Karine RAVEL SANCHEZ, Founder and Director

Following a Masters degree in Economics and a DESS degree in Human Resources, Karine began her career in Human Resources as a consultant and HR Manager in private companies.

After six years, Karine decided to change paths and she became a teacher certified by the French National Board of Education. She spent the following ten years teaching classes of varying levels between maternelle (nursery school) and CM2 (primary school).

Karine pursued her teaching experience in French schools abroad. She also worked as the pedagogical and administrative manager of a French school in Chile with 7 classes.

Drawing on her experience working with children, as well as her own personal experience as a mother of four, Karine decided to open her own school in Provence, a school which would adapt to the needs of each child.

Karine completed training in Montessori teaching methods for 3-6 year olds and 6-12 year olds with the organization « Apprendre Montessori, ». She also completed training sessions with Sophie Rabhi on the themes of Active Listening, Non-Violent Communications and Mediation. Karine is in charge of school administration and management. She also works closely with the teachers and with the school’s Pedagogical Director, to organize and structure programs which meet the needs of each child at the Gift School.

Romain MAFFI, School Director and Curriculum Director

Romain a débuté sa carrière d’enseignant en région parisienne dans des zones d’éducation prioritaire. La différenciation pédagogique a été d’emblée un facteur essentiel de sa classe. Puis s’en sont suivies deux années à la French American School of New York dans laquelle il s’est perfectionné dans l’utilisation des nouvelles technologies et dans l’enseignement bilingue.

De retour en France, il a mis ses nouvelles connaissances en pratique au service de projets, d’ouverture sur le monde et de bienveillance au quotidien. Il a toujours eu à cœur la réussite de tous les élèves et leur bien-être à l’école. Soucieux de découvrir de nouveaux systèmes éducatifs, Romain et sa famille ont vécu deux ans à Copenhague en travaillant au Lycée Français de Copenhague où la découverte des pédagogies scandinaves ont apporté beaucoup à ses pratiques de classe.

De retour en France, après une année en tant que conseiller pédagogique à Pantin (responsable de la formation, organisation de rencontres sportives ou de classes transplantées, relation entre les écoles et l’inspectrice), il a été directeur d’une école démocratique dans le centre de Marseille.

Toutes ces expériences, en particulier les deux séjours à l’étranger l’ont convaincu de l’importance du bilinguisme et de ses bienfaits sur tous les apprentissages ainsi que sur l’ouverture culturelle des élèves, celle-ci amenant forcément à l’éco-citoyenneté chère à la Gift School.

Laura GILLESPIE, Assistant Director

Like jazz (and like Carolyn), Laura was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Growing up in a bicultural French-American family taught Laura the fundamental rules of intercultural communication which she later refined through her studies, research and extensive travel.

Laura’s professional experience is diverse. After working both in Brazil and in New York, she worked for 8 years as an independent English language communications consultant for both local and international companies based in the Aix-Marseille region. She then founded and ran a destination wedding company, worked for EPIM (Ecole Privée Internationale de la Mediterrannée in Luynes, taken over by IBS in 2015), worked for a luxury travel planning company in Provence and then worked at the organic food store Biocoop in Aix. All the while raising two bilingual children and being a very active parent in her children’s schools and communities.

Laura joined the Gift School team in September 2020. She also supervises lunchtime for all classes.

Emmanuelle ROQUES, French Teacher elementary classes

Emmanuelle’s gentle nature, her optimism and her outgoing character have been a wonderful addition to the Gift School team since September 2021.

Frances SILLARS, English Teacher for elementary classes

As a young child Frances has distinct memories of her first real appreciations of the natural world; the smell, the feeling of the wind and the taste of rain. Her young adulthood was shaped by natural history documentaries presented by the infamous David Attenborough. His wonder at the beauty, diversity and preciousness of our world along with his respect for our beautiful planet yet also the people he spoke with whether that be a young child, an eminent scientist or those who live off the land enthralled her.

Following a degree in Biology and French, Frances moved to Quebec to teach. This experience then inspired her to return to the UK and obtain her Postgraduate Diploma Certificate of Education in Secondary Science (Biology). Fascinated by the way a child’s first experiences with the subject named “Science” can influence the future of their passion for the world and its workings, Frances taught in two secondary schools and was responsible for organizing the Junior Science curriculum as well as Primary Outreach work. After having two daughters, here in France, the role of a bilingual and respectful education has taken a new and even more important meaning.

Frances joins the team at the Gift School to share her love of the world around us and our role within it.

Marie-Anna RECK, English teacher for elementary classes

Marie-Anna est une enseignante qui sait allier le scolaire et le ludique dans ses méthodes d’apprentissage. Marie-Anne a dédié sa vie à l’enseignement d’enfants d’âges variés, d’abord les siens, puis ensuite, pendant 20 ans, dans des écoles privées bilingues en Afrique du Sud, au Swaziland, aux Etats-Unis et en Allemagne, son pays natal.  

Marie-Anna a enseigné en anglais et en allemand en école élémentaire. Diplômée du Cambridge Teachers Certificate et du TEFL puis formée à la méthode de lecture “Jolly Phonics” ainsi’qu’au programme “Early Childhood Education”, Marie-Anna aime apprendre aux enfants la pensée critique, tout en les accompagnant individuellement à réaliser leur plein potentiel.

Marie-Anna a acquis beaucoup d’expérience en enseignant selon les méthodes Montessori et Steiner Waldorf à l’école Waldorf de Charlottesville, en Virginie, à la Leibniz Private Schule d’Elmshorn et à l’école Mortimer de Kaltenkirchen en Allemagne, et dans le cadre du programme Playgroup and Literacy à Ferney-Voltaire en Suisse. Elle a débuté sa carrière d’enseignante aux lycées Sisekelo et Sifundzani au Swaziland. Elle a aussi été formée par le professeur allemand renommé Gerhard Foerderer dont les valeurs et les convictions sont si proches de celles de la Gift School.  

