meet the Teachers
Jordan Al-Assadi
As an English and Physical and Health Education (PHE) teacher, I try to infuse community involvement, environmental sustainability, outdoor education, and social justice 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 at a young age 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 connecting students with learning environments that are outside of the school building (local excursions, field trips, and overnight excursions.)
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
Jeff Mazo
Being able to teach in the Renfrew-Collingwood neighbourhood, where I grew up and continue to live, has been a privilege. And to join a program that is synonymous with community-minded service, civic engagement, and social justice is an honour. I teach Social Studies, Contemporary Indigenous Studies 12, and I have an interest in media studies. While we can look at history as a foreign land, the experiences, struggles, and triumphs of different peoples in the past echo in the present.
“Travel changes you. As you move through this life and this world you change things slightly, you leave marks behind, however small. And in return, life — and travel — leaves marks on you.” Anthony Bourdain
My pronouns: he / him
Lisa Nakamura
I am a more recent addition to the Leadership team and have a background in Social Studies. I teach both Social Studies and Career Life Connections (Grade 12) in the Leadership program. In engaging with students, I seek to develop an understanding of historical significance, continuity/change and cause/consequence in the historical framework of Canada as well as the rest of the world. I enjoy developing a strong rapport with students in and outside of the classroom through programs like the GSA and Anime Club. I believe it is important to build resilience in our students through the Leadership Program as well as developing and practicing self-reflection, ownership and critical thinking.
My pronouns: she/her
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
Jessica Tam
As one of the Leadership English teachers, I seek to equip students with modes of thinking that encourage them to foster personal values steeped in social justice and environmental stewardship. Through the texts and ideas we explore as a class, and the principles I instil in the class - empathy, rigour, and inquiry - I encourage my students to take initiative in their learning, foster their individual interests and talents, and contribute to social responsibility and community engagement in and out of the classroom.
When I am not teaching, I am either curled up at home, reading a book, or more likely, in nature, playing whatever sport the season has to offer: ultimate frisbee, downhill skiing, rock-climbing, or yoga.
Pronouns: she/her
As well as....
We are also excited to work with the following teachers who are new to our program or are covering leaves:
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Susan Pearson
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Alan Hampton
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Lachlan Beggs