Contact Us

Meet the Team!

Jamila Monahan

(Project Lead)

Twitter: @jamilamonahan, @SCDSB_arts, #scdsbOutside, #NumerARTSy

Program & Innovation Resource Teacher - Arts Integration K-12, SCDSB

Life long learner currently on secondment from the classroom for the Simcoe County District School Board's Program and Innovation Team (PIT). Contract lecturer at Lakehead University's Faculty of Ed for Environmental Education. Passionate about championing creativity through arts integration & outdoor, inquiry based learning opportunities. Also ask me about STEAM and NumerARTSy (mathematizing and learning mathematical content through the Arts).

Deborah Shackell

(Project Lead)

Twitter: @debshackell #scdsbOutside, #scdsbHAL, #scdsbStepUp

Email: ddshackell@scdsb.on.ca

Program & Innovation Resource Teacher - Healthy Active Living, K - 12, SCDSB

Passionate about supporting learners to be confident, competent, lifelong movers. Always looking to enrich learning to promote physical literacy and place a healthy living lens over curriculum. Learning how to support self regulation, and foster a knowledge building culture.

My name is Sally Pokorny and I am a former employee of the Peel District School Board and now a permanent employee of Simcoe County District School Board.

I am teaching in a small school in Innisfil, ON., in the primary division. I have always loved the outdoors and taking my students learning outside this year has been an amazing experience. I am looking forward to using these Outdoor Teaching skills when I move into the intermediate division at my school next year.

Email: spokorny@scdsb.on.ca

My name is Myrna Whitley. I teach a Grade 4 class at Nottawasaga and Creemore Public School. I am not sure if you would call me an outdoor enthusiast, but I am definitely adventurous. Since a great number of adventures occur in the outdoors, I spend a lot of time outdoors. One of my passions is the Northern Lights. I have laid down on Great Slave Lake during a March Break watching the Northern Lights dance across the sky. A sight never to be forgotten.

I enjoy taking my class on adventures. I love watching the enthusiasm from the kids, hearing the excitement in their voices and the look of wonder in their eyes. So much learning (successes and failures) occurs while on an adventure, most of the learning is lifelong learning. That is the kind of teaching I want to be part of.

Email: mlowewhitley@scdsbb.on.ca

My name is Melanie Gaffoor and I am a Long Term Occasional teacher with SCDSB. I currently team teach grade 3 at Minesing Central Public School with my incredible teaching partner and friend, Lauri Kowalyk. Our teaching approach involves a shared and transformed classroom with preferential seating, STEAM rich activities as well as learning outside. Being a newer teacher of only 4 years, I have been graciously given a life-changing opportunity to be a part of the Outdoor Learning Pilot Program. I never fully appreciated being outside until this year, as I never considered myself to be an outdoor adventurist. This year, my eyes and my heart have been opened to so many incredible opportunities to learn, share and create outdoors. You can do anything you put your mind to! This winter, I survived and finally made peace with winter, which I used to dread deeply! One of the greatest realizations of this enriching opportunity has been how much my students enjoy going outside to learn and how much this generation of students truly needs it. We are teaching for our future, creating environmental stewards while promoting physical literacy. Learning can happen anywhere, at anytime, for any reason. Why not take your kids outside to learn? Try it!

Email: mgaffoor@scdsb.on.ca

Lisa Edgar

Email: ledgar@scdsb.on.ca

I have been an educator for 25 years who has taught all grades from JK-grade 6. I enjoy taking my classes outside for as much learning as possible and have loved being part of an Outdoor Ed Team this year. It has inspired me to think outside the classroom and to be prepared for any adventure that comes along. I am a planning time teacher this year but am looking forward to being a homeroom teacher next year and building a strong community of amazing young learners!

My name is Lauri Kowalyk and I have been an educator for the past 20 years and I currently teach grade 3 at Minesing Central Public School in the SCDSB. I am a passionate educator who teaches in a non-traditional setting with another grade 3 teacher, Melanie Gaffoor.

