Name
| Biography
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 Kurt Hangle Grade 9 Advisor
| 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 Grade 9 Advisor
| 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 Grade 10 Advisor |
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 the Met Centre for Arts and Technology, 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. |
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 Niki Taylor Grade 10 Advisor
| My name is Niki Taylor and I have always loved learning from new experiences and the people around me. This is one of many reasons that I have been so looking forward to being part of the Met Centre for Arts & Technology. At the University of Winnipeg I studied Theatre and English, and since I have started teaching I have become more passionate about Sciences and Sustainability, Land-based education and Indigenous histories in our province. These are all areas I am continuing to learn about in any way I can. Taking part in things that connect me to others has always been a big part of my life and who I am. I’ve stayed active and played sports like basketball, handball and running. I spend lots of time outside, camping, hiking, looking after plants, growing food, cooking, and of course eating and enjoying it with others. I love reading and listening to music, as well as playing some guitar myself when I feel like it. I especially value being able to travel close to home and far away to experience all of these from different places and cultures. As an advisor at MCAT, I am excited to be able to encourage lifelong learning by showing others how to find connections between their many passions and interests. Even our location in the heart of the Exchange provides so many opportunities to get to know our city, ourselves and the best way to love learning.
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 Stephanie Ringer Grade 11/12 Advisor
| 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.
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 Maribeth Tabanera Learning Through Internship Coordinator
| Hello! My name is Maribeth Tabanera (she/her/they/siya) and I am the Learning Through Internship Coordinator at Seven Oaks Met, Maples Met School, and Met Centre for Arts and Technology. I have been working in the Seven Oaks School Division since 2013.
I am a life-long learner, who has focused my energy on diving deeply into my passions of dance, music, education, social justice, and community building. I have a Graphic Design Diploma (Tec Voc, 2006), Bachelors of Art (University of Winnipeg, 2010), Industrial Arts/Technology Teacher Education Diploma (Red River College, 2012), and Bachelors of Education (University of Winnipeg, 2013). I began my career teaching Industrial Arts at Maples Collegiate. In 2017, I joined the staff at Seven Oaks Met and Maples Met School. I am also a professional artist, specializing in street-style dance forms, DJing, and event production. Currently, I am a board member with Seven Oaks Filipino Employees Association, Kultivation Festival, and Manitoba Music. I enjoy being in community, creating, collaborating, and connecting my talented students with my talented friends!
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 Josh Eskin Music Teacher
| Hi, my name is Josh Eskin I am a Music Specialist in the Seven Oaks School Division and I have been teaching band, fiddle, guitar and technology for the past 13 years. Previous to that I taught violin and guitar for 5 years at St. John's Ravenscourt in their private music program. I also taught violin through Suzuki Music Winnipeg and through the University of Manitoba Preparatory Division. I received my Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Education and my Education Degree at the University of Manitoba and I am an alumnus of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, which I attended on scholarship. I completed my Suzuki Violin Certification training at the University of Waterloo. I have many years of experience working in film, video, music, photography and graphic design. I have been active in the music industry with over 25 years as a professional musician, producer, recording engineer, tour manager. I have toured extensively as a bass player through North America sharing the stage with many national and international artists including 3 Doors Down, Nickleback, Default, Bif Naked, Moist, The Stereophonics, Goldfinger, McMasters and James, Chantel Kreviazuk, Treble Charger, Wide Mouth Mason, Gob, Sloan, Econoline Crush, Luc Doucette, 54/40, the Headstones, Mike D from the Beastie Boys, Spirit of the West and many others.
I am passionate about teaching and enjoy helping students find their voices and creativity through music, technology and the arts. I am an active partner in reconciliation. A highlight for me from my teaching career at Seven Oaks was connecting with and visiting the amazing community of Skownan First Nation near Waterhen. This was the result of a friendship between some of our schools and the community. We had an amazing fiddle, jigging and arts retreat involving students and teachers from our division and kids and teachers from the Skownan School. I am looking forward to working with students at MCAT to help them find their voices and passions through music, technology and the arts. I also have two amazing and very musical kids and a wonderful wife Kelly who is a highly regarded voice teacher, singer/songwriter and performer in musical theatre, jazz, opera and classical music.
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Jacquie Szyda Administrative Assistant
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