Our Staff - Westside Montessori Academy Vancouver

Meet Our Educators

Elementary
- Sarah Gatiss-Brown
  Director of Admissions & Co-Founder
  Ms Sarah holds her St. Nicholas Montessori Teaching Diploma (0-6) and her Early Childhood Education Certificate, as well as her Montessori Teaching Certification for Elementary (6-9 years)… Learn more about Ms Sarah
- Pam Woronko
  Upper Elementary 1 Directress / Principal
  Ms Pam – WMA’s principal – has a wealth of experience with teaching in both Lower and Upper Elementary classrooms using the Montessori method…
  Learn more about Ms Pam
- Catherine Williams
  Senior Upper Elementary 1 Directress / Vice-Principal
  Committed to quality education, Ms Catherine has a Bachelor of Arts — English Major, Special Needs/ECE Minor, a Professional Teaching Certificate — Primary and Secondary and has also completed her Foundation Montessori Training in Preschool/Kindergarten and Lower Elementary.
- Andrea Nardi
  Co-Founder, Upper Elementary 2 Co-Directress, Learning Support Directress
  As a WMA founder, Ms Andrea has taught at the school since 2008. She has a Bachelor of Education from the University of B.C. where she majored in Psychology and minored in Sociology…
  Learn more about Ms Andrea
- Kareem John
  Lower Elementary 1 Director
  Mr Kareem has been teaching since 2010 and joined our staff in 2014, bringing with him a background in Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy. He also has a B.A. in Psychology, a Bachelor of Education degree and a Montessori diploma for Lower Elementary.
- Tanya Rowlands
  Primary 2 Directress
  With more than 20 years of working with children, Ms Tanya is an AMI-trained Montessori teacher and Early Childhood Educator. Teaching Montessori since 1996 and an old friend of WMA, Tanya began her Montessori career with Ms Sarah at Westside Montessori School!
- Jen Brown
  Upper Elementary 2 Directress
  Ms Jen has her teachers certificate with specialization in fine arts from Western University and her Lower Elementary diploma from the North American Montessori Centre. She has seven years experience supporting children with special needs and has been teaching at WMA since 2016.
- Nancy Barton
  Primary 1 Directress
  Ms Nancy has been with WMA since 2014. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in English, from McMasterUniversity, an AMS Montessori Diploma for 3- to 6-year-olds, a Permanent Independent Teaching Certificate for Kindergarten as well as an ECE Assistant License.
- Noushaba Nousheen
  Lower Elementary 2 Directress
  Ms Noushaba obtained her American Montessori Society (AMS) diploma, starting her Montessori teaching career in Cleveland in 2008. Prior to joining WMA, she worked as a Montessori Elementary school teacher in Winnipeg for six years. She also has a MA in English and MBA degrees.
- Mark Curry
  Education assistant
  Mr Mark is an AMI trained Montessori Assistant, and he has a BA in Psychology from the University of Alberta and a degree in Fine Art from Emily Carr University. He has worked with at risk youth and taught classes through various arts organizations for more than 20 years.
- T.J. Brennan
  Education assistant
  Ms T.J. is an education assistant.
- Caitlin Magdaleno
  Education assistant
  Ms Caitlin majored in psychology at Simon Fraser University, with a minor in counselling and human development. Working in education since 2017, she has a passion for working with children and families.
- Virginia Fung-Lee
  Senior Upper Elementary 2 Directress
  WMA welcomed Ms Virginia in spring of 2023. Ms Virginia is an SFU alumnus, with a BA and BEd. She believes in building strong relationships to ensure a safe learning environment.
Specialists
- Maureen Boudier
  Music and Musical Theatre instructor
  Ms Maureen holds diplomas as a certified Montessori educator (0-6 yrs. and 6-9 yrs.), an Early Childhood Education (ECE) diploma, and an Independent Teaching Certificate… Learn more about Ms Maureen
- Dave Gatiss
  Coach, ASC Leader, Guitar Teacher
  Coach Dave is the leader of the WMA After School Care (ASC) program and is also WMA’s Table Tennis Coach and Golf Coach, and is NCCP trained in both sports. Dave has been a musician all his life and has two higher diplomas in Music and Music Technology, and he teaches guitar at WMA.
Administrative
- Lorelei Poulin
  School Secretary
  Ms Lorelei has been with Westside Montessori Academy since 2016. She has a Professional Bookkeeping certificate, holds a coordinated diploma in Education Assistant, with experience in both elementary and high school environments.