Teachers - Koper International School

Our Team

A founding member of Koper International School, Julia brings 8 years international teaching and management experience to the team. She is a highly qualified teacher and expert in her fields of English and History, having an International Masters from University of Glasgow in Russian and Eastern European Studies and a Masters from Jagiellonian University in European Politics. She completed her PGCE QTS in English teaching from Edgehill University, and has taught in Poland, Italy and Slovenia. She is looking forward to teaching History, Politics and English A-level from September.

Julia O'Regan (GB)

Head Teacher
Secondary English and History Teacher

Katie brings with her 25 years of teaching experience in an international school setting. Originally from the UK, she completed her degree and teacher training in Child and Family studies with a specialisation in English at the University of Leeds. Katie has worked extensively as a lower primary class teacher, with a strong passion for establishing healthy habits and integrating physical activity into the classroom. She is particularly dedicated to raising literacy standards and prides herself on guiding all children to high levels in reading and writing through the Oxford Reading Tree series. Katie is married to a Slovene and has three teenage children. She is excited to contribute her expertise and energy to our learning community.

Katie Whitton (GB)

Primary Class Teacher and PE Specialist

Miriam is our Business Specialist with a strong linguistic and international background. She holds a Master’s degree in International Business and a Bachelor’s degree in French and Literature. Originally from Gibraltar, Miriam speaks English, French, Spanish, and Italian fluently. She brings valuable practical experience from working in multilingual business environments, combining cultural awareness with real-world insight to support students in developing strong communication and business skills.

Miriam Dalmedo (GB)

Business, Politics and English Teacher

Jake is a versatile and enthusiastic teacher who works with Primary Class 5 as well as lower secondary English and History. He studied Drama at LIPA in Liverpool and is currently completing his Master’s in Education. With a strong background in literacy and drama teaching in Liverpool schools, Jake brings creativity, engagement, and strong communication skills to his lessons, inspiring students to think critically and express themselves with confidence.

Jake Davies (GB)

Secondary English, Drama and Primary Teacher

Sofia is joining us from Costa Rica as our new Spanish and Music teacher. A classically trained pianist, she holds a degree in Music with a focus on piano and education. She previously taught IB Music in an international school in Costa Rica and has four years of experience teaching both Music and Spanish. Currently based in Trieste with her Italian partner, Sofia is eager to bring her musical expertise and linguistic skills to the classroom. In addition to her native Spanish, she speaks English at C2 level and has a B1 level in Italian.

Sofía Orozco Rojas (Costa Rica)

Secondary Spanish and Music Teacher

With over 40 years of teaching experience, we are honoured to welcome James to our team. He holds a master’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Vermont and spent over 30 years teaching in two U.S. schools before beginning his international career five years ago. James joins us from Kosovo, having also taught in Tajikistan, and brings extensive experience teaching mathematics at all levels—from primary to university. His deep expertise and dedication to education will be a tremendous asset to our students.

James Grittner (USA)

Secondary Maths and KS3 Science Teacher

Ivana-Koper International-School German and French Teacher

Ivana is an accomplished linguist and language educator with more than 25 years of experience across Croatia, Italy, and Slovenia. She joins us as our secondary French and German teacher. Holding a Master’s degree in Foreign Language Teaching from the University of Zagreb, Ivana is fluent in Croatian, German, French, Italian, and English. Her passion for languages and multicultural learning environments will enrich our modern languages department and support students in achieving fluency and cultural understanding.

Ivana Medanović (CRO)

Secondary German and French Teacher

Valentina is an internationally trained Montessori educator with over 20 years of experience, having studied and worked in India, the Czech Republic, South Africa, and Germany. She is the founder of a trilingual Montessori school in Italy and also established the Montessori Farm of the Dolomites—a residential summer camp focused on holistic learning, science, and nature. Valentina has worked as a bilingual teaching assistant in France, using both English and French. Now based in Trieste, she will be teaching Primary Art, Science, and Italian, as well as Italian and Art in Secondary School. We look forward to her hands-on, holistic teaching approach that integrates creativity, nature, and cross-cultural understanding.

Valentina Macchione Vlacovich (ITA)

Montessori Primary Science, Italian and Art Teacher

Melina is our native German-speaking teacher who is currently completing her pedagogical training in teaching German as a second language. She brings enthusiasm, patience, and a supportive approach to the classroom, helping students develop confidence and fluency in German. Melina is passionate about healthy living, sports, and promoting positive role models for young people. She believes strongly in encouraging resilience, confidence, and independence in students, particularly empowering girls to grow into strong and capable young women.

