Our team
Ondřej Bílý
Director
Ondřej graduated in biology and chemistry with a passion for nature and movement. He enjoys spending time outdoors and often organizes various expeditions for students around the world, combining adventure with learning about natural laws. An active lifestyle and love of nature are not only a hobby for him, but also a way to inspire others to discover the world around us. In his free time, he enjoys sports such as football, hockey, running, mountain climbing and cycling. He is also the proud father of two wonderful daughters, Anna and Elsa.
Jana Karpačová
deputy director
Jana is a sports enthusiast through and through. Her favorite game is volleyball, and she’s also great at badminton. Together with her husband and three sons, she enjoys going to football matches and often sets out on cycling trips. Every day, she takes long walks with her border collie, Kiki. And if she’s not spending her time actively, she loves to relax with a good historical novel or a detective story.
Eva Pravdová
operational manager of the school
Eva is a tireless organizer and an endless source of information and inspiration. She is interested in the world around her and enjoys reading personal development literature and biographies. She burns off her excess energy at the gym or on the golf course. She also enjoys good music at live concerts and discovering new places while traveling with her family.
Ivanna Melnyk
receptionist and school office assistant
Ivanka was born in Ukraine, near the Slovak border. She has heard Czech and Slovak since she was a child. She studied English and Literature at the National University of Uzhhorod. Most often you will meet her in a sweet shop, cinema or in the park. She enjoys spending her free time cooking, baking and reading psychological books. She likes Arabic music, her dream is to travel to Turkey and get to know Istanbul.
Petr Šobra
school psychologist and children’s coach
Children teach him to play and love life. He enjoys riddles and complicated scenarios, as well as exploring the road less-traveled. His inspiration comes from nature, where he spends a lot of time. He cares deeply about people and likes to ask thought-provoking questions. Petr doesn’t always have to be right, but he wants to communicate. You could find him at his workshop, where he enjoys doing woodwork. Lately, writing has been more of a passion for him than reading.
Raquel Müllerová
a psychologist
Raquel grew up and lives in Prague but her father is from the USA and her mother is from Slovakia. Raquel graduated with a master’s degree in psychology from Charles University. In her spare time she attends seminars and courses in the areas of psychology, child upbringing and self – development. She also likes to ride horses and go to the theatre.
Ester Lochmanová
Special educator
Ester is a special education teacher and clinical speech therapist. At school, she works with children in classrooms and individually, conducts screening, communicates with counseling centers, and sets up support measures. She also draws on her experience from working at the Safety Line and psychotherapy training, which helps her better understand children’s minds. In her free time, she devotes herself to speech therapy and canine therapy in hospitals, enjoys reading challenging literature, and can most often be found wandering with her dog in nature or horseback riding.
Pavla Mitášová
methodologist for first grade, teacher at 1st grade
Pavla comes from the mountains and she has been teaching kids for more than 15 years. She loves mountains, countryside and hiking. Switzerland is her utmost favourite destination. She has played piano ever since she was a little girl and you can hear her playing it at almost every class she teaches. She likes to travel with her family and taste authentic wines and local gastronomy. You can meet her in the sauna which helps her relax and unwind. You certainly won’t meet her at a heavy metal concert. She loves good-quality coffee which she enjoys with milk foam.
Veronika Kordíková
1st grade teacher
Veronika comes from a small village near Pelhřimov. In her free time she likes all kinds of sports. Whether it is swimming, yoga, skiing, inline skating or cycling. She also loves walking in nature or wandering around Prague and its corners. She also enjoys going on adventures, whether abroad or exploring the beauty of our country. Her studies as a teacher led her to a stay in Greece, where she worked as a children’s animator, and she loved working with them. She is looking forward to the new experiences she will gain in Livingston.
Mirka Neubauerová
1st grade teacher
Mirka comes from České Budějovice, but she has been living in Prague for several years now. Currently, she is completing her studies in Languages and Communication for the Deaf at Charles University. Within her field, she specializes in education where she intends to expand her knowledge and skills. She gained most of her experience with children through scouting, and for several years, she led a girls’ troop in České Budějovice. Currently, she devotes her time to a scouting educational course. In her free time, she is also partially involved in leading a pre-school forest club for hearing-impaired children. She loves hiking in both the mountains and lowlands, camping under the stars, singing by the fire, reading, going to the theater, and sourdough. Right now, she is most excited about gaining new experiences as a teaching assistant.
Andrea Laibnerová
1st grade teacher
Andrea comes from Mladá Boleslav, but has been living in Prague for many years now, a city that has charmed her from a young age with its diversity and endless possibilities. Despite being originally trained as a teacher for upper elementary, fate led her to work with younger children. She focuses on a respectful approach with elements of The Montessori Method, an approach in which she has experience from her previous school. Andrea is a friendly individual with a sense of humor; she loves traveling, good food, camping, hiking in the mountains, sports of all kinds, and spends most of her free time with her daughter.
