New Staff Members at DISD for the 2026–27 Academic Year

Wencke Adler is taking on the role of assistant principal and brings with her many years of experience in international education. She spent ten years at the German International School Abu Dhabi, where her responsibilities included educational quality management, teacher professional development, and serving as the inspection coordinator. She is now bringing her extensive experience in teaching, school development, and quality management to the DISD administration.

Dr. Nadine Schimmel is joining our team as a teacher of German and German as a Foreign Language (DaF). After several years teaching in Berlin, she spent a year at the German International School Chicago and thus already has experience in the German school system abroad. With her doctoral dissertation on spelling, she also brings specialized academic expertise to German language instruction.

Rebecca Ngueumbou will take over as principal of the German School in Sharjah ( Head of ) for the Secondary School I school year and will teach mathematics. Her professional career began at the German School in Sharjah, after which she worked in Germany for six years. With her return to the United Arab Emirates, she is now beginning a new chapter at DISD, where she will draw on her experience both in the classroom and in her new leadership role.

Lalit Singh Negi has joined our faculty in the 1st grade of the International School of German Studies ( Secondary School ) and teaches English and mathematics. He most recently lived and worked in Bremen; his roots are in Chamdoli, India. He is now bringing his subject-specific and intercultural experience to the classroom and the DISD school community.

Bernd Schweighardt is taking on responsibility for German in Subject-Specific Instruction (DFU) at DISD and is also the homeroom teacher for Class 5a. With his subjects—biology, geography, and physical education—he brings a diverse academic background to the school. He most recently worked at the German School in Mexico and thus already has experience in the German school system abroad.

Miriam Spicker is from Düsseldorf and will serve as homeroom teacher for Class 5b at DISD, as well as an English and Ethics teacher. She previously taught at Gesamtschule Jüchen and thus brings with her experience from the German school system. Her move to Dubai marks the beginning of a new chapter in her career. We warmly welcome her to DISD.

Naheed Mobarak is taking over as head of the Natural Sciences Department and teaches chemistry and English. She is also the homeroom teacher for Class 9a. She has extensive experience in international education and most recently worked at the German International School Sharjah, where she also held a leadership position in the secondary school administration.

Sara Khateeb teaches German and Islam at DISD. A native of Frankfurt, she previously worked as a teacher at the German International School Abu Dhabi and thus already has experience teaching at a German school abroad in the United Arab Emirates.

Rami Ben Rached is from Hamburg and teaches French, English, and physical education at the DISD ( Secondary School I). He previously worked at the Heinrich-Hertz-Schule in Hamburg. In addition, he is a licensed DELF examiner, bringing additional expertise in the field of French language instruction and testing.

Nils Mellech teaches mathematics and physics at DISD in the “ Secondary School ” I and II programs. Previously, he worked at the Deutsche Schule Seoul International in South Korea and the Carl-Benz-Schule in Berlin, among other places. A native of Minden, he brings with him experience from both the German school system and the German school system abroad.

Rada Gürz teaches history, mathematics, chemistry, and ethics at the “ Secondary School ” I at the DISD. A native of Kyiv, she grew up in Cologne and has many years of experience in the German school system. Most recently, she served as vice principal at the GGS Astrid-Lindgren-Schule in Leverkusen; prior to that, she held the same position at the GHS Baadenberger Straße in Cologne.

Saskia Kamp from Koblenz is joining our elementary school team as homeroom teacher for Class 1d. She previously worked as an elementary school teacher at the Goethe School in Lahnstein, near Koblenz. She is now bringing her experience in elementary education to her new role at DISD.

Nina Erbach is taking over as homeroom teacher for Class 3c. She previously served as a homeroom teacher at the Waldböckelheim School for the Deaf ( Primary School ) and brings extensive experience in elementary education. At DISD, she is now applying this experience in an international school setting and will guide her new class through the coming school year.

Corinna von Häfen is returning to the DISD and will take over the French-language track ( Head of ) as well as teach French in the first grade of the elementary school ( Secondary School I). Most recently, she worked at the Oberschule Dinklage. Thanks to her previous work at the DISD, she is already very familiar with our school and the German school system abroad, and she brings extensive subject-matter and pedagogical experience to her new role.

Mirela Adrovic is joining our elementary school team as a subject teacher. She previously taught at a comprehensive school in Germany and has a background in geography, economics, and politics. Her expertise, particularly in geography, is also incorporated into the general studies curriculum for grades Primary School at DISD.

