Meet the Teachers

Our experienced faculty have the subject-specialist knowledge needed to guide our students on their educational journey. Elmwood’s faculty draws on best practices unique to all girls’ education as they encourage students to be open-minded and reflective life-long learners.

As a student at Elmwood School, Ginny Strachan took advantage of every opportunity presented to her. Having been so immersed in life at the Ottawa all-girls school, she was voted “Most likely to work at Elmwood” by her peers in the graduating Class of 2000. After earning a Bachelor of Concurrent Education at Queen's University and stints teaching in Toronto and Mexico, her classmates’ prediction came true.

Fast forward to today—instead of scoring goals, acting in plays or writing lab and book reports, she's inspiring budding athletes, actresses, scientists and writers—teaching Elmwood's Grade 1 class in her uniquely upbeat and genuine style.

What Strachan finds inspiring is knowing she's making an impact on her students and getting them excited about learning.

“With reading and writing, I love both those things,” Strachan remarked. “When a teacher shows a genuine interest and gets excited about buying a new book or writing something, that transfers to the students... I've had numerous parents say, ‘My daughter comes home and she wants to write all the time.’ ”

Outside of work, Strachan enjoys travelling, cooking and is an avid runner, currently training for the 2010 Ottawa Marathon. She feels it's important to connect her outside life to her students.

“I saw you running on the canal this weekend!” one of Strachan's students exclaimed.

“They're actually hearing about it and seeing it happen,” Strachan adds. She hopes this inspires them to believe if they want to do something, they can pick a goal, work at it and hopefully succeed.

“It's very cool teaching them how to be people in a society, how to get along and to hold themselves to high standards.”

While Elmwood is a familiar place to Strachan, she describes the juxtaposition of being a teacher at her former school:

“I was one of those kids in high school that was here all the time because you were involved with sports and drama and a million things...It's nice because when I came to teach, there was lots of familiarity in terms of the culture and the traditions of the school, but it's neat that some of my former teachers are here—being in a different relationship—I'm trying to get used to calling them by their first names.”

“It's very neat to come back—I had an idea I would at some point in my life.”

Ginny Strachan—full circle. Very neat indeed.

Elmwood Teacher Profiles

Learn more about Elmwood's faculty members.

• Ms. Angela Boychuk
• Dr. Mohammad Mahin
• Ms. Ginny Strachan