Meet the KIS Team
A high performance learning community needs a variety of staff to function well. We believe in holding a shared responsibility for our environment, where each one of us contributes with our best for the benefit of all, no matter the task. Our staff come from, and have experience from, all over the world. We are dedicated, passionate, professional – and fun to be around!
School Board
The School Board is the governing body of the school. It's approval is essential for any major legal and financial affairs, aligning with the school's educational goals. It sanctions policies and strategic plans, empowering the Head of School for daily operations.
With the ultimate responsibility, the Board oversees plan execution and compliance with laws, such as those outlined in the Independent Schools Act.
The Board Members are recruited locally by an election committee, attempting to cover a range of competencies required by the school. There must be a minimum of five board members and the board meets regularly throughout the year.
The current board members are:
Hege Myhre (Chair of the Board)
Lars Ole Bjørnsrud (Deputy Chair)
Anne Gro Kjørstad
Anniken Tangerud
Gro Sel Tveito
Jørn K. Lindtvedt
Kristin Franck
According to the Independent Schools Act, the following also have the right to attend board meetings, state their opinions and have these entered into the minutes:
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The Head of School
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A parent representative
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A teaching staff representative
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A non-teaching staff representative
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A student representative
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A representative from the host local authority (Kongsberg Kommune)
Senior Leadership Team
Hilde Bakken
Head of School
Originally from Sandefjord, Norway.
Studied psychology and social anthropology, public administration and councelling and is a qualified teacher.
Hilde was the Head of Middle Years Programme and IB MYP Coordinator for many years before stepping into the role as Head of School in 2023.
Andrew Gregory
Business Manager
Originally from Great Britain.
Has a Modern Languages degree, and is a qualified teacher. Recently completed Certificate for School Business Management
The true dinosaur of KIS, having worked at KIS in many different capacities since it opened in 2003. He has been MYP Coordinator, Head of Middle School, Deputy Principal and Acting Principal, and is now our Business Manager.
Sofie Jørstad
Head of Primary and IB PYP Coordinator
Grew up in the US.
Has a BA in Elementary Education from Cedarville University in Cedarville, OH, USA and a MA in International Education from the University of Bath in Bath, England. Is an IBPYP workshop leader and school visitor.
Has worked in international schools around the world for over 20 years, including schools in Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Pakistan and Germany. Became Head of Primary / PYP Coordinator since 2013. She is the PYP representative to the board of Norwegian International Baccalaureate Schools.
Juan Camilo Rozo Osuna
Head of Middle School and IB MYP Coordinator
Born and raised in Colombia, Spanish (by heritage) and Swedish (by uprooting)
Has a Bachelor of Education in Bilingual Education, a M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning, and a school leadership certificate from Harvard.
Worked in international IB schools in Colombia, China, USA, Sweden, India, and Mexico.
Has actively contributed to the International Baccalaureate as a Workshop Leader, School Consultant, and Team Leader of authorization and evaluation visits.
All staff
Alison Mulholland
MYP B Contact Teacher and Science Teacher
From Scotland.
Holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biochemistry form Edinburgh University and a Postgraduate Certificate of Education in Biology and General Science from Strathclyde University in Glasgow. Been at KIS since 2012.
Andrea O'Handley
PYP Grade 1 Contact Teacher
From Canada.
Holds a Bachelors in Child and Youth from Mount Saint Vincent University in Canada and a Bachelors of education: elementary from the University of Prince Edward Island in Canada. Been at KIS since 2015.
Andreas Woxen
PYP Norwegian and PE Teacher
From Norway.
Finished his degree in education in 2022 from the University of Southeastern Norway (USN). Been at KIS since 2022.
Balal Shah Pasand
PYP Grade 5 Contact Teacher
Born in Afghanistan.
Graduated from the University of South-East Norway in 2020, with an emphasis on Science and Physical education. Studied International Teacher Education for Primary School program at USN, directed towards the IB Curriculum. Been at KIS since 2022.
Bulent Yarligac
Cleaner and Caretaker
From Turkey.
Started working at KIS as cleaner and caretaker in 2006. This is a role which he has held ever since, making him one of the longest-serving members of staff.
Carlene Topp
MYP SEN Teacher
From England.
She holds a Bachelors degree with honors in Art and Design: Fine Art and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from University of Essex and a Masters degree in Contemporary Art Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London.
Been at KIS since 2023 as an MYP SEN teacher.
Claudia Videira
Librarian
From Portugal.
Holds a degree in Computing and Management and was the head of the Academic services and the Library in a Portuguese university for about 20 years. Been at KIS since 2013.
