Meet Our Team

Founder - Mr. Farell Duclair

Farell brings over seventeen years of experience in education, athletics, and personal development to Everest Academy. 1996 Farell was the number one draft pick of the Calgary Stampeders. After a successful career in the CFL, Farell began helping young people achieve their dreams and goals. He also founded and co-founder programs dedicated to the development of youth. Farell attended Northern Illinois University and Concordia University.

Principal - Mr. Terry Baytor, H.B.A., B.Ed., M.Ed.

Admissions Coordinator - Mrs. Laura Provenzano

Laura brings many years of experience as an administrator and manager. Her great interpersonal skills and attention to detail help students navigate through the admissions and enrolment process. Born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada, Laura brings the East Coast warmth and hospitality to Everest.

Junior/Senior Kindergarten - Ms. Claudia Lee, OCT, H.B.A., E.C.E., M.A.

Claudia strives to make every learning opportunity meaningful and memorable for all of her students. She believes that every child is unique and should be respected, valued equally, and encouraged to develop connections by accessing their prior knowledge. Parental involvement and consistent communication with the teacher, is critical in creating a positive environment for students to learn. She believes in a balanced literacy approach that suits the needs of diverse learners through an integrated, co-operative, flexible and engaging program. This can be achieved  by integrating multiple curriculum areas such as the arts to express and accommodate various learning needs and interests. In Claudia's class, every child is special; it's up to her to guide each child in discovering their full potential. In that regard, the learning possibilities are endless.

Grade 1/2 - Ms. Kerri-Lyn Elizabeth King, H.B.A., B.Ed.

Kerri-Lyn is a caring, enthusiastic, and creative hands-on educator who believes that all children deserve the right to meaningful, purposeful, and authentic instruction. She creates safe and inclusive learning environments for all of her students so that they may achieve a high level of academic and personal success. Kerri-Lyn is a firm believer in community, she values working closely with students, parents, staff, and community members in order to provide a rich and diverse learning experience for her students. Her passions and goals are to empower children to become lifelong, independent critical thinkers and problem solvers, who believe in themselves and have the confidence to always reach their full potential.

Grade 3/4 - Ms. Ashley Eckhardt, H.B.A., B.Ed.

Ashley is a highly energetic, creative, and motivated individual with strong communication and mentorship skills. She is a critical thinker who welcomes challenging opportunities and new ideas, with a strong desire to provide leadership in education. She has come to understand that to be an excellent educator is to know the whole child, understand differences in learning styles, bolster self-esteem, and meet the specific needs of each individual child. She believes that a supportive and reflective teacher is not only key to academic success, but also to the social and emotional well being of all children. As a teacher, her role is to work from an anti-oppression framework, advocating for justice, equity, and creating a learning community that gives space to be seen, heard, and understood as a person of worth and value. This is the type of learning environment that empowers children to go out into their communities and engage in progress and change!

Grade 5/6 - Ms. Suzanne Turney, H.B.A., B.Ed.

As a teacher, Suzanne motivates and inspires her students to enjoy learning while reaching their full potential. Her personal philosophy is to approach learning as a life long process by preparing her students to deal with decisions, conflicts and challenges they encounter along the way. She is a strong believer in teaching with passion to produce self motivated students who have a love for learning. She offers a student-centered atmosphere within her classroom creating students who construct their own learning, providing greater retention and confidence.

High School - Mr. James Gurunlian, B.Eng., B.Ed.

James believes that education is both the battleground and playground in which teachers help students fully realize their potential in many of life's pursuits.  her refers to education as a battleground because it is a long and arduous journey with many unforeseen challenges that can ultimately lead to countless rewards.  He also uses the word playground to describe education because it is a time for students to develop new thoughts and ideas in a fun and engaging environment.  Having had experience in the corporate sector,  James brings a real world knowledge and passion to teaching. With a sound knowledge of business studies and mathematics he inspires students to excel in both their academics and extracurricular pursuits.

High School - Ms. Robin Liu Hopson, H.B.A & Sc., M.A., B.Ed.

Robin brings a diversity of experiences to the classroom! Growing up as a student athlete on six different teams (volleyball, basketball, tennis, softball, field hockey and track), Robin understands the infinite number of parallels that exist between athletics and academia. She is an enthusiastic, imaginative and open-minded educator who has taught internationally in India, Venezuela and Burkina Faso. Her passion for multiculturalism, social justice, French as a national language and school spirit travels with her in all her endeavours. Robin is always striving to create an environment where students can develop character, learn effectively, think critically and above all, be successful in achieving their goals both inside and outside the classroom.

