Our teachers

Mr. Cooper fell in love with History all the way back when he was in grade 10 himself, and he wanted to be a history teacher ever since! He attended King’s University College at Western where he attained his Honours Specialization in History with a minor in Sociology. Mr. Cooper teaches Canadian and International Law, Political Science as well as Canadian History. He is also a veteran pick-up basketball player and coaches the Sr. Girls Basketball team here at Banting. He is also the Junior Badminton coach as well as a staff advisor to Banting's D.A.R.E. program.

Mrs. Folk loves that History is so amazing and alive and she absolutely loves being a History and Social Science teacher! Ms. Folk teaches many of our traditional History courses, but her true love is the Social Sciences within our History department. Looking at people and our world through an anthropological, sociological and psychological lens helps shape us to understand human behaviour and the world around us.

Mrs. Higson enjoyed learning history while studying here at Banting many years ago!  Mrs Higson has a B.A. Hons from Huron, a B.Ed. from Althouse and an M.A. from the University of Warwick. Mrs Higson lived in the UK and Ireland for many years before returning to Banting. She teaches Canadian history, Indigenous Studies, Deconstructing Anti-Black Racism and World Religions. In the UK, she specialized in teaching the American Civil Rights movement, and the histories of medicine and of crime and punishment. Mrs. Higson is the staff advisor for the Indigenous Student Association. 

Mr. McKeown has been teaching at Banting since 2005.  He has taught most of the courses in our department. He has also been able to be part of lots of clubs, teams, and activities over the years. He currently helps coach Banting's Ultimate Frisbee Team, and can be heard every Friday morning on the announcements. Mr. McKeown also serves as the Department Head of History. 

M. Durand developed a passion for history and global issues early on in high school, which led him to pursue studies in journalism and languages at Dawson College, followed by history and political science at Concordia University in Montreal. He now teaches Canadian History and Canadian and International Politics. A Montréal-born francophone, M. Durand also teaches in the French Immersion program. At Banting, he is actively involved in school life as the coach of the debate team, where he enjoys engaging students in thoughtful discussions about current world issues and helping them develop their critical thinking skills.

Mme. Merpaw teaches civics, history, senior social sciences and French immersion. She loves to travel and see history in action! In the summer, she can be found at museums and coffee shops. She is passionate about the history French immersion programs, and supporting students as we prepare them for the future!

Ms. Basara really enjoyed taking History and World Studies courses in high school, and so she later went on to get a degree in Global Development Studiesーa discipline that combined her passion for many subjects at Huron University College. She now teaches History, Law and French courses at Banting, and has so much fun learning from her students every day!