Patricia joined the faculty of Westboro Academy September of 2024.  She grew up on Vancouver Island and came east upon graduating from high school to study English and French at Carleton University. She completed her Bachelor’s of Education at Queen’s University and subsequently embarked on an international teaching career that took her first to Egypt and then Japan, moving north from the beautiful island of Okinawa and ending up in Tokyo, where she taught English and French to middle and high school students at an international school. During that time, she went on to earn a master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from UCL in London in order to keep up with an ever-changing discipline. Patricia feels fortunate to have been able to travel throughout Asia, Europe, and North Africa during her time abroad. She returned with her husband and 13-year-old daughter last summer and as a family they have enjoyed getting reacquainted with the natural beauty of Canada. In her spare time, Patricia enjoys hiking, photography, and, more recently, home renovation.

Caitlin Cadeau started working at Westboro Academy in 2009 and is now the Athletic Director and Health and Physical Education teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from Carleton University, followed by a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa. She also obtained her Primary and Junior Physical Education certification. Ms. Caitlin’s has enjoyed playing competitive sports such as hockey, soccer, and softball, while indulging in various recreational sports such as snowboarding, kayaking, and water skiing.  Ms. Caitlin is passionate about health and fitness and she wants to instil the importance of physical activity in her students, while inspiring them to discover their own sport passions. When not in a gym, hockey rink, or on a field, Ms. Caitlin enjoys travelling and learning about different parts of the world, as well as hiking with her dog.

Ms. Brenda has been teaching at Westboro Academy since 2003. She graduated from the Concurrent Education Program at Queen’s University, where she also earned a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and a Bachelor of Education with certification at the primary/junior levels. Prior to coming to Westboro Academy, she gained experience teaching for nine years at international schools in Cartagena, Colombia and Kuwait. Brenda has been head of the science committee responsible for reviewing related curriculum, faculty representative of the elementary student council, headed the Leadership League. She takes great pride in running the annual Halloween extravaganza and coordinating the events for Reading Week. When not working, Mrs. Brenda continues to enjoy travelling and cultural outings.

A pianist, conductor and music educator, Tahlia joined the AWA team in 2023. Hailing from Australia, Tahlia completed her Bachelor of Music and Honours Degree as well as an Education Diploma at the Elder Conservatorium of Music, University of Adelaide, South Australia. She then completed her Master’s Degree in Classical Piano Performance in the Netherlands before settling in Brussels, Belgium. Tahlia moved to Ottawa in 2022 and is currently the conductor of the OCC Viva choir. She also holds the position of Musical Director of BSP ‘Big Soul Project’ – a community gospel choir in Ottawa as well as serving as accompanist for the Cantiamo Women’s Choir. Tahlia has been involved in music education for over 10 years in Australia, Belgium, and Canada.

Janick Lauzon is the Junior Kindergarten teacher at Westboro Academy, where she has been teaching since 2002. She is a certified Early Childhood Educator and she also holds a Bachelor of Education degree for the primary division obtained from the Université du Québec en Outaouais. She has over 25 years of experience working with young children as a kindergarten teacher, daycare coordinator, and home daycare provider. In her role at the school, Mme Janick worked with Me to We and organized the middle school service projects to international destinations such as Ecuador and Nicaragua. She has participated in numerous humanitarian projects including in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Kenya. She is passionate about diversity and travel. She enjoys spending time at her family cottage and taking care of her Daschund and her cat.

Eiger Tolledo graduated with an honours Bachelor of Science specializing in Mathematics and a minor in Psychology from the University of Toronto. He then went on to complete his Bachelor of Education at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. He is a travelled teacher, starting in England and returning to Canada in 2019. He has taught grades 4 to 12, with the majority of his experience focusing on Math and English in the middle years (grades 7 to 9)

Eiger participates in several communities in his spare time, joining  Dungeon & Dragon games online and running charity marathons. He participates in the Monster Dash marathon each Halloween in Toronto, raising money for World Wildlife Fund Canada.

Shanyne McLaughlin joined Westboro Academy in 2014 and is the science specialist for all grades. She earned a Bachelor of Science with a major in Biology from Laurentian University and a Bachelor of Education from Trent University. Before teaching with Westboro Academy, Ms. McLaughlin worked at two different private schools in Ottawa in grades four to grade eight. She is passionate about mathematics and science, especially nature, and is currently a volunteer with the Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists’ Young Naturalist program. In her time away from work, Ms. ‍‍‍Shanyne enjoys scrapbooking, reading, and hiking.