High School - Mrs. Sara Meerwali, H.B.Sc., B.Ed.

Sara graduated from the University of Toronto where she received her Honours BSc. with a major in Biology and minor in English. She received her B.Ed. from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education and is currently a registered member of the Ontario College of Teachers. She enjoys getting to know her students and inspiring them to excel. When not teaching, she enjoys reading Canadian literature, traveling and hiking. Sara agrees with Marcus T. Cicero in wondering “What greater or better gift [can be offered] … than to teach and instruct our youth?”

High School - Mr. Richard Russell, B.A., B.Ed.

Richard comes from an extensive family of teachers, all of whom have helped influence his teaching philosophy. Richard believes that providing a warm and inclusive environment is a must to achieve a successful classroom. Being able to help students reach their goals by breaking them down into smaller more manageable components has been his strength. He looks forward to working, teaching and mentoring the students inside and outside the classroom.

Hockey Director - Mr. Jules Jardine

Jules is the President and Chief Instructor of World Class Hockey Development Inc.-Master Power Skating and Hockey Skills Instructor. He is a two-time NCAA All American at Elmira College, and a  former European Professional player. Jules was the former power skating instructor for CHL team St-Michaels Majors and OHL team Mississauga Ice Dogs. Jules was also the head coach for the GTHL AAA team Jr. Canadians with a coaching record of 206-78-32. Jules has coached hundreds of players that have moved on to Jr 'A', NCAA, and professional leagues.

Hockey Goaltending Director - Mr. Dave Dolecki

Dave brings over 17 years experience as a goaltending instructor. He is the owner of The Crease Goaltending Academy, an elite goalie school located in Ice Sports Etobicoke. Dave has a great reputation for getting goalies to the next level. He played CIAU hockey with Ryerson University, OJPHL with the Milton Merchants, and was drafted to the OHL London Knights. Dave has been a goalie coach for the OJPHL Georgetown Raiders, St. Mikes, Milton Merchants, Ryerson University. Dave has taught 100's of goalies from all levels; NHL, OHL, NCAA, ECHL, GTHL and House league.

Hockey Goaltending Director - Mr. Bujar Admidovski

Bujar brings over 11 years experience as a goaltending instructor. He played 7 years pro NHL, AHL, ECHL,OHL and signed 2 NHL contracts with the Philadelphia Flyers and Carolina Hurricanes. Bujar has been the goalie coach for the OJPHL Streetsville Derby and Vaughn Vipers. He was the 1997/1998 OHL goalie of the year with the St. Michael Majors. 

Figure Skating Director - Mrs. Sonya Shewchuk

Sonya is the Head Coach at Sonya's Skating School and has 25 years of teaching experience in Power Skating, Figure Skating and Choreography. Sonya's accomplishments include skating consultant for hit TV series Degrassi: the Next Generation,  and is a triple gold medalists (figures, freeskate and dance). Sonya is a  certified level 3 NCCP program, has coached many NHL players and international skaters, was the skating coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and has over 20 years of coaching experience. She was the choreographer for the International Ice Show in Atami, Japan 1981 with a cast of 45 members, and Las Vegas on Ice Skater for Ice Capades for 3 years.  She continues to be the choreographer, and Director for ice shows in the Toronto area and local ice shows with participant numbers around 400 skaters.

Golf Director - Mr. Henry Brunton

Henry Brunton Golf has an unparalleled record in Canadian golf for developing junior golfers who graduate to NCAA and CIS university golf teams. Beginning in September, student-athletes at the Everest Academy will have the opportunity to participate in the Golfer Development Program-a specialized golf coaching and training program designed to serve athletes who have interest in making golf their secondary sport of choice. This program will enable athletes to develop golf skill competency and confidence.  As well, many of the skills taught and reinforced will have a positive transfer to their primary sport.

Dance Director - Ms. Rosemarie Stea

Rosemarie is an award-winning dance teacher at The Maple Academy of Dance. She holds qualifications under Dance Masters of America, the Royal Academy of Dance and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing. Rosemarie is a graduate of Ryerson University’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program, where she studied Theatre Performance: Dance under the direction of Nadia Potts. Rosemarie began dancing at age 3 and was a competitive dancer for 10 years. She has studied Jazz, Tap, Ballet, Acrobatics, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Pointe, Lyrical, Contemporary, Modern and Afro-Brazilian dance.