The Team
Kimberly Gawne
Founder, Teacher, & Instructional Specialist
IB Curriculum (Arts & Language), High School Arts & Language,
Elementary (K - 8)
I'm Kimberly, the owner of Star Students.
I have always had a passion for people and for learning. Growing up, I loved keeping busy and active with friends or by myself, and discovering new ways to do things.
As an adult, that love for learning and for people developed into a desire to share my enthusiasm, skills, and knowledge with others. Teaching combines the best of both worlds – and it is amazing what can be accomplished when both student and teacher embark together on a learning journey.
In both elementary and high school, I struggled with math. My father is truly a hero, for the countless hours he spent at the kitchen table with me, working through problem after problem, explaining things in various different ways and trying different methods so that I would understand. His ability to adapt to my specific learning style, and do whatever it took until I understood, was something that was so valuable to my own level of understanding.
I look back on those memories now and smile. It is from these early childhood and teenage years that I take my own inspiration for Star Students.
Aleefa Devji
Instructional Specialist: IB Curriculum (Maths & Sciences), High School Sciences & Mathematics
Hi there! My name is Aleefa!
I currently live in Edmonton, and am a Biological Sciences graduate from the University of Alberta, and am now studying to be a Respiratory Therapist.
I tutor because I love teaching and working with children and young adults.
In my free time I am a kickboxer and enjoy skiing and snowboarding.
Fun facts about me: I’m a published writer and have lived in 3 provinces within Canada!
Tycon Allwood
Instructional Specialist: High School English, K - 8 Instructor
Tycon Anthony Allwood was born in the parish of St. Mary and lived in the parishes of Portland, St. Andrew and St. Catherine for a number of years. He also resided briefly in St. Ann during his tenure as a teacher at the Aabuthnott Gallimore High School. He currently resides in the parish of St. Elizabeth where he is a teacher of English Language and Literature at the Maggotty High School.
He attended the Presidential Classroom Future World Leaders Summit in 2000 in Washington D.C. where he was exposed to the inner workings of the U.S. government, with visits to the White House and the U.S. Capitol Building. He was also involved in the formation of strategies as part of a Trade group, strategies that were presented to the Summit and which passed when voted on.
His teaching career began nineteen years ago when he graduated the Mico Teachers College with a Diploma in Education. He is currently accepted at the University of Technology, Jamaica, Papine Campus to pursue studies for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Media and Communication.
Mr. Allwood is a Christian, who takes his walk with the Lord seriously and allows his faith to be his guide in what he does.
He is also an avid reader and a fan of trivia games and natural surroundings.
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Lindsay Rose
Instructional Specialist: K-8 Technology Teacher, Middle Childhood (Gr. 3 - 9): Math, Language Arts, & Reading
Lindsay grew up in a rural community in Ohio, USA. She has always wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school.
Lindsay has a Bachelor’s in Education from Wilmington College in Math and Language Arts. She is currently working as a Teacher in Dayton, Ohio. She has five years of teaching experience and three years of tutoring experience.
She prides herself on helping students learn different strategies in math, making real world connections through language arts, and teaching students that learning can be fun! Real world projects are important in helping students learn hands on.
She believes it’s important for students to understand that it is okay if something is challenging or difficult, as long as you don’t give up! Everything gets easier with practice!
Her expertise is tutoring students in elementary and middle school Math and Language Arts.
Georg Weitz
Instructional Specialist: IB Curriculum (Maths & Sciences), High School Sciences & Mathematics, Languages (German)
Hi, my name is Georg. I am a native German.
When I was four years old, my family and I moved to live in New York for 1 ½ years. Much later, at sixteen, I came to the U.S. again, visiting a high school for one year.
These cultural exchanges motivated me to be part of the IB program and to get an IB diploma, next to my German high school diploma.
I love sciences; therefore I have decided to study physics at university. Currently I am in my third year of studies, at the TU Dresden, Germany.
The deeper I got into the studies of Mathematics and Physics, the more surprised I became, because more and more a clear and beautiful structure emerged. A clear and beautiful structure of logic that has never been taught to me during high school, and that has gotten me convinced that math and physics are easy to be understood by everyone who struggles, if only someone can show them this structure and break the mystery down into small, transparent pieces.
I believe that math and physics are not difficult, and that is what I wish to convey through my tutoring.
I am also a German tutor, and am teaching German according to the standards of the Goethe Institute.
Souha Aydi
Instructional Specialist: K-12 Languages (French, English, Arabic), Geography, History
Hi there! My name is Souha.
I am a teacher by profession, and I am pursuing my studies now. I graduated from the IB Program in high school, and I currently have a BA in Education and Teaching. This year, I will get my Masters Degree in Educational Sciences, and I will start my PhD in the educational field as well.
I have been passionate about teaching since my childhood, and this allows me to have a sense of achievement from seeing my students develop and grow as individuals.
Aside from teaching, I also love to write stories, cook delicious recipes and practice yoga!