Biographies
Steve and Linda Bateman
Steve and Linda Bateman have worked in educational and pastoral ministry for 20 years. Steve is currently Associate Pastor of the Evangelical Free Church of Lethbridge. He holds a Master of Arts degree in New Testament Studies. Linda has a Bachelor of Religious Education degree and is in her third year of studies at the University of Lethbridge in a Bachelor of Education program. They have 4 children between the ages of 11 and 17. Both enjoy the outdoors, reading, and film.
Dr. Roy Berkenbosch
Roy Berkenbosch is the Vice
President for Student Life and Campus Ministries at The King's University
College. Roy also leads the inter-disciplinary studies program and
the newly formed Micah Center.
Bina Billington
Bina Billington is an elementary PE teacher at Calgary Christian School and has a great deal of experience in structuring effective classes whether they are in the classroom or in PE classes. She has many creative methods in teaching the variety of concepts necessary in PE.
Angie Bricker, B. Ed
Angie Bricker is a Behaviour Management Specialist with Children’s CARE Services within Chinook Health. She has worked throughout Alberta for the past 9 years with children with challenging behaviours and children on the Autism Spectrum. Angie has been providing behavioral consultation to schools, families and community service providers within Chinook Health for the last 2 years.
Dr. Bob Bruinsma
Dr. Bob Bruinsma is a Professor of Education and Associate Vice President (Academic) at The King’s University College in Edmonton. In addition to his 25 years at King’s, Dr. Bruinsma has taught in both public and Christian schools in Alberta and B.C. He is the author of Joy in Language: A Christian Framework for Language Arts Instruction (2003). He can be contacted at: robert.bruinsma@kingsu.ca
Brian Doornenbal
Brian Doornenbal currently teaches grade nine at the West Campus of Edmonton Christian School where he has also been the Service-Learning Coordinator for two years. He has been in the teaching profession, in three different schools, since 1981 when he graduated from Dordt College. He is the husband of Kathy and the father of Erin, Heather and Joshua. Brian is also a bicycle enthusiast and a rider.
Dr. Mary Dyck
Mary Dyck has a Ph.D. in “Teaching, Learning and Curriculum”. She has previously taught at Trinity Western University and Redeemer University College. She coaches soccer and currently is a volleyball coach at ICHS in Lethbridge. Her interests include social and moral development in adolescents, online communication, and physical activity.
Rick Esselink
Rick Esselink is the Industrial Arts Teacher at Immanuel Christian High school in Lethbridge. He is also the coordinator for students taking the Green Certificate and Work Experience for high school students. He has taught for many years at ICHS and was a previous administrator in BC Christian Schools. Relating to students with hands-on projects is something Rick is passionate about.
Dr. F. Fabbi
Dr. Fabbi has Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Optometry degrees. He has also done extensive vision therapeutic training at a variety of universities as well. The need to increase in vision training is essential and in his practice he stresses the importance of the relationship between learning and vision.
Barbara Ferrier
Barbara Ferrier, M.Sc. B.Ed., taught Grades 7 and 8 for eight years at John Calvin Christian School in Guelph, ON. She serves on the OACS Science Committee and is the co-author of a number of the OACS science units. One thing leads to another, and she is now a co-author of CSI’s science materials – both the recently published Grade 7–9 materials and soon to be published K–6 science revision. She is currently the CSI consultant for the PACS area, available to visit your school and present CSI’s curriculum.
Jenessa Fowke
Jenessa Fowke is in her second year of teaching in Edmonton Christian School. She completed her education degree at the University of Lethbridge after having completed high school at Immanuel Christian High School in Lethbridge.
Bill Glaister
Bill Glaister is presently the Coordinator of the Faculty of Education’s Curriculum Laboratory at the University of Lethbridge. Its main mission is to support the Faculty of Education’s teacher education programs through the services of a learning Resource Centre. Research has shown that there are many advantages of using children’s literature, including picture books as tools to teach concepts
Daryl Graham
Daryl graduated from the Master’s of Speech-Language Pathology program at the University of Alberta in 1996. Since then he has worked with many school divisions within two health regions in Alberta. Daryl has worked with both preschool and school-age children in the assessment and treatment of speech and language delays and disorders. He currently works with Children’s CARE Services supporting speech and language with schools in the Lethbridge #51 and Holy Spirit School Divisions.
