Getting to Ooty

Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat

Principal & Director, Good Shepherd International School

A remarkable leader and a seasoned educator, Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat brings with him a wealth of expertise, with over three decades of experience in Teaching, Academic administration, Team building, and Community Development Programs. He has served as the CEO of the Sapkal Knowledge Hub and Founder-Principal of the Orchid International School in Nashik. Additionally, Dr. Saraswat spent 16 years as a Teacher and Housemaster at The Doon School (1989-2005) in Dehradun, as the Principal at Scindia School, Gwalior (2015-2022) and most recently, as the Principal of Hyderabad Public School. Dr. Saraswat succeeds Mrs. Sheila Alexander, who has retired after 37 years of dedicated service. The appointment of Dr. Saraswat as the new Principal and Director is a significant milestone for GSIS.

At the Doon School, Dr. Saraswat led various curricular and extracurricular activities, initiating service projects, infrastructure development, and fostering inclusivity and compassion among students and staff. He is a proponent of ‘Leadership through Service’ and promotes a culture of excellence and meritocracy in all school activities. Dr. Saraswat holds a Postgraduate Degree in English, Hindi, and Sanskrit, and a Doctorate in Hindi Literature.

As the principal of the school, he would be responsible for all aspects of administration and management of the school, including implementation, evaluation and development of academic programs, various co curricular and leadership programs, and overall development of staff and other school personnel. He would also engage extensively with the GSIS alumni across the world.

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Meera Chhabria

Primary Years Program Coordinator (Grade 3 – 5)

A postgraduate in Chemistry from C.V. Raman University, Bilaspur, Ms. Meera Chhabria brings with her an overall experience of 13 years in the field of education. She has 10 years of experience in the PYP programme with 6 years as the PYP Programme coordinator. During her impressive tenure of 10 years with Oakridge International School, Mohali, she piloted diverse projects such as Compassion project, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion project and CAS projects (community related projects), created a robust curriculum for primary years, and also contributed tremendously to student learning. As a team lead, she also played an integral role in the school’s IB authorization in 2015 and led the school’s first evaluation in 2019.

During her visit to the International Baccalaureate headquarters in The Netherlands in 2020, she collaborated on curriculum design for GenZ learners and facilitators and got the opportunity to learn about the urgent needs in the education sector.

She is an advocate for student’s voice, choice and ownership and believes in equality, diversity, and inclusion. She enjoys gardening, travelling, reading stories to a classroom full of engrossed children, and going on a journey with her family to explore new places!

Sara Jacob

Sr. Vice President of Student & Staff Welfare

Sara Jacob joined Good Shepherd International School in 2020 as the Sr. Vice President of Student & Staff Welfare. With over 17 years of experience in various fields of law, Sara brings her legal and communication expertise to her role at GSIS.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, Sara’s primary focus is the overall welfare of the students and staff at GSIS – from their social, emotional, physical, and academic well-being to their safety, happiness, and nurturing when they are here at GSIS and beyond. Sara also brings her consulting skills to the Marketing and Admissions teams at GSIS, to put GSIS on the map as the best international school in the world.

Sara did her schooling at Sishya, in Chennai, and went on to earn her B.A. LLB. at the Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College in Chennai. She spent the last 20 years studying and working in Canada and the USA and has now returned home to India to work at the school. She is married to Jacob Thomas (President of GSIS) and they have two children – Rhea and Zackary, the latter being a current student at GSIS.

Suresh Thangarajan

Higher Secondary School & IBDP Coordinator (Grade 11 &12)

Suresh Thangarajan currently serves as the school’s IBDP and HSS Coordinator. He has over 24 years of teaching experience at GSIS and is responsible for the operation of the IBDP curriculum at the school. In addition to his IBDP responsibilities, he teaches IBDP Mathematics Applications and Interpretations HL to Grade 12.

Prior to the above designations, Suresh was the Coordinator for Curriculum and Professional development from 2013 to 2019 in GSIS. He also holds a range of IB certifications for AFL/ATTL/CAS/EE/TOK. He is a member of the DP Mathematics Curriculum Review team and has been an honorary participant twice in meetings held in The Hague, Netherlands. He recently presented PD sessions in Incheon, South Korea and Abu Dhabi. He also presented virtually in the IB India Manthan 2021. Suresh is a certified Concept-Based Curriculum & Instruction Trainer.

Sheila Alexander

Principal

Sheila Alexander is a seasoned educator with 33 years of experience in the field. She started her career as a Biology teacher in 1987 at Good Shepherd International School. Subsequently, she served as a Deputy Headmistress, Headmistress, Dean (Academics), Vice Principal, IBDP Coordinator, and Senior Vice-Principal (Academics).

Through her active engagement and commitment, she rose to the position of Principal at GSIS. She has played an instrumental role along with the Founder Principal, Late Dr. P C Thomas, the Co-Founder, Mrs. Elsamma Thomas, Senior Leadership Team, staff and students in the transition of the school to one of the leading fully-residential international schools in pastoral care, academic excellence and holistic development in India and abroad.

As an Academic Head, she has played a central role in planning, implementation, evaluation and development of various international and national curricula, co-curricular and leadership programs, accreditations, affiliations, certifications, reviews, awards, and overall development of staff and other school personnel.

Rita Chandran

Middle Years Program Coordinator

Ms. Rita Chandran has over 30 years of experience in the field of education. She started her career as a teacher in a CBSE school in Jamshedpur and then taught the IBDP and IGCSE curriculum in Jakarta, Indonesia.

During this tenure, she has been the Head of the department for Humanities and also been the Principal of a CBSE school. She joined the Good Shepherd International school and quickly rose to the position of the Head of the Department for Humanities and has now taken up the mantle of the IB MYP Program Coordinator.

