It is my sincere pleasure to be a part of the OVS team. Working alongside experienced teachers and support staff who are all committed to providing a thriving educational environment for our students is a distinct honour.
I started in education as a mathematics teacher after graduating from the Faculty of Education. After years of teaching high school math, I became a Department Head of Mathematics, Vice-Principal and Principal in the York Region DSB.
My passion turned to eLearning when it became clear that there are many students whose needs cannot be met in a day school. After a year of planning, I implemented eLearning in York Region with great success and was appointed Principal of its Virtual Schooling program.
Beyond education, I have spent many years as a volunteer with the Canadian Diabetes Association at the local, provincial, and national levels. In my spare time, I love to golf, camp, garden and do woodworking.
Let us all remember the quote by Carl W. Buechner:
They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
You are the artist of your life. Don’t give the paintbrush to anyone else. – Chriag Arora
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki
"In a world where you can be anything, be kind.” - Unknown
"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” - Albus Dumbledore
And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it. –Paulo Coelho
There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. - Edith Wharton
You can only become accomplished at something you love. - Maya Angelou
Hobbies: I'm passionate about the outdoors and love spending time hiking mountains or camping in the forest. At home, I'm surrounded by books and spend time reading and watching movies. I'm also constantly being bothered by my two cats!
"Failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don't be afraid to fail." -- Sara Blakely
Do. Or do not. There is no try. – Yoda
Anything worth learning is usually hard, and therefore worth giving it your all.
"Hustle beats talent when talent doesn't hustle"
There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid. - L. Frank Baum
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. – Nelson Mandela
Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory. - Dr. Seuss
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Education is the key to unlocking the world, a passport to freedom. - Oprah Winfrey
Never, never, never give up. – Winston Churchill
Failure is my enemy. – Pundit Hari Prashad
“Education is not just about putting information in. We have forgotten that it, in fact, begins in the child’s heart.” Vince Gowmon
"I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life. And when we make the choice to dare greatly, we sign up to get our a***s kicked. We can choose courage or we can choose comfort, but we can’t have both. Not at the same time.” - Brene Brown
I really enjoy reading, drawing, and hiking with my dog! I love taking pictures while I’m out in nature, especially during the summer and fall. My favourite way to relax is by re-watching beloved sitcoms or seeing a scary movie.
"Fiction and essays can create empathy for the theoretical stranger” - Barbara Kingsolver
"Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg
“The purpose of a good education is to show you that there are three sides to a two-sided story” – Stanley Fish
The journey of a thousand miles begin with one step. – Lao Tzu
Hobbies: During my free time, I like to follow the world news, travel and share my skills with others in different domains.
"The school should always aim to give its students a harmonious personality" - Albert Einstein.
"Children don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." John C Maxwell
“Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” ― Alan Turing
“You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” - A.A. Mine
"Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did." -H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
I am passionate about languages, travel, wellness, the environment, and is focused on helping students develop a love of learning. In my free time I love running, pilates, yoga, horseback riding, scuba diving, and swimming.
"Today is a perfect day to feel proud of yourself"
“A different language is a different vision of life” - Frederico Fellini
One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. - Malala Yousafzai
“All students can learn and succeed, but not in the same way and not in the same day.” - William G. Spady
“You will either step forward into growth, or you will step backward into safety.” Abraham Maslow
Hobbies: I have enjoyed teaching for 30 years. In my spare time, I enjoy working on renovation projects.
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” Mark Van Doren
If you don’t sacrifice for what you want. What you want becomes the sacrifice – Jay Shetty
Hobbies: Listening to music, spending time with family, travelling and reading inspiring books
Hobbies: I enjoy being active, camping and the outdoors. I play hockey, volleyball, golf and tennis. I love adventures and being a teacher.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.” Pablo Picasso
“All of man’s problems stem from his inability to sit quietly in a room by himself.” - Blaise Pascal
“Mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” – Albert Einstein
Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think. – Albert Einstein
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. – John Wooden
Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. – C.S. Lewis
"Whether you think you can or you can't, you are right - Henry Ford"
Change your thoughts and you change your world.- Norman Vincent
Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care – John C Maxwell
One of history’s few iron laws is that luxuries tend to become necessities and to spawn new obligations. - Yuval Noah Harari
Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it any better - Walt Disney
‘Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn’ - Benjamin Franklin
‘Success isn’t overnight. It’s when everyday you get a little bit better than the day before. It all adds up.’ - Dwayne Johnson
‘Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.’ - Thomas A.Edison
‘There's always magic in the air. ’ - Peter Gabriel
‘I want to leave the world as a better place than I found it’ - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Hobbies: While not teaching and taking a break from technology, I like playing scrabble and tennis.
“Obvious’ is the most dangerous word in mathematics.” - Eric Temple Bell.
My favourite quote is Theodore Roosevelt’s 'Man in the Arena' Speech
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela
“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” - Francis de Sales
"Challenges are what make life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful." - Joshua J. Marine
"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." - Steve Prefontaine
"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today" - Malcolm X
The test of a good teacher is not how many questions she can ask her pupils that they will answer readily, but how many questions she inspires them to ask which she finds it hard to answer. ― Alice Wellington Rollins
"Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." Malcolm X.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existence. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery each day. - Albert Einstein
"Do your little bit of good where you are; it's those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world"-Desmond Tutu
It matters not what someone is born, but what they will grow to be. – Albus Dumbledore
"We are stardust brought to life, then empowered by the universe to figure itself out - and we have only just begun"-Neil Degrasse Tyson
"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." Winnie the Pooh
Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will. - Suzy Kassem
"Inclusion is not simply about physical proximity. It is about intentionally planning for the success of all students." - Anonymous
Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. - Michael Jordan
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." - Dr. Seuss
“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” - Marcus Tullius Cicero
"The more that you read, the more things you will know; the more that you learn, the more places you'll go" - Dr. Seuss
Do the thing that is hard to do, and the power will come!
“Don’t be afraid. Be focused. Be determined. Be hopeful. Be empowered” – Michelle Obama
The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing – Albert Einstein
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. – Nelson Mandela
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. – Thomas Edison
When first things are put first, second things don't diminish, they increase. – C.S. Lewis
"The important thing is to never stop questioning." - Albert Einstein
Success belongs to those who dare to achieve it.
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great. - Zig Ziglar
The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you. -B.B. King
The expert in anything was once a beginner. – Helen Hayes
Let your smile change the world, but don’t let the world change your smile. - Anonymous
Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. – Winston Churchill
“Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn.” - Anne with an E
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt
The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. – Amelia Earhart
You are always free to make decisions, but you are never free of the decisions you make – a variation of a quote by Ezra Taft Benson
Keep your face always toward the sunshine- and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” - Wayne Gretzky
“You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page. Jodi Picoult ”
Don’t dream it, be it!
Kindness is one thing you can’t give away. It always comes back. - George Skolsky
Life is the hardest teacher. It gives you the test first, and the lesson afterward.
Haste makes waste
“Don’t be an electron, always stay positive”
“Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.”— George Evans