Our faculty and staff chose to become part of the International School of Central Switzerland team because they all share a vision for education at its very best.
All of our teachers are fully qualified in their field and have been selected for their passion and commitment to international pedagogy.

José Antonio Parra
CEO and Executive Director
Married with two sons and one daughter, José Antonio is an aeronautical engineer and additionally holds an MBA from Instituto de Empresa (Madrid). José Antonio was General Executive for Carrefour Group and CEO of the Sotogrande International School before arriving in Switzerland. He is the Chairman of the Executive Committee.

Alexander Wickham
Director of Education
Born in Oxford, England and raised in Spain, Mr Wickham holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Sciences and Education with a specialisation in Management from the European University of Madrid, complemented by a Master’s in Business Administration. He began his career as a secondary school teacher and was later the Head of School at a British International School in Spain. He is currently the Director of Education of our International Schools Group.

Lee Hawthorne
Primary School Leader and Grade 4+5 Tutor
Originally from Birmingham, UK, Mr Hawthorne studied Sociology with History and was awarded a BA Honors and a PGCE in Primary Education. Lee Hawthorne has been working in teaching and education since 1999 and has worked in primary leadership roles for the last 10 years.

Christine Helyer
Secondary School Leader
Ms Helyer holds a dual BA Degree in English Literature and Spanish from The University of Leeds. She completed her Secondary PGCE in English and English Literature at Newcastle University in 2006 and has taught in schools in the UK, Spain and Switzerland. She is the Secondary School Leader and teacher of IGCSE and AS/A Level English Literature.

David Alvarez
Operations and IT
David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronic Engineering and has a Master’s in Team Management. He has worked at Sotogrande International School, leading the design, implementation and data structuring of Inbound Marketing. He also has broad theoretical and practical experience in back office, network and systems.

Dr Armando Caracheo
Grade 12 Tutor, Career Counsellor, Physics and Mathematics Teacher and CIE Exams Officer
Armando Caracheo was awarded a BSc honors in Physics Engineering from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico City) as well as a Master’s degree and PhD in History of Science from Utrecht University and the University of Bologna, respectively. He also holds a PGCEi from the University of Nottingham. With extensive experience as researcher and teacher, Dr Caracheo is also the Cambridge Exams Officer and careers counsellor at ISCS.

Johana Saenz
School Administrator / School Counsellor
Originating from Venezuela, Ms Saenz was awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Finance from the University of Houston- Clear Lake (UHCL). In addition to being a certified primary teacher, she holds a M.Ed in School Counselling from St Thomas University. She has extensive experience in management, school counselling, teaching and disciplinary coaching.

Vasyl Perliyev
Physical Education and EAL
Originally from Ukraine, Vasyl Perliyev brings years of experience teaching in international schools in both Kyiv and Trieste before arriving at ISCS. He holds a BA and MA in both Physical Education and English as an Additional Language.

Ryan Hopton
Grade 8 Tutor Secondary English, History and Global Perspectives
Mr Hopton holds a Degree in Law and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education for Secondary Citizenship with Social Sciences Education. Mr Hopton is a very experienced teacher and expert in curriculum mapping, assessment and delivery of IGCSE and A-Level Humanities frameworks.

Rebecca Bradley
Secondary School Art, Spanish and French
Originally from the UK, Ms. Bradley was awarded a Bachelors Degree (Hon.) in Fine Arts and French from the University of Liverpool, as well as a Postgraduate Certificate in Education. She has over 20 years teaching experience in the UK teaching French, Spanish, and Art, as the Head of Transition, the Head of Languages in large secondary schools, and served as a professional mentor for teacher training and career development. She is passionate about being part of ISCS’s journey in delivering quality teaching and learning to ensure it becomes the benchmark school in the area to offer the British Curriculum. “It’s an exciting time for our school and I am committed to helping to realise the vision of our excellent team.”