We teach in a transformed learning space that highlights flexible seating, STEAM, inquiry and a team teaching approach. Our students are co-creators of their environment. This year we have embraced Outdoor Learning as an extension of our learning space. This was out of my comfort zone and I am forever grateful for the life changing learning and personal connections I have made this year. I now see our outdoor space as essential to the learning and well being of our students and I am eager to continue to explore how I can spend more of my teaching time outdoors.

When I am not teaching, I am the mother to two wonderful children and our family enjoys travelling, camping, and skiing.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” ~Neale Donald Walsch

Email: lkowalyk@scdsb.on.ca

Jennifer Redman

Twitter: @outsidedu @jenredman

Email: jredman@scdsb.on.ca

I am currently a primary teacher at Clearview Meadows Elementary School. I have a degree in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. My passions are innovation in education and spreading environmental awareness. I have been the Green Team leader at our school for ten years and have been involved with the Ontario Eco-schools program.

This year during the Outdoor Learning Pilot I expanded my classroom space to include outside on a regular basis. I found our journeys into nature led to richer discussions, connections and increased motivation. It is amazing how much curriculum can be “uncovered” outside. There was also marked improvement in focus and concentration. Outdoor learning will continue to be an integral part of my teaching.

Sarah McLeod

(Secondary School Geography Teacher)

Twitter: @misssmcleod

Email: samcleod@scdsb.on.ca

Secondary School Geography Teacher 9-12, SCDSB

I am a secondary school Geography teacher with Simcoe County District School Board. I use inquiry based learning to engage my students, to motivate them to take action on a variety of world issues and to extend their learning beyond the classroom walls.

My name is Sean Rennie and I am a junior teacher at Mountain View Elementary school in Collingwood. I love the outdoors and enjoy skiing, mountain biking, hiking and other outdoor activities year round with my family and friends.

I have a degree in Environmental Studies and this year I have started taking my students outdoors for learning on a regular basis. This move to teaching outdoors has helped me find new ways to motivate myself and my students. My students love going outside to learn and have benefited immensely from this experience.

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” –Albert Einstein

Email: srennie@scdsb.on.ca

Michelle Fabian

Email: mfabian@scdsb.on.ca

My name is Michelle Fabian and I am a teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Collingwood. I have been a teacher for 19 years with the SCDSB. My background is Environmental Studies and Geography. In the past I've worked as an Environmental Education Technician and as a Naturalist for the Ministry of Natural Resources. It is one my greatest hopes to inspire my students, so that they might have the same love and enthusiasm for not only lifelong learning, but also love of the outdoors and the environment.

“There is no wifi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” ~Author unknown

Caroline Leppanen

Twitter: @leppanens_world

Email: cleppanen@scdsb.on.ca

An Elementary teacher in Simcoe County for 28 years. Working in the health and beauty of the outdoors to meet learning goals. Striving to help young people discover their own powerful role in caring for themselves, one another, and their world.

There’s no bad weather; only poor preparation!

Julie Johnson

Twitter: @julieejohnsonn Email: jujohnson@scdsb.on.ca

A long time lover of the outdoors and nature, I have become more active in advocating for its preservation. In July 2015 I trained as a Climate Reality Leader with Al Gore in Toronto. The following year I became Chair for the Subcommittee on Climate Change for our local union’s Political Action Committee.

This Outdoor Education Pilot Project combined my enthusiasm for nature and my enthusiasm for youth empowerment. Getting outside = building a relationship with nature. And building a relationship with nature = appreciating it. If you appreciate it, you will want to preserve it!

This year, I invited Simcoe County Greenbelt Coalition and Envirospark to speak with our class. We also invited our local councillor in to talk about the issues that concerned students. With my teacher librarian, we facilitated a Change Agent inquiry whereby students chose an issue that concerned them and took steps to address that issue. Several chose environmental concerns. One invited in GEEP (electronic recycling) and organized an electronic recycling drive for our school community!

My educational interests are: outdoor education, design thinking, inquiry, STEAM, youth empowerment, youth civic engagement, art and writing, connecting math to real life.