Our School Community
The International School of the Kootenays feels fortunate to have a diversity of people involved in the vitality and functioning of our school.  Our school community displays a true passion for education, community spirit, and the benefits of engaging learning experiences. 

As a liberal arts school, our staff are knowledgeable in many areas and have great interest in different approaches to learning.  Our Board of Directors is made up of volunteers who are committed to a liberal arts approach to education. They come from varying professions and provide the guidance for our school as we continue to grow and develop.

Community volunteers are welcomed at ISK, and are an important part of our school community. Over the years they have dedicated many hours in support of our educational vision. If you are interested in volunteering some time with the school, please refer to our contact page and we would be happy to return your email and/or phone message.

Our Staff

Alison Talbot Kelly - Humanities, Peace Studies
Alison came to Nelson from Montreal where she was a teacher at college level for 8 years in the Humanities, Philosophy and Religion departments. She has degrees in Philosophy (McGill) and Religious Studies and a Master's in Anthropology/Religious Studies (MacMaster). Along with sporadic engagements teaching at Selkirk College Alison has been involved with ISK developing curriculum and administration/PR work. The questions lurking behind much of what interests Alison are "What do we need to know? " and "What influences how we know?"

Amy Forget - Science
A relative newcomer to Nelson, Amy holds two degrees from Nipissing University in Ontario with a BA (teachable in geography) and a Bachelor of Education. Her progressive approach to learning supports a student centred and enquiry based techniques that encourage individual expression and diversity. Along with course development Amy has been providing ISK staff and students administrative and learning support.

Barbarah Nicoll - Humanities, Peace Studies
Barbarah Nicoll has been involved with Waldorf Education for 20 years.  As the past School Coordinator for the Nelson Waldorf School, Barbarah has created the foundation and vision for the development of the International School of the Kootenays.  Barbarah holds a Bachelor of General Studies Degree, a Waldorf High School Teacher Diploma and a Masters of Arts in Integrated Studies from Athabasca University. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Understanding The Heart in Connection to Learning and Education, By Barbarah Nicoll


Diane Walters - Earth Sciences, Astronomy and Practical Arts
Diane Walters is a trained Waldorf teacher who holds a BC Independent Schools Certificate and a Masters Degree in Liberal Arts with a focus on adolescent participatory learning styles. She has had a lifelong interest on the subjects of geology, ecology, geography, astronomy, agriculture, education and the practical arts. Diane’s 30 year relationship with stone and clay is one she plans to share with ISK students and community members.

Rachel Herbison Ross
Rachel runs a home-based business providing educational resources (mostly Waldorf-inspired) to homeschooling families across Canada. She supplies materials from preschool to grade 12 including Art and Music support and information for educational alternatives. Rachel is a NVC practitioner and teacher who has home-schooled her children since the early nineties in rural West Kootenays. www.artofl@look.ca

Earl Hamilton - English
Earl is eclipsing a life long career in public schools with a sortie into teaching 'unfettered' at ISK. He owes his love of Waldorf schooling to the devas in his wife's garden. With a BA from the University of Michigan and his BED from the University of British Columbia, Earl brings diversity of educational and world experience to his workshops.

Norma Kilpatrick - English and Theatre
With a BA in Theatre and a Master's degree in English Education, Norma has over 25 years of experience teaching English, writing and drama to people of all ages and abilities.  She is especially interested in individual learning styles and alternative methods of learning. Norma was a member of the Theatre Energy collective, the director of The Light and Power Theatre Company, and still produces the annual Big Lip-Sync Contest at the Capitol Theatre in Nelson. She is a passionate teacher, learner, performer and outdoors enthusiast.

Deva (Leslie) Peters
Deva taught High School with School District 8 for over eight years, before establishing her own independent " school"---The Yoga Dance Schoolhouse, at South Slocan. Formerly an instructor of English, Communications, Drama, Tourism, and Business related classes, she now focuses primarily on Yoga and the performing arts. She is inspired to support ISK students on their educational journey, encouraging free-thinking, creativity, and independent discovery.

