We Are LCC

Claire Webster is a Certified Dementia Care Consultant (PAC), Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA), as well as a conference speaker and educator in the area of caring for an individual with dementia. She is founder and president of Caregiver Crosswalk Inc., a consulting firm that provides education and support services to help people navigate the journey of Alzheimer’s disease and/or...

Maggie Owen is an academic advisor and Certified Canadian Counsellor with 15 years of experience at the secondary and post-secondary level. She has worked at LCC since 2016 and spent eight years prior to that working as an academic advisor, administrator and eventually as an academic dean at the CEGEP level. She also remains the QAIS representative for guidance counsellors and academic advisors re...

Stuntman Sam is up for anything. Ask him to prank complete strangers on their birthdays, all in the name of fun and a few laughs, and he’s game. As a radio host for Montreal’s morning radio show with The Beat, Stuntman Sam is so named for the risks that he takes and the publicity stunts that he stages to garner attention for the station. In his words, not all radio hosts are comfortable doing the...

Lily Mariani has just completed grade10 at LCC and joins us to talk about her personal project - Sport for All where her main focus is that no matter who you are, the importance of physical activity can not be denied. She acknowledges the sad reality that many children with disabilities do not get enough physical activity because of lack of equipment & resources and designed a manual to show h...

Christopher Shannon joined LCC in 2005. Since then he has overseen the implementation of three strategic plans, the school’s most successful fundraising initiatives and the construction of several state-of-the art learning facilities. Under his leadership, LCC has also developed a clear vision for campus and program development with an emphasis on program excellence, innovation and susta...

Trevor Williams, LCC parent of Riley ‘26, grew up in Little Burgundy, an inner-city Montreal neighbourhood. His perseverance and basketball skills landed him the opportunity of a lifetime— a basketball scholarship to an American university and a chance to play for the Canadian national team.  After playing for division 1 universities in both Louisiana and New Jersey, Trevor played against bas...

Leslie Levinson has taught at the Mackay Centre School since 1989. She holds a Bachelor of Education in Physical Education, a Masters in Adapted Physical Activity and a Certificate in Inclusive Education all obtained at McGill University. Leslie began her teaching career at Mackay as a physical education teacher, later moving into the classroom. After attending an inspirational conf...

Jennifer Irwin is terrible at hockey, but that hasn’t stopped her from having a tiny (huge) crush on Sidney Crosby. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in English literature, as well as a Bachelor of Education from McGill University. She teaches Middle and Senior School English at Lower Canada College. The students she admires most are the ones who never stop trying. She lives in Montreal,...

A recognized motivational speaker and healer, LCC parent, Olga Munari, is an inspirational force in the breast cancer community, mentoring cancer patients and families and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research. Following her first best-selling book, The Joy of Cancer: A Journey of Self-Discovery (2012), Olga presented her memorable and exhilarating story of survival in a TED...

In this episode, we welcome LCC’s Michele Owen, director of student life and Gillian Shadley, school counselor for a conversation about positive education and social emotional learning models. Ms. Owen holds a Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Social Work from McGill University. Ms. Shadley holds a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Social Work from McGill University, along with a Master...

Natascia Lypny ‘08, Pre-U ‘09 is the features producer for CBC Saskatchewan, based in Regina. She leads in-depth and longform storytelling on the web, television, radio and social media. Since graduating from the University of King’s College's journalism program, she has worked in six provinces. She loves mentoring developing reporters. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Natalie Voland is the parent of an LCC alum from the class of 2022 and current parent of a grade 9 student. Natalie has been reinventing the process of real estate development for over 25 years. With a background in social work, she has a unique and purpose-driven, design-centred outlook on development that prioritizes historical protection of civic assets. She is forward-thinking; using buil...

Lauren Small Pennefather is a current LCC parent of a grade 9 student. Lauren joined the Public Service of Canada in January 1997, and has served in science, innovation and international portfolios. She is currently Director of National Celebrations and Commemorations for Parks Canada, and was the previous Director for Quebec Waterways responsible for the operations of five historic canals. Furthe...

