Our Team

Staff and Faculty

Leadership

Item #1

Melissa Knight-Johnson

Melissa Knight-Johnson has been a Naval Warfare Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy for 19 years and a valued member of the Trafalgar Castle School community for more than 16 years. As the Head of School, Melissa leads with unwavering commitment and vast experience in education for girls, having held numerous leadership roles including Boarding Faculty, Director of Athletics and Deputy Head.

Item #1

Kate Hebdon

Kate began her independent school career as a teacher at Upper Canada College, before moving to Branksome Hall, where she held numerous positions including but not limited to Teacher, Advisor Coordinator, Social Science Department Head, Director of Academics for Grades 7-12 and Assistant Head, Student Experience for Grades 11-12. In addition to being Trafalgar’s Deputy Head of School, Kate is an OISE-UT mentor and works as an IB workshop leader in approaches to teaching and learning, and leading the learning.

Item #1

Laurie Kuchirka

Laurie’s extensive experience in education spans international countries like Turkey, Japan and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), teaching Kindergarten through Grade 12 and includes 13 years at Branksome Hall, where she instructed in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP) and Diploma Program (DP), as well as six years as the Service Learning Coordinator. Laurie began her career at Trafalgar Castle School as a Grade 6 teacher before serving three years in the role of Curriculum Coordinator and Head of Teaching, Learning and Curriculum, then moving into her current role as Dean of Academics.

Item #1

Shantel Clark

Prior to her role as Trafalgar’s Dean of Students, Shantel held many positions within the independent school system, including Vice Principal in the Grand Erie District School Board for 5 years and Department Head at Holy Trinity, teaching Grade 6-11 Science and Biology. She is also a member of the Ontario Principal’s Council, an Apple Distinguished Educator and a Google Certified Innovator. Using her School of Mental Health Ontario (SMHO) First Aid Certification, Shantel builds programming to support student mental health and well-being.

Item #1

Sara Alsayyed

Prior to joining Trafalgar as the Executive Director Enrolment Management, Sara’s storied career with the University of Toronto has included roles like Associate Faculty Registrar and Director, Student Recruitment and Admissions with the Faculty of Arts/Science, Director of Recruitment and Admissions at Rotman Commerce and Associate Director International Recruitment.

Item #1

Marguerita Dykstra

CPA and CA-certified, Marguerita’s extensive career in finance spans 34 years.

Item #1

Carmen Holland

Originally from Mexico, Carmen’s appreciation for diverse cultures and fostering a home away from home for boarding students is evident throughout her 20+ years at Trafalgar Castle School. As the Director of Boarding and the Exchange Program Coordinator, Carmen oversees all aspects of the Boarding Program, including curriculum, day-to-day operations and supervision of the Exchange Program.

Item #1

Andrew Price

Andrew has 25+ years of network administration and support services with Trafalgar Castle School, but his experience and skills with information technology are vast, with 14 years of combined experience in computer programming, software development, web application and web page design.