Alexandr Stropek
2nd 1. teacher
Alex comes from a small village near České Budějovice. As a child, he joined the Scouts and, over time, worked his way up to become the leader of a training course. This was also one of the reasons why he applied to the Faculty of Education at Charles University in Prague, opening the door to a career in teaching.He most enjoys dedicating his time to the student association Otevřeno or to the Academic Senate at the faculty. In his free time, you can find him with friends, behind a camera, or on a climbing wall – and often also somewhere traveling across Europe.
Renata Štemberová
1st grade teacher
Renata believes that teaching the Czech language is best done with a smile and true enthusiasm. For her, children are the spark that motivates her to come up with new ideas every single day. The world of words follows her even outside the classroom—she loves a good story, whether she’s reading one or creating her own.When she isn’t exploring the beauty of her mother tongue, she is out exploring the world. Renata loves traveling and discovering everything new. She then brings that same joyful energy back to her kitchen, where she relaxes by baking treats to share with her family.
Adéla Veselá
1st grade teacher and teacher’s assistant
Adéla Veselá graduated from the University of Applied Psychology in Terezín. She has been working with children since the age of 17 as a gymnastics instructor. Along with her studies at the university, she worked as a teacher and educator at a primary school. After her studies, she traveled to the Netherlands for a year for work, where she took care of children from international families and learned about the experience of living abroad. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling and experiencing new cultures and local history or going camping and hiking in the mountains with friends. She sees working with children as an opportunity for mutual enrichment and learning new things
Lenka Tomšovská
2nd grade 1. teacher
Lenka teaches English, crafts, and music at Livingston. She spent four years in the United States studying English and acting and also graduated from an arts conservatory. Since she was young, she has worked with children and teenagers at camps and courses. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, playing tennis and being active in music and theater.
Valentýna Tyllová
2nd grade 1. teacher
Valentýna comes from a village just outside Prague. She lives in Prague currently, where she is studying at the Faculty of Education. In her free time, she goes whitewater kayaking, rock climbing, and hiking in the mountains in addition to learning to play the guitar, and singing. She started working with children at the age of 15 in a children’s kayaking group, which she herself was once a part of. Among other things, she enjoys learning and discovering new things and is open to various challenges from which she gains experience.
Ondra Prstek
2nd grade teacher
Ondra comes from Liberec. He enjoys sports, but his heart beats for floorball – he even has his own ever-growing team. Besides floorball, he likes skiing and tackling mountain challenges, though he also appreciates the beauty of nature at lower altitudes.
Ondra is very sociable, so you’ll often find him at concerts or in the theatre. His weakness is, above all, anything sweet, so you can win him over with a nice cake and a good conversation about Czech and international series and films, preferably in the fantasy or sci-fi genre. And if you’re not a fan of movies, books with a historical theme will score points with him as well.
Josef Šmíd
2nd grade teacher
Pepa comes from a small town nested in The Eagle Mountains. He returns home from time to time, especially during winter. He studied to be a teacher of IT, Crafts and English Language in Brno, where he also focused on 3D printing, non violent communication and board games. His experience working with children comes not only through school but also from summer camps, where he has been a leader for 10+ years. He typically spends his free time either hiking through European mountains, exploring virtual reality or reading fantasy books.
Eliška Rylich Luhanová
2nd grade teacher
Eliska studied Czech Language and Italian Studies at Charles University. She has extensive experience in teaching at a university level, leading language courses, and with interpreting. Her studies and job opportunities took her to Italy, where she lived for a long time. She always enjoys returning to Italy, but her heart is here in the Czech Republic. Languages and communication fascinate her, she enjoys yoga, loves dancing, and also travels with her family.
Bohumila Smolíková
2nd grade teacher
Bohunka is an experienced math teacher who likes challenges. She takes life as it comes and solves problems with perspective. She enjoys helping others discover the beauty of mathematics and can even help those for whom math is a difficult maze to navigate.
In her free time, she enjoys gardening and beekeeping, and she keeps fit by playing sports. She rides her bike, plays volleyball, and wanders through nature.
Gavin James Hopwood
2nd grade teacher
Gavin is from Manchester in the North of England where he also studied engineering at Manchester University. After gaining his U.K teaching qualifications and gaining experience within the English school system, at a young age, he became an International teacher. Combining his love for travel and immersing himself into new cultures, it is both the people and places that he has encountered that have enriched him as a person and as an educator. Gavin considers himself to be a bit of an athlete and is happy to engage in all sports. He also loves the outdoors and will always prefer moving using his own steam rather than depending on motorized transport. Gavin is joining us from Morocco, moving to Prague with his wife and young son, Sebastian.
