GCI Seminar 2022: Introducing the Educators!
We are thrilled to introduce you to the 13 secondary school educators who are attending the GCI Seminar for Educators 2022!
Today, 13 Educators from all corners of the globe will start their GCI journey by gathering at the GCI Seminar 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland. The Seminar is a transformational intercultural professional development experience for secondary school educators to learn key elements of the GCI Method©, a research-based pedagogy that combines Harkness®* (Discussion-Based Learning), Design Thinking and Human Connectivity. The 6-day Seminar runs in parallel with the GCI Summit, as the Educators will observe some of the student sessions and attend many of the same evening events, in addition to participating in their own academic sessions and interactive workshops.
The purpose of the Seminar is to immerse educators in a holistic experiential learning environment that encourages sharing and reflection and nurtures each participant to become a positive agent of change, fostering the same in our students. The overarching theme of this year’s program is Sustainability, and the goal is to present opportunities for educators to facilitate change in their own work in their classrooms and school communities.
This year's cohort of 13 Educators represents 14 cultural heritages, speaks 13 languages and works at 12 schools in 9 countries!
*Harkness® is a registered trademark of Phillips Exeter Academy.
Continue reading below for each of the Educators' biographies.
Claudia Alvarez
High School Teacher
Haile Manas Academy
Debre Birhan, Ethiopia
Claudia Alvarez has been an international educator for 14 years. She has a Bachelor of Engineering from John Brown University, a master's in coaching from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, a master's in innovation from Tecnologico de Monterrey, and a master’s in international education from Buffalo State University. She has worked at international schools in Guatemala, Mexico, and Bolivia. Currently she is the Dean of Faculty at a boarding school in Ethiopia. She is one of the founding faculty members and has contributed to the main school programs like community outreach, sustainability and design lab.
Bettie-Ann Candelora
Director of Performing Arts
Hackley School
New York, United States
Bettie-Ann Candelora serves as the Director of Performing Arts at Hackley School in Tarrytown, NY, US. The Hackley School is committed to infusing global education into the curriculum, and to providing student experiences that, as the mission statement relays, challenge students to “learn from the varying perspectives in our community and the world.” Bettie-Ann formerly was the Arts Administrator at Lake Highland Prep in Orlando, Fl and taught in the graduate Arts Administration program at Drexel University. She holds both a Master of Arts Administration and a Master in Music Education degrees.
Kelly Donohue
Teacher
Waterbury Public Schools
Connecticut, United States
Kelly Donohue grew up in a small town about an hour north of New York City. It was a small majority-white Christian homogeneous community. School came easy to her and the next natural step was to head off to college. As a first-generation college student she just sort of went with the flow and somehow managed to get a bachelor’s degree in English despite losing her mother after her freshman year. Fast forward 20 years and she found herself in another small homogenous community, post-divorce with an opportunity for a second career in education. On this next journey, she chose the unfamiliar, a large inner-city school composed of students from lower-income families, limited experience outside their own neighborhoods, and all the inequities that are found in one of the largest wealth and education gaps in the United States. She loves her students and being an educator.
Rasha El Geoshy Abdel Fattah
Principal
Roots International School
Cairo, Egypt
Rasha El Geoshy Abdel Fattah is a dedicated professional with 23+ years of experience in various educational systems including Egyptian National, American, IBDP, Montessori, and British. She started as a teacher of English language & literature, then as English department C