Melina Clausen (DEU)

German Teacher

An all round scientist and programming specialist. Angela is joining us fresh from her Masters degree in Maths, Natural Sciences and Information Technologies from Primorska University, which she studied in English. Despite being the youngest member of our teaching team, she has 5 years experience in education, primarily teaching gifted and talented students aged 12 to 18, preparing them for national competitions and university entrance.

Anđela Đukić (SRB)

Computer Science and Secondary Science Teacher

Nicholas is originally from Scotland and holds a PhD in Sanskrit, specialising in the literary and intellectual history of pre-modern South Asia. He spent several years working at the University of Edinburgh, where, among other roles, he served as a Teaching Fellow and conducted research in classical languages, philosophy, art history, and religious studies. Nicholas brings a deep academic background and a broad cultural perspective to the classroom. At Koper International School, he teaches history, inspiring students to think critically about past civilizations, ideas, and the development of human societies. This position marks his first role outside the university sector, and he is excited to share his knowledge with younger learners.

Nicholas Newton (GB)

History Teacher

Daša is a dedicated Slovene teacher with a Master’s degree in Primary Pedagogy and four years of experience at another international school. She specialized in teaching Slovene as a second language to students from diverse backgrounds, using engaging and student-centered approaches. Daša is known for her warm, supportive teaching style and her ability to make language learning accessible, meaningful, and enjoyable for all learners.

Daša Jakop (SLO)

Slovene Teacher

Marita is our trilingual Art and Slovene/Italian second language teacher with a degree in Art, specializing in textiles and fashion. Having been raised in Slovenia and also educated in Yemen, she brings a truly international perspective to her teaching. She further developed her studies in Milan at the Politecnico di Milano and later lived in London, where she taught at the Istituto Marangoni.

Marita combines artistic creativity with cultural awareness, encouraging students to explore different artistic techniques while developing their own creative voice. Her lessons focus on both technical skill and personal expression, helping students gain confidence in their artistic abilities while appreciating art and design from different cultural perspectives.

Marita Narobe (SLO)

Art, Slovene and Italian Teacher

Our PE teacher brings over 30 years of experience in basketball, having played professionally for many years before continuing at a high-level non-professional level. With more than a decade of coaching experience, he has worked with young basketball players of all ages, combining his deep knowledge of the game with a strong sense of patience and enthusiasm. He strongly believes in the importance of leading an active lifestyle and encourages students to explore and enjoy a variety of sports to build confidence, teamwork, and lifelong healthy habits.

Stanko Rajčić (SLO)

PE Teacher and Administrator

Sumru is our teaching assistant with a diverse academic and professional background, including an MSc in Logistics. She is passionate about supporting students in their learning journey and helping each child reach their full potential. With her calm and supportive approach, she plays an important role in assisting teachers and providing additional support to students in the classroom. Sumru will begin her formal teacher training in September 2026 and is particularly interested in early childhood education. Her long-term goal is to help develop and open the KIS kindergarten by 2027.

Sumru Horasan (TURK)

Teaching Assistant

Lana is an administrative assistant and student teacher currently completing her Masters degree in Primary Education, with a focus on English language teaching. She supports both the administrative operations of the school and classroom activities, gaining valuable practical experience as she develops her teaching skills. Lana is highly organised, motivated, and passionate about education. Through her dual role in administration and learning support, she contributes to the smooth daily functioning of the school while continuing to build her professional teaching practice.

Lana Turk (SLO)

Administrator and Teaching Assistant

A confident linguist, with a degree in French and Italian Studies with Literature from The Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana, Nika has over 10 years of experience in language education. In addition to her native Slovene, she is fluent in English, Spanish, and Croatian, making her a true polyglot and a valuable resource for students with diverse linguistic backgrounds.She is enthusiastic to pass on her language passion to the next generation.

Nika Ade-Balogun (SLO)

Director
Italian and French Teacher

Educated in Rijeka as an English teacher, she spent several summers in the UK working as an au pair, immersing herself in British culture and language. Inspired by these experiences, she returned home with a vision to bring authentic English learning to her community. Thirty years ago, she founded Nista Language School, dedicating herself to helping generations of students build confidence and fluency in English. Throughout her career, she has nurtured a lifelong dream of creating a true British-style school in her home town of Koper. In addition to Slovene and English Alenka is also fluent in Italian and Croatian.

Alenka Rajčić (SLO)

Founder and Owner