The Bear Cave

In Episode 5 of The Bear Cave , host Myles Finn sits down with longtime AISZ teacher Kristina Ana Šprljan to explore her remarkable journey from AISZ student to AISZ educator. Kristina shares stories from growing up at the American School of Zagreb, navigating the Croatian War of Independence, adapting to Croatian public school after years abroad, and eventually finding her calling in teaching. Th...

In Episode 4 of The Bear Cave , host Myles Finn sits down with Doreen Garrigan , AISZ Lower School Principal. Doreen shares her 36-year journey in education, from classroom teaching and gifted education to school leadership in Romania, China, Brazil, and now Croatia. Myles and Doreen talk about building school culture, supporting teachers, staying connected to students, learning from feedback, and...

In Episode 3 of The Bear Cave , host Myles Finn sits down with Dr. Katherine McMullen , AISZ Assistant Principal and incoming Principal. Katherine shares her journey from archaeology to education, with stops in Washington, Singapore, Beirut, and now Zagreb. Myles and Katherine talk about international teaching, school leadership, social-emotional learning, restorative practices, building relations...

In Episode 2 of The Bear Cave , host Myles Finn sits down with Stefanie Donnelly , AISZ’s Bridges Program teacher and inclusion advocate. Stefanie shares her journey from Seattle to international schools in the Netherlands, Japan, and Croatia, and talks about building inclusive learning structures for students with intellectual disabilities. Together, Myles and Stefanie discuss neurodiversity, adv...

The Bear Cave kicks off with its very first episode, featuring Oliver Mando and host Miles Finn. In this opening conversation, Oliver shares his journey from growing up in Zagreb to studying in Shanghai and Singapore, building a music studio in a bomb shelter, working in music and events, and eventually finding his way back home and starting his new role at AISZ. Oliver and Miles explore internati...