Secondary

Shija GODFREY

I was born and brought up in India but have lived overseas for many years now. For the past ten years, I have worked in primary and secondary special education in ESF and other international schools in Hong Kong. As a SEN teacher, I support students in the mainstream classroom and in 1:1 setting. Outside school, I love to cook for my family, play tennis, go for runs and read.

Johanna GOODLAD

I grew up in the Shetland Islands, the most northerly part of Scotland, surrounded by Shetland ponies and the Northern Lights. In slightly warmer Glasgow, I obtained a joint honours degree in Physics and Astronomy. I am passionate about understanding the universe better through teaching Physics and sharing common interests with my students . Aside from teaching, I love hiking, being on the water, camping and making music with friends.

Sarah SWEETMAN

After being born and raised on the quiet Devonshire coast in South West England I decided it was time to follow my passion and move to London to study Drama and Performance at University. Whilst there I was captain of the Dance Society and in between studying and visiting the West End I volunteered to teach Drama in local secondary schools before becoming an EAL/SEN teaching assistant. After completing my PGCE in Performing Arts, I  worked in an inner-city London school before taking the leap to teach abroad in Hong Kong. I strongly believe that every child should have the opportunity to explore the process of theatre-making, linking learned experiences to their own world, whilst encouraging a sense of pride and ownership through individual artistic choices and devised performance. In my spare time, I like to take dance classes and perform as part of the Hong Kong Women’s Choir.

Eugene TASKER

Whilst I am a proud New Zealander, I grew up in Australia where I was educated and spent the first 20+ years of teaching. I have always loved the workshop and design spaces in my schools where students are encouraged to be both skilled craftspeople and creative thinkers.  Discovery College is wonderfully resourced to provide opportunities to all students to showcase their best design thinking.  Having a construction and architectural drafting background, I have designed and built a number of houses, with a focus on sustainability. I believe we have a duty through design to care for the finite resources we enjoy. My passion is travelling, I started travelling around Asia, especially in China a few years ago. Now working in HK gives unique opportunities to continue that.  

Amanthi JAYEMANNE

I moved to Hong Kong five years ago from Melbourne, Australia, where I worked as an engineering researcher and was involved in teaching undergraduate students at Monash University. Since moving to Hong Kong I have worked at Discovery College periodically, teaching and assisting students in their science and mathematics lessons. I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Engineering Science. I am delighted to join the science department and look forward to helping students become lifelong learners. In my spare time I enjoy travelling, baking and watching movies.

Patgee SZETO

Having lived in Toronto for 10 years, I returned to Hong Kong in 2011 and joined Discovery College. I am happy to be a member of the Learning Diversity Team and I am glad to have the opportunity to put what I have learned into practice at Discovery College. In my free time, I love to do reading, travelling and cooking.

Michael VEILLEUX

Born and raised in Quebec, Canada, I am an HVAC engineer by trade and prior to coming to HK, I ran my own successful IT business in the Netherlands. I started to travel the world at 23 to satisfy my everlasting addiction to learning. From the Caribbean to Thailand, Malaysia, Scandinavia and finally nesting myself, together with my wife Danielle, in the Netherlands for 15 years where both our children where born. I am delighted to now be part of the Hong Kong community, where I am able to further my knowledge of the people, culture and – certainly one of my favourites – the Cantonese language. If you don’t see me meditating, playing guitar, running, scuba diving, computer programming or doing some weird prototyping or inventing, I’ll be having quality time with my wife, children, dog and cat…

Nik LIGHT

I have loved teaching Biology alongside a number of pastoral roles, for over ten years in UK schools. Having the opportunity to observe colleagues in America, led me to use the Harkness method as my main teaching strategy, setting pre-reading to spark curiosity and questions, classes can put the scientific method into practice to tackle the most challenging parts of this wonderful subject. Together with leading further service trips in Africa and sports tours in Europe, I was inspired by how much I could learn working overseas. Joining DC in 2021, I travelled across with my partner – an Educational Psychologist for ESF – and three children for life on Lantau Island. Outside of school, I will be found on the beach with my children, probably with a book in hand, or running up the trails.

Nicola GRANT

I’m originally from Greater Manchester, but have spent the majority of my career on the south coast of England teaching Social Sciences and Humanities. My family and I moved to Hong Kong in 2016 and love what this vibrant city has to offer.
In my spare time I love to read and listen to music. I also love to travel and do so as much as possible. I also take the opportunity to hike with my family, as we have such amazing trails on our doorstep.

