Emma Hingston is originally from the U.K. She has lived in Hong Kong since 1997. Emma has the N.N.E.B. qualification, (a diploma in Early Childhood Education 0-7 years). Emma has been teaching for approximately 14 years. Emma is excited to be teaching again after having a two year break to spend time with her six year old son. Emma feels privileged to be involved in a child’s first learning experience. She believes strongly in the importance of fostering a love of school and a love of learning. Emma enjoys swimming, time on the beach and time with her little boy.

Dorri Ramati, our Pre-K Teacher. She originally from New York, moved to Hong Kong in 2007. She is excited to be back in the classroom again after taking a break to spend time with her three children, who all attend Carmel school. She received a Bachelor of Arts in English/Rhetoric with a minor in Political Science from Binghamton University, and a Master’s of Arts in Education from Hunter College. She has a focus on Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) and has experience teaching English to children, teens and adults. She believes in the importance of providing opportunities for self-expression and exploration, and fostering a love of learning early in life. Dorri has been teaching on and off for the past 15 years, taking breaks to move countries and to be with her family. In addition to Hong Kong, she has lived in Israel, Tokyo, and the U.S. In her spare time, she enjoys music, reading, traveling, learning new things and since moving to Hong Kong, has taken up dragon boating.

Nekicia Luckett is our Grade 2 teacher. Aside from traveling to Moscow, Leningrad, and Vernonia as a performing member of the Jefferson dancers, Nekicia earned a high honors diploma from Jefferson Performing Arts High School. She immediately went on to continue ethnic dancing while working toward a bachelor’s degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Oregon. Nekicia earned her Master’s of Arts in Teaching degree and certification shortly thereafter at Concordia University. Her degrees well equipped her to give back to the community in Northeast Portland, Oregon for almost ten years, and also to be an asset for thriving young pupils in a Macau International School. Because Nekicia enjoyed her experience teaching abroad, she has graciously joined the Carmel Primary School teaching staff as the Grade Two teacher this academic school year.

Rachel Perks is our Grade 3 Teacher. She was born in England and gained her Bachelor of Education in 1995 from the University of Worcester. After working in England for a year, she moved to Hong Kong in 1997. She taught in Discovery Bay for five years throughout the lower and middle primary years. After that, she returned to the U.K. for six years where she taught across the whole primary range. Rachel relocated back to Hong Kong in January 2009, when she joined Carmel in Grade 4.

Kerys Powell is delighted to be teaching Grade 3 this year. Originaly from Britain, Kerys has lived in Hong Kong for 10 years. She holds a degree in English language and literature and a postgraduate degree in primary education. Kerys sees Carmel School as a vibrant, caring and committed learning environment and is she is excited to join the School.

Julian Lewis is our Physical Education Teacher. Julian trained as a physical education specialist and class teacher at Victoria University. This is his second year at Carmel School. Julian taught in both primary and secondary schools in the UK. His favourite sports are Hockey and Aussie Rules and he enjoys seeing students succeed through effort and determination.

Chanine Odes is our Art Teacher. She grew up in Cape Town, spent 20 years in Israel and has been in Hong Kong for six months. Having taught Art in a primary schoo in Israel for seven years, Chanine hopes that everyone will see the art room as a place where children can express themselves, can be comfortable and creative.

Wendy Forster is our Music Teacher. She is originally from America, grew up in the UK, and spent the majority of her adulthood living and working in various international schools abroad. She completed her teaching qualifications at St Luke's College, Exeter, UK, in 1976 and has taught in four different schools in the UK, El Salvador, Fiji and Hong Kong. She was a classroom teacher for the first three years of her time at Carmel, and a subject specialist for the Middle School since 2001.

Our EAL Teacher, Susan Whaley, first came to Carmel School as an assistant support teacher in October 2005. She took up the position of EAL teacher in August 2006. Susan was born and raised in Zimbabwe. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Teaching Diploma from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. After teaching for several years in South Africa, she pursued a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in the USA, after which she worked for four years as a speech-language pathologist in Johannesburg, South Africa. Susan initially came to Hong Kong from 1994 to 2000, where she resumed teaching as her primary focus. In 2003, she qualified with the Cambridge Certificate for teaching English as a second language from International House in Barcelona, subsequently returning to Hong Kong. She has worked with a broad spectrum of ages in a variety of settings, including schools, tutoring and speech therapy institutions, hospitals and clinics.