Jennifer Griffioen
Jennifer Griffioen teaches grade 6 home room and grades 5 and 6 French at ICES. She is also a relatively new consultant for Creative Memories.
Alex Hann
Alex Hann has been the Regional Manager at Rehoboth Christian Ministries in Coaldale for 20+ years and is a passionate advocate for persons with developmental disabilities. Rehoboth Coaldale serves 50 individuals through residential, vocational, and supported community employment, operates 6 group homes, provides outreach support to individuals in their own homes, and employs over 70 staff. Alex has a degree in Human Services Administration. He has been married to Trudy for 28 years and has three daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren who are the apples of his eye.
Jared Heidinger
Jared Heidinger is in his 7th year of teaching science, all at Winston Churchill High School in Lethbridge. He was the Edwin Parr Award Winner for Southern Alberta in his first year of teaching. He has taught many science courses including: Science 10,14; Biology 20 and 30; Chemistry 20 and teaches in the International Baccalaureate program at Churchill. He also played basketball at the University of Lethbridge for 5 years.
Dr. John L. Hiemstra
Dr. John Hiemstra has taught Political Studies at The King's University College since 1991. He completed a B.A. and a certificate in Secondary Teaching at Dordt College in 1978. His Ph.D. in public policy and political philosophy is from the University of Calgary. John has been researching plurality and school choice in Alberta for the last 4 summers. Of particular interest to Christian teachers is: "Calvinist Pluriformity Challenges Liberal Assimilation: A novel case for publicly funding Alberta's private schools, 1953-1967," in the Journal of Canadian Studies (Fall 2005). "Faith-based Alternative School Choice in Alberta: Conservative Revival, Post-Modern Fragmentation, or Principled Pluralism?" will soon appear in the International Journal of Education Law and Policy. "Faith-based School Choice in Alberta: The Advent of a Pluriform Public Model?" was co- authored with former TKUC student Robert Brink, and recently submitted to the Canadian Journal of Education. John's other pluralism research includes Worldviews on the Air (1997), a book on Christians shaping pluralism in Dutch broadcasting, as well as a discussion paper for the Reformed Ecumenical Council on "Reconciling all Things to Himself: Reflections on the Kingdom of God, the Church & the State's Role in Plural Societies". John has served on a variety of boards and committees, including the "Social Action Commission" of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Board of Citizens for Public Justice.
Dr. Lee Hollaar has taught and administered elementary and secondary schools in both the United States and Canada. He is the former Executive Director of the Society of Christian Schools in British Columbia. While in that position he became increasingly aware of “the world out there.” His life has been enriched by many contacts with educators in places such as South Africa, Uganda, Australia, Philippines, Korea, China, Ukraine, Russia and Honduras. Dr. Hollaar teaches courses at Trinity Western University in the graduate global learning program, their Masters of Arts in Administrative Leadership program, and at ACTS Seminary. He is also serving as a N. American contact for the Maple Leaf Independent Schools of China.
Dr. Harold Jansen
Dr. Harold Jansen is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Lethbridge. His research and teaching focus on Canadian politics, particularly on political parties and elections.
Tammy Kesthely
Tammy Kesthely received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in occupational therapy from the University of Alberta. She has been working for Chinook Health at Children’s CARE Services for the past six years. Her caseload consists primarily of school aged children with a variety of fine motor challenges.
Christopher Klassen
Christopher Klassen is a graduate of the University of Lethbridge, and has taught full time in the science classroom for four and a half years.
Anne Konynenbelt and Terry Kruisselbrink
Anne Konynenbelt completed her post high school education at Dordt College. After finishing her B. Ed. Degree she taught, along with her husband, Duane, in Sarnia, Ontario for three years. As a family they returned to their hometown, Lethbridge where Anne currently teaches high school Math.
