Ms. Jeanette Thomas joined Saint Maur International School, the oldest international school in Japan and Asia, in 1971. She was the School Head from 1991–2013 and is now the chairperson of the board of directors, as well as director of human resources. Ms. Thomas had originally intended to be at the school for only three years, but her predecessor, Sr. Carmel O’Keeffe, was very persuasive in encouraging her to stay.
Ms. Thomas considers her most satisfying accomplishments to be her involvement in the establishment of five new buildings, as well as enabling the academic and extracurricular activity programs that cater to students from pre-school through secondary school. She successfully introduced the IGSCE curriculum and the IPC program to Saint Maur and to Japan, as a whole. Ms. Thomas has taken a major part in the development of the unique Adult Enrichment and Toddlers program and the Parent Support Group (PSG), which are present to promote the value of life-long learning. The French school was established with the support of Ms. Thomas’s leadership. Ms. Thomas has created many external relationships with other groups and schools, such as Futaba and Yokohama Science Frontier High School. She created the Saint Maur International Food Fair and Japanese/international culture days, which are now all annual events.
In 1998 Ms. Thomas was conferred an MBE — Member of the Order of the British Empire — by Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace for her support of and services to international education and to Saint Maur International School. — DEVAN BAIJAL (Grade 11)
