Hello, I'm Gina Dang, and I'm super excited to be part of the Maple Leaf team. I'm originally from Shanxi Province, China, but I had been living in Canada for a long period. I studied at Acadia University and got degrees in Arts and Education. This is my second year as a teacher at Maple Leaf, and I'm loving every moment of it!

Outside of teaching, I'm all about adventure. I enjoy traveling to new places, cooking up delicious meals, and getting active with fitness dance. These hobbies keep me energized and inspired to teach.



Maple Leaf is a fantastic place to work because it's all about giving students a top-notch education. We have a diverse and welcoming community that encourages everyone to respect and learn from each other's backgrounds. I'm proud to be part of a school that values excellence, creativity, and helping students grow in every way possible.

I grew up in a small town about 30 minutes from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. I have lived most of my life there, but I have spent many years traveling around different parts of Canada and a few other countries (Cuba, Indonesia, South Africa). Growing up I went to Sacred Heart French elementary school before transferring to Holy Name which was an English elementary school. Afterwards I went to Notre Dame high school. During my teenage years I was not a very academic student, instead preferring sport. I graduated high school with a total of 8 PE credits. Growing up I played, for at least a little while, Soccer, Baseball, and American Football. However, my most played sports were Lacrosse and Ice Hockey. Other than sports I also did a lot of mountain biking, rock climbing, swimming, camping, and fishing. The toughness of sports taught me the importance of being resilient.



After high school I went to several colleges and universities; Niagara College, Comosun College, Brock University, and The University of Ottawa. I applied the same resilience I used in sports to college and university life. I took classes in many different subjects because I was curious about many things and was open to trying new and unknown things. Whatever I found interesting. I took Critical Thinking, Current Events, sociology, Canadian History, English, Geography, Geology, Astronomy, Psychology, Environmental Studies, and Philosophy before finally deciding to do an Honors Degree in both Mathematics and Physics at Brock University. This was followed by my Teacher's Degree (graduated with distinction) at The University of Ottawa. I spent some time teaching in the Ottawa Catholic School Board before deciding to go abroad. I spent 1 year teaching English in South Korea where I had many adventures and experiences. Finally, I have arrived in China to see what kinds of experiences China has to offer! At Maple Leaf Hohhot I am currently the PE, Social Studies, and science teacher as well as the English Department Head. 

I am Engela de Beer from South Africa, a registered Business Studies teacher, who graduated from the University of South Africa, with a BTech Management degree as well as Post Graduate Certificate in Teaching (Senior & Further Education Phase). My major subjects were Strategic Management, Personal Management as well as Administration Management. I have almost 12 years of teaching experience and can teach different subjects such as Business Studies, Economic Management Science, ESL, Communications Skills, Social Studies, Life Orientation, Social Emotional Learning, and Service Learning. It is my 8th year working in China; I have worked in Dalian, Haikou, Guangzhou, and Beijing before I moved to Hohhot Inner Mongolia.



My hobbies are walking, swimming and certainly travelling. I love travelling to see unfamiliar places and to learn more about diverse cultures. I was also a marathon walker and did 21km, 42km as well as a few 50km ultramarathons before. I enjoy every moment working at Maple Leaf World School Hohhot, as it feels like I am back at home again. I love the peacefulness here in Hohhot; all the people are helpful, friendly, and kind. We are one big family here at Maple Leaf World School Hohhot Campus.