WESTBORO ACADEMY - Key Persons
Brenda Dunlop × Ms. Brenda has been teaching at Westboro Academy since 2003. She graduated from the Concurrent Education Program at Queen's University, where she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Bachelor of Education with certification at the primary/junior levels. Prior to coming to Westboro Academy, she gained experience teaching for nine years at international schools in Cartagena, Colombia and Kuwait. Brenda has been head of the science committee responsible for reviewing related curriculum, faculty representative of the elementary student council, headed the Leadership League. She takes great pride in running the annual Halloween extravaganza and coordinating the events for Reading Week. When not working, Mrs. Brenda continues to enjoy travelling and cultural outings.
Job Titles:
- Physical Education Specialist
Caitlin Cadeau started working at Westboro Academy in 2009 and is now the Athletic Director and Health and Physical Education teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from Carleton University, followed by a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa. She also obtained her Primary and Junior Physical Education certification. Ms. Caitlin's has enjoyed playing competitive sports such as hockey, soccer, and softball, while indulging in various recreational sports such as snowboarding, kayaking, and water skiing. Ms. Caitlin is passionate about health and fitness and she wants to instil the importance of physical activity in her students, while inspiring them to discover their own sport passions. When not in a gym, hockey rink, or on a field, Ms. Caitlin enjoys travelling and learning about different parts of the world, as well as hiking with her dog.
Chantal De La Sablonnière × As our Office Administrator, Chantal de la Sablonnière will be glad to help students and parents in answering any questions that may arise. She has over 35 years of experience working in office administration in not-for-profit environments and in settings with children and families. She loves having children around. In her spare time, Chantal enjoys reading, relaxing in their family cottage, and during the Spring, her husband and herself have a good time producing maple syrup. Her motto is: "Never stop learning".
Job Titles:
- Director of Admissions
- Director of Admissions & Marketing /
Chantale Bessette × At Westboro Academy, Chantale strives to provide personalized and friendly service to every family and student that comes through our doors and believes that when it comes to relationship building, it's never a one-size fits all approach. A people person at her core, Chantale feels most in her element working collaboratively within a team in fast paced environments and in outward facing roles. She brings with her 10 years experience working in the non-profit sector, 5 of which were spent in a management role at a high-profile national non-profit where she worked on several award-winning campaigns. Prior to that, she spent 2 years working in a management role for student housing at a local university.
Eiger Tolledo graduated with an honours Bachelor of Science specializing in Mathematics and a minor in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He then went on to complete his Bachelor of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He is a travelled teacher, starting in England and returning to Canada in 2019. He has taught grades 4 to 12, with the majority of his experience focusing on Math and English in the middle years (grades 7 to 9)
Elyane Ruel × Elyane is delighted to have joined the Westboro Academy community. Being raised bilingual, she started her career teaching French immersion in an Inuit community. Her passion for teaching, appreciation of multicultural environments, and desire to gain global perspectives led her to international schools. She has more than 20 years of experience in education in various international schools across different countries. During this time, she has held several different roles: homeroom teacher, French as a foreign language teacher, curriculum coordinator, principal, and consultant. In addition to her qualifications from the Principal's Training Center, she holds a B.A. in Education from Université de Laval and M.A. in Education from the University of Alberta. She is thrilled to be back in Canada and part of this child-centred school that values a sense of community and bilingual education.
Emilie Meredith × Emilie obtained her Bachelor of Fine Art, specializing in painting from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2016. Her passion for art and pedagogy most recently brought her to complete her Special Education Assistant Diploma, which allowed her to gain knowledge and experience working with children who have learning or behavioral challenges or developmental modalities such as ADHD and Autism. With over 8 years of experience teaching and instructing art to children, her goal is to provide an engaging artistic environment that will leave them feeling inspired and energized to foster a lifelong connection to art in some way, shape or form.
Job Titles:
- Director of Teaching and Learning
Isabelle Racine × Isabelle began her teaching career in 2010 and joined the Westboro Academy team in 2020. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature and music from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Teaching degree from the University of Ottawa. As a musician, she shares her passion for music with her students and is passionate about technology, which she uses on a daily basis as a learning tool. Isabelle loves downhill skiing, camping and playing music. Due to her impending move to British Columbia, Mme Isabelle left the AWA last June, but is now back at the Academy as Director of Teaching and Learning until she leaves for Western Canada.
Janick Lauzon is the Junior Kindergarten teacher at Westboro Academy, where she has been teaching since 2002. She is a certified Early Childhood Educator and she also holds a Bachelor of Education degree for the primary division obtained from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. She has over 25 years of experience working with young children as a kindergarten teacher, daycare coordinator, and home daycare provider. In her role at the school, Mme Janick worked with Me to We and organized the middle school service projects to international destinations such as Ecuador and Nicaragua. She has participated in numerous humanitarian projects including in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Kenya. She is passionate about diversity and travel. She enjoys spending time at her family cottage and taking care of her dog and cats.