Emilie obtained her Bachelor of Fine Art, specializing in painting from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in 2016. Her passion for art and pedagogy most recently brought her to complete her Special Education Assistant Diploma, which allowed her to gain knowledge and experience working with children who have learning or behavioral challenges or developmental modalities such as ADHD and Autism. With over 8 years of experience teaching and instructing art to children, her goal is to provide an engaging artistic environment that will leave them feeling inspired and energized to foster a lifelong connection to art in some way, shape or form.

Nathalie Poirier has been teaching at Westboro Academy in 2001. She graduated from the University of Ottawa with a B.A in Linguistics, a B.Ed for the primary and junior divisions, and with a specialist in second languages. She is fascinated by second language learning in children. When Mme Nathalie is not at school, she enj‍‍‍oys spending time with her family.

Mr. Burley joins the AWA faculty after spending several years teaching abroad. He began his teaching journey in Japan where he spent 7 years teaching English and fully immersing himself in the local culture. Following his time in Japan, his love of teaching inspired him to pursue his teaching career further, during which he moved to China to embark on another adventure, teaching Pre-K 3 and Pre-K 4, cultivating inquiry and curiosity in early childhood education during my first three years. Following that, he spent the next five years teaching the UK National Curriculum to upper elementary age students.

Mr. Burley’s approach to education is centered on fostering curiosity and providing hands-on, engaging learning experiences that connect classroom lessons to the broader world. In his free time, he regularly engages in drawing, digital illustration, and creative writing, which are often integrated into his lessons to enrich student learning. He also keeps active through running and fitness to help keep balanced and focused.

Laurence Polly joined the Westboro Academy in 2020. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in geography from La Sorbonne University in Paris and a school teacher diploma from the University of Teaching Institute in France. Laurence taught for five years as a teacher and principal of a small school. Then, she taught in a bilingual school in the United States for 13 years where she enriched her experience with young French-speaking and non-French speaking children as an elementary, kindergarten teacher and kindergarten coordinator. She is passionate about the arts and children’s literature. Laurence enjoys learning, painting, meditating, swimming, and travelling. She is also the proud mother of a daughter.

Kathryn has 25 years of experience in various settings at the elementary and high school levels in both public and private school boards. She has completed her Master of Education degree in second language instruction at the University of Ottawa, and earned her Bachelor of Education degree from Université Laval, Québec. Kathryn is the proud mother of two children. She enjoys reading, calligraphy and yoga in her spare time.

Claire Gavaggio-Righini was born in France and has been passionate about teaching since childhood. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English literature and civilization and education, she spent a year in the United States as a French teaching assistant at the Lycée International de Boston. Afterwards, she decided to focus on teaching French as a Second Language and continued her studies in France, where she obtained her master’s degree in teaching French. Finally, she taught at the International School of Geneva as an FLE teacher for 6 years, then, since 2018, as a 2nd year teacher.
With my husband and his 3 children aged 4 to 9, Claire is keen to discover Canada. Claire and her family particularly enjoy nature, sports and discovering new places. In the classroom, she’s a fan of active pedagogy and philosophy for children. She is looking forward to joining the team at Westboro Academy to enrich her teaching practices.

Mme Gagnon is very proud to be joining the Westboro Academy teaching team in September 2024.

Her academic background includes a Bachelor of Arts from Concordia University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa, and a Master of Education from McGill University.

Mme Gagnon’s professional experience includes 16 years as a homeroom teacher in an IB school. Her teaching approach focuses on developing curiosity and critical thinking, acquiring knowledge and skills, engagement, and excellence.

In her spare time, Mme Gagnon’s main interests are dance and sports.  She also enjoys reading a variety literary of genres, writing, poetry, listening to music and cultural travel.  She is most happy is sharing time with family and friends while enjoying a nice meal.

Maëva joins the Westboro Academy team in September 2024. Originally from France, she has a degree in education from the University of Paris and is also certified in workshops for young children and in the Montessori method for children aged 3 to 6.  In addition, she teaches French enrichment courses for elementary and secondary students.  Maëva is passionate about education and is deeply committed to creating a dynamic and inclusive learning environment for all her students.

Maëva came to Canada in 2023 with her husband and three children aged 7, 13 and 14 to discover the country but also to enrich her professional and personal life. She particularly loves the nature and the wide-open spaces that Canada has to offer.