The team leaders and management at Panyaden are passionate people who strive for academic excellence across all aspects of the school programme.
Achieving academic excellence and a healthy attitude to life for all of our students is of paramount importance to the founders of Panyaden International School. The dedication our leaders demonstrate to upholding the school’s vision and mission is outstanding and provides a strong foundation for all teachers and staff to build upon. Each year, we read over 250 teacher applications before carefully selecting candidates for any new teaching positions. All new teachers receive 2 weeks of rigorous training and benefit from an additional 50 hours of ongoing professional development support throughout each school year.
We require that all our teachers hold suitable qualifications and be experienced educators. Most of all, our teachers must be ready to be suitable role models to our students. We know that we ultimately teach through modelling and expect all teachers to fully embrace the values of the school and develop personal attributes in line with the school’s 12 Wise Habits. You will find our talented teachers under each year level, within our Academic Programme.
Pran Indhapan (Kru Nuchie)
School Director (Acting as Head of School)
Kru Nuchie has been actively involved from the very beginning when Panyaden was being initiated in 2010. For almost a decade, she has been our inspiration and the motivational force behind Panyaden’s growth. She has always wanted to build the kind of academic environment where every family aspires to be: a sprawling, biodiverse campus that creates endless experiential learning opportunities, a committed faculty, highly engaged students, thriving athletic and extra-curricular programmes, and a strong and supportive community of parents and friends.
Since inception, she has been able to take the school towards its vision. She holds a Master of Education Management and Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Daiju Vithayathil (Kru Daiju)
Secondary School Principal
Kru Daiju has been involved in education for over 18 years. He holds Bachelor and Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Kru Daiju has taught Social Studies, Business and Management, Economics and Theory of Knowledge. In the last eighteen years, he has been fortunate enough to have worked at some of the leading schools in China, India, Japan and the Philippines. He is also a member of the IB Educator Network as a workshop leader and examiner for Business and Management and Extended Essays.
He has been involved with and chaired a number of committees throughout his career. He has served in various coordinator roles, including IB Coordination, technology initiatives, school improvement programs, and has played a critical role in many aspects of educational professional development.
“I believe that all children can learn but each learns in a different way and at different rates; with hard work and perseverance we can touch each child in a special way. Keeping the atmosphere positive is the key to success, as well as keeping the lines of communication open among staff, students, and parents. Teamwork is the ultimate way a school can be successful in reaching the goal of helping a child attain his or her full potential.”
Erin Michelle Threlfall (Kru Erin)
Primary School Principal
Erin is a champion for social good, school leader, and consultant whose passion is making the world a better place through education. In addition to working in development with the United Nations, she has more than 20 years experience working with international schools in Ghana, South Korea, Togo, Bali, New York and Switzerland. Throughout her career, she has taught across the continuum from Pre-K to year 13, she held various leadership positions including Activities and Service Learning Coordinator, and Erin leads both teacher and parent education series to help support the development of children.
Erin earned a Masters of Science in Education Reform from Pace University and a Certificate in School Leadership from Harvard University. An expert in social-emotional/child-centred, inquiry-based learning, Erin focuses on nurturing global citizenship, happiness, and social activism within youth, and is the
founder of “Happiness 101: Teaching Children the Habits for Happiness”.
Deeply committed to education with a purpose, Erin assists schools in developing curriculum for relevance and significance, tying in service-learning; connections to the Sustainable Development Goals; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and well-being. She has contributed to writing curriculum for the United Nations as well as international schools around the world.
Valaya Dipongam (Kru Tumm)
Administration Director and School Manager
Valaya has more than 10 years of professional experience as a Business Development and Legal Consultant. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Law from Thammasat University and also a Master’s degree in Law in Corporate Law from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York.
She initially joined Panyaden in 2013 during a brief break from her career as a Legal Consultant in New York, but this year she decided to come back to Panyaden as Administration Director after having successfully established a stable business base for her family.
“I am impressed with the Panyaden philosophy as working here made me a better person from the inside. What we are trying to achieve at Panyaden is not only about improving our students’ futures but also about supporting the development of every employee and parent at school.”
As an Administration Director, she will lead and oversee all daily support operations of the school. This includes purchasing, maintenance, IT, catering, housekeeping and Human Resource departments, all vital operations to the school.