Mr. Brian Burke
Mr. Burke has been teaching ESL for over twenty years in Vancouver and Toronto including ten years abroad in both South Korea and Japan. He also has 6 years of teacher training experience as well. Mr. Burke puts great emphasis on speaking production in class combined with real life topics that are a reflection of his student’s educational goals. He is very interested in science, skepticism, world history and environmental issues. He likes cycling and biking while enjoying the beautiful Vancouver landscape.
Mr. Christopher Catalano
Mr. Catalano studied at Emily Carr from 1984-88, and at Nimbus School of Recording and Media in 2011. He has a B.F.A. in painting through Emily Carr and Thompson Rivers University and a Diploma in Advanced Music Production from Nimbus. His creative work consists of allegorical/surrealistic painting, drawing, photography/videography, and music creation, production and performance. He has had over 20 solo exhibitions, has his music available for on Apple Music and Spotify. His main instruments are voice, guitar, and bass but he has also been exploring synthesis, sound design, percussion and drums for many years. Mr. Catalano integrates different media into all of his classes, and he encourages his students to find creative outlets that will enhance not only their academic studies but their lives in general. He feels that everyone can benefit from sharing the knowledge they acquire.
When he is not out on his bicycle or exploring the city with a camera, Chris spends much of his time in his project studio recording new songs and soundscapes, painting, and watching movies. In the summertime he loves to swim and in the winter he loves to chill.
Mr. Catalano’s door is almost always open; he has collaborated numerous times with large and small groups of students (and teachers) on school music productions, and he likes to answer questions (even when he has no answers). Please feel free to visit his room anytime.
Ms. Erin Pettinger
Ms. Pettinger recently moved back to Canada and settled in Vancouver. She had been living in Jeju, South Korea for the past 15 years. She worked for the Public Office of Education teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) to middle and high school students as well as teacher training programs. Prior to teaching in Jeju she also taught EFL in Japan. She is looking forward to teaching the academic readiness program and working with students from around the world.
She completed a bachelor degree at the University of Lethbridge and a Master degree specializing in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages from the University of Southern Queensland.
In her free time she enjoys hiking, biking, snowshoeing, swimming and playing volleyball.
Ms. Jyotsna Subramaniam
Ms Subramaniam has an honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English, a Masters of Arts in English, and a Bachelor of Education in Secondary/IB English from UBC.
Her professional practice includes teaching English and ESL in Singapore, as well as working in Vancouver. She also has a keen interest in mental health awareness and special education. She finds that her work as a peer counsellor in India , and her research in mental health conditions in the classroom, makes her a more well rounded educator.
Ms Subramaniam was raised in a multilingual environment and speaks four Indian languages. Since the formative years, she has learned Japanese and Spanish. In 2017, she is taking higher level Spanish exams because she is always trying to learn and improve her practice.
Ms. Kirsten Roberts
Ms Roberts moved from South Africa to Vancouver in 2022. She has earned her degrees in Fine Arts, Psychology and Education in South Africa and a Master of Science in Psychology and Neuroscience from the United Kingdom. She is currently studying Art Therapy to add to her professional practice here in Vancouver.
She is an avid learner and passionate about growth. She has worked in special needs education in a multicultural context for over ten years. Her compassionate and nurturing attitude encourages students to take advantage of her skills to help them facilitate their plans and to reach their goals.
You will find her mountain biking, skiing, running and climbing in her free time. She loves finding balance by keeping up with her art and yoga practice as often as possible.
Ms Roberts’s door is always open, and she welcomes the students to ask questions or seek counselling.