Terry Kruisselbrink has also taught high school Math at Immanuel Christian High school for the past number of years. After taking his B. Ed. Degree at Calvin College he and his family moved to Lethbridge where Terry is a valued member of the math department at ICHS.
Rose Konynenbelt
Since graduating from Calvin College with a B.A./B.Ed. in General Science Studies 30 years ago, Rose Konynenbelt has taught K – Grade 6, along with various subjects in junior high, while at Red Deer Christian, Immanuel Christian, and Ponoka Christian Schools. As well, she has had the privilege of working for 8 years with English Language Institute/China teaching English to university students/professors, developing programs for K-12 schools, and facilitating an intensive English program for vice-ministers. These experiences have provided many experiences and contact with an array of experts which have inspired her and have helped her develop a collection of classroom management techniques.
Linda Langager
Linda Langager has taught Music, Art and Drama both as separate subjects and as integrators in the core areas for many years. Now retired from the Lethbridge Public School District, she continues to be an enthusiastic music workshop presenter for Teachers’ Conventions, provincial Fine Arts Conferences as well as in-services for local area music teachers. Linda is active on the Orff executive and has served six years as president of the Southern Alberta Region of the fine Arts Council of the ATA. She is also a long-time choir conductor at her church. She currently teaches music at the Third Academy, a private school for students with learning disabilities.
Evelyn Martin
Evelyn Martin has taught Art for approximately 20 years at Edmonton Christian School. Other teaching experiences have taken her to Kings University College Master Teacher Program, the Island Public schools and workshops for Edmonton Public Schools. In her spare time she loves to see, care for, and paint things that grow.
Dorothy McGillis
Dorothy McGillis has been teaching in Edmonton Christian West School for a number of years in the area of grade 7 and 8 science. Committed to the objective of making science fun and scriptural, she has worked with colleagues to develop meaningful science curriculum that will not only intrigue her students but also challenge them from a scriptural perspective. Colleagues such as Brian Piers and Derk Van Eerden have been working with Dorothy in this area.
Dave McMurray
Dave McMurray has worked as a full-time campus staff worker at the University of Lethbridge with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship since 1994. Currently he is on sabbatical leave completing an M.A. in History. His current research is on women and angling in Victorian North America. He has also done research on angling and Early Modern British views towards nature and theology and the history of angling in North America. He has been fly fishing since he was a child and now has the pleasure of introducing his own children to the sport. He has taught various groups of people to fly fish over the past number of years.
Vic Mensch
Vic Mensch is currently the Executive Director for the Christian Teachers Association for the schools in the Prairie Association of Christian Schools. He has also taught at Immanuel Christian High School for a lot of years and has had a varied teaching experience. He is married to Gloria, they have two grown children. After completing a Bachelor of Theology in Mennonite Brethren Bible College, he enrolled in a Bachelor of Education at the University of Lethbridge. In 1988, he returned to the U. of L. to complete his master’s degree in Educational Administration.
John Moerman has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Lethbridge and is presently working to complete a Master of Divinity degree. John serves at College Drive Community Church as a Pastoral Assistant and at the Lethbridge Regional Hospital as the Senior Volunteer Chaplain. John and his wife, Jeanne, enjoy life with three daughters and two sons-in-law, living in Lethbridge for 13 years. Teaching, pastoral care, grief counseling, elderly persons and wholeness in physical illness are special interests and expertise that John enjoys.
Dr. David Naylor
Dr. David Naylor is a professor at the University of Lethbridge and has had considerable involvement in the science department.
Lisa Noronha
Lisa Noronha has been a Speech-Language Pathologist for 16 years. She has worked with adults with swallowing and communication disorders in a Rehabilitation Hospital and several nursing homes in the United States. Lisa currently works with Children’s CARE Services providing assessment and treatment of speech and language disorders in preschool and school-age children.
