeles to be with Miu, her long term boyfriend whom she met at TKIS. They got married in Taiwan in 2010 and now have a gorgeous little baby boy called Logan. Avi and Miu decided to go into business together in 2012 and they opened a Taiwanese Dessert House in Los Angeles where they mainly sell popular Taiwanese desserts such as shaved snow, red bean bun and boba milk tea. They recently opened their second store in West Covina California (http://www.isweet.us/). Avi loved her time at TKIS and cherishes the friendships she made with her classmates from around the world. She advises TKIS students to study hard and enjoy everything! 5
2001 Name: Darren Lapthorne Homeland: Australia Current city: Bendigo, Victoria Where is he now: Darren graduated from TKIS in 2001 and commenced his degree at Latrobe University studying Bachelor of Information Systems/Commerce. Due to opportunities to race in Europe he put his studies on hold for some time but is now in the process of studying a Bachelor of Business at RMIT. Darren is a professional cyclist and rides for Drapac pro continental team spending most of his time racing in the USA, Asia and Europe. He recently completed the Tour of South Korea. Darren married his wife Jessica in 2012 and they have a little girl called Florence who is 1. Darren has great memories of TKIS. The mix of nationalities and cultures created a positive environment and gave me an understanding of different views and ways of life. This has been very beneficial for working alongside people from all over the world in my current situation. Name: David Wittmer Homeland: Australia Current city: Melbourne Where is he now: David has always been passionate about sport, health and fitness. After completing his IB in 2001, he went onto study Health Sciences at Latrobe University. Shortly after finishing his undergraduate degree, he completed a Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) and became a Physical Education Teacher. He did part of his teaching rounds at TKIS and commenced teaching there full time in 2008 after taking a gap year to travel the world which included a working holiday season in Whistler, Canada. David loves teaching and helping kids learn about sports. When asked how he feels about his job, he replied: It is important for everyone to live an active lifestyle and Physical Education is one way to introduce young people to the many different activities they can take part in to be healthy. It s a great feeling when a student has been struggling with a particular skill or concept and I am able to help them get the hang of it. Students at TKIS are generally very enthusiastic and just want to have fun in PE class. That makes my job very easy and enjoyable. David still leads an active lifestyle himself. He plays competitive AFL for Oak Park and he also plays on a basketball team with some of his friends. Darren advises current TKIS students to follow their dreams and enjoy everyday at TKIS as the time there will pass by very quickly! 6
2004 2005 Name: Neil Holdaway Homeland: Australia Current city: Melbourne Where is he now: After graduating from TKIS, Neil attended Melbourne University like many other fellow TKIS graduates. He studied a Bachelor of Commerce, graduating in 2009, and is now studying a Masters of Teaching at Victoria University. He is thinking he would like to teach the IB one day. Neil s fondest memories of TKIS are the friends he made (many of whom he still sees regularly today) and the great times that they had together. He believes that as hard as it sometimes was, it was worth the effort. His advice to TKIS students is: Figure out what your passion is and work hard at that. You will save a lot of time and effort, and be much happier. Set up your life so that work, for you, is play. Neil is pictured below with his older brother John (TKIS Class of 1999) and younger sister Anna (TKIS Class of 2007). John now lives and works in Indonesia and Anna lives, works and studies in Japan. Name: Jessica Keep (Jimmy) Homeland: Australia Current city: Orange, NSW Where is she now: Ever since she was very young, Jimmy has had a strong love of animals. All through high school she wanted to become a Vet and when she got accepted into Veterinary Science at The University of Sydney, it was a dream come true. Jimmy graduated from university last year and has now moved to the rural town of Orange where she has secured her first real job at a small animal clinic called Canobolas Family Pet hospital. Jimmy has many fond memories of her time at TKIS but she especially remembers the family bond that her year level shared. The friendships she formed in high school with her fellow students and teachers have stayed with her over the years. Having those friendships made for some amazing times together, and helped create an environment where we were encouraged to be ourselves. Being a science nerd, Biology class and tutorials were always my favourite. Jimmy s wise words of advice to current TKIS students are: Take homework seriously as its an excellent way to learn and solidify what you re learning in class. Cramming is a bad habit that stays with you for life! Don t fall into the trap of being a crammer! 7