Jasmin Pfeiffer is taking over as homeroom teacher for Class 3a, thereby strengthening our elementary school team. Previously, she worked as a homeroom teacher at GTVS Hammerfestweg in Vienna, where she already taught her own class and instructed students in the elementary school program.

Miriam Gouzer is taking over as homeroom teacher for Class 4d at our Primary School. She previously worked at the Swiss International School Dubai and thus brings with her experience in the international school system in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, she has completed professional development in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP), which complements her educational background.

Christiane Kassama is starting at DISD as interim kindergarten director and will assume the role of deputy Head of of our kindergarten later this school year. She is joining us from Hamburg and has many years of leadership experience in various child care facilities. With her leadership experience and educational expertise, she will support the continued development of our kindergarten.

Tatjana Obbad is joining our preschool team as the lead teacher of the Kraken Group. She previously worked in the Quality Department for Children and Youth at the City of Mainz’s Inclusion Services Division, bringing valuable experience in inclusive education to our team. In addition to her state-certified training as a “ Teacher ” (Early Childhood Educator), she holds a bachelor’s degree in social work.

Marén Wessel is taking over as the lead teacher of the Sea Lions Group at our preschool. With more than 20 years of experience in early childhood education, she brings extensive pedagogical expertise and many years of practical experience to her new role at DISD. She previously worked in Leipzig, where she both studied and worked and, among other things, had the opportunity to help shape the educational direction of a new daycare center. Her move to Dubai marks the beginning of a new chapter in her career.

Hira Ahmad is taking over as head of the Seestern Group at our kindergarten, marking her return to DISD. Following her previous role at our school, she gained additional teaching experience at a bilingual school in Frankfurt and at the Swiss International School Dubai. Drawing on her experience in various international and bilingual school settings, she is now assuming the role of “ Head of ” for the Seestern Group.

Mitra Babadi is taking over as lead teacher of the Clownfish Group at our preschool. She previously worked at the German International School Abu Dhabi and the Swiss International School Dubai, among other places, and thus has many years of experience in international school settings. In addition, she is a trained art educator and combines her teaching experience with creative approaches in her work.

Katharina Lebold is taking over as group leader of the "Walgruppe" in our preschool. She previously worked as a group leader at an inclusive preschool in Neuburg an der Donau and brings experience in inclusive education to the role. At DISD, she is now continuing her work as a group leader as part of our preschool team.

Dunia Fink is joining our kindergarten team as an assistant, effective immediately. She previously worked at the German International School in Jeddah and is therefore already familiar with the unique environment of a German school abroad. She is now bringing the experience she gained there to her educational work at DISD.

Caroline Stephan is joining our Learning Support Team at the Primary School. She previously worked as a German teacher at the Swiss International School Dubai and also has experience as an interpreter for English and Arabic. Her diverse linguistic background complements her work in Learning Support, particularly in the targeted development of our students’ German language skills student.

Manal Moussaoui supports our team in the Learning Support department and is part of the Inclusion Department. Previously, she worked at the Oberhausen School for Students with Special Needs ( Primary School ), among other places, and brings experience in providing individualized support and guidance to students. At DISD, she provides targeted support to students based on their individual needs.

Amanda Issmail supports our kindergarten team as an assistant. A native of Berlin, she has been living and working in Dubai for several years and is therefore familiar with life and work in the United Arab Emirates. At DISD, she now works in the educational department of our kindergarten.

Silvia Al Samahin supports our Learning Support Team at the Secondary School and works as a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in grades 5 and 6. She is from Wuppertal and has been living in Dubai for a year now. In Germany, she worked at both a preschool and a special education school and is qualified to work in the field of inclusion. In addition, she has completed continuing education courses on autism, ADHD, and nonviolent communication.

Julia Aschmann supports our team as an HR Administrator. She previously worked at DB Vertrieb GmbH in Frankfurt as Head of HR Business Partner and brings extensive experience in human resources to the role. She is also a certified business mediator. She has been living in Dubai since February 2026 and is now continuing her career as part of the DISD HR team.

Hazel Abang is joining our team at the School Shop. A native of the Philippines, she has been living and working in Dubai for eight years. For four years, she worked as a supervisor in the catering department at the Swiss Canonica Restaurant at DISD, so she is already very familiar with our school and the school community. She is now taking on her new role as part of the DISD team.

Charona V. de Guzman is joining our team as a receptionist. A native of the Philippines, she has been living and working in Dubai for 14 years. Previously, she worked as a bus supervisor at Taryam American Private School in Sharjah and as an administrative assistant at Beaconhouse Al Khaleej International School. As a result, she is familiar with both the day-to-day operations of a school and the administrative side of the business from various professional perspectives.