Jing Educators Award 2020: High School Principals

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Following the 2020 Jingkids International School Expo (JISE) in October this year, which brought together more than 70 schools, daycares, and educational centers, we’d like to acknowledge the people who make those schools and institutions truly great. Many of Beijing’s esteemed international schools submitted their nominations for the Jing Educators Award 2020, celebrating those who dedicate themselves to education, create innovative learning experiences, and maintain outstanding environments for our kids to study in. In this #JingEdAwards series, we’ll share these committed individuals and why they were nominated.

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The educators in this category lead teachers and students through one of the most important periods in anyone’s educational life: high school. With their diverse international backgrounds, they create engaging curricula that fuse the best of East and West.

Name: Gavin Johnson
Position: Head of Secondary School
School: Beijing Enlighten School

Gavin graduated from the University of Edge Hill in England with a bachelor’s degree in IT and business management and also a post-graduate certificate in Education. He is currently halfway through a master’s degree in educational leadership. Originally from England, Gavin has 19 years of educational experience with 10 of those years being in a school leadership role. He has worked in England, Qatar, and Indonesia, and has spent the past six years in Beijing at international bilingual IB schools.

Gavin believes in fusing local education and international education and has spent his time in leadership developing programs that infuse the best of local knowledge, educational systems, and beliefs with the infrastructure of international education. He believes that although an international education opens many doors for students, it is vital that students understand and be proud of their own culture and beliefs and are able to express them in an international setting.

Name: Andrew Leale
Position: Deputy Head
School: Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy

Andrew joined Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy in August 2019 after a long and distinguished career in leading British independent schools. A graduate of Oxford University where he studied politics, philosophy, and economics, Andrew began his career as a teacher of economics and business. He subsequently fulfilled roles as a head of department, a boarding housemaster, and on the executive leadership team at Tonbridge School in the UK, before joining Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy as international co-principal. In this role, working closely with the executive principal, Christine Xu, he has overseen a highly successful authorization process as an IB Diploma School, has guided a substantial growth of boarding, has enriched the house culture in the school, has developed the school’s program of activities in STEM, the arts, and sports, and has supported the school’s first cohort of GCSE candidates and Grade 12 graduates who have won an outstanding array of places at leading universities across the world.

Unflappably calm in the face of the challenging circumstances of the past 12 months, Andrew has given confidence to students and staff alike as Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy has marched assuredly into the new academic year. Whether greeting students on their arrival at school, addressing staff on positive behavior strategies, or promoting good practice in teaching and learning through his regular hands-on engagement with students and teachers in the classroom, Andrew’s low-key authority and kindly manner make him hugely valued across the Kaiwen community.

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Name: Chen Na 陈纳
Position: Director of Junyi Xingxing Education Group, Principal of Junyi Xingxing International School
School: Junyi Xingxing International School

Chen Na graduated from Beijing No. 4 Middle School in 2005 and acquired her bachelor’s degree from the University of Columbia, having majored in economic mathematics. From 2008 to 2012, she worked for China International Financing Co., Ltd as an analyst in the investment bank department, engaged in listings and mergers for a great number of top domestic enterprises. In 2012, following a call from her inner self, she joined Junyi Xingxing Education Group and became the principal of Junyi Xingxing International School under the umbrella of the group.

Since 2012, she has accomplished the localization of American high school education and the establishment of the junior high and primary departments of Junyi Xingxing International School. In 2018, she received the award for “Most Influential Principal of the Year” from Tencent.

Name: Cathy Wang 王红霞
Position: Secondary School Principal
School: Springboard International Bilingual School (SIBS)

Cathy joins SIBS's Senior Leadership Team as the new Secondary School Principal. She graduated from Dalian University of Foreign Languages with a B.A. in English and from Liaoning Normal University with a Master’s Degree in Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics. She brings on board six years of experience as a secondary school principal and 15 years of teaching experience. Cathy has worked in three Top 10 public high school international divisions in Beijing, including the Affiliated High School of Peking University, Beijing No. 101 High School, and Beijing No. 8 High School. She most recently took charge of the AP program and worked as Founding Principal of the American Program to develop the combined Curriculum of the National, AP, Ontario, and the DMSD (double mentors and self-directed) management method in the international division of one of the International schools in Tianjin. Cathy is known for her student-centered leadership style and best practices to instill belief and help students realize their potentials.

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Images: courtesy of the schools

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