Lisa Parkin
Lisa is a family counselor with Barons-Eureka-Warner Family and Community Support Services in Coaldale. She has worked in the counseling field since 1990 and has previously worked for Crossroads Counseling Centre and Associated Counseling Services.
James Penner
James Penner is a twenty year veteran of youth ministry with Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship in Lethbridge, Alberta. At present he is the high school/middle school coordinator for IVCF in the Lethbridge area as well as a national youth consultant for IVCF Canada. In addition, James is an adjunct assistant professor for University of Lethbridge where he teaches a popular Sociology of Youth course and works alongside Dr. Reg Bibby in tracking national youth trends. James is a popular youth ministry consultant who speaks across Canada and beyond to clergy, educators, youth workers, parents, and employers on understanding and responding to millennial youth culture. James is co-author of Soul Searching the Millennial Generation (Novalis, 2005). James and his soul mate/wife Claire are proud parents of two millennials; Elya, age 17 and Erick, age 15. The family worships at College Drive Community Church – a Mennonite Brethren Church in Lethbridge.
Duane Plantinga
Duane Plantinga serves as the Executive Director of the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta (AISCA). In that role he oversees the overall operations of AISCA: advocacy and government relations for the majority of Alberta’s private schools, an evaluation program of all private kindergarten and private school teachers for their professional certification, the administration of 220 Alberta Initiative for School Improvement Projects in the private school sector, and many other service projects that benefit the private schools.
Plantinga has been involved in the education sector since 1975. He has served as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, and principal in both elementary and secondary schools in Alberta and British Columbia: Calgary Christian School, Edmonton Christian High School, Red Deer Christian School, and Duncan Christian Secondary School. He also worked for several years as an instructor in teacher education programs at the University of Alberta in 1980 and at Dordt College, Sioux Center, Iowa from 1986 – 1988. Plantinga has served as the executive director of AISCA since August 2000.
Dr. John Poulsen
John Poulsen (Ph. D. University of Calgary, MA University of London, England) is an Associate Professor at the University of Lethbridge in the Faculty of Education. His main focus is Drama Education; both Drama as a distinct subject and Drama integrated with other areas. He also instructs in the area of Evaluation and Curriculum. During the fall semester in 2005 semester he instructed an on-line course to a cohort of students in Belize. He directed “Rockies Revealed” for Parks Canada that received a Silver Award for Excellence. He is a founding member of “MasQuirx” a mask creation and performance company.
Margaret Rodermond
After receiving a B.Ed. degree at Dordt College, Margaret Rodermond taught Grade 1 for five years at Immanuel Christian School in Lethbridge. She went back to University of Alberta to get a Masters degree in Library & Information Studies. Since then, for 16 years, she has been working in the Curriculum Laboratory at the University of Lethbridge.
Rod Snatarse and Michelle Fisher
Rod Snatarse has been teaching for 10 years at Covenant Christian School in Leduc – all 10 years as a grade 9 teacher. Michelle Fisher has also taught for 10 years at Covenant Christian, primarily as a French teacher.
Coby Vande Griend
Coby Vande Griend graduated from Dordt College in 1979 with a B.A./B.Ed. in Elementary Education. She is in her nineteenth year of teaching Grade Six, as well as other grade level courses at Immanuel Christian Elementary School.
Elco Vandergrift
In January, 2003, Elco Vandergrift was appointed as curriculum coordinator for the Prairie Association of Christian Schools (PACS). He has 20 years of Christian school experience as a teacher/administrator in Alberta and BC. Elco, his wife Joanne, and their three daughters live in Lacombe Alberta where the PACS office is located. Elco graduated from Dordt College (1982) with a degree in Elementary Education and has completed a Masters Degree in Leadership and Training with Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC.
Daniel Zopoula
Daniel Zopoula was born in Africa. He completed a M. Div. degree in Regina, Saskatchewan and a doctoral degree in Florida. He is currently a pastor at the River of Life Church in Lethbridge, Alberta and is also president of “Bridges of Hope”.