Yukon WILD School Staff
Our team is a group of passionate educators with the dedication and enthusiasm to make every day a memorable learning experience.
Jesse Jewell - Teaching Principal
Jesse Jewell has dedicated his life’s work to connecting people with the water and land based on the belief that nature is both a teacher and a healer. He learned this for himself at a very young age and has not forgotten these important lessons. Jesse’s path to WILD School has meandered in many different directions. He honed his facilitation skills and saw first-hand the plight of colonization during two years of service with a children's charity in East Africa and India.
Longing to return to the North where he had spent summers as a youth in Alaska, Jesse packed his bags for the Yukon in 2008. Since then Jesse has been sharing his passion for outdoor and experiential education with Yukon students and teachers leading professional development on topics such as experiential science, lakewater canoeing, inquiry-based learning, action research, risk management and more.
Jesse’s research interests led to delving deeper into a student’s authentic interest in nature. His work has recently been published by Springer in a pan-Canadian text on science education. Jesse has been sharing these findings and much more each year with a cohort of Yukon University students as he instructs the experiential science K-7 course for pre-service educators. Jesse has presented at several conferences including the Association of Experiential Education & Council of Outdoor Educators of Ontario. Jesse is a certified canoe instructor and Wilderness First Responder.
Jesse is a father of three children who share his passion and curiosity for the outdoors. Given a window of opportunity he can be found with his wife Janine and children floating down a river or cross-country skiing and mountain biking with some good friends. Jesse is very grateful to be living on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta’an Kwach'an Council.
Why WILD School? After spending 14 years working with Yukon youth Jesse has realized that a more immersive educational experience in nature is needed to develop strong and resilient learners. This is the WILD Way!
Shannon Devenish - JK-2 Teacher
My name is Shannon Devenish and I am thrilled for the opportunity to work, play and grow together with your children in the forest at the Wild School! I started my teaching career in 2006 in Ontario before participating in a teacher exchange in Australia. Afterwards, I returned to my teaching job in Ontario and took some time off to be with my daughter. During that time, we moved to Petawawa where I eventually got back into teaching, this time as an elementary teacher with a focus on special education and early literacy intervention.
Most recently I have worked as a teacher at Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre in Eganville, ON designing and delivering land-based programs to students from Kindergarten to grade 12. This is where I fully realized my passion for connecting kids with nature and the power of learning both from and on the land. I truly believe that our next generation of decision-makers will be those with a strong connection to our natural world and I am excited to be part of this journey with your children. In my spare time, I can be found on any of the beautiful lakes and trails in and around our new home of Whitehorse, biking, paddling and hiking with my family and our pup Russell in tow.
Abby Burtnick - Gr. 3/4/5 Teacher
Hi, my name is Abby! I am so excited to be teaching the Gr. 3/4/5 class starting this fall! I’ve lived all across Canada but I’m so glad that I now get to call the Yukon home with my husband and daughter and our horses, cats, chickens and sled dogs! I have a diploma in Environmental Sciences with a specialization in Land and Water Management, a Bachelor of Science with a Major in Physical Geography and a teachable Minor in Biology, and a Bachelor of Education with a specialization in the elementary stream. I worked in forestry and as a wildlands firefighter around coastal BC, then spent four years doing outdoor program delivery at Oak Hammock Marsh in Manitoba, before completing my schooling to become a teacher. During my spare time, I love to hike, paddle, ride horses and run, and I’m excited to be sharing these things with our daughter as she grows older!
Shea Newnham Gr. 6/7 Teacher
Shea and his family of Camille, Adelaide and Lachlan are on the cusp of returning back to his
homeland from an extended four year sojourn to Australia. For these past years Shea and his
family were based in the city of Newcastle and he worked primarily at a private school called
Hunter Valley Grammar, teaching intermediate grades. In this new role he is excited to be
trading his past daily ritual of collared shirt, tie and fancy shoes for warm jackets, mukluks and
wall tents.
Shea’s previous diverse teaching career of twenty plus years has continually revolved around
the themes of education, youth and outdoor recreation, fostering a consummate professional
well suited for Yukon’s Wild School. He studied at Lakehead University in Ontario and
specialized in Experiential Education and Outdoor Recreation.
Having grown up in the Yukon, Shea has a deep connection to the land and its people’s. Shea
has always loved the wilderness and relishes exploring and immersing himself in its wonders.
He is enthused to be working at Yukon Wild School for the diverse opportunities this new role
will present. When teaching he seeks to inspire curiosity, share knowledge, support growth,
enhance exchange, challenge abilities, encourage engagement and create connections.
He loves skiing, has built a house from scratch, owned a sailboat in Australia named Feisty, plus
loves hunting for bargains. His motto would be, ‘don’t let the weather forecast deter’. Shea is
generally uncomfortable talking about himself, especially when writing in the third person, but
is undoubtedly looking forward to meeting and connecting with you and our fledgling Yukon
Wild School Community.
Carrie Harbidge - Wild Thursdays & Fridays Teacher / Teacher On Call
Carrie was born in Calgary, Alberta and grew up in the Rocky Mountains exploring and camping with her family. This spurred her lifelong passion for the outdoors and nature. As such, she went onto complete her Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Calgary in Environmental Science.
Little did she know that one of her first projects as a new grad in the NWT, would spark a love for the North and ultimately led her to spending over ten years in Nunavut. After working on environmental assessment projects with the Nunavut Research Institute and Environment Canada, Carrie felt a pull to make a bigger difference. She returned to school to complete her Bachelor of Education degree. After completing her B.Ed. in Lethbridge AB., Carrie moved back to Nunavut as a classroom teacher and as the Environmental Education Specialist with the Government of Nunavut. During a short hiatus from the North, Carrie worked as a field school teacher with the not for profit Raincoast Education Society on Vancouver Island. There she delivered experiential land based educational programming in local schools.
