Whittle School & Studios Teachers on Shenzhen Campus (Part 2)


David Ho   |   April 4, 2019

View: Whittle School & Studios Teachers on Shenzhen Campus (Part 1)

Two weeks ago, we introduced 10 outstanding teachers from our Shenzhen Campus in a previous article 「Teachers on Shenzhen Campus (Part 1)」. Today, we are pleased to continue to introduce another ten talented, passionate and professional teachers who have joined the Whittle family.

Daniela Rodnite

Daniela is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and is a graduate of The Juilliard School in New York. Winner of numerous fellowships and competitions, she has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Daniela has a background in the Orff, Kodály, and Suzuki methodologies, and has taught instrumental and classroom music to students of all ages in the US, Denmark, Hong Kong Malaysia, and Singapore.

Conor Mckee

Conor McKee was born and raised in Northern Ireland and was further educated in England, where he graduated from the University of Oxford (Balliol College). Conor holds an MA (Oxon), a Postgraduate Diploma in Writing for Performance and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), as well as qualifications in Digital Media Production. Early in his career, he was a playwright and producer. Since 2015, he has taught in the United Kingdom and internationally, and was actively involved with the school production.He is currently completing an MA in Digital Technologies, Communication and Education through the University of Manchester. He has a passion for Shakespeare and cycling.

Jia Jun Ph.D.

Dr. Jia holds BA and MA degrees from the Renmin University of China, and completed his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and World Literature at the same institute. Funded by the China Scholarship Council, he attended Università di Bologna in Italy for one year. There, he experienced the importance of diversity and internationalism. His fluency in both Chinese and English will make a great contribution to our bilingual campus and his research on the humanities in both Chinese and Western contexts will help cultivate children’s ability for critical thinking. A firm believer in the significance of interdisciplinary education, he introduces students to a larger world through the tools of language, literature, history, and philosophy.

Niu Yunan

Niu Yunan obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Arizona State University, and then received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Special Education (Bilingual Extension) from Teachers College, Columbia University. She now holds a valid California Child Development Program Director Permit. Before joining Whittle, Yunan worked with young children from many different types of placements and schools, and has accumulated rich experiences in both special education and early childhood education, especially in early intervention for children with autism and/or developmental delays. Yunan believes that every child is capable of learning, and that educators should allow and encourage young children to express themselves in their preferred ways.

StaceyAnn Palma

StaceyAnn Palma is a passionate and organized teacher with 15 years of teaching experience. She received an undergraduate degree in history from Spelman College in Atlanta and a graduate degree in education from the Hunter College (CUNY). She has taught international courses at top private schools in both New Haven, Connecticut and Shanghai, China. In the course of teaching, she is especially devoted to advocating the improvement of students’ reading and writing.

Taylor Collard

Taylor Collard was born in London and later moved to Spain where he grew up loving football. He played through his late teens and then moved into coaching. In 2011, Taylor moved back to the UK where he achieved a Bachelor’s in Sports Coaching from the University of Central Lancashire and worked at the professional football club Preston North End FC. In 2014, he moved to the United Arab Emirates where he led a sports & wellness program at the American University of Sharjah. Upon leaving the UAE in 2016, Taylor continued his journey into China working as a Lead Player Development coach at a teenage football club. Taylor also has an English Football Association Coaching license.

Zhang Jingyu Ph.D.

Dr. Zhang has rich educational and professional experiences in both Western and Chinese cultures and environments. He received his doctoral degree in Engineering in the U.S. and worked for several years in the U.S., China and Canada. Previously, as the chief engineer in a Fortune 500 engineering company, he oversaw and managed the construction of the largest landfill project in the U.S. Beside his professional achievements, Dr. Zhang is also  active in the community. He help found the Chinese Association of Startup and Entrepreneurs in New York, U.S. After 12 years of overseas experience, he came back to China to pursue his dream as to become an educator. The mission of Whittle School and Studios resonates strongly with him.


Sander Meilink

Sander Meilink was born in the Netherlands and spent most of his childhood in Nijmegen before moving to Utrecht. He earned his B.A. at the University of Applied Sciences in Amsterdam in addition to certifications in Electrical Engineering and Multimedia Design. In 2015, Sander started a leading STEM education company for Lego Education, robotics, coding and engineering for K-5 kids at top international schools building off his eighteen years’ experience working on new technology and multimedia projects for private and governmental healthcare, financial and transportation companies. Sander speaks Dutch, English, German and Chinese in that order of fluency. During his spare time, he composes music for theater and video games.

Zhang Litao

Zhang Litao received his B.A. in architecture from Central Academy of Fine Arts (C.A.F.A.), where he also earned his M.F.A. in Sculpture. He studied at The Oslo School of Design and Architecture as an exchange student and attended New York Studio School as a visiting scholar. He participated in several international resident programs and held a solo show in Beijing in 2016. During his graduate study, he has cooperated with the Western Academy of Beijing to launch a pre-college sculpture program. Later, he established courses in sculpture at Beijing National Day School, where he served as a teacher. In his style of education, he focuses on PBL (Project Based Learning) teaching and STEAM projects to enhance each student’s learning capacity through interdisciplinary study. He has also been practicing Chinese Traditional Medicine for many years.

Whittle Parent Information Events will be held on irregular basis in Shenzhen. Welcome to join one of the event and have a face-to-face communication with the team.

Long press the following QR code to sign up:

Address and contact information:

Chinese Name:  荟同学校

Place Address:  18/F CM Port Building, Industrial 3rd Road, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 518067深圳市南山区工业三路招商局港口大厦18层

Website:  Whittle School & Studios’s Website

Place Phone:  +86 (755) 26691818

Email:  [email protected]