2009 2010 Name: Georgina Garner Homeland: Australia Current city: Eden Park Where is she now: Georgina went off to RMIT to study PE for 4 years before returning to TKIS this year to become a teacher. She is currently teaching Literacy, Numeracy and Science to Grade 6, and Physical Education to Year 8 and Year 10. Georgina said she originally felt strange but excited to be back at TKIS! Many of the teachers she had are still here and it was hard for her to get used to them being colleagues rather than her teachers. Georgina has wanted to be teacher ever since she can remember. During her time at TKIS her favourite subjects were PE and Sport and she knew from then that she wanted to be a PE teacher. The best part for Georgina is being able to be outside and be active with her students. Georgina has lots of great memories of TKIS but her favourite year at TKIS was Year 12. It s when all the hard work starts to pay off and after all the time you ve spent here you develop some great friendships with your peers. I had a great rapport with many of my teachers; especially Mr. Mumford. Every Wednesday was known as Cake Wednesday in Biology class and we took it in turns to bring a cake. He always seemed to complain about what a hassle it was but I think he secretly loved it! Name: WEN, Yaxin (Yan) Homeland: China Current city: Sydney, Australia Where is she now: After graduating from TKIS in 2010, Yan was accepted into a Bachelor of Commerce at Melbourne University where she majored in Actuarial Studies and graduated in 2013. She is now doing her Master of Commerce at Macquarie University and continues to major in Actuarial Studies. Yan s most fond memories of TKIS are being a music student and being involved in various concerts, and talent shows. Music was a big part of her student life. Yan encourages all TKIS students to get involved with school life, both in and outside the classroom. You should actively participate in every activity and enjoy the benefits from these activities after your intense studies. That s what Yan did, and she enjoyed every moment. Yan will finish her Masters at the end of this year and will return to China for some work experience. She then hopes to obtain her Australian Permanent Residency and migrate to Australia. 8
WEDDINGS & BABIES LEFT: LU Xuan (Ruby) and LIU Hao (Jefferson) graduated in 2005 and married two years ago. They now have a little baby boy called Kaixin which means Happy. Right: James Sheeran and HUANG Xi (Annie) graduated in 2007 and got married last year. They now live and work in Canberra. Left: CHEN Jiachen (Christine) who now calls herself Vivian and DUAN Ming (Vincent) both graduated in 2003 and got married in 2012. Right: DUAN Yunchao (Don) and LIU Jun (Lin) met at TKIS and graduated in 2005. They are now married with a cute little baby! 9
TKIS STAFF M any of you have fond memories of your time at TKIS and from the testimonials we have received from our TKIS alumni, we realise how much our past students valued their teachers. Well guess what? Some of your old favourites are still teaching here! We have decided to do a profile on a few of them to let you know how they are getting along and what teaching means to them. Here are a few familiar faces: PAUL SZCZUR Mr Szczur (fondly known to many students as Szczur has been teaching at TKIS since he first became a teacher back in 1997 this is his 18th year with us! Before becoming a teacher, he was a Civil Engineer. Mr Szczur teaches Maths, Physics and Science and is our current Head of Learning Mathematics. He is a highly experienced IB teacher and is an IB examiner in Physics. Mr Szczur s partner, Ms Lynda Allen also teaches at TKIS. They have two lovely daughters who now attend TKIS; Peigi who is in Year 8 and Rain who is in Year 6. Mr Szczur has always been one of the TKIS students' most popular teachers. He s jovial personality along with his fierce dedication to helping his students above and beyond the call of duty has left it s mark on the hearts of TKIS graduates over the years. When we asked Mr Szczur why he is passionate about teaching, he replied: There has always existed a great bond between students and teachers at TKIS. What we teach here is an academic program that is challenging and interesting in its content. This allows for growth and interest as a teacher. I thoroughly enjoy the academic processes in learning and working with young people to help them grow into well informed and educated citizens. PAM TRIPP Most of you should remember Mrs Tripp because she s been here almost as long as TKIS has! This is her 21st year teaching at TKIS. Mrs Tripp teaches TOK, English A, English B and Intensive