Danielle McArthur - English and Social Studies
Dani has a Masters of Education Degree from the University of Victoria, and has been teaching and developing curriculum materials for 24 years, both in Canada and overseas. She enjoys creating materials that encourage critical and creative thinking in all areas of life.

Jeff Tsai - Geography
Jeff was born and raised in Taiwan. His initial foray into geography began when he picked up his first map as a little kid; this began his unbroken exploration into how nature and people interact and into understanding the critical issues that affect our lives and our planet. Integrating his passion for geography into a career, Jeff also holds a teaching degree from the University of British Columbia.

Mariam Green
When not playing around with mathematics, I love to be outside skiing or hiking or biking or playing with my kids and enjoying this beautiful country. I’ve been lucky to live and teach and learn in and around Yellowknife (NWT), Ottawa and Vancouver, before landing in the lovely community of Nelson. Hope to see you around.

Dustin Demontigny
Dustin Demontigny has been tutoring math, physics and chemistry for over 10 years. After graduating from high school in Prince George, BC he studied at the University of Alberta where he received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 2003. Dustin recently moved to the Kootenays with his wife and works as a design engineer at Pacific Insight.

Anita Levesque - Fine Arts and English
Anita Levesque is a scaffolding. She travels the ring of earth with versatility at her side. She wears life lessons like suspenders. Her life is built around colour and creativity.

Angela Healey
Ange is a music teacher (voice and mandolin), performer and administrator with a Multi-Disciplinary and Multicultural Arts focus. Through fundraising and grant writing, she is able to generate and animate sustainability to support ISK and various organizations. Ange works with communities, both locally and globally, to secure strongly rooted foundations for education, social action, eco-centric cultural centres and the arts. Her education background is a Diploma in Arts & Cultural Management (Grant MacEwan College, Edmonton, Alberta), and from Selkirk College of Contemporary Music & Technology (Nelson, B.C.). Angela also has a passion for Ethnomusicology and has established her own business; The G.A.I.A Association (Global Awareness, Inter-Disciplinary Arts Association).


Wolfgang Kasseckert
Wolfgang has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of wood products and furniture manufacturing, creates hand made Spanish guitars, has worked at Emily Carr Institute, and is and has been actively exploring form as a member of a group of five artists in the Vancouver area.

Barbara Kingsland - Fine Arts
Barbara was born into a family of teachers and artists. Twenty years ago she began to focus her love of handwork to basket making, which she later discovered was the art of the Abenaki Indians in her heritage.  Copper has always attracted Barbara, and she and her husband are enjoying the creation of copper items such as baskets, frames and bowls.   Much of the pleasure comes from experiencing the colour and texture possibilities that live within the metal.

Jude Davison - Music
Jude has been writing, recording, and performing original music for over 24 years in BC?. He has taught high school and adult students in the Nelson area, and has taught music at the Nelson Waldorf School. Jude’s compositions have been heard on radio, and featured on television shows and films around the world. He has co-authored two screenplay projects with poet, Blake Parker – both featuring soundtrack albums, and they have recently released the Terminal City Trilogy a three CD collection of spoken-word & music. In 2003 he scored his first Broadway-style musical called Cybersoul and as a recording artist he has recorded four CDs which have been released in Canada, USA and Germany. He has been a resident of the city of Nelson, BC since 1995, where he lives with his wife, children and cat.  www.judedavison.com

Kris LeDrew - Music
Kris Ledrew has over 20 years of experience as a musician, which began long before he attended the Selkirk Professional Music Collage and learned the theory and fundamentals of arrangement, ear training, composition, as well as music history and an understanding of jazz concepts in the modern world. He is or has played with the following bands: Mushana Marimba, The Afriques, Malicounda African drum and dance, Moving Mosaic Community Samba, What it is and My attorney Bernie. Kris has also trained with some of the very best percussionists and musicians including his mentors, Chris Berry, Joseph “Pepe” Danza, and Alex Acouna.
www.krisledrew.com

Bo Conlan - Music/choir
Bo brings 25 years of teaching experience in workshop leading, personal vocal coaching and choir directorship to the choir directorship. She also brings a shining presence, infectious humour, and an ethic of working hard while you are having a good time. Bo has taught at the Kootenay School of the Arts, and has lead and been a part of many community based arts initiatives in the Kootenay region.