Connor Cathey
PYP and MYP Assistant
Originally from Idaho, U.S., has lived in Norway since 2007.
From 2021-22 was the MYP music teacher at Norlights Intl' School in Oslo. Received a M.A. in Comparative and Intl' Education at the University of Oslo. Graduated from Idaho State University with B.A.s in Intl' Studies and French, and a minor degree in Anthropology. Enjoys creating/performing music and foraging for fungi.
Been at KIS since 2023.
Diane Hansen
MYP A Contact Teacher
From Great Britain.
Holds a Bachelor Degree in Civil Engineering from Brighton University. Later studying a Graduate Teacher Programme (GTP) at Brighton University. Gained her Qualified Teacher Status in Design Technology and became a secondary school teacher. Been at KIS since 2018.
Emma Green
PYP Assistant
Been at KIS since 2024.
Erin Gonzalez
PYP SEN Assistant
Originally from Mexico where she became a social worker. In Norway she has studied to become Child and Youth Worker (BUA) and currently working towards getting her diploma. Been at KIS since 2020.
Erin Haugen
PYP Norwegian Teacher Grade 1-4 and MYP Teacher
Originally from Canada.
Received her teaching qualifications from Høgskolen i Telemark, and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Nutrition from OsloMet University. Worked at KIS 2012-2015 and again from 2023.
Fatema Husain
PYP and MYP SEN Teacher
Originally from India and raised in Canada.
Holds a Bachelors degree in Primary Education from the University of Alberta. Currently working as a SEN teacher in the PYP.
Been at KIS since 2020.
Hanna Pawlowski
PYP Student Support Coordinator
Moved to Norway in 2016 to complete her BA in International Primary Education at the University of South-Eastern Norway also completed her MA in Special Needs Education. Been at KIS since 2020.
Hemangi Kulkarni
PYP Support Teacher
From Maharashtra, India.
Holds a Diploma and a Bachelors degree in Teaching with a specialization in teaching English, History and Geography, and a Bachelors Degree in Arts, with a specialization in the English language. She had been teaching in India for many years before joining KIS in 2015.
Ida Tveiten
PYP Visual Arts Teacher
Originally from Notodden and holds a Bachelor in Arts with an immersion in Art/Drawing (USN) and Musicology (UiO). She also has a masterdegree in Music pedagogy from the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH), and has been teaching in Schools of music and performing arts and Norwegian public school for 16 years. She started working at KIS in 2022.
Ina Verdi-Ruckstuhl
PYP Grade 6 Contact Teacher
Originally from Switzerland and grew up in Cork, Ireland.
Holds a BA in archaeology and anthropology and an MSc in Migration Studies from the University of Oxford and completed a BA in International Teacher Education at the University of South-Eastern Norway. Joined KIS in 2019.
Jessica Sharples
PYP SEN Teacher
Originally from Great Britain.
Holds a BA Joint (Hons) degree in Psychology and Drama and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, both from Manchester Metropolitan University, England. Jessica has also completed a master’s degree (with distinction) in education from Exeter University, England, that specialised in Language and Literacy. She also has a passion for outdoor education and gained an advanced certificate in Forest School Leadership. She has been working as a Primary teacher in England since 2007, and joined KIS in 2023.
Joana Branco
MYP Student Support Coordinator
Originally from Portugal.
Has a 5-year degree in Applied Psychology from ISPA, Portugal and specialized in Clinical Psychology. She holds a Master of Arts in Psychoanalysis and Management from the University of Essex, UK, and an MSc in Applied Behaviour Analysis with Autistic children and other development disorders, from ABA Spain. Started at KIS in 2013.
Jorge Esteban Bonasif
MYP Maths Teacher
Originally from Barcelona, Spain.
He holds a bachelor's and master's degree in architecture, and a bachelor's and master's degree in international education from SUNY (State University of New York).
Jorge is new to KIS and teaches mathematics in the MYP.
Joshua Nagle
PYP Assistant and MYP Teacher
Originally from the UK.
Holds a Bachelor degree in English literature & Creative Writing, as well as a Masters in Creative Writing from Aberystwyth University, Wales. He also runs the Dungeons & Dragons after-school club
Karoline Helgesen
MYP Individuals and Societies and Arts Teacher
From Norway.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degree in International Politics from Aberystwyth University. She later studied Praktisk Pedagogisk Utdannelse (PPU) at University of South-Eastern Norway (USN) and became a qualified teacher in 2023.
Been at KIS since 2023.
Laila Sørby
MYP SEN Assistant
Laila started working at KIS in 2011 and has had different roles since then. She currently works as an SEN assistant in MYP.
