MICHEL LAFRANCE (BEdPE’94) is a passionate educator and school leader who has been making a difference in the lives of youth and parents for nearly 25 years. He is described as a leader, a coach, an innovator and a visionary.
Michel is currently enjoying his 5th year as the Headmaster of West Island College (WIC) in Montreal and prior to that was the Executive Director of the Quebec Association of Independent Schools (QAIS). Michel earned his Bachelor of Education degree from McGill University and his Master’s degree in Educational Leadership at l’Université de Sherbrooke and completed the CAIS Advanced Diploma in Independent School Leadership.
Michel currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Priory School, the Canadian Accredited Independent School Association, the Government’s Consultative Commission for Private Schools in Quebec and is a member of the selection committee for the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. Michel speaks on a variety of topics at various conferences and workshops and is also a frequent guest speaker within the Faculty of Education at McGill University.
Michel is devoted to sharing his passion, helping others succeed, having a positive impact on the lives of students, parents, and teachers, committed to continuous learning, and driven to contribute to the development and implementation of a vision for the next generation of schools. (February 2018)
DEREK WEBSTER (DipEd’94) recently published Mockingbird, a book of poetry, with Véhicule Press. His poetry and prose have appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, The Walrus and Boston Review. He was the founding editor of Maisonneuve magazine. (Alumni News Magazine, Fall/Winter 2015)
JAMES LITTLE (DipEd 1983, MEd 1994) was shortlisted in the Quebec Writers' Federation Quebec Writing Competition for his short story "Train Ride." The story, which is included in the collection Could Be: New Fiction, chronicles Charles Dickens riding on the first train in Canada in the 1840s. (Alumni News Magazine, Spring/Summer 2012)
DON STARNES, BEd'94, is an RCMP Officer working in Summerside, P.E.I. (Alumni News Magazine, 2005)
JAMES STEWART (BA 1992, BEd 1994) continues to teach history at Bishop Strachan School in Toronto, where he has been working since 2001. He also works as a freelance writer and history consultant. James recently wrote the historical content for an app that served as a historical companion guide to the hit CBC television series The Book of Negroes.
JAMES D.M. STEWART (BA'92, BEd'94) and his wife, Julia Thompson, had their second child, Madeleine, in December 2003. James continues to teach Canadian history and philosophy at the Bishop Strachan School in Toronto and he has been writing essays on historical topics that have appeared in the Globe and Mail, Ottawa Citizen, Edmonton Journal and Toronto Star under the byline J.D.M. Stewart. James will be the guest speaker at the Toronto Arts and Letters Club on September 16, 2004, when he will give an address about Canadian prime ministers. He can be reached at jstewart [at] bss.on.ca (.) (Alumni News Magazine, Summer 2004)