Markéta Pelikánová
2nd grade teacher
Markéta enjoys searching for meaning and value in literature and language together with her students. She studied Czech and Latin at the Faculties of Arts of Charles University and Masaryk University, which is where her interest in translating ancient poetry stems from. She spends most of her free time with the Scouts, where she works with teenagers and has gained extensive experience in team leadership.
Anette Tizolová
2nd grade teacher
Anette grew up in Prague, where she also attended university. She moved to Paris to pursue her doctoral studies, where she had the honor of studying microbiology at the Pasteur Institute. She then embarked on a career as a science teacher and has remained in this profession because she finds working with children meaningful and fulfilling. She likes to take a modern approach to teaching, which she learned during her time at several international schools. Anette enjoys creating things, whether it’s homemade cosmetics, soap, sourdough bread, DIY, sewing, crocheting, or growing plants. You will also often find her on nature trips with her son and the newest addition to the family, their dog.
Linda Nejezchlebová
2nd grade teacher
Linda has long been committed to a holistic approach to life and finding connections in history, the present, and between people. She studied international studies at Charles University and worked in marketing and PR for Czech and multinational companies. After becoming a mother, she began practicing yoga, which she has been doing professionally for more than 15 years—teaching children and adults, promoting personal development, healthy lifestyles, and sustainability. She leads courses and strives to awaken her students’ interest in political, economic, and social events and their interconnections. She spends her free time doing creative work, playing sports, and spending time with her Ridgeback dog.
Zora Velková
art teacher
Zorka is an energetic scenographer who graduated from the Department of Alternative and Puppet Theatre at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. After exploring opera and the ice cities beyond the Arctic Circle in Finland, she took the Trans-Siberian Highway to the Altai Mountains, where she climbed glacier saddles. She loves paragliding. After many years at OPEN GATE High School as an IB Visual Art teacher, she decided to make a change and moved with her family to exotic Burma and then to Madeira, where she taught at prestigious international schools. She plays guitar, piano and likes to make fun of serious things. She loves sleeping outdoors and raises her 4 children following a “cool, hungry and moving” method.
Petra Mazochová
2nd grade teacher, teacher’s assistant
Péťa comes from Velvary, a small town not far from Kladno. However, she has been living in Prague for over 5 years, first for the police high school and then for college and work. She is very positive and creative. She likes sports, her favourite sports are gymnastics and dance. She also likes to play the guitar, sing in a choir or go for walks in the countryside. She has wanted to be a teacher since she was in elementary school and working at Livingston is a dream come true.
Eva Niklová
teaching assistant
Eva pochází z malebného města Mělník. Vystudovala obor speciální pedagogika se zaměřením na logopedii a surdopedii. V oblasti vzdělávání má bohaté zkušenosti, které získala při práci asistentky pedagoga na základní škole na prvním stupni i na škole se speciálními třídami. Kromě toho působila také jako vychovatelka ve školní družině. In her spare time, she has completed the Good Start Methods course and runs private speech therapy classes for pre-school children. She enjoys traveling and discovering new cultures, and loves cycling and nature walks which help her to recharge her energy and keep a positive mind.
Monika Fořtíková
teaching assistant
Monča is an energetic and creative person who likes to spend her free time actively – whether on trips, board games or escape games. She keeps herself in good shape by exercising regularly. She also enjoys painting and creating with children. She considers her family to be her best team and is a proud mother of two little girls.
Lenka Otavová
teaching assistant
Lenka is a Prague native and a graduate of pedagogical school. She believes that mutual trust is the foundation of all learning. She gained her experience through tutoring and leading summer camps, but for her, the most important thing remains the same: a kind and individual approach to every child. She is fascinated by psychology and strives to listen to children so they feel safe and free in her presence.She brings optimism and openness to everything she does. And how does she recharge? Most often on long walks with her dog, with a good book, or by discovering new things – because for her, learning is a passion that continues even in her free time.
Tereza Kopecká
teaching assistant
For Tereza, working with children is not just a profession, but above all, a meaningful calling. As a mother of two daughters, she knows firsthand how crucial a safe environment is for every child to develop naturally. Her approach is built on firm foundations: respect, empathy, and supporting the very best in every child.When she isn’t guiding children on their journeys, she loves spending time with her family on trips—whether exploring the Czech Republic or traveling abroad. A lifelong learner at heart, she enjoys relaxing with a good crime thriller or a powerful autobiography. And her secret superpower? Amateur cake baking, where (just like in school) she relies on patience and a genuine touch.
