Staff Directory

Staff are listed in alphabetical order by first name. To find a particular staff member by Name: search by Last or First name in the keyword box and press the tner key or click on the search button. For school specific departments use the drop down list to filter by school sections and subjects.

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  Roisin Grainne Doherty

  KG1 Teacher

  Departments: Primary School

  Roisin Doherty was born and brought up in Ireland. She graduated from St. Mary’s University College of Queens, Belfast with a Bachelor of Education. Roisin has spent the last seven years teaching at Collegiate American School in Dubai. Before that, she worked as a primary school teacher in Sharjah for two years at Wesgreen International School and in Ireland for one year. From the beginning of Roisin’s career in education, she has had the opportunity to work with many families and parents to ensure that their child’s needs are met at school, and she is excited to continue with that while working in Ajman Academy. Roisin firm believer in keeping an effective relationship with the child’s home environment to ensure that the holistic development of students, socially, emotionally, as well as academically. School should be a happy environment for students to thrive and grow in every way.
  In her spare time, Roisin enjoys reading, travelling, exercising and, most importantly, spending time with family and friends.
  Roisin is married and has two children.
  
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  Hayley Beresford

  KG2 Teacher

  Departments: Primary School

  Secondary Title: Grade Leader

  Hayley is from South Africa and has been living in the UAE for 18 years. Hayley has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology through The University of South Africa and her Post Graduate Certificate in Education through The University of Sunderland in England. Hayley has been teaching young children for 18 years, specialising in Early Years. Hayley taught in a Nursery school in Sharjah for seven years and then moved to a school in Dubai for another seven years. During her experience, she progressed to being the Foundation Stage Leader in her previous school. Hayley is currently the KG2 Grade Leader and KG Read, Write Inc. Co-Ordinator at Ajman Academy. She is married and has one daughter. Hayley enjoys spending time with family and friends and being outdoors; in the pool, camping and having Barbeques.
  Hayley aims to create a fun and safe learning environment for her students who will be active, engaged and become independent learners. Hayley believes students learn best through real-life experiences and being involved in their learning as well as working in different areas including inside and outside the classroom.
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  Nicola Mason

  KG2 Teacher

  Departments: Primary School

  Nicola was born and raised in Liverpool, UK. She graduated from the University of Liverpool with a BA (hons) Degree in Geography, which was always one of her favourite subjects at school. She worked in finance for a year, while volunteering at a local primary school. From a young age she always wanted to be a teacher and her passion for teaching and working with children continued to grow. She decided to complete a primary PGCE (specializing in Geography) at Liverpool Hope University. She taught for 2 years at a primary school in the UK before moving to UAE in 2010. She has worked at Wesgreen International School in Sharjah since then, teaching Grades 1 and 2. She now lives in Ajman and is married with two daughters.
  
  Nicola believes that every child is unique and loves getting to know the children in her class. She creates a safe, happy and inclusive environment within the classroom, where every child feels they have a voice. She believes in her students’ ability to shine and guides and supports them to reach their full potential. Her interest in Human Geography means she finds opportunities in all lessons to facilitate critical thinking and develop her students into global citizens.
  
  In her free time, Nicola enjoys making memories with her children, travelling to new places and visiting Liverpool to spend time with her family. She enjoys cooking, reading and socialising with close friends.
  
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  Genalyn De Leon

  Learning Support Assistant

  Departments: AEN
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  Jenny Comia Berjay

  Learning Support Assistant

  Departments: AEN
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  Caroline Lewis

  Librarian

  Departments: Primary School

  Caroline was born and raised in Newport, Wales. After leaving college she joined LloydsTSB Bank. During her 15 years, some of her roles included Fraud Manager, Business Continuity Manager for UK and Mumbai, and Risk Manager.
  
  Caroline joined RAK Academy in 2007. During her time there she worked on health and safety, built the school's incident response plans and retrained as a Librarian. The library opened with 300 books, now in 2021, the library has over 26,000 books and resources with over 10,000 books bought as a result of Caroline running the book fairs. Caroline believes the library should be a fun, stimulating environment where every child has access to books so they can develop a love of reading. She also believes there is a book for EVERYONE! In 2020 Caroline come 2nd out of 123 entries for UAE Librarian of the year.
  
  Outside work Caroline is sport mad! She has run many marathons and half marathons, 12 in Ras Al Khaimah. She has provided medical support for her son's rugby team in Dubai for the last 9 years. When she's not with the rugby team or running you will find her in the gym!
  
  Caroline has been married to Andrew for 20 years and has two children, both sport mad too! Her daughter Nadia is studying Psychology at Cardiff University. She loves the gym and is a great left-footed footballer. Her son Cian is studying for his A levels. He loves all aspects of sport and has represented the UAE for touch rugby.
  