Liisa Kallio
PYP SEN Teacher
Born and raised in Finland.
Have a Bachelor in International Primary Education from the University of South-Eastern Norway (graduated 2022) and a Master in Special Needs Education from University of Oslo (graduated 2024).
Started at KIS in 2024.
Magda Mitter
Cleaner
From Poland.
Magda has lived in Norway since 2010. She has spent 11 years working in Kongsberg Vandrerhjem and started at KIS 2021.
Maha Basheer Sharaf
PYP Grade 2 Contact Teacher
From Cairo, Egypt.
She has a Bachelor degree in English Literature, a Post-Graduate Diploma in English/Arabic translation from Cairo University, and a Masters in Education from the University of Bath, UK. She has also been granted the IB Advanced Certificate in Teaching and Learning Research and is an IB consultant in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East region.
She has been at KIS since 2015.
Müberra Koc
PYP SEN Assistant
Orignally from Turkey.
Holds a Bachelor degree in English Language Teaching as Foreign Language from Uludag University in Turkey. Started at KIS in 2022.
Neil Armstrong Arulappu
SFO Leader
From Sri Lanka.
Holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration (BBA Hons) from University of Jaffan, Sri Lanka and a Masters degree in Business Administration (MBA) from the Sikkim Manipal University of Health, Medical and Technological Sciences of India. He is a qualified Child and Youth worker (Barne- og ungdomsarbeider).
Joined KIS in 2009.
Randi Vaadal
Accountant
Randi has studied economy and business accounting at Høyskolen i Kongsberg (now University of South-Eastern Norway). She has worked mainly with finance and accounting in international companies in Kongsberg. She has also been general manager of a forwarding company for approximately 8 years.
Rob Millburn
PYP Grade 4 Contact Teacher
Comes from England.
Holds a Bachelor of Science Degree, a Post Graduate Certificate in Education and a Masters Degree in Education. For his Masters Degree he focussed on online literacy which continues to be an area of interest for him.
Began working at KIS in 2010.
Sedat Koc
MYP Design Teacher and ICT Coordinator
Originally from Turkey.
Holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Systems Teaching. Sedat graduated from Gazi University in Ankara. He taught high school Computer Science and Information Technology in South Africa from 2012 to 2019 when he joined the KIS team.
Sierra Gentleman
MYP English Language and Literature and Visual Arts Teacher
Originally from the United States.
Holds a Bachelors degree in English and Teaching from Washington State University and earned her Master's degree in English Literature from Kiel University. Has a Professional Teacher Education Certificate from Jyväskylä University and is currently taking language courses in Norsk. Prior to KIS, Sierra taught IB DP Visual Arts at a Boarding School in Northern Germany.
Joined KIS in 2020.
Tania Valente
MYP C contact teacher and MYP Spanish Language Acquisition Teacher
From Portugal.
Holds a master’s degree in teaching English and German as Foreign Languages from the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD) in Portugal. Additionally, she has a certification in Spanish from the Instituto Cervantes and a master’s degree in teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from UDIMA (Universidad a Distancia de Madrid).
Started at KIS in 2013.
Thea Bergan Bjerke
PYP Music Teacher
From Vestfossen, Norway.
Finishing master degree in education spring 2025 at University of South-Eastern Norway with subjects such as music, math, English and Norwegian.
Started at KIS in 2023.
Tina Fjelddalen
School Secretary, Admissions and Communications Officer
Her background is mainly in IT and she holds a certificate of apprenticeship as an ICT-systems operator.
Started working at KIS in 2012.
Vegard Nygård
PYP and MYP PHE Teacher, MYP Norwegian Language Acquisition Teacher
Born and raised in Kongsberg.
Holds a Masters in Sports, Physical and Outdoor Education from the former Telemark University College (now USN).
Joined KIS in 2013.
Zachary Gagnon
PYP Grade 3 Contact Teacher
Originally from the east coast of Canada.
He received a Bachelor of Journalism degree and later returned to university to get his Bachelor of Education. He also holds a Master of Education in Integrative Learning. Zac has been working as an educator since 2001 and within the IB programme since 2008, most recently in Bergen, Norway prior to joining the KIS team in 2021.
Øyvind Berge
MYP D Contact Teacher, Norwegian Language and Literature and Career Counsellor
Hails from Fyresdal in Vest-Telemark.
Has degrees in Norwegian and English Language & Literature and History. His background includes teaching Norwegian Language for Foreigners at the former Telemark University College, journalism, music and working as a translator/ interpreter.
Has worked at KIS since 2015.
