Meet the team!
Kindergarten
Tammy Jespersen
It is such a gift to explore the natural world with my Kindergarten students, both inside and outside of the classroom! Nature based Kindergarten is a true flow from the outside, in. Our outdoor learning opportunities spark deep engagement, curiosity, wonder and joy and so often inspires our learning activities inside the classroom! Our outdoor explorations foster a greater awareness and connection to the Earth and provide meaningful connections and relationships in our community. Our indoor classroom is full of natural materials that inspire endless loose-parts play and hands-on discovery! I look forward to a very special year with rich learning opportunities as we deepen our connection to nature and discover the beautiful areas around École Percy Pegler School together.
Outdoor learning certifications:
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Grade 1 - 2
Kristin Whaley
Year after year, I continue to notice the positive impacts nature has on our kids. Children come alive when they are outside. They are innately curious and excited about the natural world around them. They explore, play, and wonder with joy and freedom. They take risks and become comfortable within their own limits. And finally, as they engage with nature, we have the privilege of seeing our students through a different lens. Talents and strengths emerge and relationships develop as we navigate through our shared experiences outside of the four classroom walls.
Outdoor learning certifications:
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Grade 3 - 4
Graham Campbell
I am engaged in Nature based learning because I believe that nature and the community around us are the best teachers that there are. The feelings of natural curiosity, calm, and joy that are present when we learn outside keeps me, and the students, looking forward to school and new adventures to come. The outdoors has a natural way of bringing students together to form tight communities and teams, which allows for our classes to do amazing things together with our learning. Because our learning is grounded in real, meaningful, and tangible experiences within our community, students grasp concepts faster and at a deeper levels. I am consistently inspired by nature and our community that we live in, and feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to try to foster this inspiration and passion in the students in our program.
Outdoor learning certifications:
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Grade 5 - 6
Ryan Lemphers
I love seeing the “Ah ha” moments when kids make meaningful connections with their learning and the world around them. There is a spark in their eye and fire in their belly when there is suddenly a reason and context for why they are learning something. This context is further enhanced when students’ develop their sense of place, which provides powerful launching points for student learning. Being outside in nature also engages kids and provides so many unique has on learning opportunities. It also help us team development in our classrooms in a meaningful and tangible way. Engaging with Indigenous ways of knowing deepens our connection to the land and what it teaches us. All these elements combined make NBL an amazing way to learn in our amazing community.
Outdoor learning certifications:
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Administration team
Faye HoltFaye is a leader who believes all kids can not only learn, but be successful in what they put their hearts and minds to. As a lover of the outdoors, through hiking, biking, skiing, and gardening, she knows first-hand how a strong connection to nature and the earth brings out the full potential in all of us. An educator for over 20 years, and a Mom to 2 teenagers, Faye has had the pleasure and joy of watching kids grow and thrive into their full potential with excellent teacher guidance.
At Percy Pegler, she first worked with our amazing team of Panthers as a Learning Coach, helping students who learn differently step fully into themselves and experience success, even if it was in a non-traditional way. Now, as Vice Principal, she embodies her purpose “to inspire others to become the best versions of themselves they can be”, with both students and teachers alike. On any given day, you will find Faye sitting on the floor playing math games, laughing and celebrating with kids through their learning journeys, meeting with teachers, or out with the Nature Based classes playing Fire in the Forest or Camouflage (her own personal favourite). One of the most inspiring aspects of Nature Based Learning she has witnessed and celebrated is how being immersed in nature can turn self-proclaimed non-writers into full blown authors. She is proud to work and learn alongside the Nature Based team, and ALL our Panthers every day. When asked how she keeps such a positive attitude, her favourite response is “I don’t know any other way to be. After all, my nature name is American Robin!” |
Dinah VanDonzelA leader, and a lover of community and the outdoors, Dinah VanDonzel is constantly seeking ways to evolve and innovate in the realm of learning. Dinah envisions a world where every child has the opportunity to explore, learn and immerse themselves in real world experiences.
Dinah holds a fresh perspective on how kids and communities can benefit from nature immersion programs. She holds a firm belief that an early and authentic connection to nature are the building blocks to a lifelong journey of self-awareness. As the Principal of EPPS, she insists that the school strives to be as approachable, accessible, and relationship based as possible, delivering learning opportunities that are fun, effective, relevant and welcoming. |