Lucie Demnerová
teaching assistant, tandem teacher at first grade
Lucka is from Prague. She is currently studying school pedagogy with educational therapy. She likes working with children, she is a mother of four children herself. Mutual trust, respect and communication, support for differences and an individual, kind approach to children are important to her. The most important thing for her is her family. She loves autumn, walking through the fallen leaves and breathing in their scent. Her interests include travel, reading and movies. She enjoys educating herself and moving forward.
Kateřina Pešková
English teacher and methodologist, prevention methodologist
Katka is a creative person through-and-through. Music, amateur theater, painting, poetry writing and sculpting are just a few of her many interests. You might run into her at a festival or a concert.
She loves documentaries about Ancient Egypt or the universe. She is fond of the sea, white chocolate and animals, especially her cat at home. Katka is saddened by disregard towards our natural world. Katka´s daughter is sure to make her laugh and giggle.
Jacqueline Nicole Moore
English teacher, native speaker
Nicole moved to Prague from New Orleans, Louisiana, but is originally from California. During her time in university she studied English education, literature, and studio art. She has been teaching in many forms since she graduated. From training people in work environments to teaching art, yoga, and the English language. Creating a safe space for people to build confidence is her greatest passion. In her free time she enjoys being outside with her son, reading, doing yoga, listening to music, and trying anything new!
Kristýna Bernardová
English teacher
Kristýna comes from Havířov, near Ostrava. She moved to Prague to study English Language and Education at university. More than anything, she loves traveling and tries to discover new places as often as she can. She can sometimes be a bit of a stress-head, but once she brings order and structure into things, she feels calmer and her work flows smoothly. As a child, she loved pretending to be a teacher and always had a sense of which life path she would follow.
Logan Burrill
native speaker
Logan moved to Prague from Massachusetts, USA. Logan is a former baseball player, won two conference championships and earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Maine. In his free time, he enjoys snowboarding, golf, hiking, working out, and spending time with his dog Penny.
Vanessa Mináriková
English teacher, native speaker
Vanessa grew up in Florida, where she competed in dance and later taught it. At the age of 18, she moved to Prague, where she studied at Anglo-American University and taught English to children and adults. She also gained experience teaching in Shanghai, China. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, and rock climbing.
Alejandro Garcia Carballo
Spanish teacher
Alejandro was born in Spain and graduated in Education with a specialization in Physical Education and Spanish teaching from the University of A Coruña and the International University of Valencia. He enjoys traveling, discovering new cultures, playing sports, and sharing his passion for the Spanish language with his students. As he likes to say: “Learning Spanish is the beginning of a journey without borders.”
Míša Řezáčová
leader of the after-school club and hobby center
Míša is a pure-blooded Pragueer. She graduated from the Secondary School of Education, then Social Work and is currently a student at the Faculty of Education, Charles University – School Management. Most of her experience with children, however, has been gained through scouting, where she led a girl’s troop for several years, and undoubtedly also thanks to the fact that she is a mother of three boys. She loves traveling, hiking, sleeping under the stars, singing by the fire, fun and adventure. When she’s in town, she goes to the theatre, is a movie buff and reader, and devours podcasts on parenting and education, communication, psychology and self-development. And when there’s time, he takes up various creative activities, such as sewing.
Michaela Vlachová
after-school caretaker
Míša is originally from Prague, the city she loves very much. From an early age, she has been involved with drama and art. She mostly likes to create, draw, photograph and read. Excellent food and regular exercise are a must and she also loves traveling and learning about new cultures. You are likely to meet her in a gallery or a theater. She has been working with children since the beginning of her career – her first job was working as a leader in a scout group just outside of Prague – the same one she was a part of as a child.
Markéta Miláčková
after-school caretaker
Markéta was often afraid of school when she was younger, but her passion for art and its creation has paved the way for her to study and pursue teaching as a profession. Her life motto goes as follows: “Do not fear art, for it does not fear us”.
She absolutely adores discovering and drinking quality tea, so you can be sure to find her in one of Prague’s many tea shops. You won’t meet her at a football match or at a shooting range. She loves her two children, all animals, and the ocean.
Anežka Salamánková
after-school caretaker
Anežka comes from a village near Prague and studies Art Education with Special Education at the Faculty of Education. Her mother encouraged her to work with children from an early age, which is why she emphasizes close and empathetic relationships. She enjoys creating, playing team sports, going for walks, and spending time with her family. She sees creative activities as a way to bring joy to others, which she wants to transfer to her work with children.
Mariya Puka
head of cleaning and dispensing
Mariya – or Mary as everyone at the school calls her – is irreplaceable for the children at school. She runs the cafeteria and makes sure all the children are given their meals and snacks. As well as that, she also makes sure the school is kept nice and clean, so the kids have a beautiful environment in which to learn and spend time. In order to handle all this important work, she spends her free time working out or going on long walks. You may also find her at the cinema watching a great movie.
