Faculty

We are proud of our students and school. And of course this is made possible by our wonderful faculty listed here with their brief bios.

Marie Eve Perrault – Kindergarten, Faculty Chair

Marie-Eve was drawn to the Waldorf movement as soon as she set foot in the Linuwel Steiner School in East Maitland, Australia.  The shapes, colours and textures of the classrooms and grounds, the friendly, welcoming atmosphere and the students’ end of term presentations stood out and resonated with a sense of necessity in terms of education for the future.

Ten years ago she began the research:  reading, courses and involvement with various Southern Ontario Waldorf Schools and the Rudolf Steiner Centre in Toronto.  Marie-Eve took the foundation Studies in Anthroposophy course in 06-07 and Connections in 2008 at the Rudolf Steiner Centre. Both are valuable for an understanding of the human being and the spiritual world as seen anthroposophically, out of which Waldorf Education grows.  These are also pre-requisites for the Waldorf Teacher Training that Marie-Eve plans to take up part-time beginning in the spring of 2012, specifically created for teachers already working in an Early Childhood setting.

Marie-Eve’s natural disposition lends itself well to the calm reverence intended to be created and shared with the early childhood class and her French background allows for a comfortable interweaving of French and English for circle and other activities throughout the day.

Megan Gruner, Teacher – Grades 1-2

Previous to becoming a Waldorf teacher Megan ran a natural landscaping business which focused on creating sustainable native gardens. She has received her Permaculture design certificate. Creating edible school yard gardens and working with school aged children has been the main focus of her work over that last few years. She has initiated numerous school gardens both in Canada and Colombia.  Megan has had many years of experience teaching  children from preschool to the high school level. She has a B.A. Honours from  the University of Guelph and is currently enrolled in  Foundation Studies at the Rudolf Steiner Centre.

Megan, her husband Drew and their three children live on a small farm near Walters Falls. They grow  food,  raise chickens and ducks and take care of three lovely donkeys. In her spare time Megan loves to sew, needle felt and make children’s toys from wool blankets.

Christina Schwartz, Teacher – Grades 3-4

Christina has been part of the Edge Hill community for 12 years now.  Her four children all attended the school and she was actively involved supporting their education and school as a volunteer.  This involvement led her to supply teach various classes for a number of years until two years ago she enthusiastically took on a class of her own.  She has immersed herself into the role of class teacher and has taken advantage of professional development courses and conferences.  She is a graduate of the University of Guelph in Fine Arts and enjoys using her artistic skills to the advantage of her class.  Christina finds it rewarding to work in such a supportive, enriching community and environment.

Lise Gunby, Teacher – Grades 5-8, School Administrator

Lise has an M.A. (Literature), an Ontario Teacher’s Certificate (Bachelor of Education), a diploma in journalism, and is qualified in four divisions (Primary, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior). She also teaches painting classes. She attended the Rudolf Steiner Institute in Maine (1998) and has her Waldorf certification (Waldorf Teacher Development Association, Detroit). She has taken courses or training in watercolours, calligraphy, music, doll-making, woodcarving, and storytelling. Lise volunteers to produce newsletters and other printed materials for the school.

Both of her children have been educated at Edge Hill School in an environment of creative and academic excellence, and her eldest daughter has gone on to high school, where she is flourishing both academically and in extra-curricular activities.

Jennifer Hicks, Teacher – Part Time Faculty

Jennifer Hicks is a certified teacher and art specialist. After two decades of teaching everything from grade two to grade ten literature and  University Level ESL in Korea and Canada, Jennifer sought to further her understanding of Waldorf education.  Last year she completed the Foundations course at RSCT. This year she is happy to teach and learn with the Edge Hill School students and community.

Emma Fuller – Teacher’s Assistant

Emma Fuller is a graduate of Edge Hill School and a strong believer in the Waldorf curriculum and philosophy. Emma graduated from Owen Sound Collegiate and Vocational Institute in 2011 with her OSSD, Honours, and is planning to go away to University next year in pursuit of a career in health care. At Edge Hill Emma assists with the Grade 5-8 class in their studies, including main lesson, math, language, skills, drama, etc. She leads the music portion of the class, and lends her musical ability to teach the children recorder, ukulele and singing. In her free time Emma plays the cello and piano and participates in soccer and theatre. She loves reading, writing, poetry, photography, and travel  (a few examples!) Emma also offers academic support to individual students. Emma is delighted to have an opportunity to work at Edge Hill School as she believes that Edge Hill is an incredible and unique school, allowing students to love learning, themselves, each other, and the world.  Emma says, “Waldorf education is a truly special experience, one which I can hardly even put into words. Being a student at Edge Hill is one of the best things that has happened to me, giving me academic, artistic, and social confidence.”