Jonel Destré immigrated to Montréal, Québec, at the age of three. His schooling was completed entirely in French. Jonel is a graduate of Laurentian University with a Bachelor's Degree in Education. He has since acquired more than ten years of experience in teaching and coaching youth. Jonel has extensive experience teaching in the classroom as well as in Physical Education. He has also taught French as a Second Language for grades 4 and 7. Furthermore, he has experience working in a private school. His previous experience in a private school comes from Toronto French School (TFS) - Canada's International School (West Campus) in Mississauga, where he worked from 2009 to 2022. TFS is both a distinguished as well as a reputable school in the Greater Toronto Area. Presently, he is teaching in a grade 5 classroom in a remote northern Alberta Indigenous school and will be relocating once the school year ends. Jonel has a passion for teaching and loves children. He is fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Creole.
Julie Jenkins × Ms. Jenkins received her accounting designation through CGA Ontario in 2002, while working in the private high tech sector. For the past decade, her focus has been on the Non-profit sector, providing senior financial support and training on various accounting software package s. Ms. Jenkins joined the team at the Academy in 2015. A proud mom, Ms. Jenkins enjoys all the seasons Ottawa has to offer to fulfill her gardening, skiing, and cycling passions.
Karin Stenman joined our team in 2000 having already taught in the Eastern Arctic for 11 years and then in Quebec for another 4 years. She graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor's Degree in Education and a certificate in E.S.L. training. She brings a passion for children and is a lifelong learner. She helps lead many committees around the school including the Student Council, International Week, School Houses and charitable fundraising for CHEO. Ms. Stenman enjoys travel and time with her family.
Kathryn Udesen × Kathryn has 25 years of experience in various settings at the elementary and high school levels in both public and private school boards. She has completed her Master of Education degree in second language instruction at the University of Ottawa, and earned her Bachelor of Education degree from Université Laval, Québec. Kathryn is the proud mother of two children. She enjoys reading, calligraphy and yoga in her spare time.
Job Titles:
- Senior Kindergarten Teacher
Laurence Polly joined the Westboro Academy in 2020. She obtained a bachelor's degree in geography from La Sorbonne University in Paris and a school teacher diploma from the University of Teaching Institute in France. Laurence taught for five years as a teacher and principal of a small school. Then, she taught in a bilingual school in the United States for 13 years where she enriched her experience with young French-speaking and non-French speaking children as an elementary, kindergarten teacher and kindergarten coordinator. She is passionate about the arts and children's literature. Laurence enjoys learning, painting, meditating, swimming, and travelling. She is also the proud mother of a daughter.
Maxence Baudry × Maxence was born and raised in the west of France. His grandmother was also a teacher and Maxence is happy to also participate in the education of tomorrow's citizens. With great enthusiasm and an adventurous spirit, his career has taken him to teach in France, the United States, Australia, Vancouver and soon at Westboro Academy where he is very excited to join the faculty. Maxence is also the proud father of a young boy. He enjoys spending time with his family exploring new places in nature in an environmentally friendly manner. Maxence also enjoys endurance sports and is a long-distance triathlete.
Nathalie Poirier has been teaching at Westboro Academy in 2001. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a B.A in Linguistics, a B.Ed for the primary and junior divisions, and with a specialist in second languages. She is fascinated by second language learning in children. When Mme Nathalie is not at school, she enj oys spending time with her family.
Shanyne McLaughlin × Shanyne McLaughlin joined Westboro Academy in 2014 and is the science specialist for all grades. She earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology from Laurentian University and a Bachelor of Education from Trent University. Before teaching with Westboro Academy, Ms. McLaughlin worked at two different private schools in Ottawa in grades four to grade eight. She is passionate about mathematics and science, especially nature, and is currently a volunteer with the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists' Young Naturalist program. In her time away from work, Ms. Shanyne enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and hiking.
Tahlia De Corso × A pianist, conductor and music educator, Tahlia joined the AWA team in 2023. Hailing from Australia, Tahlia completed her Bachelor of Music and Honours Degree as well as an Education Diploma at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, South Australia. She then completed her Master's Degree in Classical Piano Performance in the Netherlands before settling in Brussels, Belgium. Tahlia moved to Ottawa in 2022 and is currently the conductor of the OCC Viva choir. She also holds the position of Musical Director of BSP ‘Big Soul Project' - a community gospel choir in Ottawa as well as serving as accompanist for the Cantiamo Women's Choir. Tahlia has been involved in music education for over 10 years in Australia, Belgium, and Canada.
Job Titles:
- before and After School Program Coordinator
Victoria Caldwell × Victoria has worked as the Before and After School Program Coordinator at Westboro Academy since 2021. During this time, Victoria has grown aside the students at AWA where she has not only completed her undergraduate degree during this time, but is currently completing a Masters degree in Psychology. Before joining AWA, Victoria worked in various coordinator positions within child and youth program planning and community development. Victoria has always held the passion that all children matter; thus, in her spare time, Victoria can be found doing advocacy work that focuses on the human rights of children and youth. Victoria can't wait to see you in A4 or the various camps she runs here at AWA!
Zachary Brain × Mr. Brain began teaching in 2009 and has been with Westboro Academy since 2017. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Education from Augsburg University in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has a Masters of Science degree in Educational Technology. Additionally, Mr. Brain has worked with elementary and high school students as a football and basketball coach. He has established a reputation as a leader and mentor who connects with students, staff, and families. His classroom is built on the foundations of empathy, communication, and creativity and he has consistently built and maintained relationships with students of diverse backgrounds. Mr. Brain loves to hike, golf, read, run, draw, laugh with family and friends, travel, and cheer for his favourite football team.