Staff Directory
| Name | Biography |
|---|---|
Kathryn Laframboise | Howdy, I am Kathryn Laframboise (she/her). I was born and raised alongside Treaty One land, where I am fortunate to still live. I’m motivated by being a good steward for community, which for me means land, animals, plants, and humans. I am incredibly lucky to have a career that supports my values. I believe that being a teacher and an advisor is an important part of stewardship in our world. In a fun plot twist, I am also a farmer! For the past 7 years I have run a flourishing fibre farm. My fibre flock is made up of sheep, rabbits, goats, alpacas, and a llama. I also tend to a herd of rescue horses, chickens, ducks, and geese. And I can’t forget the pack of dogs and cats, or Valerie, our Exchange Met tortoise! We can dive into the “formal” stuff if you’re curious! I’ve been an educator for about ten years (as of 2025). I always knew I wanted to work in education because I wanted to be a cheerleader for every single student possible. I’ve worked in senior years before coming to Exchange Met, but for the past 8 years I worked in the magical world of middle school! My super duper official education comes from the University of Winnipeg, where I mainly studied English and Theatre. I also hold certifications in Child-Centred Animal-Assisted Therapy. I believe in lifelong learning and using our gifts for good. So, I am currently finishing up my Master of Education with a thesis focused on alternative assessment practices. I am an avid advocate for equitable assessment practices, and this often means taking a hard look at systems and acknowledging some of the harmful impacts (an ongoing reconciliation action) and creating change. We’ll finish up here with an “interests round-up”: I love being outside, photography, farm life, kayaking, connecting with community, social justice, theatre, concerts, art (any chance to create), and cooking! My door is always open and you can likely find me in a “cozy cave.” I’m always happy to help, offer a “useless fact,” or join you in a good laugh or cry! |
Jon McPhail | Hello to the Exchange Met community! I am Jon McPhail - and I am beyond thrilled to be joining this amazing group of advisors, admin staff, and students. I love to make things happen. Before entering education, I spent a decade running a successful small business in the food industry. Prior to that, I had a career in the Winnipeg film industry while working in independent theatre and music. My interests are quite varied, but one of my favourite things to do is making a meal out of whatever random ingredients are in my kitchen while listening to CBC or a non fiction podcast that challenges my assumptions or explains something I find confounding. While my formal education is focused on the arts and psychology, I find great joy in exploring science, politics, astronomy, history, climate and social justice. I also love finding “a way into” challenging content for students. In this regard, mathematics education has been a focus for me. I believe that how we teach math is a social justice issue that connects directly to education's role in Reconciliation. Having spent my practicum year at MCAT, I look forward to continuing to build on my relationships with current staff and students, while forging new ones within my grade 9 advisory. My family and I are excited to join this vibrant, diverse, eclectic and creative community of learners! |
Kurt Hangle | I’m Kurt Hangle and believe strongly in cultivating a healthy community with the people around me, supporting each other in both laughter and personal challenges. I subscribe to many environmentalist ideas, whether it be active transportation, reducing the amount of grass in my yard or cooking more vegetarian meals, there are few activities in a day where I do not consider my environmental impact on this planet. I have traveled with my family to many different countries around the world, enjoy ethnic cooking, backcountry canoeing and cross country skiing. I have been an industrial arts teacher for eighteen years and believe in practical/project based learning while building a foundation of inquiry and design with my students. Recognizing the importance of reconciliation in education and working in a division with a large indigenous foster population, I worked to build relationships with the Roseau River Anishinabe First Nation. This relationship with community elders exposed me to many different cultural and spiritual experiences, enabling me to grow as an individual and share those experiences with my students. For ten years I ran an outdoor ed program, taking students on a four day backcountry canoe trip in Northern Ontario, something I am hoping to bring to Seven Oaks. I am looking forward to meeting my advisory as we both share and learn from each other through our time together. I grew up in Winnipeg and graduated from a joint program with the University of Winnipeg, and Red River College completing my Industrial Arts/Technology BED degree. |
Tom Obendoerfer | My name is Thomas Obendoerfer. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree, and Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba. Prior to coming to the Met Center for Arts and Technology, I worked as a teacher at West Kildonan Collegiate, where I taught general science, mathematics, and physics. My recent experiences as a volunteer include coaching a variety of hockey programs, helping out as a bike mechanic for various Seven Oaks School Division bike programs, and as a member of the Manitoba Middle Years Association. I am passionate about experiential learning, and have made the “hands-on” approach central to my teaching philosophy. I believe that applying a concept is critical to developing a deep understanding of it. As a Met advisor I look forward to helping create rich experiences for students that promote curiosity, depth of understanding, and lifelong learning skills. |
Niall McFadyen | I am a former graduate of the Seven Oaks School Division myself, having graduated from the French Immersion program at Collège Garden City Collegiate. I hold a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, and PBDE Diploma from the University of Winnipeg, as well as a Master of Education degree in Educational Technology and Design from the University of Saskatchewan. As a graduate student, my research areas included educational technology, video production in school, media literacy, digital literacies, game-based learning, and project-based learning. Prior to coming to Exchange Met School, I worked at École Leila North Community School as a homeroom middle years teacher and as a middle years multimedia technology specialist teacher. I have taught subjects that include language arts, basic French, mathematics, multimedia, social studies, health, and more. During this time, I also taught students from other schools such as Elwick, Arthur Wright, O.V. Jewitt, and École Seven Oaks Middle School. I am a strong believer in lifelong learning, having continued to take courses throughout my teaching career in areas such as educational technology, creativity in the classroom, and special education. As a teacher, I have been a volunteer coach, and I have been taken part in programs and initiatives such as the 7Oaks Student Film Festival, Arts In The Park, and Student Vote. My previous work experience includes being a lab instructor at the University of Winnipeg, working as a childcare assistant at a local daycare, and running youth programs at the University of Manitoba and multiple North End community centres. Technology has always been part of my life whether it was playing video games, creating websites, building computers, recording podcasts, or experimenting with the sound that I could create with my electric guitar amplifier. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family, staying active, playing board and video games, watching movies, reading, and taking on projects around my house. I am a major Winnipeg sports fan following every game of the Jets and Bombers. I still live in the Seven Oaks area, so you may also see me around in the community at the hockey rink, the soccer field, in local stores, or at community events. |