Gezu Boelle
Grade 2+3 Tutor
Gezu Boelle is joining ISCS as the new Grade 2/3 teacher. Having gained both a Bachelor’s (Hons.) and a Master’s degree in English language and literature as well as a Bachelor of Law, she brings a wealth of qualifications and professional experience to ISCS. She has been a teacher since 2008, working in various international schools (India, Armenia, Switzerland) across different age groups and both in the IB and Cambridge program. Apart from teaching core subjects, she has ample experience in extracurricular learning and community service programs, having worked as the Service Learning Coordinator at several schools. She has a passion for enabling learners holistically and comes to ISCS excited to contribute to its wonderful learning environment with her skills and personality.

Bethany MacMillan
KG + Grade 1 Tutor

Maria McVeigh
Early Years Teacher
Joining ISCS from the UK, Maria McVeigh was awarded a BA (Hons) in Primary Education with QTS from the University of Brighton. Ms. McVeigh has experience teaching in the UK and in Nepal and is also a certified swimming instructor. She chose to become a part of the team because “I feel it is a real family orientated school and l enjoy having a close community as well as close relationships with pupils and families. I also love that the school is so international and I am able to adapt my teaching style to each individual pupil.”

Perry Jackson
Grade 9 Tutor and Music and Performing Arts/ICT
Originally from Derby, UK, Perry Jackson has a Diploma of Higher Education in Contemporary Performing Arts. In addition to earning his Certificate in Education, he also has an Open Degree specialising in ‘Managing Health and Social Care’ and ‘Working Together for Children’. Perry has a rich array of experience in many fields, including being a healthcare administrator, youth worker, arts-health and theatre-in-education practitioner. He also has expertise within Additional Learning Support, working with Inclusion and Support & Learning Difficulties and Disabilities teams over a 5 year period.

Lila Predouli
Grade 10 Tutor and Secondary Sciences
Lila Predouli is from Athens, Greece. She holds a BA in Geology and Geo-environmental Sciences from the University of Athens and a Master’s Degree in Natural Sciences & Palaeontology from the ETH and University of Vienna. She has experience teaching both IGCSE, A-Level and IB Programmes.

Mark Evison
Secondary Maths and Science
Mr Evison holds a BSc Honors in Physics from the University of Nottingham; he was additionally awarded a Professional Graduate Certificate in Education in Science and Qualified Teacher Status by the University of Portsmouth. Mr Evison has experience teaching in the UK and in international schools in Switzerland.

Adrian Boelle
Secondary German
Born on Lake Constance, Germany, close to the Swiss border, Adrian Boelle is teaching German to both native and second language learners at ISCS. He earned his BA at the University of Tübingen, Germany, spent a year studying at the University of Edinburgh in the UK and completed his Masters at the University of Heidelberg. He started teaching in the IB diploma programme as a Philosophy and Theory of Knowledge teacher at UWC Dilijan, one of the 17 prestigious United World Colleges around the world. Prior to joining ISCS Adrian Boelle worked as the German Language and Literature teacher at Talent-Campus Bodensee in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland. Apart from teaching Adrian Boelle has ample experience in pastoral management and experiential education having worked as a house master in boarding education and as a coordinator for after-school activities. Adrian Boelle joins ISCS as he cherishes its family-like atmosphere, the spirit of internationalism and the opportunity to play a part in further developing ISCS as an educational institution of excellence.

Efi Tsolaki
Spanish and German

Venissa Blaser
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
Venissa Blaser is half Swiss and half Thai. She was born and grew up in Switzerland. She holds a diploma in Finance and Administration and a certificate as a Teaching Assistant. Venissa has experience in the classroom as a Teacher Assistant from Kindergarten up to grade 5, and as a Sport Assistant with Pre-Kindergarten. She has also supported the school in finance, administration, HR and compliance. Venissa has been at ISCS for 7 years. Her true passion is working with children and enjoys motivating them every day. She is very proud to be part of the ISCS team.

Michele Simeone
Maintenance and Care
Michele is from a town near Naples, Italy. He is our caretaker and is always ready to support the needs of our school, staff, and students. We are very fortunate in having him amongst us.

Ciarla Irena
Maintenance and Cleaning
Also joining us from Italy, Irena takes care to ensure ISCS is a pleasant and clean learning environment for our students.