NSTU Theatre Troop

NSTU Theatre Production for all delegates

Thursday, 1:15pm, Charles Keating Millenium Center (in the arena)

Title: Just Alice

We have all been there: Overwhelmed, overworked, feeling isolated, dealing with the realities of public education. Join our playful cast for a fun-filled, thought-provoking, musical adventure as Alice navigates the ups and downs of modern teaching life. With the help of some oddball characters, Alice comes to the realization that none of us have to do this alone.

Biographies of actors

Meg Ferguson

Fascinated by culture and leadership in education, Meg Ferguson has been exploring both throughout her career through personal study, attending conferences, application (experimenting) in her workplaces as well as a certificate in Engaging Stakeholders and Leading Change from St. Mary's University. This instrumental music educator taught junior high for 10 years, and high school for another 10 years, during which she took a 4-year hiatus as President of Halifax County Local, NSTU. With seemingly constant changes in education, how do we empower those who are having the greatest impact on student success? Ferguson has been endeavouring to do so as a union leader, colleague, workshop facilitator and conference coordinator. Seminar categories have included leadership planning, goal setting & team-building; empowerment & engagement of teachers; pedagogy & classroom management; as well as working with other people. Meg is looking forward to connecting and learning at CONTACT 2020! Twitter: @MegFerguson1 Email: mmferguson@nstu.ca

Grant Frost

Grant Frost is a well-known educational commentator and writer whose work is often featured in newspapers and online around Nova Scotia. He has written about a wide variety of initiatives from merit pay for teachers to GERM to decreasing teacher autonomy. He has worked as a drama teacher for over twenty years, and has presented at dozens of teacher events across North America. His latest book, "The Attack on Nova Scotia Schools" is available through Formac Publishing.

Jonathan Grady

Jonathan Grady is a passionate and energetic educator who has had the wonderful privilege of teaching drama for most of his career. As the Fine Arts Drama Specialist for the Cole Harbour High Family of Schools, he works with children from grade primary to twelve. He spends his days encouraging youth in his drama classes to "hang up their cool" and to remember not only how to play again, but why play is so important. In his spare time, he is also the past-president of the Educational Drama Association of Nova Scotia (EDANS).

Crystal Isert

Crystal Isert teaches grade six French Immersion in middle school and especially loves teaching math and languages. Her favourite part of teaching all subjects to her classes is being able to take the time to share life lessons. Lately, her life lessons have been focused around Growth Mindset. This has been revolutionary for many students and they have come away being able to take risks and push themselves to keep trying until they get it. Crystal is passionate about teacher rights and politics. She stays active on her local executives and works with those at the table to make education and ultimately the world a better place.

Melanie Kennedy

Melanie Kennedy has been teaching for almost 20 years the areas of music, drama, and special education. With degrees in both performance and technical theatre, she was recently awarded a Certificate of Achievement in the Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Teaching for her innovative work in the drama classroom. Melanie has been active on the Executive of the Educational Drama Association of NS, a professional association of the NSTU, for over a decade. A veteran performer in the World Improv Championships in the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal, Melanie is an accomplished playwright whose work has been performed in theatres across the Maritimes, Quebec, and Ontario. Most recently, Melanie completed her MEd in Counselling.

David Zinck

David Zinck is from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and has worked as an educator at the high school level for most of his career teaching Drama, Dance, English and Film. He is a past president of the Educational Drama Association of Nova Scotia, an award winning spoken word artist, and has been happily involved in improv theatre for most of his life.