The High Performing Educator Podcast

Al Mclean has been an educator for 25 years and is currently the Principal at Timmins High & Vocational School (TH & VS). Al taught in a small community high school for 6 years, in K-6 school for two years and a Grade 7/8 school for four years. Before becoming Principal, Al was the Vice Principal at two high schools in Timmins for 11 years. Outside of the classroom Al enjoys hiking, backpacking, s...

Andrea Holwegner is the founder and CEO of Health Stand Nutrition Consulting Inc. established in 2000. Her mission is to empower people to create a healthy and joyous relationship with food and their body. She leads a team of experienced dietitians that help busy families with meal planning success, weight concerns, eating disorders, digestive issues, sports nutrition, heart health, diabetes and m...

UWindsor alumna Phebe Lam ( @Phebe_Lam ) (BSc 1995, BA 1997) began a two-year appointment as acting associate vice-president, student experience, on March 22. Dr. Lam earned master's and doctoral degrees in psychology from Wayne State University and has been teaching at the University of Windsor since 2015. In addition to teaching the "Mentorship and Learning" course, she has helped to expand the...

Alana Principe ( @MissPrincipe ) is a grade one teacher with the Halton Catholic District School Board. Before teaching Grade One, she taught Grade 2/3 and Kindergarten. She's always had a love (and so much energy) for the primary grades! Her passion for teaching and working with students started at a very young age. Growing up in a big family helped shape her into the leader, helper, and nurturer...

Karen Kettle is passionate about the power of student-led leadership programs. Throughout her career with the Durham District School Board, Karen has been a high school science teacher, a consultant, an international presenter, an author, and a course director for the York University Faculty of Education. She has worked beside talented student leaders and dedicated colleagues to create and impleme...

Greg McLean has been in the educational field for the past 28 years as a teacher, school administrator and instructor for Niagara University and Catholic Principals Council of Ontario.   Greg has worked in 9 schools and in 3 different school boards and is currently the principal of Sacred Heart, Mildmay after a year of being the principal of St Isidore Virtual School, the first-ever virtual school...

Cathy Beauchamp is a principal at Englehart High School (Grades 7 -12). She started in administration in 2006 as the vice principal of Timiskaming District Secondary School. She was the principal at this school when it transitioned to a 7 - 12 school in 2014. Cathy comes from a sports background and incorporates an action-oriented teamwork approach. She puts the needs of the learners at the forefr...

Sara Lindberg has had a non-traditional pathway to becoming an educator, including turns as a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, administrative assistant, and veterinary clinic manager.   After going back to graduate school to get her master's in education and media technology, she worked in the field of education as a tutoring coordinator, a school library media specialist and technology co...

Adriano began his journey of working with youth during his time in residence life at the University of Waterloo and Western University. That experience drew him to teacher's college and a career as an educator. "When am I going to use this in life?" This question is the driving force of his passion for providing students with insight into career exploration and goal setting. Adriano served as the...

Mike Thiessen is the Instruction, Curriculum and Technology Co-ordinator at Fort La Bosse School Division. Over the past 20+ years he has worked in the field of education as a Curriculum Developer, Teacher, School Principal, and now in his current position as a Divisional Co-ordinator. He has a deep passion to provide students with safe and enriching learning environments where they can learn to s...

Natasha Daniel is a bilingual (French and English) project manager in the Youth Skills and Employment Program at MCG Careers.  A Certified Career Development Practitioner, Certified Work-Life Balance Coach, Certified Strengthening Families Coach and a Trained Trauma-Informed Community Facilitator with a strong passion for community and working with people. Her passion for empowering others began w...

Pamela is passionate about helping youth and adults in their drive for transformative experiences through critical thought, creative expression and hands-on play. Pamela is a leading voice in media education with over 20 years of experience as a designer, trainer, consultant, educator and advocate. She is an authority in comprehensive media and digital literacy working with schools, nonprofits and...

