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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

The Kilmore

International School

Australia

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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 25th anniversary and I hope to see you at one of the reunion celebrations we are planning.

Best wishes

Andrew Taylor

Principal

welcome

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1993 1995

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.

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).

Name: LAU, Cham Yat (Vincent)

Homeland: Hong Kong

Current location: Hong Kong

Where is he now: Vincent gradu-

ated 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 de-

scribes 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 thorough-

ly enjoyed the semi-rural environment where he could

find peace and quiet to concentrate on his studies.

His advice to current TKIS students is:

“Study as hard as you can, IB is worthy of your effort!”

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1999

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”.

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 …

“Kindness is magic” Derek

(Ricky Gervais). If you follow

this….then nothing can go

wrong!

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2000 2001

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!

Name: LIU, Yang (Connie)

Homeland: China

Current city: Canberra

Where is she now: Connie left TKIS

after graduating in 2000 and com-

menced her undergraduate Com-

merce degree at Melbourne Universi-

ty where she majored in Accounting

and Finance. After graduating in 2003, she worked at

TKIS for a little while helping out with marketing and stu-

dent recruitment. She then joined Deloitte and later be-

came 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 Mel-

bourne recently (pictured below).

Connie advises TKIS students to enjoy their time at TKIS

as it’s the starting point of your dream life!

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2001

Name: David Wittmer

Homeland: Australia

Current city: Melbourne Where is he now: David has al-ways 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 Physi-cal 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 re-plied: “It is important for everyone to live an active life-style 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 stu-dent has been struggling with a particular skill or con-cept and I am able to help them get the hang of it. Stu-dents 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 bas-

ketball team with some of his

friends.

Name: Darren Lapthorne Homeland: Australia Current city: Bendigo, Victoria Where is he now: Darren gradu-ated from TKIS in 2001 and com-menced his degree at Latrobe Uni-versity studying Bachelor of Infor-mation 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 memo-ries of TKIS. “The mix of nationalities and cultures created a positive envi-ronment and gave me an understanding of differ-ent views and ways of life. This has been very beneficial for working alongside people from all over the world in my current situation”.

Darren advises current TKIS students to follow their dreams and enjoy everyday at TKIS as the time there will pass by very quickly!

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2004 2005

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 Sci-

ence 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 envi-

ronment 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!”

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.

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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.

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WEDDINGS & BABIES

Right: DUAN Yunchao

(Don) and LIU Jun (Lin)

met at TKIS and graduated

in 2005. They are now

married with a

cute little baby!

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 mar-

ried last year. They now live and

work in Canberra.

Left: CHEN Jiachen

(Christine) who now

calls herself Vivian

and DUAN Ming

(Vincent) both grad-

uated in 2003 and

got married in 2012.

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TKIS STAFF

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: M

PAM TRIPP Most of you should remember Mrs

Tripp because she’s been here al-

most as long as TKIS has! This is

her 21st year teaching at TKIS. Mrs

Tripp teaches TOK, English A, Eng-

lish 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.

PAUL SZCZUR Mr Szczur (fondly known to many

students as “Szczur” has been teach-

ing 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 Mathe-

matics. 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 re-

plied: “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 thor-

oughly enjoy the

academic process-

es in learning and

working with

young people to

help them grow

into well informed

and educated citi-

zens”.

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TKIS STAFF

PISEN HONG Mr Hong is TKIS’s longest serv-

ing 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 su-

pervises numerous Chinese A Extended Essays every

year. In the past, he’s also taught IB Art and is an accom-

plished Artist himself. As well has being an IB examiner

for many years in Chinese A, Mr Hong is also an IB Work-

shop Leader.

Mr Hong loves working with people, especially young

people. He enjoys passing on his knowledge and life expe-

rience 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 is-

sues from our students. Apart from that, the school envi-

ronment 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 ener-

getic 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!

CHERYL

MOULDER Mrs Moulder has been a teacher

since 1976 and has been teach-

ing at TKIS since 1995 so that

makes this her 20th year at

TKIS! Most of your will remem-

ber Mrs Moulder as a quiet yet

lovely teacher, extremely dedi-

cated to her main subject areas of Chemistry and Envi-

ronmental Systems. Mrs Moulder has been an IB Examin-

er for many years and has been the Deputy Chief Examin-

er 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 Mel-

bourne over the years. She is currently the Head of Lean-

ing 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 re-

member. 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 Bacca-

laureate Organisation as well”.

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The Kilmore International School

40 White St, Kilmore

Victoria, 3764

Australia

Phone: 0011 61 3 5782 2211

Fax: 0011 61 35782 2525

Email: info@kilmore.vic.edu.au

Web: www.kilmore.vic.edu.au

Facebook: www.facebook.com/

thekilmoreinternationalschool

“Excellentia Academica Persequenda”

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:

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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?

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our students?

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