Volunteers

Jennifer Clark

I have been teaching art for 17 years and especially enjoy working in non traditional settings such as chronic care facilities, homeless shelters and hospitals to share the transformational power and joy of  art. In the last five years I have been motivated and challenged by the Waldorf inspired Edge Hill Country School where my children attend. In this community of school, families and friends the spiritual and earthly come together in a living way.

Marc Fortin

Marc volunteers by helping as the building and maintenance coordinator  “I really enjoy getting together with the other dad’s to fix stuff and making things look nice”

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Christine Forand

Christine Forand is a francophone who lives near Durham, tending to a big garden and living off grid with her family, partner Lynn , Marisol (8) and Amalia (3). Christine is currently teaching French in the grade Two-Three class.

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May Tettero

May has been a parent at the school for about twenty years as all three of her children, Sky, Phaedra and Sascha attended Edgehill School up to grade 6.  She has volunteered on the Board of Directors (4 years) and as a fundraiser and festival organizer.  Her favourite volunteer work at the school has been as a running coach and recorder teacher for grades 1 – 8.

Mike McKelvey

I moved to the area in the summer of 2009 and immediately began
connecting with the families from Edge Hill. I knew right away that I
wanted my daughter Calli to attend the school. I am an eco builder and
recently finished a nine month intensive course in Nature awareness,
tracking, primitive-skills, self-sufficiency and Permaculture. I
intend to blend these skills into my livelihood and to be actively
involved teaching children and adults alike at Edge Hill and the
community.
I help at the school with building maintenance, renovation
projects, wood working projects in the class room , fund-raising
events and am a past board member .

Kimm Culkin

Kimm began teaching as a partner in a dance school in Alberta when she was 17.  Since then, she has worked with children in dance, theatre, video and audition classes for studios and companies from Vancouver to Toronto.  She toured with the Citadel-on-Wheels, a touring and teaching theatre company, for two seasons, and was a performer and choreographer in professional theatre for 18 years.   She holds a degree in Education (AdEd) and has been working on a double major degree in English and Psychology for most of her adult life.  She has taken courses in creative problem-solving at SUNY in upstate New York and has taught soft skills and developed various School of Culinary Arts curricula for George Brown College in Toronto.  Kimm took the Steiner Centre’s Explorations course and the Chiron homeschooling course after her three children began at the Toronto Waldorf School seven years ago, and has taken a keen interest in Steiner, anthroposophy and Waldorf education as she has witnessed the effect on her own children and their classmates.  Kimm has taught medieval cooking and drama for Edge Hill since the family moved to Durham two years ago.

Aiyana Harris

I was raised in the small town of Walters Falls, Ontario by health conscious and spiritual parents.  My Father was an artist and my mother a homemaker.  Growing up in a peaceful and artistic family/ community gave me a strong foundation and inspired me to help others become healthy of mind, body and spirit.   When not doing yoga I am very busy with my wonderful children and am hard at work designing and producing pure beeswax candles and organic beauty products for my business; Eternal Bee Candle Co.  I started practicing yoga as a youngster and fell in love with it way back then.  I continue to do it today with my two children and volunteer at the Edge Hill School to help the children realize the benefits of regular yoga practice.  I also love witnessing the positive changes in the children: improved posture, stronger concentration, more mental focus, and ability to really relax at the end of a class.  I feel that yoga is so important for everyone,  especially  young children.  This can prevent early signs of learning disorders and also teaches them to breathe properly, improves poor posture, helps to ward off not only unhealthy physical conditions, but also unhealthy emotional issues and ultimately brings more peace and happiness into their lives. My Family and I are blessed to be part of such a loving and supportive community as the Edge Hill School.  Thank you!

Cory Eichman

Tanya Coulter and Cory Eichman have two children, Stefano and Georgia.  Stefano is in Kindergarden and Georgia is 2.  We live on Hwy 6 north of Durham.  Our farm is called the Saugeen River CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), see www.saugeenrivercsa.com.  The Kindergarden and Grade 1 class has come to the farm for a couple years in the spring, fall and winter.  They have helped clean out our greenhouse, planted sunflowers and potatoes, harvested the potatoes for their school lunches, and pulled out the dead sunflower stalks the following year.  The Grade 3 class has come and planted hanging flower baskets in our greenhouse to sell at the May Fair.