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SPARKING GENIUS PODCAST

About the Podcast

Since the founding of the first Dwight School in 1872, our mission to ignite the spark of genius in every child has not wavered - nor has our pioneering attitude. But as the world changes with each passing day, so does the field of education. As we look ahead to the coming years and the many ways that learning innovations can continue to be integrated into systems of education, there is so much to look forward to. On Sparking Genius, host Dianne Drew sits down with education leaders and innovative thinkers to explore what the future of education holds. We dive into the most cutting-edge topics, and hear firsthand how new strategies and fresh perspectives can inspire and enlighten students like never before. So join us as the Dwight Schools Global Network takes the next step forward in our long history of leading the way in education — all while discovering incredible advancements that will benefit the next generations of students. This is Sparking Genius.

Latest Episodes

About the Episodes

Episode 1: Helping students find their spark

There’s a core educational philosophy we embrace at all of our Dwight Schools worldwide that forms the foundation for everything we do: the “Spark of Genius.” It’s a passion or skill which we aspire to ignite in every child - and it’s the namesake for this podcast. On this episode of “Sparking Genius,” host Dianne Drew speaks with three guests who have unique perspectives on how students find and nurture their sparks. We hear from Vice Chancellor Blake Spahn about the origins of the ethos, Teacher Lesa Wang about personalizing students’ journeys in the classroom, and alumna Jada Morgan about how she found her own spark. Listen to episode 1 now.

Meet Our Host

Dianne Drew, Head of School and Global Education Director
Dianne Drew, Head of School and Global Education Director

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Ms. Drew is an internationally recognized educator with 30 years of experience in administration, teaching, curriculum development, and educational consulting in both public and private schools in Australia, Asia, and the U.S. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Post-Graduate Diploma of Education from Australia’s Monash University, and a Masters degree in Educational Leadership and Management from Bath University.

In combination with her New York Head of School role, Ms. Drew serves as Dwight's Global Education Director supporting the academic needs of all the Schools in the Dwight network (New York, London, Seoul, Shanghai, Dubai, and Dwight Global Online School).

Ms. Drew was elected as a member of the prestigious International Baccalaureate Global Heads Council from 2014-21, serving in a strategic leadership capacity and advising the Director-General of the IB on important IB issues impacting students. She was also elected Chair of the Heads Council in 2018 and served a four-year term. As Chair, Ms. Drew was a member of the IB Board of Governors through 2021.

Ms. Drew is an accomplished IB workshop leader, site evaluator, and consultant for the IB. For five years, she served as Vice President for the Guild of IB Schools of the Northeast (MYP), which is comprised of over 100 public, private, and parochial schools. Ms. Drew is passionate about promoting faculty professional development to ignite the spark of genius in every teacher and fosters enriching cross-campus curricular collaborations among The Dwight Schools to benefit all Dwight students.