PASSIONATE. DEDICATED. INVOLVED. CURRENT. CARING. ANIMATED. COMPETENT. PROFESSIONAL.
Sea to Sky Outdoor School has developed a reputation within the province and increasingly across the country of providing amazing learning experiences for youth. These programs that touch students in powerful ways are a product of the people who deliver them. What follow are brief 'bios' of the full time seasonal staff that make this possible.
Sheena Careless, alias Otter, is a native Sunshine Coaster having spent much of her childhood exploring the precious wild spaces of British Columbia and beyond. Out of this has come a passion for the conservation of this province's spectacular wilderness endowment. Sheena is a University of Victoria graduate in Geography and a Queen's graduate in Education. She is a high energy, all weather educator with a twinkle in her eye, at least four funny bones in her body and a lightness and a laughter that ripples out to all in her company. She has experience in the Waldorf approach to learning and is a highly respected educator on the Sunshine Coast where she lives with her husband.
Liz Gesner, aka MoonDust, is a story seeker & smile-sharer whose love of the natural world has taken her from woodland trails, to museums, to science classrooms, and back outside again. Growing up through summers of experiential environmental learning on the east coast, MoonDust has over a decade of earth education experience in four provinces, as well as a BEd directed towards Senior Science from SFU's PDP program. Sea To Sky's approach to education being real, relevant, & revolutionary speaks to her passion for validating youth & creating healthy communities. Her appreciation for small wonders is boundless and her enthusiasm to share laughter & help discover new talents on outdoor adventures throughout the seasons keeps her heart dancing & her mind expanding.
Jenny Groves, alias Coyote, came west from Ontario with a BEd from Queens University in Outdoor & Experiential Education and a passion for learning and teaching. An avid paddler, musician and artist, Jenny has a strong background working with youth and adults in the outdoors. "I am a musician and an artist with a love for costumes and drama and have made these passions of mine an integral part of my teaching." Jenny also teaches with the Sunshine Coast School District and was a lead educator with the Pearson Seminar on Youth Leadership based at Pearson College. Recently she served as the Canada World Youth coordinator in China. She plays a sweet bass cello with Sweet Cascadia.
Simon Hocking, aka Owl, is a graduate of Sociology and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria and completed his teaching degree in the Outdoor and Experiential Education program at Queens University. He is a talented musician and is often heard 'belting' out Sea To Sky's favourite tunes at campus fire. Simon is a lead vocalist and guitar / mandolin player for the band Sweet Cascadia. He has a passion for the 3R's of sustainability education. Simon is an avid ocean kayaker, gardener, traveler and keen soccer player in the Sunshine Coast Men's Soccer league. As an advocate for the practice of sustainability Simon is exploring the potential of a Sea to Sky 'field station' on Keats Island that complements regular island programming.
Mark Lebbell, alias Bufflehead, spent his childhood in the Laurentian Shield country of Quebec and Ontario that left him a 'canoe head' for life. A former classroom teacher, Mark now spends his time as a sustainability educator at Sea to Sky Outdoor School. He has been a lead educator with the Pearson College Summer Leadership Seminar as well as the Wild Ed program based in Vancouver. Mark has played a pivotal role in creating a culture of music and promoting songs for sustainability at Sea to Sky. Mark lives in the 'Gumboot Nation' of Roberts Creek with his partner and two children. He is an active member of the Sunshine Coast Home Schoolers group and lead vocal and guitar of the band Sweet Cascadia.
Chael MacArthur - alias Tuckamore - The word 'Tuckamore' describes the stunted Balsam Fir (Var) and Black Spruce that grow on the rocky shores of Newfoundland and Labrador where they brave the salt laced winds of the North Atlantic. Their roots hold firmly onto the rocks; communities of branches mingle together and stretch inward to the land. They create a metaphor for the place that reminds us of the power of resilience and the wisdom of the wild. Chael has been teaching this wisdom in outdoor classrooms since the age of 16 and has completed university degrees in English, French and a Bachelor of Environmental Education from Simon Fraser University. Tuck believes his most valuable education began the moment his mother first handed him a raincoat and said, “Dere's no need t'be indoors on a day like t'day.” It turns out that in Newfoundland, you are a wet weather adventurer, or not at all. A storyteller, adventurer, musician and explorer, Chael strives to live a one planet lifestyle. As Uncle Tuckles would say, “Young Tuck, my son, he's silly wit sustainability.”
