The Dwight Schools

Stephen H. Spahn has been Dwight School New York’s Chancellor for over forty years. He completed all course work for a Ph.D. at Columbia University, where he was an International Fellow and a Woodrow Wilson Scholar. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth, where he was an All-American basketball player, Phi Beta Kappa, a Senior Fellow, and an Intern at the United Nations under a 1926 Public Service Fellowship. After graduation, he attended Wadham College, Oxford University.

 

In 1980, Mr. Spahn helped found the Anglo-American School, which was the 58th school in the world to offer the IB Program and merged with Dwight School New York in 1993. Mr. Spahn was also the founder of the 59th school to offer the IB Program, the International School of London in 1972. He also currently serves on the Board of our sister school, Dwight School London.

 

For thirty years, Mr. Spahn was a Director of Down East Enterprises, which publishes Down East Magazine, Fly Rod and Reel, and Shooting Sportsman magazines.

 

Mr. Spahn has been involved as a Trustee of several community organizations, including Asphalt Green, Teaching Matters, and the Boys Scouts of Manhattan. Presently he serves on the Boards of the International Baccalaureate Organization and the RMA Museum of Art. He was a founding member of the Guild of International Baccalaureate Schools, and in 2000 he was a founder the Institute for Civic Leadership, of which his son, Kirk, is the President. Both of Mr. Spahn’s sons, Blake ’89 and Kirk ’95 graduated from Dwight and his wife, Connie, was Dwight’s Director of Admissions for twenty years.

With over twenty years experience working with the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), Kevin brings a network of positive relationships, extensive global experience, and optimistic and inspiring leadership to the role of Executive Director. Kevin has spent his entire career in the field of international education, beginning in 1991 as a teacher of English in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. After time as a teacher, IB Diploma Coordinator, Vice-Principal, High School Principal and Deputy Director he became Assistant Head of School at Dwight School London.

In 1999, Kevin’s leadership skills were acknowledged by his appointment as Team Leader for Diploma Authorization visits in Europe, Africa and the Middle East (IBEAME). He is an international school accreditation member for the Council of International Schools (CIS) and New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).  He has accredited or authorized more than twenty schools around the world. He has served as both an elementary and secondary school leader —experience that provides a deep understanding of the needs of all three IBO programs (the IB Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma Program) within IB World schools as well as a working knowledge of other national curriculum, and has also been an IB examiner since 2005.  In 2008, Kevin became Chair of the ECIS Secondary Administrators’ Committee and has worked as a consultant and workshop leader for Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) in the capacity of international conference workshop leader. 

Kevin holds a Masters degree from Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK; a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree from the University of Toronto, Canada as well as a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of New Brunswick, Canada in addition to other professional qualifications and certifications.

David Rose has been Head of Dwight School London, based in North Finchley, since 2005. A renowned European IB leader, David has a Certificate in Education, a Bachelor of Arts and later a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Management, and has recently been elected as a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts (RSA).

 

After an initial appointment as a primary teacher in a state school near London Heathrow, David began a distinguished career in global education at the Anglo-American School of Stockholm and afterwards moved on to teach at The British School of Islamabad in Pakistan. He became Deputy Headteacher of Oerlinghausen School in North Germany and then later Deputy Headteacher of a large primary school on the island of Cyprus – Akrotiri Primary School. In 1996, David returned to Germany to become Headteacher at Montgomery School near Hanover. After five successful years leading the growth of these schools in Europe, David went Stateside to become Head of School at The British School of Houston, Texas, a Pre K-12 international school. David led the school through a period of rapid growth and to its authorisation as an IB World School. In 2005, David and Vivienne returned to London after more than 20 years of working overseas. David took up the position of Head of School at Woodside Park International School, which is now known as Dwight School London, part of The Dwight Schools. In 2010, David led the development and founding of The Holmewood School London, a school that specialises in supporting high functioning international and local children who have special educational needs. David speaks German and Swedish, is an Independent Schools Inspector (UK & Overseas), a school authorization visitor for the European Council of International Schools and he is currently Chair of the London International Schools Association. David enjoys golf, is a Houston Rockets fan and, in the IB tradition, he is a lifelong learner!

Prior joining The Dwight Schools, Jerry worked for twenty-eight years at the prestigious Lester B. Pearson College of the United World Colleges, where he held multiple roles including Dean of Studies, Director of Residence, and Assistant and Interim Director. Jerry has been the IB Coordinator at several schools, and he has led the IB School authorization of many schools. For twelve years, he was an IB Chief Examiner and a key member of the IB Online initiative, giving over one hundred workshops and seminars in North America, Europe, Latin America and Africa.

 

In 2005, Jerry took a two-year leave of absence from Pearson College to apply his global vision as Director of the Hermann Gmeiner SOS International College in Santa Ana, Costa Rica, a unique school designed to provide academically high achieving SOS orphans with the International Baccalaureate Diploma. Jerry’s role was to raise the academic standards of the school and to lead the IB Diploma authorization process. During his time, he initiated the process for Hermann Gmeiner SOS International School to become a United World College (now UWC Costa Rica).

 

Jerry has a Master of Arts from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelors of Arts and a Diploma of Education from the University of Victoria. He is a graduate of the American School of Madrid and undertook Senior Studies at the Universidad de Madrid. He also has Certificat de Français and Diplôme de Français from the Université de Bourgogne’s Centre International d'Études Françaises.

Dianne Drew moved to New York in 2003 from her hometown of Melbourne, Australia and joined Dwight in 2006. She graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Post Graduate Diploma of Education. She is currently completing a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership and Management from Bath University with a focus on International Education.

 

Dianne began her English teaching career in 1993 and has spent many years teaching and consulting in Asia and Australia. Her experience covers both the public and private school sectors as Middle School Coordinator, Faculty Professional Development trainer and Curriculum Director. She now acts as Head of School of Dwight School New York after three successful years as Director of Curriculum and Professional Development for Dwight K-12 as well as overseeing the IB (International Baccalaureate) Middle Years Program (MYP).

 

Dianne has a long history with curriculum development and reform and is an accomplished International Baccalaureate Workshop Leader, Site Evaluator and Consultant for the MYP. She is currently Vice President of MYP for the Guild of IB Schools in North America.