Our Team
SelfDesign High feels fortunate to have a diversity of people involved in the vitality and functioning of our learning community. Our community displays a true passion for education, community spirit, and the benefits of engaging learning experiences. Our mentors are knowledgeable in many areas and have great interest in diverse approaches to learning.
Why Mentor and not "Teacher"?
This conscious choice of the use of the term mentor is deeply related to our approach and the SelfDesign™ methodology. Mentor as we are using it: "wise and trusted guide", is from it's etymological ancient Greek roots. The image is individuals sitting side by side, learner and mentor gazing out at a shared interest, subject, and passion.
Mentors
Alison Talbot Kelly - Humanities, Peace Studies
Alison came to Nelson from Montreal where she was a teacher at college level for 8 years in the Humanities, Philosophy and Religion departments. She has degrees in Philosophy (McGill) and Religious Studies and a Master's in Anthropology/Religious Studies (MacMaster). Along with sporadic engagements teaching at Selkirk College Alison has been involved with SelfDesignHigh developing curriculum and administration/PR work. The questions lurking behind much of what interests Alison are "What do we need to know? " and "What influences how we know?"
Amy Forget - Science
Amy holds two degrees from Nipissing University in Ontario with a BA (teachable in geography) and a Bachelor of Education. Her progressive approach to learning supports a student centred and enquiry based techniques that encourage individual expression and diversity. Along with course development Amy has been providing SelfDesignHigh staff and students administrative and learning support.
Angela Fitzgerald - Math
Angela's formal training and education includes a BA in Math and English, a BEd in Secondary education, and a DipEd in Counselling Psychology. With the birth of her first child almost ten years ago, Angela began a more intensive hands-on 'training' with a focus on the concept of all learning being relative to the development of peaceful and healthy human relations. Since then Angela has shifted her focus to supporting learning in the context of a loving and nurturing relationship, with the relationship prioritized as integral to the learning.
Anita Levesque - Fine Arts and English
Anita Levesque is a professional visual artist and trained art educator. She currently holds degrees from the Alberta College of Art & Design and Mount St. Vincent University/NSCAD. Anita has worked with a diverse range of learners from various ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds across Canada. She approaches education with creativity, curiosity, encouragement, and humour. As her husband Brad writes, "Anita Levesque is a scaffolding. She travels the ring of earth with versatility at her side. She wears life lessons like suspenders. Her life is built around colour and creativity."
Barbarah Nicoll - Humanities, Peace Studies
Barbarah Nicoll is passionate about human beings as learners in the process of dynamic unfolding. This passion is currently being expressed at SelfDesign High in administration, course development and mentoring peace focused courses and experiences. Barbarah holds a Bachelor of General Studies Degree, a Waldorf High School Teacher Diploma and a Masters of Arts in Integrated Studies with a focus on Understanding The Heart in Connection to Learning and Education. A musician and dancer, and a new grandmother, Barbarah loves life.
David Russell Lowen - English, Planning 10, Social 10 & 11, P.E.
David's philosophy of learning is essentially based on Vygotsky's constructivist approach to learning. David values the SelfDesign model for learning and the approach towards an individualized and meaningful discovery of learning. David has a special interest in the Humanities and has spent the last four years teaching at an International School in the Middle East where he taught courses on Peace and Conflict, Environmental Management, and Information Technology in a Global Society. David is excited to be mentoring with SelfDesign High and currently calls Nelson his home. David enjoys the outdoors in beautiful, super-natural British Columbia and is always looking forward to new learning experiences
Diane Walters - Earth Sciences, Astronomy and Practical Arts
Diane Walters is a trained Waldorf teacher who holds a BC Independent Schools Certificate and a Masters Degree in Liberal Arts with a focus on adolescent participatory learning styles. She has had a lifelong interest on the subjects of geology, ecology, geography, astronomy, agriculture, education and the practical arts. Diane’s 30 year relationship with stone and clay is one she plans to share with SelfDesignHigh learners and community members.
Earl Hamilton - English 12
Earl is eclipsing a life long career in public schools with a sortie into teaching 'unfettered' at SelfDesign High. He owes his love of Waldorf schooling to the devas in his wife's garden. With a BA from the University of Michigan and his BED from the University of British Columbia, Earl brings diversity of educational and world experience to his workshops.
