The team
At Peak Centre Academy, we have remarkable staff members who have proven their excellence in education and athletics throughout their careers. We are extremely lucky to have the following as part of our academic staff:
Shaun Quinn, B.A., M.Ed. - Principal/High School Teacher
Shaun Quinn joined Peak Centre Academy in September 2018 after working in the private school stream for 27 years – 13 years teaching at the middle and high school levels, and 14 years working in an administrative role as Vice Principal.
As an undergrad, Shaun attended the University of Ottawa where he completed a B.A. with Honors in Geography and also a Concentration in History. Shaun then completed a Masters degree in Education at the same university.
In terms of his athletic background, Shaun was a diverse athlete, but focussed his attention primarily on hockey and lacrosse. In his youth, Shaun played competitive hockey/lacrosse for the Gloucester Rangers/Gloucester Griffins respectively. He then played Jr. hockey for the Grads and Jr. lacrosse for the Griffins. He also played Sr. lacrosse for the Huntsville Hawks and was the Director of the Huntsville Lacrosse School during that same season. Shaun continued his hockey involvement through Bob Fawcett’s Power Hockey School as he worked as an instructor from 1997-2004. Shaun also has a passion for downhill skiing, fishing, and golfing.
Shaun is committed to ensuring that his students reach their full academic potential and believes that part of student success is ‘learning how to learn’, as he feels it is important for students to develop sound learning skills/work habits that will prepare them further for post-secondary education.
Casey Vinkle - B.A.H, B.Ed, OCT, Special Education Specialist, High School English Teacher
Casey has a passion for balancing academics and athletics. She began her teaching career at Chiltern Way Academy in the United Kingdom: a specialist provision for students with Autism, behavioural, social, and emotional needs. While teaching English, she also organized after-school soccer and rugby clubs, for pupils who were unable to participate in external sports leagues. Casey focuses on student-directed learning, cultivates strong relationships, and challenges students to meet their highest potential. After traveling Europe, Casey returned to her hometown of Belleville to teach the Hockey Skills Academy course within her schoolboard. Since settling in the capital, Casey has been involved in the community by volunteering as a life coach for vulnerable adults and working as a secondary Special Education Resource teacher.
Being raised in a hockey family, Casey has competed and won a number of titles throughout Ontario and Canada since her youth. While hockey was her first love, rugby came in a close second. Casey played competitive rugby and was the head coach of the Aylesbury U15 Girls Rugby team during her time living in England.
Casey holds a Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University and a Certification in Special Education. As a former student-athlete, Casey understands the importance of dedication, maintaining a healthy balance, and mastering time management in order to be successful. She is thrilled to join the excellence of Peak Centre Academy.
Spencer Mulvaney – B.A., B.ED., OCT, Junior School Lead Teacher; Junior School English/Social Studies Teacher
Spencer has been involved with education and sports for most of his life. He started lifeguarding at age 16 in his hometown of Kemptville, Ontario. He taught swim lessons and coached the local swim team. After graduating high school Spencer attended Carleton University to pursue a Bachelor degree in History and a minor in English. During that time, he volunteered as an assistant coach for his former high school senior boy’s soccer team. He also worked at a group home for youth where he solidified his idea of being a teacher.
Spencer took his Bachelor of Education at Queens University and graduated in 2016. His focus was on at-risk youth, and he did a placement in a high school student support office where he worked one on one with students. He has a deep respect for the growth mindset and believes failure to be essential to learning, in school and in sports. If you don’t see failure as an opportunity you are not taking full advantage of it.
Spencer has always been keen to be active and be involved in sports. He has played on many of his high school teams such as soccer, basketball and football. He even spent time as a personal trainer at a local gym where he did one on one training sessions and group classes. He believes being physically active is an essential part of a person’s well-being. He currently plays men’s competitive soccer in Ottawa.
Spencer’s number one goal is to help kids. He has found a way to achieve this through teaching. At Peak he has the unique opportunity to see youth excel at both academics and athletics, which he could not be more excited about.
ANU MOHAN - SENIOR MATH/SCIENCE TEACHER
Anu Mohan is a new member of the Peak Centre Academy team. Anu will be teaching senior-level Mathematics and Science. She has been teaching for 5+ years both in public and private schools. Anu completed her Honours Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Toronto. She then obtained her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Windsor, with specialization in Intermediate/Senior Biology, Chemistry, and Mathematics.
Anu has worked with multiple school boards over the course of her teaching career. She is an experienced, passionate and caring educator. She has extensive experience helping students meet their learning goals by creating fun activities for them to stay engaged. Building a strong relationship with her students and creating an inclusive learning environment are some of her strengths as a teacher.
Apart from teaching, Anu loves to travel and bring back the rich experiences from around the world into the classroom. She enjoys having long walks with her husband, her dog and her young daughter.
Kaitlyn Sedore - JUNIOR SCHOOL TEACHER
Kaitlyn is excited to bring her passion and enthusiasm for education to Peak Centre Academy. Kaitlyn has been teaching in the public school system for the past 2 years, in both primary and junior grade levels. She has also gained a great amount of experience in education through her work in math and literacy tutoring, as well as programming for various child care centres.
Kaitlyn is originally from Kingston, Ontario and moved to Ottawa to attend Carleton University, where she obtained her B.A in Child Studies. Soon after, she completed her Bachelor of Education and Masters of Education at the University of Ottawa. When not in the classroom, Kaitlyn enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with her friends, family, and new pup, Rosie. Being active is also really important to Kaitlyn, and is something she is looking forward to bringing into the classroom. Some of her favourite sports/activities include: golf, tennis and hockey.
Kaitlyn shows her creativity and love of learning through her work in the classroom, as she creates a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for all students to learn and grow. Kaitlyn sees the classroom as a shared learning experience, where her role is to act as a mentor and facilitator. Through these roles, she hopes to create a student-centered atmosphere, one that will not only actively engage her students, but help them make real-world connections. She will do this through the use of technology, hands-on experiences, and inquiry-based learning.
Akima BRISS - french teacher
Akima BRISS holds a doctorate in language sciences, linguistics and general phonetics from the University of Angers, France. Her originality is her diversified teaching experience with various publics (primary, secondary, university and community) and her double culture which allowed her to have a distanced look on the teaching of French and foreign languages. She has over 16 years of significant teaching experience in Algeria, France and Canada.
She also holds a bachelor's degree in French and a double master's degree in the didactics of French as a second language (professional and research). This has led her to consolidate her theoretical and practical knowledge in the management of the public, especially those in associative and private environments.
She has a good sense of responsibility and is very involved as a teacher. She has also developed excellent learning strategies with different groups.
Throughout her mandates, she has distinguished herself by her professionalism and know-how in teaching French as a first and second language.