hkaVOICES - Spring 2018

hka
Voices
contributors
Nicole Aschenbrenner is originally
from Michigan, USA, where she received her
M.S. Degree in Special Education and Board
Certification in Behaviour Analysis (BCBA). She
holds a multiple subject, special education, and
supplementary business law credential from
National University, California. Nicole has been
an educator for the past 13 years teaching in
Australia, various states in the U.S. and most
recently in Okinawa, Japan. She and her husband
Eric have travelled extensively and fell in love with
Hong Kong while visiting. Nicole enjoys spending
her free time outdoors, playing sports, and
working toward her Doctoral Degree in Special
Education.
Catia and Will, Grade 5 students, interviewed
Jotit Au Yeung, HKA’s Financial Controller.
Chloe Dare is a Grade 12 student. She writes
about participating in World Vision’s “Walk for
Syria” charity event.
Chris Gallaga is a Chicago native who has
lived in Hong Kong since 1994. While he contends
his culinary career began at age 8 as a fry-cook at
the apron strings of his mother, he has spent 35
adult years training and working throughout the
US and Asia as a chef and catering entrepreneur.
As a Worldchef’s certified Executive Chef, he
joined HKA two years ago to take up the intricate
task of developing our in-house food-service
operation, hkaEATS. When not cooking for and
serving students, Chris spends his time reading
or with his partner Henry (hka Design Technician)
travelling and trying to walk the mountains and
trails of the world.
Sarah Konopka received her Bachelor’s and
Master’s degrees in Speech-Language Pathology
at Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri,
USA. She was awarded the Parsons Blewett
Fellowship and began her career in the St. Louis
public school system and worked there until
shortly after receiving her Certificate of Clinical
Competence (CCC-SLP) from the American
Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA).
Upon moving to Hong Kong in October 2010,
she joined the Jadis Blurton Family Development
Center in Kennedy Town, where she worked for 6
years and took on the role of Director of Speech
and Language Services. She enjoys hiking, days
at the beach, reading and sampling the plentiful
and varied restaurants in Hong Kong during her
free time.
Barry and Julie Lau The Lau Family, including
parents Julie and Barry Lau, joined HKA in 2010
at the Kennedy Town campus. Active volunteers,
they were familiar faces at HKA in the classroom
and at events. The family returned to their native
Australia in 2016.
Shane McKinney began his teaching career
as a Grade 6 teacher outside of Sacramento,
California in 1999. He started working at HKA’s
Stubbs Road site in 2006, teaching Grade 3. He
then taught Grade 5 for 3 years, and has been
teaching Middle School Math at HKA since 2010.
He is currently in his 19th year as a teacher and
as a U14 basketball coach. Before teaching,
Shane was a chef in restaurants in Oregon and
California, and he enjoys cooking in his spare
time. When he is not in the classroom, he can
often be heard cheering from the sidelines at one
of the various HKA sporting events.
Laura Mitchell has served as HKA’s Director
of Institutional Advancement since 2013 and has
been involved with HKA since 2007. Throughout
her two decades in the fields of communications,
advancement and strategic planning, she’s
worked for several organisations, including the
Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Laura
is member of Commission on Communications
and Marketing of the Council for the
Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
She also serves on the board of the Vesper
Society, a foundation that promotes social justice
through health care and community-building. She
holds a BA in Economics from Pomona College
and PhD in History from Yale University.
Kristel Solomon-Saleem is the Director of
Learner Support at Hong Kong Academy. She is
a graduate of Temple University with degrees in
Elementary and Special Education and a Master’s
Degree in Educational Psychology. Kristel’s
passion for teaching and learning have lead her
to working closely with the Next Frontier Inclusion
as a workshop leader, Design Team Support
member and Asia Pacific Regional Coordinator.
She has had the opportunity to lead workshops
for: Special Education Needs In Asia Conference
(SENIA), Eastern Asia Regional Council of Schools
(EARCOS), Association of China and Mongolia
International Schools (ACAMIS) and contribute to
the IB Guidelines for Inclusive Education.
Jennifer Swinehart is in her eighth year
at Hong Kong Academy and her second year
as Director of Research and Development. In
December 2016, she took on the responsibility
of CIS/WASC/IB Accreditation Coordinator,
supporting the 125 community members
currently engaged in the 18 -month long
accreditation self-study process. Jennifer is
also currently serving as Acting Secondary
School Assistant Principal for Grades 9 -12
and IB Diploma Coordinator and is enjoying
the increased interaction with students. A
passionate advocate of developing metacognitive
thinkers, Jennifer believes that making personal
connections to literature can be a powerful tool
for both adults and children as they expand their
understanding of the world around them.
Maggie Taggart is in her 5th year as part
of the HKA community. Maggie is originally
from Toronto, Canada and received her BSc in
Kinesiology and MSc in Occupational Therapy
before joining HKA. Maggie is passionate
about providing inclusive opportunities for all
children, with a strong belief that this enriches
our community as a whole. Maggie has done
additional training in areas of sensory processing,
self-regulation, DIR-Floortime as well as
Handwriting Without Tears. In her spare time, she
enjoys travelling, hiking and exploring Hong Kong.
Maria Tullberg has lived in all corners of
the world, making her a global citizen and third
culture kid. However, she considers Hong Kong
home. It’s Maria’s seventh year at HKA, where
she has worked with a range of grade levels.
Previously Maria worked with communication
and administration in other international schools
in Hong Kong. Maria has a Master’s Degree in
Asian Studies and a Post-Graduate Diploma in
Education from HKU. Recently, Maria completed
a certificate in Mathematics in International
Schools K-8, and she believes that everyone can
be a successful mathematician.
Kendall Zoller, EdD, is an author, educator,
researcher and international presenter in
communicative intelligence, presentation and
facilitation skills, leadership and adaptive
schools. His association with Adaptive
Schools began in 1994. He is co-author of The
Choreography of Presenting: The 7 Essential
Abilities of Effective Presenters (Corwin Press,
2010), president of Sierra Training Associates and
graduate faculty at California State University,
Dominguez Hills and The University of Maine. His
work on leadership and presentation skills takes
him to schools and universities around the globe.