Design for the Art of Learning Alec Mathewson '95 is the design curriculum lead and Fab Lab coordinator at LCC. He is an interdisciplinary artist and designer specializing in digital fabrication, critical making, and using design processes with the intent to learn. Mr. Mathewson examines the hidden spaces and accidental discoveries that emerge from creative technical practices with a particular co...

Sarah Kingsley began teaching at LCC in 2007. She taught in grade 1 and grade 4 before entering into the coordinator role of the Junior School LEAD department. She is also the coordinator of the English and social science programs in the Junior School. Ms. Kingsley completed a master's degree in child studies in 2015 at Concordia University and has since pursued her certification as an Orton-Gilli...

Luc Drymer Graham '21 (Pre-U '22) is a recent graduate of Lower Canada College. Since 2018, he has been working in youth-to-youth education with International Animal Rescue Indonesia to promote orangutan and forest conservation in the remote villages of Kalimantan (Borneo). Through this work, Luc has come to understand how conservation is a multifaceted issue. In Indonesia’s most remote forest com...

Join us for a candid conversation with Lower Canada College’s Head of School, Christopher Shannon (Pre-U '76), about education: How things were, how they are and what’s in store for the future. Christopher Shannon joined LCC in 2005. Since then he has overseen the implementation of three strategic plans, the school’s most successful fund-raising initiatives and the construction of several sta...

​​Kristina Ashqar '02 (Pre-U '03) began her journey with PSB Boisjoli as an intern in 2005. She quickly rose up the ranks of the firm’s Audit and Assurance Division. From the beginning, she established herself as a gifted supervisor with strong professional competencies, and an impressive ability to manage mandates.  Kristina was promoted to a managerial position in 2012 and was admitted to t...

Before Manny Blu '12 was known as a Nashville artist with his own genre, three LPs and 1M+ streams, he was playing tours throughout North America and Canada as an acclaimed MMA fighter turned country singer and a true road warrior. Blu started his music career playing nightly shows to support his 2019 debut album “Leave It Like It Is” while also sharpening the larger-than-life sound that would lat...

Meghan Swidler '08 (Pre-U '09), is a graduate of Cornell University. She started her career working for a hyper growth tech startup in both San Francisco and New York City. Then, in 2021, she took a leap and changed her career path to follow her long-time passion for health and wellness, becoming a holistic nutrition health coach and wellness consultant. She holds certificates from both the I...

Dr. John Brownstein '94, epidemiologist, professor of biomedical informatics at Harvard Medical School, and chief innovation officer of Boston Children’s Hospital, joins us for an in-depth look at the ongoing pandemic. NOTE: Information shared in this episode was accurate on its release date of February 9, 2022, but may have changed since that time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...

Chris Olive graduated from John Abbott College in pure and applied sciences in 1991 and obtained a BSc in computer science from McGill University in 1995. He then worked for two years as a programmer for a Petro-Canada contractor on the Petro-Pass system. He returned to McGill and obtained a BEd with a minor in biology and physics. From 2000 to 2015, he taught physics, general science, chemistry a...

Samara Fox '04 (Pre-U '05) addresses the myths and misconceptions of mental health and offers insight into her cutting-edge research. Samara is a resident physician at the Harvard-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Psychiatry Program in Boston, and has a JD from Harvard Law School and an MD from the Yale School of Medicine. She previously worked as an attorney at Ropes and Grey LLP and...

Sheri Elefant shares her personal journey, the shift in her career from corporate to non-profit and the things that are most meaningful to her.  Originally from New York, Sheri began her professional life in advertising working on product launches and media negotiations in a fast-paced, multi-million dollar industry. The decision to leave Madison Avenue was not difficult, as the greatest...

Mitch Garber talks about his early years, his rise to success and the importance of working hard and giving back. In the early 90s, Mitch hosted a sports radio talk show in Montreal before pursuing a career as a lawyer and businessman. He led the online gambling unit of Caesars Entertainment Group before becoming the Chairman of Cirque du Soleil in 2015. He has been active in the effort to br...