Meet our Staff and Faculty
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Antoine Akouissonne-Duqueroix, French teacher
As a former French teacher at institutions like the Lycée Français and Alliance Française in Toronto, Antoine joined GIST in 2024. With several years spent in Canada, he brings both French and European cultural influences, alongside a deep appreciation for Canadian culture.
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Jasmine Bush, IB Coordinator
Jasmine studied literature & languages and is an OCT-certified teacher. She has been teaching middle & high school for 20 years and is passionate about the neuroscience of education. She enjoys spending time with her family.
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Maren Bödeker, Homeroom Teacher 7/8
Maren holds an M.A.Ed (Gymn/Ges) in Art & German and brings over 20 years of experience to GIST teaching at all levels at a high school. Besides teaching, she follows another passion, working as an artist in residence in her studio.
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Isabelle Dieter, Homeroom Teacher 2
Isabelle holds the position of homeroom teacher for grade 1. She studied elementary education in Koblenz and Frankfurt and joined the GIST in 2023. She enjoys ice skating, cooking, swimming, and travelling to new places in her free time.
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Anita Hämmerle, Kindergarten Teacher
Anita worked in childcare as a children’s nurse for over 14 years and joined the GIST in 2024 as a kindergarten teacher. In her freetime, she enjoys hiking, baking and travelling.
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Larissa Hartman, Head of Sports and Ethics Teacher
Larissa holds a bachelor's degree in art therapy and a master's degree in education. She has been working for 8 years in various educational settings, including high schools, colleges, and private education for young adults with autism.
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Bennet Herrmann, Head of Math
Bennet is a math and biology teacher for the secondary level and is part of the staff at GIST as Head of Math starting in 2024. When he's not at school, he likes to spend his time with friends and a good coffee, playing sports or traveling.
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Rouven Hollmann, Principal
Rouven became principal at GIST in 2023, having previously spent eight years as deputy principal at a German school in Japan. Most recently, he taught science and mathematics at a large high school near Düsseldorf with over 1200 students. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.
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Sabrina Hülsmann, Head of Kindergarten
Sabrina studied at the Franz-von-Assisi Schule in Osnabrück and has been working for GIST since 2016. She enjoys spending time in nature, stargazing through her telescope, and spending time with her family.
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Svenja Hüttmann, Kindergarten Teacher
Svenja graduated as an Early Childhood Educator from the Lensahn Vocational School in 2014 and worked in various settings, including nurseries, elementary schools and with adults with disabilities. In addition to her professional career, she was a volunteer in a soccer club for many years.
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Farwa Mahmood, Homeroom Teacher 5/6
Farwa studied German and English (B.Ed) at the Johannes-Gutenberg Universität in Mainz. In her free time, she enjoys reading, discovering new places, taking pictures, and spending quality time with family and friends.
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Adrienne Medjo, History and Civics
Adrienne studied Arts, History and Philosophy at the University of Paris Nanterre X where she obtained a Master II. She also completed her studies with a PhD in French Literature, Drama option at the University of Laval in Quebec. In her free time, she likes to travel, visit museums, take dance lessons, go to jazz concerts, see Musicals and theater shows.
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Thomas Pfanner, Business Manager
Thomas studied Arts, Nonprofit and Public Management. Prior to his current position he was a producer for a classical music festival in Austria and a consultant for LGBTIQ+ issues in the public sector. Thomas is passionate about music, public spaces and zines.
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Caroline Reynolds, Administrative and Event Coordinator
Caroline has a background in the performing arts and a great passion for education. After five years in Cologne, where she also worked at an elementary school, she has returned to her hometown of Toronto and joined us in 2024. In her freetime, Caroline enjoys going to live concerts, cooking and vintage shopping.
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Manuela Röben, Head of Science
Manuela taught at a bilingual school in Hamburg and joined us in 2024 as Head of Science. In her spare time, she loves to play soccer, stroll through the stores in the city or eat all kinds of cakes with friends.
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Sher Sanker, Kindergarten Teacher
Sher has a degree from the Mothercraft Society College and over 20 years of experience with children of all ages. In additio, she has a qualification as child therapist with a focus on autism. In her free time, she likes to go the theatre, enjoys baking and spending time with her family.
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Sarina Sardone, Head of Aftercare
Sarina holds a diploma in Early Childhood Education from Seneca College and taught Kindergarten in Munich, Germany, for seven years. Since February 2023, she has been working at the GIST. Sarina is an enthusiastic runner with seven half marathons under her belt, and she enjoys travelling and spending time with loved ones.
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Claudia Scarlett, Homeroom Teacher 1
Claudia has joined us in 2016 and holds the position of Homeroom Teacher Grade 2. She teaches German, Maths and Science in the primary grades. She studied at the University of Lüneburg and enjoys reading, dancing & exploring nature with her children.
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Miriam Schulte-Zweckel, German Coordinator
Miriam took over the position of German Coordinator at the GIST in 2021. She has been teaching German as a second language (DaZ) & as a foreign language (DaF) at elementary schools throughout her career.
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Sierra Spanier, Head of Music and English Teacher
Sierra graduated with a Bachelor of Music from Humber College and has been a music educator since 2011, teaching all levels and ages. When Sierra is not at GIST, she likes to watch documentaries, and going to live music.
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Wiebke Tamme, Finance & Human Resources Manager
Wiebke has been working for GIST since 2018 and holds a M.Sc. degree in Finance & Controlling from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. Prior to GIST, she worked as Controller in Germany. Wiebke enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking and camping.
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Elena Ulbricht-Jones, Admissions & Engagement Coordinator
Elena relocated from Berlin to Etobicoke after completing her studies in biology. In the following years, she dedicated her time to her family, taught German part-time, and studied programming. In 2024, she joined us as Administrative Coordinator.
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Nicole Witt, Homeroom Teacher 3/4
Nicole Witt studied primary school teaching in Gießen with the subjects Mathematics, English and German at the JLU. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, dancing, cooking, playing basketball, doing creative things and has a great passion for houseplants.