English and is an IB examiner in English A. When reflecting on her time at TKIS, Mrs Tripp says: I value the opportunity to deliver an academic program that allows students to inquire and reflect which then enables them to pursue their goals. The ability to be able to watch young people grow and mature, and the reward of genuine interaction, is also an integral part of teaching. To be a told by ex-students of the positive effect you ve had in their lives has been very humbling. During my many years here I have witnessed, and been able to play a small part in, the personal triumphs and accomplishments of so many wonderful students. The TKIS community is warm, caring, and yet challenging, to those we cross paths with. Mrs Tripp is pictured above with a recent English B class. 10
TKIS STAFF CHERYL MOULDER Mrs Moulder has been a teacher since 1976 and has been teaching at TKIS since 1995 so that makes this her 20th year at TKIS! Most of your will remember Mrs Moulder as a quiet yet lovely teacher, extremely dedicated to her main subject areas of Chemistry and Environmental Systems. Mrs Moulder has been an IB Examiner for many years and has been the Deputy Chief Examiner for Chemistry (for the whole IB world!) for the past 5 years. On top of this, she is an IB Workshop Leader and has run IB workshops in Singapore, Hong Kong and Melbourne over the years. She is currently the Head of Leaning Science at TKIS. Mrs Moulder decided she wanted to be a teacher when she was in Year 4 at just 8 years old and couldn't ever imagine doing anything else. She claims to have always been a Maths and Science nerd, ever since she can remember. When reflecting on her time at TKIS, Mrs Moulder says: The students here at TKIS are a wonderful group of young people from many parts of the world. It is great to meet so many people with a common passion to succeed and to learn. I love hearing about other cultures and backgrounds. This is a unique educational facility and one with which I am very proud to have been associated with. I love the interaction with students. It is rewarding to meet past students and find out what they have done with their lives, and just occasionally to be told what a difference I made. I love the opportunities that I have been fortunate to have through the International Baccalaureate Organisation as well. PISEN HONG Mr Hong is TKIS s longest serving staff member. He has been teaching here since the school began in 1990 which makes this his 25th year! He s actually been teaching since 1979 which means he s been teaching for over 35 years. What an achievement! Mr Hong teaches Chinese A, TOK in Chinese and also supervises numerous Chinese A Extended Essays every year. In the past, he s also taught IB Art and is an accomplished Artist himself. As well has being an IB examiner for many years in Chinese A, Mr Hong is also an IB Workshop Leader. Mr Hong loves working with people, especially young people. He enjoys passing on his knowledge and life experience as well as promoting international understanding and multiculturalism to the younger generation. Literature and Art are my passions. I also have expertise to benefit the students in these areas. Teaching, learning and living with the international students makes me feel younger and I have learnt a lot about contemporary issues from our students. Apart from that, the school environment is full of tolerance, kindness, interaction and support", says Mr Hong. Mr Hong has been well known at TKIS for his love of table tennis and has been known to beat most young and energetic students. He still runs table tennis as a CAS activity and enjoys playing with his students. Mr Hong also keeps in touch with many of his past students, some of whom he has maintained contact with for over 20 years! 11
ALUMNI QUESTIONNAIRE Interested in featuring in the very next edition of the TKIS Alumni Magazine? GREAT! Simply answer the questions below and email your answers, along with a recent photo of you, or you with family/partner/pet to us for inclusion! Family Name: Given Name: English Name/Nickname: City/country of Birth: Year of TKIS Graduation: Current Location: What is your current academic/career situation? Please list all universities and year(s) of graduation. What is your personal situation (single/engaged/married/ children)? What are your fondest memories of your time at TKIS? What advice would you give to current or potential students of TKIS? Do you give your permission to be featured in our Alumni yearbook page and/or to be quoted on posters to inspire our students? YES NO If featured in our yearbook, would you like to receive a copy via mail? YES NO The Kilmore International School 40 White St, Kilmore Victoria, 3764 Australia Phone: 0011 61 3 5782 2211 Email: info@kilmore.vic.edu.au Web: www.kilmore.vic.edu.au Facebook: www.facebook.com/ thekilmoreinternationalschool Fax: 0011 61 35782 2525 Excellentia Academica Persequenda 12