We look forward to seeing you on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27, 2024 at Hangzhou International School!
Stay tuned for more updates.
 

 

 

The theme of this year's conference is Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow. On a very practical level, we will be learning at the conference and looking to lead with our learning when we return to our schools. However, the theme also speaks to the role that schools play in developing our students to be future leaders. Likewise, it speaks to the call on us as educators to be lifelong learners. The learning never stops. The best leaders are those that are constantly learning. In these challenging times, the schools and leaders that survive will be those that are able to learn, unlearn and relearn.  We are looking for presenters who can share best practises, insights & innovation and challenge us to look beyond our traditional solutions so that we can find solutions for tomorrow's challenges.

 


 

Keynote Speakers

Jane Larsson
Executive Director, Council of International Schools (CIS)

Jane Larsson has led the Council of International Schools (CIS) as Executive Director since her appointment in 2010, with a strategic focus on the development of collaborative partnerships to enable educational exchange and the development of international and intercultural perspective. The CIS global membership community of schools and universities currently includes 1,444 institutions across 121 countries, each committed to achieve high standards in international education.

Prior to her appointment at CIS, Jane was Direc­tor of International Partnerships with the Visiting International Faculty Program (VIF) in the United States, where she led outreach to promote international educational exchange, establishing relationships with minis­tries of education, universities, internation­al schools and educational associations. She began her career in international education as the Director of Educational Staffing and Publications for International Schools Services (ISS) providing recruitment services and resources to international schools.

Jane lends her voice to key topics shaping the future of international education, advocating for the development of socially responsible leadership through international education. She currently serves as Chair of the International Taskforce on Child Protection and as Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Commission Advancing Independent School Accreditation (ICAISA).

 

Keynote:  Shaping the Future of International Education

Across the world, we continue to recover from a global pandemic. Many aspects of life are uncertain amidst global political tensions, conflict and invasions, the soaring cost of living, a heightened awareness of our mental health and an urgency to care for our planet. We know that all of these things will have an impact on the education of future generations. We also know that all of these things can be impacted through international education. Together, we’ll examine the purpose of international education amidst a changing landscape and how we can develop socially responsible leadership.


 

Marlon Devonish
The British International School of Shanghai, Puxi

Marlon Devonish is famous for being one of Great Britain’s most successful sprinters. A career that spun over 20 years, he competed in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 x 100 m relay achieving European, Commonwealth, and World Indoor Championship titles representing his country. He is Britain's most decorated male athlete with 18 medals. He is known globally for being one of the four athletes to win Gold at the 2004 summer Olympics Games in Athens. Throughout his athletic career, Marlon was awarded for his successes, although not earmarked on his journey he became a Member of the British Empire alongside his fellow teammates Jason Gardener, Darren Campbell, and Mark Lewis-Francis. Furthermore, he has honorary degree’s from both Coventry and Warwick Universities for his dedication and longevity in his sport. 

After retiring officially from athletics in 2013, Marlon created a speed consultancy business working predominately with professional sports players to enhance their sprint speed in their sport. Alongside this, he worked as a business coach for the German company Rixcom, gaining and sharing his knowledge on what is high performance to management at all areas across the business. He travels to countries such as Australia, India, Singapore, and United Kingdom and he still has a foothold in the company. 

In 2017 Marlon saw the opportunity to give back his wealth of knowledge at the British International School in Shanghai, Puxi. He is a high performance and I.B pastoral coach at the school working with students on developing the appropriate mindset that breeds success. Among various projects throughout the school, Marlon leads the athletics program with a vision to make champions in life through sport. Over the past 4 years, he has worked with pupils aged 3 to 18 at the school and teaches within the P.E department. 

One of Marlon’s latest projects was to write a book about his Olympic journey. Collaborating with his teammates and writers, Trystan Bevan and Ben Mercer, in the Amazon raved review book named “Our Race.” Which details the untold story of an all-time sporting shock. Marlon continues to thrive with his wife and two kids and enjoys sharing his wisdom with both the young and experienced. 

Keynote:  Succeeding in the Face of Adversity
No matter what role we assume in life, as we strive to succeed, we also face adversity. One of Britain’s greatest Olympians shares his story as an example of overcoming adversity.


 

CIS was established in September 2012, with just a handful of students. In 2015, CIS became the first international school in China to achieve accreditation as an Alberta international school. In 2016, CIS offered its first Grade 12 courses. CIS graduates receive the Alberta High School Diploma which is recognized by universities and colleges around the world. In June 2018, our community of about 200 students and staff relocated to our brand-new, purpose-built campus at Dongyi Road in Panyu District. The campus has a capacity for 1,000 day and boarding students, with state-of-the-art facilities such as a competitive running track, STEAM/ MakerSpace labs, multi-purpose theater and drama rooms, ecologically-designed play areas and landscaped walkways, a full-service cafeteria with healthy Western and Chinese meals and plenty more. Each space has been meticulously tailored to student educational and learning needs. At CIS, we truly value the development of the whole-child through our small-class sizes, diverse programming and extensive options and extra-curricular classes. Our new campus reflects the variety of talents and dreams that our students have, from the academic or athletic to the scientific and artistic.

Today, CIS has an enrolment of 600 students, representing 45 nationalities. CIS is a now a dynamic place of learning where our students learn to lead with confidence, compassion and enthusiasm. They are inspired to become resilient problem-solvers who see the world with a lens of innovation. They learn today, so that they will lead tomorrow!  

 

Mr Gary Rehman
Head of School

Canadian International School of Guangzhou
No. 122 of Dongyi Road, Panyu District, Guangzhou, China
+86 20 3993 9920

 


 

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