Deb Andrews – Fine Arts Program
Deb is a painter with a studio practice in Nelson who loves to teach and encourage creative process. After graduating from the Fine Arts department of Algonquin College School of Applied Arts and Technology in Ottawa she moved west and has lived most of the past 30 years in the Columbia River Basin Region of BC. She is a continuing faculty member at Kootenay School of the Arts Centre for Craft and Design at Selkirk College, has taught fine arts at the Nelson Waldorf School, and has been conducting regional workshops for over ten years.

Ariah Desilets – Fine Arts Program and Cooking Instructor
A local business owner specializing in wholesale organic savoury foods, Ariah creates nutritious, tasty food. Art is the other passion in her life, and working with youth is an equally exciting adventure for her. Ariah brings with her a strong sight and intuition into each student’s hidden ability, and a confidence in drawing that out, and a positive outlook and energy for the excitement of discovery. Her training and experience include: Commercial Art as a trade; teaching painting classes in Edmonton Art Gallery; painted a series of panels depicting a history of life in Alberta in the past 100 years, painted 150 original water colours for awards at a national sporting event; has taught Nelson Waldorf School class nine fine arts.

Melody Gregor – Peace Studies, Non Violent Communication
Melody is a visionary creative and bridger of worlds with a dedication to conscious communication.  She has a BA degree in Intercultural Psychology and Expressive Arts from Naropa University and advanced training in Non Violent Communication.  She does Personal Life Coaching and facilitates creative process exploration with a focus on realizing creative capacity and conscious choice.

Eric Bauer – Peace Studies, Non Violent Communication
Eric lives in Nelson and works part-time as a counsellor for North Kootenay Lake Community Services.  With advanced training in Nonviolent Communication, Eric loves to share what he has learned about "speaking from the heart".  Eric is inspired by the meaningful connections made and learning gained from facilitating practice groups, workshops and classes based on Non-violent Communication.

Daniel Schulbeck
Daniel Schulbeck is an alumnae of the Toronto Waldorf School and graduated from the B.Sc. honours program at the University of Guelph. After travelling around the world and working on a number of youth empowerment projects he returned to school to get his teaching certificates at the University of Victoria. For the last 5 years he has been teaching Anatomy, Physiology and other Biology courses at the Toronto Waldorf School while taking courses in Anthroposophical Pedagogy. He has also been teaching an Anatomy and Physiology course for adults.

Jamie K. Donaldson
New to Canada for reasons of conscience, Jamie has been involved in peace and justice activism, community development, non-profit management, and education for three decades. She holds a Masters of Arts Degree in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and hosts a bilingual Spanish-English radio show on Kootenay Coop Radio in Nelson.

Our Board of Directors

Stephen Collin - Board President
Has been involved in Latin American peace movements from organizing talks by El Salvadorian refugees to Nicaraguan Tools for Peace. Stephan’s  craft has taken him into the corporate Oil refineries and steel mill as a pipe fitter as well as into the homes of coal miners and care homes for the elderly as a Plumber. He has always had a connection to the earth as a passionate gardener, and raised three children who received a Waldorf education. Serving on many committees at the Kelowna and Nelson Waldorf Schools left a lasting impression on Stephan, and he feels that it is time to give back to the International and local community for all these great life experiences over the decades.

Deborah Brandenburg
Deborah first became involved with Waldorf education in 1981, in Edmonton Alberta, when the first of her three children reached school age. In 1990 she moved to Nelson and became the administrator at the new Waldorf School campus just north of Nelson. While working there Deborah completed the first long distance Waldorf Administration course offered by Sunbridge College, an Anthroposophical training centre in New York state. A co-owner of two organic bakeries in the past, Deborah now coordinates administration as a worker/member of The Kootenay Bakery Café Cooperative in Nelson, BC. Deborah is passionate about the vision of The International School of the Kootenays and is eager to see it open it’s doors for it’s first school year.

Robert van Gent – Board Member at Large
Robert van Gent was born in Amsterdam. He worked in International logistic in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, and the USA since 1962.Robert retired from his own company in 2000. He has been involved in Waldorf Education and with Anthroposophy since 1993.