  Caroline is enthusiastic, works with a positive attitude, and is looking forward to supporting the staff, students, and parents at Ajman Academy.
  
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  Linda Suresh George

  Librarian

  Departments: Secondary School

  Linda was born in a Seventh Day Adventist family in India and had her early childhood in an international community. After earning Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education degrees, Linda started her career as a Science Teacher. Due to her passion for English, she took her Masters in English Literature & Language and continued as an English Teacher in India.
  Linda moved to the “Tropical Paradise” of the Maldives in 2001 and worked with the Ministry of Education as English Teacher and Head of the Department of English for 7 years. Teaching IGCSE and A Level students helped her become familiar with the British Curriculum and understanding of the importance of the role of a library and research centre. During her stay in the Maldives, Linda set up three school libraries for the students and the community.
  In 2008, Linda had the opportunity of being a part of developing a full-fledged resource and reading library/media centre at GEMS Wellington Primary School, Dubai. She motivated the students to open their mind through reading.
  Linda took up the position of an IB librarian at RAK Academy in 2013 and focused on improving the library resources and research based learning.
  Linda is married to George, a Mathematics Teacher and blessed with two daughters. Her elder daughter, Dr. Smriti, is working in India and her second daughter, Shruti, is working in Canada after completing her Master’s in Business Studies.
  Linda always believes that “the world belongs to those who read.” Her dedication in work and passion for reading has always inspired students of all ages. She is excited about being a part of Ajman Academy and the community.
  
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  Khulood Ibrahim

  Library Assistant

  Departments: Primary School
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  Mahmoud Naffa

  Manager of Facilities, Maintenance and Projects

  Departments: Administration

  Mahmoud Naffa is Jordanian. However he was born and raised in Ajman, this means he has a huge love for this country like it is his country
  He graduated from the Hashemite University in Jordan with a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering. He has six years experience in construction after working as a contractor with Darwish Engineering in Ajman & as a consultant with Eng. Adnan Saffarini office in Dubai. Mahmoud joined Ajman Academy in 2016 as the Manager of Facilities, Maintenance and Projects.
  He is engaged will marry soon.
  Mahmoud’s work goal is to ensure he provides a safe, tidy, & hygienic environment for students & teachers to support the teaching strategy at AJAC.
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  Marli Savage

  Mathematics Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School

  Marli Savage was born and raised in South Africa. She graduated from North West University with a Bachelors of Education Degree, specialising in Mathematics and English for grade 10 to 12. She moved to the UAE in 2016 and has worked at the International School of Choueifat Ras Al Khaimah and was then transferred to the Umm AL Quwain Campus, where she taught primary Math. In 2019 she became the Head of Department for infant and primary math.
  Teaching is a passion for Marli, and math is the subject she enjoys the most. She believes that as a subject, Math is in fact not difficult and that with enough practice anyone can master it. She is constantly looking for new ways to link the subject to concepts that students can easily relate with thus helping them to understand the application.
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  Stephen Aladiran

  Mathematics Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School

  Stephen has 16 years of experience working as a Mathematics Teacher in the UK teaching Key Stage 3, GCSE and A-Level within the UK National curriculum. He worked briefly in IT for over a year before his teaching career.
  Stephen was born in Accra and has schooled in four different countries including Ghana and the UK. He holds a BSc in Mathematics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, MSc in Information Systems from the University of Sheffield and PGCE also from the University of Sheffield, UK.
  He believes that students are able to achieve their best in an atmosphere of respect for all and that children deserve the very highest standard of education which results from outstanding teaching and pastoral care. He adopts an empathetic and encouraging approach to build confidence in students to help them achieve their best.
  In his spare time, Stephen loves to go on walks in the country side, travel to new places, experience different cultures and spend time with his wife, family and friends.
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  Meenakshi Rohilla

  Mathematics Teacher - HOD

  Departments: Secondary School

  Meenakshi Rohilla was born and brought up in a family of teachers in northern India.
  Ms. Rohilla realized her love for teaching as a 16-year-old when helping her siblings and cousins with their home assignments one afternoon.
  
  "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world,"said Nelson Mandela - a thought Ms. Rohilla strongly echoes.
  
  " Children today are going to make tomorrow's community," she said.
  
  Ms. Rohilla chose to pursue her passion for teaching and love for numbers. She started teaching mathematics to young minds in India, before crossing borders to share and grow her knowledge with students abroad.
  
  In 2019, she moved to China, where she taught IBMYP and IBDP Mathematics for two years.
  
