Julie came to Greenwood this year from Royal St. George’s College (RSGC), where she spent the first 17 years of her teaching career. In addition to teaching Science and Biology at RSGC, Julie spent 10 years as the school’s Outdoor Education Coordinator and coordinated the student leadership program.
Julie has really enjoyed getting to know the Greenwood community over the last several months. “Everyone is very supportive and encouraging,” she says. “It’s also been really interesting to come into a co-ed environment. My past experiences were with an all-boys’ school and an all-girls’ summer camp [Camp Wapomeo], so I’ve loved seeing the different dynamics.”
In a typical year, Julie is responsible for planning and executing two Outdoor Education experiences for all grades (Fall and Winter). This involves everything from working with Greenwood’s 10+ providers and outfitters, to coordinating all transportation logistics (including buses, planes and boats), to organizing staffing for all trips, to distributing and collecting information packages and forms, to making sure the trips are safe for all students and staff members.
This year is not a typical year; however, Julie hit the ground running. She coordinated October’s day trips and short overnights to reintroduce Greenwood students to Outdoor Education, and she had the January/February trips ready to go before public health circumstances unfortunately led to their cancellation. Both experiences required coordinating entirely new programs - no mean feat in a pandemic.
“Planning these trips is a group effort,” Julie says. “I’m so grateful to Trevor Findlay, Sam Clark, the Main Office team, the Communications team, the teachers volunteering to act as trip leads or chaperone a trip - there’s a whole network of people making these experiences happen. As someone new to Greenwood this year, I have been so impressed by the staff support.”
Another key aspect of Julie’s role is evaluating Greenwood’s Outdoor Education program, ensuring it aligns with the school’s mission, vision and strategic plan. Julie looks forward to taking on this work in the months to come. “A key imperative of the new strategic plan is experiential learning, so adding more personalized experiences to our program will be a priority for me,” Julie says.
Julie also co-coordinates the Spirit House program with fellow teacher Jalina Korsmit. In this role, she liaises with our three House Executives ahead of the weekly House Captain meeting and helps to plan and supervise activities like trivia competitions, cookie decorating and the Terry Fox Run.
“I love working outside of the classroom and finding those connections with students,” Julie says. “We’re trying to plan activities that engage the whole community, and I get to see students’ strengths and personalities in a different way than I do in the Biology lab. It’s wonderful to witness their successes and their growth as leaders.”
One of Julie’s primary goals for this year is learning more about Greenwood’s culture. “I want to know what students and staff value the most,” Julie says. “What should we never change? What could we build on?” Our Halloween festivities, which Julie helped to coordinate this year, are a perfect example of the school’s culture in action. “The Halloween celebrations really speak to Greenwood’s spirit, creativity and willingness to work together,” she says.
Greenwood’s student leadership model is another aspect of the school Julie values. “It’s not just a small group of prefects,” she says. “There are a huge number of opportunities for Grade 11 and 12 students to be leaders, and students in younger grades can also prepare themselves to be leaders later on by getting involved in committees.”
Julie and her three-year-old son, Will, live in the Greenwood neighbourhood, “so I can walk to work!” says Julie. A camper through and through, she loves spending time outdoors canoeing and hiking; she is also an avid skier.
Julie is excited to get back into the normal “rhythm” of planning for next year’s Outdoor Education experiences, but in the meantime, she is enjoying soaking up the Greenwood experience. “In your first year, it’s important to always be listening and learning.”