She continues to teach Business Management and Economics to the IBDP students. She is an examiner for IBDP Economics EE, Internal Assessments and for Paper 2 of the board examinations. She has been trained by IB for AFL/ATTL/CAS/EE/TOK.

Jacob Thomas

President

Jacob Thomas is the son of Dr. P.C. Thomas and Mrs. Elsamma Thomas, co-founders of Good Shepherd International School. He took over as the President of Good Shepherd International School in 2020, following the untimely passing of his father, Dr. P. C. Thomas.

Jacob spent his childhood in Ooty and completed his Grade 10 from the Good Shepherd Public School (now Good Shepherd International School). He attended the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, for his undergraduate studies in Business Administration and then pursued his penchant for technology.

Jacob worked in a few up and coming technology companies in Bangalore, before joining NetApp Inc., a Fortune 500 data management company headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA. He worked at NetApp Inc. for over 17 years, in various leadership positions with global responsibilities – most recently as the Senior Director, Worldwide Partner Services.

Jacob brings his strong background in technology and general management to envision the school’s future and to leverage the increasing role of technology in all aspects of our lives and how learning will evolve with its effective use. Jacob is married to Sara and has two children – Rhea and Zackary, the latter being a current GSIS student.

Elsamma Thomas

Co-Founder and Sr. Vice President

Mrs Elsamma Thomas is the Co-Founder and Senior Vice President of Good Shepherd International School. She was married to the late Dr. PC Thomas for almost 50 years and together they dreamed of and started Good Shepherd Public School (GSPS) in 1977 in Ootacamund. They grew the school from 54 students in the first year to over 850 students in the years to come. Mrs. Thomas is the quiet driving force behind the dynamic and extraordinary vision of her late husband and has worked by his side for the last 44 years.

Elsamma Thomas holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science (Zoology) from the BCM College in Kottayam and an MBA from Mumbai University.

Over the years Elsamma Thomas has worked tirelessly at the school and in several local and international charitable organisations. She was the Charter President of the Rotary Club of Nilgiris West in 2003 and the Assistant Governor of Rotary in the Nilgiris District. She is blessed with two children and four grandchildren – Jacob Thomas, who has now taken over as the President of Good Shepherd International School, and Julie Pradeesh, who works beside her husband in his family business.

Deepa Suresh

Middle School Coordinator – IGCSE & ICSE (Grades 6 – 8)

Deepa Suresh joined Good Shepherd International School in 1997 and currently serves as the coordinator for Middle School. She has teaching experience of 12 years and has been teaching History for ICSE (Grade X) and AICE A levels (Grade XII).

Deepa is a trained coordinator for the Cambridge Primary program of the Cambridge Assessment International Education. During her 24 years at GSIS, she has been responsible for different roles: Coordinator (Middle School), Coordinator (Primary School), and Vice-Principal (Fernhill Campus), along with overseeing the entire administration of the Fernhill Campus in addition to her academic leadership in the Primary School.

Bonbon Chakravartee

Special Projects Coordinator

An academician by passion and profession for the last two decades, Bonbon is currently leading Special Projects at the Good Shepherd International School. She plays an active role in shaping and creating the “Future of Education” road map for GSIS. Before joining GSIS, Bonbon was the Dean at the Good Shepherd Finishing School where she led the 18-year-old institute, grooming and coaching young women and helping them achieve their highest potential through life skills.

Bonbon has worked at The Assam Valley School Tezpur, Delhi Public School Agra and various other schools across India as a teacher and a tutor. Bonbon is a graduate in English Literature and a post graduate in Human Resource Management.

Dominic Jude Hurst

Director of Activities

Dominic Jude Hurst joined Good Shepherd International School in 2011 and started handling English for the High school. He served as the Middle School Co-ordinator from 2013 – 2019. With the support of the Founder Principal, he initiated the DEAR reading program. Before becoming a part of the GSIS community, Dominic served different schools of Kolkata for ten years as an English teacher and in the UAE as the Activity Coordinator in the GEMS group for 8 years.

In his capacity as the Director of Activities at GSIS, he constantly explores new avenues to enhance the holistic development of students through the various co-curricular activities, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and facilities provided by the school.

Kalyan Ram V

High School Coordinator (Grades 9 & 10)

Kalyan joined Good Shepherd International School in 1997 as a Counsellor and currently serves as the High School Coordinator.

Having graduated in Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, trained as a Psychological Counsellor from Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore, and worked as a Director of a substance abusers’ rehabilitation center, Kalyan has an experience of working with children of different age groups. Being a Counsellor and working with teenagers in a residential setup, he was able to gain insights into their learning, behaviour and coping strategies.

In his current role as the High School Coordinator, Kalyan is responsible for coordinating the academics and ensuring the social and emotional well-being of the students in grades 9 and 10.

Anila Ann Mathew

Director of Counselling

Anila Ann Mathew joined Good Shepherd International School in 1996 as a counsellor, to set up the Counselling Department at a time when counselling was very new in India.

As a member of the Academic Council, she also helped in making the school a center for IELTS and SAT examinations, a necessity for most of the students as they pursued their studies abroad. In addition to this, as the Head of the Dept. of Psychology, she has been teaching IB Psychology at the Higher Secondary School for 19 years. Travelling for school admissions and university tours in India and abroad helped her connect with Shepherdians(alumni) globally. With the additional portfolio of Alumni Coordinator, she took forward the efforts and dreams of the Founder Principal, Late Dr. P C Thomas, and the then Headmaster, Late Mr. Victor Selwin, by initiating the establishment of a strong GSIS Alumni Association and hosting the Back2Roots event every year.

Currently, as the Director of Counselling, she collaborates with her section counsellors to ensure the emotional and psychological well-being of every child in the school and helps them get prepared skillfully to face the ever changing world.