Ian Dawe - Biology, Film Studies
Ian has been an educator for about a decade, and still feels very new to the profession. He has earned graduate degrees in both Molecular Biology and Film Studies, being a person too curious to limit himself to a single specialty! A passionately interdisciplinary person, Ian loves to cross fertilize academic ideas and approaches. His teaching experience includes work with the non-profit organization Let's Talk Science and seven years of instruction at Selkirk College. Ian loves to interact with learners from diverse backgrounds and interests. His love of teaching is directly related to his love of learning, and to that end he sincerely hopes he'll never be certain of anything.
Jamie K. Donaldson - Peace Studies
A lifelong peace and justice activist, Jamie immigrated to Canada in 2007 for reasons of conscience. She has been a tenured faculty member in the United States and has lived and worked extensively in Latin America. She holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. In addition to her association with SelfDesign High, Jamie works full time as a Program Manager at UBC's Centre for Intercultural Communication in Vancouver. She loves bird watching and music.
Jeff Tsai - Geography
Jeff was born and raised in Taiwan. His initial foray into geography began when he picked up his first map as a little kid; this began his unbroken exploration into how nature and people interact and into understanding the critical issues that affect our lives and our planet. Integrating his passion for geography into a career, Jeff also holds a teaching degree from the University of British Columbia.
Jonathon Taylor - Science 10, Biology 11 & 12, IDS, P.E.
Since graduating college (Pomona ’63) and graduate school (Rutgers ’72) Jonathan has worked as an artist, graphic designer, oceanographer, college professor and administrator, enterprise coach, facilitator, consultant, and entrepreneur. An experienced facilitator, Jonathan trained in Dialogue, The 360 Leadership Circle assessment tool, and Open Space Technology. Jonathan loves working with high school students who are burning with a passion to live their life fully while making a significant contribution to the world at large.
Kim Carpenter - Praxis, Peace Studies, Youth Entrepreneurship
Before migrating to Canada a few years ago, Kim worked for 15 years in the corporate worlds of New York City and Austin, Texas. There she helped leading companies craft their marketing, advertising and website presence. She brings this as well as her experience as a Life and Small Business Coach to the Praxis and Youth Entrepreneurship programs. With a passion for bringing holistic, peace-building practices to the business world, she also helps facilitate our Peace Camps and mentors our Youth Marketing Advisory team.
Marcelle Edwards - English
Marcelle Edwards, born on the southern tip of Africa, traveled extensively, through Southern Africa and Europe as a young adult, and the Americas as a mature one. One of the highlights in Europe was living in view of the Alps while apprenticing to a Swiss herbalist for 21/2 years, and helping run a very well organized cooperative farm. (It was a Swiss farm after all!) After that came 15 years of community work in South Africa, responding to the needs of a country in rapidand great transition. During this time completed a undergrad inLinguistics, Translation and Art History, and graduate studies inEducation. Also initiated 3 alternative schools, 2 of which continueto fulfill their purpose of bringing creative, wholisitic, inclusive (which is to say human-centred) education to children, youth and youngadults, mainly from marginalized parts of society. She came to Canada in 1997 with her 3 young children to work at the Nelson Waldorf School. After this she completed 2 years of full time graduate studies in Art Therapy and went to South America for 4 years to workin International Cooperation and Development. 3 of these years were inthe Amazon Jungle - an utterly life changing experience. Now back in Canada, she is working with Self Design, continuing with the search for the kind of education that meets the needs of the 21st Century.
Mark McGivern - English, Guitar, P.E., IDS, Philosophy 12, Fine Arts- The History of Music
Mark was born and raised in Toronto Ontario, into a family of 5 siblings. He has lived in Nicaragua, Japan, and the Middle East teaching in various capacities. Mark did his Waldorf training in Toronto in 2001 - 2002 and spent 6 years teaching classes 5 through 8 at the Nelson Waldorf School. He currently lives in Nelson, British Columbia, and teaches various courses at SelfDesign High.
Michael Maser - Planning 10 ('Learning Your Way'), Praxis.
