meet the Teachers
Jordan Al-Assadi
(Current Program Coordinator)
As an English and Physical and Health Education (PHE) teacher, I try to infuse community involvement, environmental sustainability, outdoor education, and social responsibility into the curriculum. On a daily basis, I witness Leadership students following a passion, engaging with important issues, and fighting for a better future.
In line with David Suzuki, I believe that children who grow up immersed in nature are more likely to protect it when they are older. My favourite Leadership experiences involve the use of our class set of bicycles for excursions to Galliano and Salt Spring Island. I enjoy exposing students to learning environments outside of the school building (local excursions, field trips, and camping experiences.)
My pronouns: he/him
Allison Dixon
I joined the Leadership program in 2018, and I have enjoyed being part of the Windermere Community as an English teacher since 2016. I’m excited to be involved in a program built on the values of social responsibility, community engagement, and environmental education. While at Windermere, I can often be found digging, weeding, and wandering about the school orchard and gardens with the Garden Club. As a teacher, I strive to ensure that all my students have what they need in order to reach their full potential, take ownership over their own learning, and discover what they’re passionate about in life.
Favourite quote: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” – Anonymous proverb
My pronouns: she/her
Jessica Liew
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I'm new to the Leadership Program, but I have been teaching at Windermere since 2005. I'm both a Socials and English teacher, but I will be teaching Socials 8 and 10 to the Leadership students. I'm a big history and politics nerd, so I love the topics that I get to teach, but I ultimately see the curriculum as the vehicle through which students learn skills that they can apply flexibly to any topic or situation. I want my students to have the skills to find trustworthy information in this world of fake news and AI slop. I want them to appreciate complex environmental and social issues from different perspectives and to make fair and informed ethical judgments about both the past and the present. Above all, I want to see them develop the communication skills needed to be leaders in their community and understand how they can make the changes that they want to see in the world.
Favourite quote: "Teachings come from everywhere if you open yourself to them." - Richard Wagamese
Pronouns: she/her
Amanpreet Jhutti
I am excited to join the leadership program at Windermere Secondary. I will be teaching social studies to the Leadership students this year. As a Social Studies teacher, I encourage our students to reflect on their place in the world, appreciate what came before them, and consider the impact they have on the future. Before becoming a teacher, I worked in parks and recreation, and hope to use that experience to educate our students on the importance of maintaining, and saving, our environment. I look forward to meeting all the new Leadership students.
My pronouns: he / him
Petra Rempel
Since 2004, I have been privileged to live and teach in the Windermere Community and I am excited to be a part of this wonderful mini-school program. The philosophical principles of the Leadership program are a strong fit for my core values and I am continuously inspired by students as they learn more about their role in the world. I believe the most meaningful experiences stem from inquiry and action, from challenge and passion. Outside of a teaching, I'm a mum, daughter, sister, auntie, wife, and friend with a love of reading and knitting, of science and of quiet natural spaces. I practice yoga and mindfulness and enjoy learning about traditional uses for plants. I have been in the Leadership program since 2014 and teach Science 8, Ecology 9, and Environmental Science 11. I cosponsor our Sprouts Garden Club with Allison Dixon, and sponsor Greening Windermere, our sustainability club.
My pronouns: she/her