Say Hi to Ms. Siemens!

The 2019-2020 school year has seen several additions to the AISG community, with new faces present in the faculty, administration, and the student body. One such change has been the arrival of Ms. Trixie Siemens, who has replaced Mr. Tragert and taken on the charge of “Middle and High School Assistant Principal.” She brings with her several years of experience in both teaching and administration.

Originally from Canada, Ms. Siemens has been an educator since 2003, teaching in countries all over the globe. She has lived in places such as Romania, Tianjin, Tanzania, and Uganda and is extremely excited to be in Guangzhou for the next few years!

She studied Molecular Genetics at The University of British Columbia (which is where she had her first teaching job!), and states that “biology is [her] passion.” For Ms. Siemens, the shift from teaching to administration happened gradually. Having been in an administrative role for the last few years, she states that it allows her to get to know students away from the somewhat “rigid” classroom environment. In addition to being a Biology teacher, she has taught Drama, been an IB-DP Coordinator at AIS Bucharest, and held the position of Secondary Vice-Principal at the International School of Tanganyika.

Prior to moving to Guangzhou, Ms. Siemens was on an educational sabbatical. She worked as a school accreditor which allowed her to travel to a large range of places. “Gosh, I can’t even count how many places I’ve been to…I don’t think of traveling as a way to check off the number of places I’ve been too,” she informs me. She states that one of the most beautiful, and exciting place she has ever traveled to was Bhutan.

An interesting fact about Ms. Siemens is that she’s been an avid violin player since childhood. She states that she loved playing in an orchestra, and enjoyed being in musical festivals. Along with playing the violin, she was also a keen Varsity Basketball player in high school. She wants to get more involved with AISG’s APAC orchestra program and would love to be more involved with the APAC basketball athletes as well. Being a Canadian, she loves ice-hockey as well. Ms. Siemens leaves no stone unturned as she is also a big fan of literature and drama. She is appreciative of the great selection of books at the AISG library. Her favorite author? Haruki Murakami.

Ms. Siemens is excited about her move to China for a variety of reasons. For starters, she loves the food. She states that the previous places that she’s lived in haven’t had such a wide selection of cuisines to choose from. “I absolutely adore dumplings,” she says. She also loves the safety that Guangzhou provides. She thinks that it’s much safer than the other places she’s lived in, and offers a sense of security. Ms. Siemens enjoys the parks, greenery, and openness of Guangzhou and can’t wait to get out and explore it even more!

One experience that has made a lasting impression on Ms. Siemens was her introduction to AISG’s human resources team. She states that their enthusiasm, gaiety, and love of their city really reflected the fun, kind, and outgoing nature of Guangzhou and its people as a whole. They were welcoming, and amiable, which really helped facilitate Ms. Siemens’ integration into Guangzhou.

Ms. Siemens is delighted that the new school year has finally begun, and states that “students are truly what makes the school lively.” If you see her in the hallways, don’t hesitate to say hi!