Appointment of Totty Ellwood-Aris as Head of Verdala International School, Malta

Over a hundred candidates applied for what was, clearly, a very attractive vacancy. After an extremely rigorous recruitment process, the VIS Board of Directors has appointed Ms. Totty Ellwood Aris as the new VIS Head of School, beginning July 2016.

Ms. Aris has an M.A. in Education from Oxford Brookes University in the U.K. and a B.A. in English Studies and German Contemporary Studies. She brings to Verdala experience as a principal at all levels Pre K-12 and a passion for enquiry-based learning. Important for Verdala, Ms. Aris also has extensive experience with both the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) curricula and examinations. Ms. Aris is currently the Deputy Head of Campus, Head of Secondary, and Head of Primary International School Moshi, Tanzania. Her previous schools have included the International School of Dhaka and Uplands in Penang.

Ms. Aris herself earned the IB Diploma, and her eldest child, currently an IBDP Grade 12 student, has been accepted to read French at King’s College London University. Her second child, Freddy will enter Verdala as a Grade 11 IBDP student, and her youngest, Phoebe will be in Grade 5 at VIS.

Ms. Aris’ husband is a sailor, and according to Ms. Aris, is happy anywhere “he can put a Laser in the water.” Malta certainly is a sailor’s paradise.

The board at Verdala, Search Associates Founder John Magagna, and Senior Associate Barry Drake would like to thank all who played key roles in the success of this recruiting process.