  Ms. Rohilla’s next professional endeavour flew her to the East Coast of South America, to an international school in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
  
  She says she cherishes the opportunity to learn unique cultures through the eyes of a child, while sharing the technicality of numbers and its impementation in the real world. The mirrored, yet diverse evolution of humankind amazes her.
  
  In her previous roles, Ms. Rohilla lead the Department of Mathematics, and worked as an Examination Officer locally and internationally.
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  Atif Hanif

  Maths Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School

  Atif is a mathematical enthusiast who has come into teaching to pass on his passion for the subject to the future generations. Atif has been teaching students aged 11-16 for 2 years in the UK and enjoys the interactions and challenges that come with working with young pupils.
  
  Atif has been associated with education since a young age, from nursery to university to now teaching. Atif obtained a bachelor’s degree (BSc Mathematics) from the University of Southampton and then completed his PGCE with QTS at the same university, the following year. After university, he began teaching at Gospel Oak School and has shown his commitment to the school by completing two years of service there.
  
  Living all his life in the UK, Atif feels that the time is right for him to experience working in new environments and broadening his knowledge of education in other parts of the world. Working with fantastic teachers, Atif has become a proactive team member and helped share and implement ideas to improve the department. Atif has developed through continued professional development and observations to ensure that his teaching practice is to an exceptional standard. He has become a determined individual who can use his initiative and complete required tasks to meet regular deadlines.
  
  Having implemented the Gatsby Benchmarks into his lessons, Atif has shown pupils how the skills they learn in the classroom can be applied to different careers. Atif has also supported pupils in projects where representatives from EA Sports and Morgan Stanley have been invited into the school. Experience with different employers will allow Atif to facilitate the MYP programme efficiently.
  
  He also engages with a range of sports, both playing and watching. His love for football is eccentric as he engages with all aspects of the Premier League (England’s top football division).
  
  Atif is looking forward to starting his new chapter.
  
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  Hashim KC

  MIS System Administrator

  Departments: Administration
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  Rawan M. Jamal

  PA to the Secondary Principal

  Departments: Secondary School, Administration
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  Nour Tarek

  PE Department

  Departments: Primary School
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  Luiza Daniela Bucurenciu

  PE Teacher

  Departments: Primary School, PE

  Luiza was born in Romania and lived there until 2013 before moving to the U.A.E. She is fluent in English, Spanish and Romanian language. Away from school, Luiza likes to travel, listen to music and swim.
  She graduated from the University of Sports Movement and Health Sciences in Romania, specialising in P.E and swimming. Before coming to Ajman Academy, she was teaching swimming from Kindergarten to grades 10 in the International School of Chouiefat, Ras Al Khaimah, U.A.E.
  Currently, Luiza is teaching secondary students and KG1 and KG2.
  Luiza believes that everything happens for a reason; education is a particular type of human action or intervention that influences our future. She is a firm believer that humanity will improve through education and that we can all reach our goals through persistence. She is eager to teach the students to swim and to have them represent Ajman Academy in swimming competitions in the future.
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  Jennifer Hewitt

  PE Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School

  Jen grew up with a passion for sport and parents who work in Education which inspired her future career goal. She completed her BA (Hons) Degree in Education Studies at Winchester University. She then went on to complete her Post Graduate Certificate in Education within Secondary PE. Jen has been teaching in a variety of schools in the South of the UK planning and delivering lessons, organising extra-curricular team events and bringing her knowledge and passion for a variety of sports to these settings. Within her experience, Jen has worked with all age ranges from 4 to 19. With a love of all sport Jen has extended her knowledge from practical to technical alongside gaining her gymnastics coaching qualification and football referring certificate. For several years Jen was a judge at the county tumbling competition. Jen was born in the South of England and has enjoyed growing up with her siblings near the coast. Jen was part of the local swimming team training in the water at 5am and conditioning on the trampolines in the evenings. Jen also enjoys team sports such as netball, football and rugby. Jen spent a year travelling around Asia and Australia and enjoyed learning about many different cultures. She has a passion to inspire the next generation to help them identify their sense of self, challenge themselves and build a sense of affiliation with their peers. She believes that through PE she can teach key life values such as fairness, teambuilding, equality, inclusion, discipline, perseverance, and respect.
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  Maysoon Ali

