Winstedt Appoints Next Principal Positioning the School as Leader in Inclusive Education
On 10 September 2021, The Winstedt School Board of Directors announced the appointment of Chris Raymaakers as its next School Principal effective August 2022, the start of the next 2022-23 academic year. Chris currently serves as Deputy Principal at the Singapore American School (SAS). Chris has also been a Member of Winstedt’s Academic Board since 2019, and a Winstedt parent since 2014. The Board’s decision to appoint Chris as Winstedt’s next Principal comes at a critical juncture and an exciting time for the School as Winstedt enters a transformative period of growth as a leader in inclusive education.
Chris will bring to Winstedt 24 years of deep pedagogical knowledge and strategic insights including 15 years at SAS where he assumed numerous leadership roles and spearheaded key school-wide strategic initiatives. He began his career in Calgary, Alberta Canada as a middle school math and science teacher, and was the Math Department Head at the Taipei American School in Taiwan. Chris has served as both a Visiting Committee Member as well as Visiting Committee Chair with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), which will be a tremendous value-add as Winstedt continues its WASC international accreditation process.
Recently, Chris has also become a co-researcher with the University of Melbourne on an international scoping study that focuses on the impact of Innovative Learning Environments on student learning, well-being, and inclusion. He has presented and led workshops around Asia on topics such as developing structures to personalize the learning experience for students, positive school discipline practices, and designing innovative learning environments.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary, a Master’s degree from the State University of New York, and a Certificate of International School Leadership from Harvard University.