Laura Magrath, alias Madawaska spent her early years in Ontario canoeing, hiking and whitewater kayaking. She is a graduate of the Concurrent Education program at Queen’s University and has completed a Masters of Arts in Environmental Education and Communication at Royal Roads University. She has been a classroom educator for the past 14 years taking kids into the backcountry and integrating sustainability into all areas of school life. Madawaska is passionate about instilling hope and inspiring people of all ages to take steps to reduce our footprints and live as a part of nature. She is working on a children’s book “H is for Hope”.
Laura Milner, aka Pika, a 'Kootenay Kid' who grew up exploring the mountains of interior British Columbia completed her BEd degree at the University of Victoria with an emphasis on environmental education. Laura's passion for outdoor adventure and experiential learning has transferred into a love of teaching and learning in wild spaces. Her connection with pikas — the small rabbit-like rock squirrel of the alpine belies her love and concern for the mountain world that is so vulnerable as climates change. Laura's extensive background in community youth programming has made her both a versatile and resourceful educator. Along with her infectious enthusiasm comes an indefatigable energy that ripples to young and old. Rain or shine she can be found 'keeping it real' at Sea to Sky.
Allison Prime, aka Cricket, migrated to the West Coast from Ontario where she spent her childhood summers paddling on the lakes of Algonquin Park. She graduated with a BA in International Development Studies from McGill University and completed her teaching degree in the Outdoor Experiential and Ecological Education program at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay. Since then, she has been dedicated to using the outdoor classroom to foster self-confidence in students, as well as a love for each other and the earth. She strives to enable students to make connections between their choices and how they affect the ecological systems that support life on this planet. She spends her free time singing in a choir, learning to play the guitar and exploring local forests.
Nick Townley, alias River, is an avid adventurer and sustainability crusader. He feeds his sense of wonder by self propelling through the magnificent rivers, lakes, oceans and wild spaces of Earth Island. He graduated from the University of King's College with a BA in Classics and Otago University with a Graduate Diploma in Teaching. In 2005, Nick volunteered with the Otesha Project Coast2Coast Bicycle Tour. For five and half months Nick bicycled and lived communally with a group of 15 other youth. They bicycled 8,500 kilometres, from Vancouver to Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and presented environmental and social justice workshops to over 10,000 people of all ages. Nick, in the summer of 2009 spent six weeks braving the rain and black flies of Northern Ontario, canoeing from Sioux Lookout to Hudson Bay.
Tim Turner, aka Wings has shared the wonder and wisdom of the 'big outside' with students of all ages. A classroom teacher for ten years, Tim's lifetime of backcountry adventuring has left him with a contagious enthusiasm, respect and concern for the wild world. This is the source of his passion for sustainability education and the wisdom of less. Tim is encouraged by the dramatic shifts underway within the faith communities, at the local government level and hopes for the same soon within schools who have an unprecedented opportunity to assist society in the tough transition to a post fossil fuel world. As both an educator and director with Sea to Sky Outdoor School 'Wings' can't get enough of Keats and Gambier Islands and the important lessons one can learn there.
Jay Wade, alias Dragonfly is an experienced outdoor educator, researcher, and naturalist through and through. Growing up in Ontario, Jay spent his childhood summers tromping along the river at his grandparent's farm. Nature has always been a thread running through Jay's life and after leaving university with an Environmental Studies and Biology degree he traveled the continent studying birds and mammals in such places as Alaska and the Yukon. Since moving to British Columbia, Jay continues to pursue his passion of engaging youth in experiences where they can explore themselves, others, and the natural world. When not being inspired by students in the outdoors, you can find Jay backcountry camping, birding, or working on some of the many wilderness skills that encourage him to lead a more sustainable life.
Complementing these full timers are a variety of highly skilled part timers many of whom are certified teachers as well. As skilled sustainability educators with backcountry classroom experience these other 'islanders' provide a rich diversity of talents and skills that flesh out the Sea to Sky staff team for larger programs. With island names of Squall, Raven, Fungi, these talented educators are familiar faces to students throughout the Vancouver region.
"If not me, who? If not here, where? If not now, when?"
"Come friends, Tis not too late to seek a newer world."
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Next >> Experience and Qualifications