Successful educational leaders are driven by a moral purpose. They are equipped with strong self-belief and possess a learning attitude. Such leaders continuously guide and support their colleagues and students for their growth and betterment. They are driven by the motive of refurbishing education and creating the champions of tomorrow.
One such exceptional and motivated change leader is Karrie Dietz, the Head of School at Stamford American School Hong Kong. After gathering more than 25 years of experience in teaching and school leadership from 5 different countries, she joined Stamford Hong Kong as a founding member of the school. Karrie received an Executive Certificate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford University and a Certificate of International School Leadership from Principals’ Training Center. She completed her MA in Education from Hamline University. Karrie has also served as a Principal at Stamford American International School in Singapore, where she was in charge of monitoring the growth of an elementary school division, which housed 450 to 800 students. In this role, she was instrumental in implementing digital literacy programs and managing the development of language programs, including Stamford’s Mandarin/English Bilingual Program. Right from the beginning, Karrie has been instrumental in building a caring community and strong relationship with the parents.
A Fervent Educator
A dedicated and innovative leader, Karrie has gained vast experience, beyond that of her time in Singapore. Previously, she had served as a Principal of Prem Tinsulanonda International School in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where she facilitated school-wide curriculum development across four International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. This included the use of standards, benchmarks, and curriculum mapping software. Karrie was also the School-Wide Curriculum Coordinator and a Vice-Principal at the American International School in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Additionally, she had also offered her services as a teacher in Tashkent International School, Uzbekistan and in Minnesota, USA.
Being a passionate educator, Karrie always pays attention towards collaborating with others with the objective of empowering children to reach their full potential and make a difference. She is an experienced International Baccalaureate workshop leader, who also serves on and leads the Council of International Schools accreditation team visits for schools in the Asia Pacific region. Karrie has also served as the Co-Founder and Co-Director of Backwoods Adventures Ltd, USA. Here, she coordinated and supervised week-long backing adventures in northern Minnesota and the Colorado Rocky Mountains for children ranging from 9-14 years with a focus on experiential learning.
A Maestro of Various Domains
Karrie has attained Master of Arts in Education from Hamline University and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from St. Catherine University, both located in Minnesota. Additionally, she is an International School Leadership Certificate holder from the Principals’ Training Center in America and has also received an Executive Certificate of Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Stanford University. “I am absolutely delighted with the caring community we are creating at Stamford. We have a highly qualified team of faculty and staff who are committed to inspiring students and empowering them to succeed” she says.
About Stamford American School Hong Kong
Established in 2017, Stamford American School Hong Kong offers quality education to students from Pre-primary to Grade 12. The school is driven by the purpose, An Inspiring World of Education: Building self-belief and empowering individuals to succeed. By 2023, it aims to be recognized as a school with an innovative approach to nurturing children. Stamford lays emphasis on integrity, courage, innovation and compassion. It believes in care, character building, well-being, and also follows a global mindset. The school is also a reputed member of the Cognita Schools Group, a family of 70+ schools.
The Achievement Saga
Under Karrie’s visionary leadership, Stamford has achieved the heights of success and prominence. Her prime focus has always been to create a caring and happy culture, wherein children are inspired to achieve the best and learn throughout. She has led the school to attain student growth to 740 students during the first three years. She has also played an active part in the development of initial curriculum and programs and has played an essential role in the planning for CIS accreditation and IBDP authorization. Karrie’s dedicated leadership has assisted the school in earning Cognita’s Global CEO award for student growth results.
Inspiring the Future Leaders
Karrie leads Stamford to provide authentic opportunities to the students so that they can connect with the local and global communities. Her prime motive is to make a difference in the students’ lives by empowering and inspiring them to achieve the best. Under her leadership, the school connects with global mentors keeping in perspective the overall development of the students.
Opinions about the Education Sector
Karrie believes that the world is constantly evolving and education and technology need to stay abreast of the rapid changes in the world. “One thing has become more apparent that children are going to need transferable skills, in fact the World Economic Forum’s top skills are what would be considered ‘soft skills’ such as teamwork and collaboration etc. With the world changing rapidly I think no matter where our children live or where their journey will take them we need to prepare them with skills that allow them to face ever-changing challenges and opportunities”, she adds. While concluding, she advises the students to follow their dreams and make a difference in the world with their dedicated endeavors.