Michael has worked as an alternate-innovative educator for 20+ years, co-founding both the 'Virtual High' program for teens in Vancouver (1993-1997) and SelfDesign Learning Community (2002-present). His educational strengths include personal development, language arts and science, drawing on professional experience as a writer-researcher-journalist and scientist (geologist). Additionally, Michael enjoys playing guitar, hiking and camping and he is a passionate advocate on behalf of environmental and sustainability initiatives. Michael has a permanent professional teaching certificate (BC).
Nancy Quackenbush - Math
Nancy comes to Self Design with an enthusiasm for teaching math. She grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario; attended McMaster and Lakehead University and is a qualified secondary PE, science, and math teacher. She answered the call of the West in the early 90s when she packed up her Oldsmobile and moved to the coast. There, Nancy continued her education and teaching career, obtaining a masters degree in education and accumulating more than a decade of high school teaching experience. Recognizing the value of leaving the ‘wet coast’, Nancy sought paradise and found it here in Nelson. Leaving behind the rain and moving to an area that promised the white winters she grew up with, Nancy is pleased with her newly adopted hometown and the opportunities for cross country skiing and outdoor activities that abound in this region.
Paul Tosney - Math & Physics
Paul gained his degree with the Open University by distance learning, while teaching various subjects at the Royal Air Force Technical College in England. He then went to night school and gained a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Wolverhampton University. Paul is also the administrator for the SelfDesign High Moodle learning management system and our website. Paul has many years of experience of distance learning, both as a student and as a tutor. He has taught night classes in Math & Physics and was a student counsellor.
Sandy Ockenden - Math
Sandy has been a 'closet mathematician' for most of his adult life. Now, after almost 30 years as a teacher, he finally gets to sharpen his pencils in the open. Sandy has taught in a variety of elementary and secondary schools in BC and in Africa (Botswana, Nigeria and most recently a Waldorf school in South Africa). Sandy has a BSc in Zoology and a Post Graduate Diploma in Education, both from UBC. The best thing about Mathematics for Sandy is the beauty to be found in the logic, precision and symmetry of numbers and space.
Stephen Rowcliffe - Science 10, Biology 11 & 12
Suzanne Tompkins/Jake Pauls - Visual Arts
Jake Pauls and Suzanne Tompkins recently collaborated as SelfDesign High mentors for the Comics, Cartoons and Graphic Novels conference in the SelfDesign Learning Community 'Village'. Jake has a BA in Studio Arts from the University of Guelph and now works as an illustrator. Jake and Suzanne look foward to mentoring a fascinating new approach to learning about, discussing and practicing art using online technology. Suzanne is a SelfDesign Learning Consultant and she is currently completing her Masters in Educational Technology at UBC. Suzanne and Jake look foward to mentoring a fascinating new approach to learning about, discussing and practicing art using online technology. Suzanne is certified by the BC College of Teachers.
Learning Consultants / Mentors
Ann Taylor - Math
Ann Taylor is a new learning consultant who lives on Sproat Lake near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. She lives with her 21-year-old daughter, and her husband who works in Winnipeg at the Centre for Sustainable Transportation. She had retired a few years ago from a longish career teaching math and IT in the public and independent school systems and had fun with IT because she was able to foster creativity in her students who were learning to use graphics programs, digital video, multimedia authoring software, etc. She is keen to get involved with education again in a completely different way that is more compatible with my philosophy.
Michael Maser - Learning Consultant, available for SelfDesign Praxis
Michael has worked as an alternate-innovative educator for 20+ years, co-founding both the 'Virtual High' program for teens in Vancouver (1993-1997) and SelfDesign Learning Community (2002-present). His educational strengths include personal development, language arts and science, drawing on professional experience as a writer-researcher-journalist and scientist (geologist). Additionally, Michael enjoys playing guitar, hiking and camping and he is a passionate advocate on behalf of environmental and sustainability initiatives. Michael has a permanent professional teaching certificate (BC).
Kelly Waite - Science 10
Kelly has over 10 years of teaching experience including English in Japan. I also taught in Winnipeg for five years followed by three years in greater Vancouver area. She currently tutors several high school students in math, French and science with the intention of helping students find meaning in their learning. Her interests doing heart work, journaling, reading, piano, exploring & hiking in new places.