Carrie is very grateful to be living back in the North on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta’an Kwach'an Council and now calls Whitehorse home. Carrie believes in building a classroom community that embraces the inclusion and involvement of all students, staff, and community members and connects them with the local environment. She loves integrating science and literacy and applying these concepts to practical on the land experiential learning.
When she’s not teaching, her days are spent outdoors exploring with her husband and two kids, skiing, canoeing or baking in her kitchen.
Janine Jewell - Volunteer
Janine is a passionate educator with a very diverse set of skills. Her teaching journey began 15 years ago at the Canadian Ecology Centre in Mattawa, Ontario where she created and ran a variety of outdoor experiential programs for students from 7 - 18. The following year she made her way west to teach on Vancouver Island, but it was a summer road trip through Alaska and the Yukon that led her to fall in love and ultimately settle in the North on a permanent basis.
Janine’s teaching, work and travel experiences are rich and varied. As an educator, she has filled every teaching role from elementary generalist to high school specialist, in every subject from French Immersion to Music, Social Studies, Science and English. Janine is particularly excited about literacy and loves helping students find their own passion for reading.
At Yukon Wild School Janine wears multiple hats, working both behind the scenes on program development and school support, and also working directly with students as a specialist teacher. On top of all this, Janine is the mother of 3 young children and runs her own private business. Yukon Wild School is the culmination of much dreaming and planning and Janine is thrilled to see this vision come to life! When she is not busy supporting Yukon students, Janine can be found out on the land, camping, skiing, gardening and enjoying time with her family.
Yukon Wild Camp Staff
David Pharand - Camp Director
David has been living, working and learning in Whitehorse since 2004. Much of his time has been dedicated to helping others explore the amazing mountain biking trails and rivers in and around Whitehorse as a guide on multi-day adventures. David is currently a teacher candidate in the Yukon Native Teacher Education Program (YNTEP) and is looking forward to bringing his passion for the outdoors into his teaching practice.
David enjoys wilderness paddling trips when he is not guiding others. David is forecasting a beautiful summer filled with more incredible adventures, making fabulous friendships, and working alongside amazing people. He is stoked to make this an awesome summer experience for your raddest little humans!
Canadian Wild School Staff
The Yukon Wild School is part of a greater network of talented educators. Meet some of the faces behind the Wild School movement:
Jeff Barrett, Founder and Executive Director of Canadian Wild Schools grew up near the ravines of the Don Valley river in Toronto, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. From an early age, he had a passion for the outdoors and adventure that later took him on countless adventures to all 7 continents and across the Canadian Arctic. He has taught outdoor education at Upper Canada College in Toronto, Outward Bound, Summit, and Alive Outdoors. He founded Routes Adventures Inc., a wilderness adventure program for youth in transition, developed and ran a bear-viewing lodge for the Kitasoo Xai Xais Nation in the Great Bear Rainforest in BC, guided many expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic, founded a community ecotourism program in Arviat, Nunavut, helped with the development of a tourism industry for the Carcross Tagish First Nation in Carcross and has been involved in many other eco-tourism and ecoresort programs and developments from Alaska to Oman. He founded Canadian Wild Schools in order to create a more meaningful educational experience that would ignite his own children’s curiosity and love for learning, while also gaining important real-world life lessons and skills along the way. He is passionate about developing a new generation of changemakers that also have the passion, the drive and the education to make a meaningful impact in our future.
Ali Bush - Director of Teaching and Learning / Teacher
Ali believes that for students to thrive, they must be fully engaged. Ali’s goal is to inspire her students to be critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers and life-long learners. She believes that learning activities must be dynamic and interactive, and she uses her energetic approach to encourage participation in an interactive and hands-on way. Ali also believes that if we want students to learn from the world around us, they must respect our environment and cherish all that it has to offer. Prior to her career in education, Ali was an avid athlete competing at the provincial level in various sports. Ali passes her passion for healthy active living on to her students as she engages them in the outdoor environment. Ali possesses a wealth of warmth and positive energy which is reflected in her students as they gravitate towards her and learn to model her leadership. Ali's musical abilities should not go unnoticed either. A talented saxophonist, Ali was a member of the National Youth Band, where she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Now with a specialty in music teaching, Ali is working hard to incorporate music into our Wild School community. Ali is a driven individual who keeps us all on track! When she's not taking minutes at our meetings or reminding us of what we forgot, she can be found out on the bay paddling, chasing us through mountain bike trails, hiking, running, and snowboarding.
Brayden Plummer - Director of Education
Brayden grew up in rural Ontario exploring the woods and farmland surrounding the Nith river. On his 9th birthday, he was deemed ready to be initiated into the world of Fly Fishing. This gift became a lifelong obsession that led to the discovery of his calling in Education and helped support him through his post-secondary educational studies in literature and philosophy. Leaving the river, he began to teach experiential and outdoor education for a variety of centres and school boards. After teachers college, he reluctantly made the transition to a more traditional educational setting at Pretty River Academy where he taught for 15 years. During a challenging time for PRA Brayden assumed the role of Headmaster and helped grow the school population from 64 to 110 students in 3 years. In 2017 he launched his educational consulting company Out of the Woods Education to provide solutions for the challenges he identified in the education industry. Looking for an outdoor school for his own children Brayden connected with the Wild School and stars aligned. After getting over kicking himself for not starting something like the Wild School 20 years ago he was honoured to become part of the team. Brayden’s educational philosophy revolves around some simple truths: Nature is the best classroom, strong foundational skills in literacy and mathematics are key to future success; Respect, fun and hard work are paramount for teaching; and, teaching students how to think critically and to have a passion for learning are the greatest skills for achieving sustainable happiness.