Amy PROSSER

Born and raised in Christchurch, New Zealand, where I also taught for six years before moving to Hong Kong with my husband in 2019. I have always had a passion for Health and Physical Education, I believe that it is an important part of a student’s education, which is reflected in my teaching. Outside of the classroom, I stay active through competitive sports and exercise, including playing netball, supporting the NRL and exploring the Hong Kong trails.

Gillian WHITTAKER

I am from Australia and have been teaching for many years with experience teaching in Australia, England and Hong Kong. I enjoy working and sharing my passion with DC students and seeing the designing and creating that takes place in the Design Department. Outside of the classroom I enjoy running and have been fortunate enough to travel to some incredible places to join in some amazing runs. 

Mark MACKENZIE

As a Scotsman born in Uganda, I have always had the desire to travel and experience new and different cultures. I have taught in a variety of locations from a remote Scottish island and the vast expanse of the Kalahari desert in Botswana, to the large cities of London, Nairobi and Shanghai. I have very much enjoyed every experience and feel very lucky to be able to work and travel at the same time. My hobbies are very sports oriented: golf, badminton, squash and football where unfortunately I am more likely now to referee than play. When at home I like to cook but unfortunately my performance in the kitchen is “just like a Chemist” as told by my more talented wife. I also watch nature programmes and am very interested in Environmental issues. Most of all I like to walk my dogs in new and exciting places.

Amy YANG

I was born in Shanghai and has been teaching at YCIS Shanghai for over 16 years, from Primary up to Upper Secondary. I became a qualified IB DP Language B examiner and the member of CIS accreditation visiting team in 2013. I am a person who is full of intellectual curiosity who always seeks to investigate new pedagogy and new technologies, which makes my leisure time full of reading and studying online courses. I’m also passionate about photography and painting and enjoy making the invisible learning visible to all my students.

Chris RYAN

Kia ora, I am originally from Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. I have taught in New Zealand and most recently in the U.A.E and Qatar. I am passionate about Physical Education and I believe all students can learn many important life skills through this subject. In my free time I enjoy traveling and experiencing new cultures as well as being involved in any sporting context. I try to play as much squash, cricket and hockey as I can. I am in HK with my wife who enjoys beating me when on the trails and bike tracks. 

Kelly CHAK-MARX

My Chinese family name is 翟（Zhái in Pinyin, Chak in Cantonese). The character 翟 is composed of 羽 (feathers) and 隹(bird). I love the beauty of Chinese characters and like sharing stories and meanings with students. I was born and grew up in HK. After studying anthropology at university, I worked and studied in mainland China, Germany and Luxembourg. Having worked in both business and educational NGOs, I hope to help students see the value of their learning by applying it in real-life settings. I am the mother of two biracial children. Learning and development in multi-lingual and multi-cultural contexts, particularly learning Chinese as an additional language (CAL), is my special interest. I am delighted to be part of DC.

Meena VENKATASUBRAMANIAN

I am from India and have travelled extensively around the world. I have many years of teaching Maths, English, and Value Education. I also have experience in positions such as an activities coordinator counsellor and as a support teacher. I was privileged to work with a wide age group of students ranging from 3-16 in various places including Dubai, UAE, India, and Hong Kong. I joined DC in November 2012 to support the LDT team (Secondary Mathematics and Science focus) and am excited to continue my passion for teaching Maths.  I have two grown-up boys, and I live in Tung Chung. I enjoy helping and guiding students to reach their potential. Apart from teaching I am interested in community service, music, and reading.

Daniel HANSSON

I am originally from Stockholm, Sweden but have also worked in England and Thailand. I lived in Thailand for six years and have therefore developed a preference for warmer weather and spicier foods. I am passionate about teaching Psychology and Humanities. I enjoy reading and I like bookshops and public libraries. Although I am probably not the world’s most physically active person, I appreciate hiking, walking and playing squash, badminton or table tennis.

Claire NEALE

Originally from Yorkshire, UK, I have lived and worked in Hong Kong for many years. I have three children – one is a student at Discovery College and two are currently studying at universities in England. My hobbies are reading and travelling. I love animals and this is reflected in the menagerie that is my home.

Ken TSUI

Marilou PERALTA

My two passions in life are food and fashion, not necessarily in that order, so it shouldn’t be any surprise that I’m in the Food Technology and Textile Design Department. I have been fortunate enough to have worked for a famous apparel company where my job was to ensure that our products were of the best quality that money could buy. I also happen to love cooking and ran hundreds of cooking workshops for beginners and enthusiasts like myself.