Stephanie Ringer | My name is Steph Ringer. I like being creative in the kitchen and bonding over delicious food. I enjoy being active, and owe a lot of thanks to sport for getting me to where I am today. I love to camp, cycle, run, hike, play hockey, play volleyball, play slo-pitch, volunteer, and coach. I also enjoy cheering on the Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Canadian National Women’s Hockey Team. I am passionate about teaching and learning. I hold a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Education, and PBDE Diploma from the University of Winnipeg. I enjoy reading books related to experiential education, project-based learning, assessment, and transdisciplinary design. Prior to coming to the Met Centre for Arts and Technology, I worked at Collège Garden City Collegiate where I taught a variety of maths and science courses. As an advisor at the Met Centre for Arts and Technology, I look forward to helping students become lifelong learners. I am excited to see students become active participants in their education and their community, for them to take notice and also to wonder about the world around them, and to make their learning authentic and relevant. |
Kim Cao | Greetings! My name is Kim Cao (they/them) and I was born and raised on treaty 1, Winnipeg. As a first generation Vietnamese, queer educator with over a decade of teaching experience, I believe in curating an inclusive and safer learning environment where all learners can find their own version of success. I currently hold a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education, Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Education and Master's in Cultural Studies. I specialize in queering pedagogy and interdisciplinary approaches while continuing my own learning in decolonial ways of knowing. As an advisor I am most excited to meet young learners and help facilitate an environment where we work in relation with one another and keep growing into curious, critically thinking, and caring human beings. I am committed to helping students develop their own agency and build the experiential tools needed to feel confident and take risks with their learning. In my spare time, I am slowly: hiking, backcountry camping, boxing, cycling, reading, making something out of clay, sewing, watching reality T.V and spending time with their queer family. Ask me what I am currently reading! |
| Janna Barkman | Hi there Exchange Met community. My name is Janna- I have lived most of my life here in Winnipeg, Treaty 1. My life has had a lot of purposeful wanderings which I think lends itself well to my new role as the Community Wellness Advisor. As a daughter/ grand-daughter of teachers, I spent a large part of my life thinking I'd do anything but teach. I was deeply involved in music and dance, politics and community organizing, and the thought of being restricted to a classroom did not align with who I was. In my early adulthood, I was a piano teacher, dance teacher, yoga instructor, outdoor educator, educational assistant, human rights/ social justice educator, and the Education Coordinator at FortWhyte Farms. Yes- for a while there, chickens and pigs were my teaching partner. I completed a Masters in Indigenous Community Development where I focused on how youth participate and support food security and community-based health traditions in Tamil Nadu, India and Fisher River Cree Nation, Manitoba. I even spent a few months working at the United Nations in Geneva (OHCHR) supporting NGOs who worked for women's rights. It took me about ten years of this wandering until I realized that becoming a teacher was inevitable (not sure why it took so long!). I completed my teaching degree and Masters in Teaching at the University of Toronto, and then promptly returned back to Winnipeg to start teaching middle years in Seven Oaks. I was fortunate to spend four years as an advisor at Maples Met School before starting at Exchange Met. My teaching interests these days are critical place-based learning, authentic and supportive assessment practices, project-based learning, and ecojustice education. My greatest joy is being a mother, and spending time supporting the community that surrounds us. I have two energetic toddlers, and we value being outside both in the city and in the many forests and lakes around us. I continue to dance weekly, and enjoy going to the gym, biking, running, skating, all forms of skiing, hiking, and canoeing. I still dabble in playing music, and taking part in an amateur adult musical theatre group. I am still learning to understand the role that wellness plays in my life, and how I can better support wellness in our school community, and beyond. I look forward to learning with you!
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| Monica Gadsby | My name is Monica Gadsby (she/her) and I have always been driven by a deep love for learning, both from new experiences and the remarkable individuals I've had the privilege to meet along the way. My academic journey began at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College, where I pursued studies in Business Technology Education. My path as an educator has evolved and embraced new passions, particularly in identity, anti-racism and mental health, recently completing a PBDE in school counselling. I remain committed to nurturing my understanding of these areas through a continuous learning journey and see how to integrate these into our daily practices in the Tech Hub program. I bring over 12 years of teaching experience within the division, drawing from a diverse background, including growing up in a family business. My passion for teaching extends into business education, technology and social justice, and I have had the privilege of sharing my knowledge and experiences with students. Beyond that, I'm an avid enthusiast of technology. I'm constantly tinkering and exploring new technological advancements, particularly with AI in education, always seeking ways to introduce my students to innovative concepts and discoveries. Outside the classroom, my life has been defined by a love for connecting with others and being curious. Embracing vulnerability and going beyond my comfort zone as a new mom has allowed me to set a better example for my children and students alike. My interests include a passion for dance, music, cooking, writing, debate and travelling. Moreover, I am deeply excited to introduce students to the incredible world of technology and its potential to enrich our lives while fostering a healthy relationship between technology and mental health. My commitment to teaching extends beyond the classroom, and I look forward to nurturing STEAM education with the next generation of thinkers, innovators, and lifelong learners at Exchange Met School. |