Ses racines sont allemandes mais la patrie d’adoption de Marie-Anna est l’Afrique du Sud où elle a vécu de l’âge de 3 mois jusqu’à l’âge adulte.

Adepte du concept de “lifelong learning”, Marie-Anna croit fermement que la vocation de l’enseignement est une affaire de coeur, et c’est avec son coeur qu’elle enseigne chaque jour.

Léa DUBUQUOY, French Teacher maternelles class 3-5 year olds

For as long as she can remember, Léa always wanted to work with children.

With a Masters degree in Education and Teaching and a passion for books, Léa worked for 5 years in a local children’s bookstore, where she also organized and ran workshops for children.

Léa felt called to teaching and particularly in alternative school environnements ; she therefore completed a full year’s training certificate at the « Aide à la Vie – La Source »  Montessori training center in Saint Cannat, where she specialized in teaching 3-6 year olds.

As a Montessori educator, Léa worked for several Montessori schools where she used her training in traditional and Montessori teaching methods as well as her passion for books, to accompany young children through their developmental years.

Léa is also an active local eco-citizen and she is passionate about nature, cooking, yoga and meditation. Léa shares her interests with the children in her class who participate in her workshops with great pleasure.

Sweet, attentive and caring, Léa teaches Class 2 (4-5 year olds).

Carolyn GILLESPIE, English teacher maternelles class 3-5 year olds, Gift Wednesday teacher, Montessori trained

Globe-trotting Carolyn spent her childhood riding horses on the banks of the Mississippi River. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Carolyn’s parents moved to Provence when she was 11 years old and they have been there ever since.

Carolyn obtained a Masters degree in Eco-Tourism and Urban Planning from the University of Bordeaux and then spent ten years years studying, traveling and working abroad before settling back down in Aix en Provence. Her travels and experience lead her to spend extensive time in Chile, Ecuador, Belize, Holland and New Zealand.

Carolyn is a confirmed horse rider and rock climber, and she also has experience working as an assistant veterinarian.

After working in several bilingual schools in Provence, Carolyn decided to devote her career to children. She is currently completing her Montessori training with « Apprendre Montessori » and she has been working with the Gift School team from its inception in September 2019. “Fun” and “silly” are Carolyn’s favorite words.

Charlotte LOMBARDIN, Assistant for the 3-5 year old class, in Montessori training

Morgane NICOLLE, French Montessori teacher maternelles class 2-4 year olds, Wednesday club Coordinator

After obtaining her Masters in Education and Teaching, Morgane trained to be an English teacher at the Académie de Versailles. Morgane speaks fluent English thanks to a Bachelors degree in English Language and Literature, as well as to the Cambridge Certficate in Advanced English which she obtained at the University of Perth in Australia.

Morgane has extensive experience both as a school teacher as well as an English teacher.

As a school teacher, Morgane was in charge of classes ranging from Petite Section (1st year of Preschool) to CM1 (4th grade) for 3 years at the Academy of Versailles. She also taught nursery school classes in a French school in Thailand. As an English teacher, Morgane teaches English to classes ranging from 1st grade to High School seniors, while working in parallel with sick children in hospitals.

Trained in Montessori methods with the organization « Aide à la vie – la source » in Saint Cannat, Morgane uses positive reinforcement and mindfulness in her classes. Caring and experienced, Morgane teaches Class 1, our youngest children. She also teaches English to Class 2 (4-5 year olds) and Class 3 (6-7 year olds).

Mauro de GIORGI, English teacher for the 2-4 year old class

Enseignant, artiste peintre et professeur d’anglais, Mauro transmet sa passion pour la vie aux enfants, à travers son enseignement. Après quelques années de travail dans le monde “corporate”, en quête de sens, Mauro se tourne vers l’enseignement. Convaincu de l’intérêt de l’éducation bienveillante, Mauro travaille d’abord dans une école maternelle Montessori à Londres puis ensuite dans la classe maternelle d’une école internationale à Tokyo. C’est également à Londres qu’il obtient son TESL et sa Maîtrise de Sciences de la Communication, ainsi que son Doctorat en Langues.

Originaire de Turin en Italie, les voyages de Mauro l’ont fait vivre dans plusieurs pays y compris le Japon, Singapour et l’Angleterre. Mauro, son épouse et leur fils de 5 ans sont arrivés à Aix en Provence il y a tout juste un an.

Mauro est spécialisé dans la peinture à l’encre japonaise Sumi-e et ses oeuvres ont fait l’objet d’expositions nationales et internationales (LaBiennale de Venise, ArtBasel Switzerland, Art Stage Singapore, Institute of Italian Culture in Sydney).

Dévoué, bienveillant et curieux, Mauro attribue une place particulière dans sa classe à l’expression créative de l’enfant au travers d’activités interdisciplinaires, y compris les arts plastiques, la méditation, le théâtre et la musique.

Yekaterina Muravyova-DELVIGNE, alias “Katia”, Assistant to maternelles class 2-4 year olds, Gift Wednesday teacher, Holiday camp Coordinator

Katia arrived in France in 2017, from Russia. Following her studies in Education and Teaching English, Katia worked with children and adults in various schools in her native city, Novossibirsk, Siberia.

Proud of her Siberian origins, Katia enjoys sharing her culture and language with the Gift School children. In her free time, Katia enjoys learning other languages and reading about psychology. She also loves nature walks and spending time outdoors.