The K12 Innovation Accelerator Program

Amanda Breheny has been a Spanish teacher at Queensbury School District for 20 years.  The best part about her role is inspiring students to learn Spanish and make a global impact. Something Amanda is professionally proud of is being featured in Time magazine as an educator who saved a school year during a pandemic. One of her goals is to become a zero waste school district. Something unique about Amanda is she strives to connect her students with native Spanish speakers and provide opportunities for students to make a difference in the world. 

The Project

Marc Dubeau has been at OCDSB for 24 years.  The best part about his role is he is passionate about technology.  Something Marc Dubeau is professionally proud of is his work using real time 3D rendering technology. .  One of his goals/aspirations is to continue learning and expand his skills in using 3D rendering technology. Something unique/interesting/quirky/innovative about Marc is he works part time for Epic Games. 

The Project

Timothy King has been at Upper Grand District School Board for 18+ years before being seconded to ICTC last fall. The best part about this new role is talking to educators from across Canada and developing cyber and emerging digital fluencies that give our graduates a chance to thrive in the rapidly changing world they’re graduating into. Something Timothy is professionally proud of is coaching Skills and CyberTitan students to multiple titles in subjects ranging from IT & Networking & coding to 3D Animation & cybersecurity.  One of Timothy’s aspirations is to take what we did in our rural high school and make those technology learning opportunities available to all Canadian students. Something quirky about Timothy is that they dropped out of high school to apprentice as a millwright, then returned in their early 20s to graduate before moving on to university before taking many I.T. certifications! It’s been a crooked path in many academic streams; there are no learning lanes!

The Project

Rachel Paparone has been at Trumansburg Central School for 2 years. The best part about her role is that she gets to spend a ton of time mentoring and building relationships with amazing young people. Something Rachel is professionally proud of is earning her doctorate in French while also raising a toddler. One of her goals is to empower young adults to take charge of their own education, as well as help them to find joy in learning. Something interesting about Rachel is that she co-coordinates a district-wide maple syrup project and is now really fascinated by all things maple. 

The Project

Jim has been at the London District Catholic School Board for 20 years.  The best part about his role is helping teachers and students learn new things. Something Jim is professionally proud of is the Scanning History Project, an interactive history experience built in the Unreal video game engine featuring historical artifacts scanned by students.  One of his goals is to help teachers create learning experiences that transcend individual subjects.  Something interesting about Jim is that he lived in Seoul for 2 ½ years. 

The Project

Daniel has been with the St. Clair Catholic District School board for 16 years.  The best part about his role is being able to work directly with students and to use different technology tools to open the doors of possibility.  Something Daniel is professionally proud of is his recent work as a co-founder of the Ontario Federation of School Esports Associations (OFSEA) in bringing scholastic esports programs to schools across Ontario.  One of his goals is establish a robust scholastic esports program in all the schools in his board.  Something interesting about Daniel is that in his spare time, he creates professional book trailers for different Canadian children's authors. .

The Project

Anna Tupling has been an educator with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board for 17 years.  Anna is professionally proud of the experiences she provides to her students and teacher candidates.  Over the years she has had many students come back and inform her of life lessons they still carry with them; and mentoring teacher candidates and new teachers fills her with a sense of pride that she paying forward opportunities once given to her.  One of her goals is to move into a formal innovation consultant role so that she can more fully collaborate with other innovators and develop solid practices for future generations.  Something interesting/quirky/innovative about Anna is in her youth (teen years) she competed internationally in karate and has travelled to countries like France, Mexico, Jamaica and others for competitions.  

The Project

Chris has been at the Lester B Pearson School Board for 11 years.  The best part about his role is that he gets to do something different everyday. Something Chris is professionally proud of is his accreditation as a Google for Education Certified Innovator and Trainer.  One of his aspirations is to make schools more accessible for those with disabilities.  Something interesting about Chris is that he is originally from the UK and he has taught Kindergarten to Grade 13! 

The Project