After spending over 30 years of his life as an administrator in the Calgary School system in Canada, Larry was gifted the opportunity to work with some of the most vulnerable and behavioural students in his school system.  Through that experience, Larry learned so much about trust, trauma-informed teaching, and how to build really deep relationships with kids. He believes that his opportunity to w...

Erika Rath is the Director of Student Services and teacher at The Sacred Heart School of Montreal. Erika has been working in the educational field since the late 1990s. She was always involved in her community recreation programs and worked as a camp counsellor and director for several summers. While studying in Cegep and University, Erika worked with pre-school children and led classes for parent...

Tali is a Registered Social Worker who works at a Modern Orthodox Jewish Day School in Thornhill Ontario. She works specifically with students in Pre-Nursery through to Grade Three providing one on one counselling, consultative services and social-emotional learning program development and implementation. Tali earned her Bachelors of Arts Degree at IDC in Herzliya, Israel. She then completed her c...

Elijah Johnson is a 17-year-old senior at Blaine High School, in Blaine, Minnesota. Although he's involved in a variety of extracurriculars, he's most proud to serve as the National Secondary Division President of Business Professionals of America (BPA), a business education non-profit that changes the lives of students all around the world.   This year, he, along with the BPA Executive Council, h...

Dr. Sukup is currently an Associate Professor of Management at Ferris State University where she is currently teaching Team Dynamics-Organizational Behavior, Quality-Operations Management, Business Integrated Experience CAPSTONE, Business Ethics and Social Responsibility, Managerial Leadership, Leadership and Organizational Change, and International Logistics courses. Additionally, she is also the...

John Lucas Guimaraes serves as the Executive President of the Post-secondary Division of Business Professionals of America, an international Career and Technical Student Organization.  John Lucas lives in Massachusetts and is studying Civil Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. He loves running, nature, and trading state pins with members at the BPA National Leadership Confere...

Mike O'Neill has over 25 years of experience as an educator, consultant and school administrator with DCDSB. In addition, he has played many significant leadership roles within the system as Restorative Practice Lead and Facilitator, Development of the Bullying Awareness and Prevention Curriculum, and Executive Member of the Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario (CPCO) Durham Chapter. His commit...

Dr. Bridget Weiss is the Superintendent of the Juneau School District. After graduating high school in Juneau, Bridget graduated from Whitworth University in 1984, with a Bachelors in Mathematics, a Minor in Physical Education and a secondary teaching certificate. Following graduation, she spent the next 26 years in Spokane as a high school math teacher, coach, high school assistant principal, ele...

Michelle Lemaire ( @MsLemaire ) is an educator for over 20 years, starting her teaching career as a math teacher in Seoul, Korea. Born in Singapore, Michelle spent her formative years there and continued her high school education in Ontario, followed by earning bachelor's degrees from Queen's University and a Master of Education from the University of Toronto . Today, she is the system Principal a...

Robert is the father of four wonderful teenage and adult children. He is married to the most patient woman in the world- Debra; together they strive to be loving supportive parents.  He is an avid cyclist and woodworker.  Robert spends his free time in the Parry Sound region, cycling, hiking and canoeing.   Currently, he is in his twenty-fifth year in education.  As the lead teacher of the GENESIS...

Becky Stewart is starting her sixth year as director of music at Yuba Gardens Intermediate School in Olivehurst, California. She graduated with honors from California State University, Sacramento with bachelor's degrees in Flute Performance, studying with Laurel Zucker, and Music Education.   Becky is a recipient of the 2015 CTA Outstanding First Year Teacher award, the 2019 Outstanding New Educat...

Regardless of whether she is teaching 'Outdoor School' students how to sleep in a quinzhee during a frigid Saskatchewan winter or working at a desk developing curriculum for the Ministry of Education, Nicole Philp believes educators are in the "business of building people." The awards Nicole has won for her work with kids and the community are testament to the success she has had in the people-bui...

Dave Barrett is the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) Coordinator for the Bluewater District School Board and the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board. OYAP is a School to Work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations starting in Grade 11 or Grade 12 through Cooperative Education, events and community partnerships. Prior to Dave's wo...