  PE Teacher

  Departments: PE

  Secondary Title: ECA Coordinator

  Maysoon Ali is from Jordan, and a graduated from the University of Jordan with a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education. While at University, she was a member of the Jordanian National team for Volleyball.
  Maysoon views Ajman Academy as the leading school in the region and is excited to observe how the young students learn, progress and evolve through her lessons. She is the PYP subject leader which means she integrates the IBPYP philosophy into the Primary Physical Education planning. As well as her teaching role she has worked as the whole school ECA’s Coordinator for the last four years. She is also fully responsible for the choreography of the schools National Day production that is attended by H.H Sheikh Humaid Bin Rashid Al Nuaimi and other distinguished members of the Royal Family.
  As a mother of two children, she understands how valuable is a positive primary experience is and will strive every day provide lessons that are fun, active, and knowledgeable, providing every student with a positive learning experience and a love for physical education.
  What she like best is the fact that it is the children who are responsible for leading these exciting lesson of learning. She also really values our fantastic school community.
  More than anything it is the success of every child that makes her job as a PE teacher such a rewarding one. When Maysoon is working, she enjoys travelling, reading and spending time with her family.
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  Mohammad Abdallah Hilal Alyousef

  Physics Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School

  Mohammad Alyousef, Born in Irbid Jordan 1986, spent his childhood in the Arabian gulf, in Saudia Arabia, where he started showing early signs of intelligence, earning top scores in all subjects during his early school years (1st grade to 10th grade), later he moved to Jordan where he continued his education finishing high school in Al Yarmouk university model school, later he earned a seat in the Yarmouk university from 2003 to 2010 acquiring a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Physics, After that he started working in the educational sector, spent three years in Jordan in public schools under the ministry of education as a physics and science teacher, followed by a year in Saudia Arabia in an international school, followed by 8 years in education in the United Arab Emirates in the state of the art institute of applied technology. In the UAE He achieved a certified teacher statue, and earned a certificate in education from Harvard university, Mohammad is married and is blessed by two beautiful children, Yousef, and Tala.
  Mohammad believes that every student is a unique individual with some extraordinary ability, the role of the teacher is to identify the genius in every child, and help the student to shine in the real world, by enhancing what’s already polished and eliminating the weakness in the student’s logic, Mohammad is continuously researching and looking for new ideas on how to continue to help the students to be their best, He also regularly attends professional development courses most notably Apple training seminars and using AI in education, which contribute to him achieving these goals.
  In his spare time, Mohammad loves to read, spend time with his family, socialize with friends, keep fit by going to the gym and taking part in outdoor activities.
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  Clare Eastwood

  Pre-KG Teacher

  Departments: Primary School

  Secondary Title: Grade Leader
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  Safiya Sada

  Pre-KG Teacher

  Departments: Primary School

  Safiya has seven years of experience working in Early Childhood Education and six years of experience working within the IB curriculum (PYP). She also has nine years work experience in many different areas of work which include personal shopping, retail, customer service, legal administration and hospitality management.
  Safiya was born in Kuwait to a British mother and Palestinian father but lived and completed her whole schooling life in England.
  Having studied at Leeds Metropolitan University UK, She obtained a BA (hons) Degree in International Business and Tourism. During these four years, Safiya spent one vocational year working in the UAE. It was here during the time she spent volunteering in a summer camp that she discovered her passion for working with children. Safiya went back to studying and qualified as an Early Years Practitioner.
  She believes that every child is a unique individual and has the potential to bring something different to the world. By believing in them as capable individuals, she helps children to develop to their full potential. Safiya is continuously researching and looking for new ideas on how to continue to help the children in her class’s academic, social and emotional wellbeing. She also regularly attends professional development courses which contribute to her achieving these goals.
  In her spare time, Safiya loves to travel all over the world, spend time with her family, socialise with friends, keep fit by going to the gym and taking part in outdoor activities.
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  Sandra Kellec

  Primary School Principal

  Departments: Leadership, Primary School
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  Mahmoud Al Masharqa

  PRO

  Departments: Administration
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  Mirta Rodriguez

  Procurement Officer

  Departments: Administration
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  Naima Abutaha

  Receptionist

  Departments: Secondary School
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  Ghadeer Ahmed

  Receptionist - Primary School

  Departments: Primary School, Administration

  Secondary Title: Bus Coordinator
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  Lea Oxales Orila

  School cleaner

  Departments: Administration
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  Nelia Calamba Calipitan

  School cleaner

  Departments: Administration
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  Diego Lopez

  Science Teacher

  Departments: Secondary School, Science

  Secondary Title: IA and Student Leadership

  Other Titles: Grade 8 Boys Mentor

  Diego is an experienced educator with a passion for sciences and sports. He grew up in Brazil as a competitive swimmer and a talented hockey player. These activities enhanced social and communication skills. Diego has worked with the IB programme for over six years and has been teaching in the UAE since 2018.
  Diego is a natural inquirer, and this attribute has guided his academic life into the world of sciences. In 2009, he completed his degree in general Biology from the University of “Vale do Paraiba”.
  His primary goal as a teacher is to provide opportunities to engage students in the learning environment as well as to guide learners to approach concepts and skills with autonomy and excitement."