Landscakes.

In my first year at WPGA, my Social Studies 8 class and I had a wild idea: what if we built topographical maps out of cake? We called them Landscakes. Students transformed icing into rivers, broccoli into forests, candy into settlements, and cake into mountains. It was messy, creative, delicious, and completely unforgettable.

What began as a quirky classroom experiment grew into something much larger. Landscakes has since been published in academic articles, presented at conferences around the world, and shared with educators far beyond our campus. It never ceases to amaze me that a group of students and a teacher were willing to try something different, take a risk, and see where curiosity might lead. Years later, we're still digging into the idea, and it continues to remind me that some of the best learning starts with a simple question: What if?

Family.

When I returned to Canada after teaching in the United Kingdom, some of my closest friends and I found ourselves teaching together at WPGA. Vanessa Shaw, Alisha Shaw, Jessica Logher, and I built our careers, our friendships, and our lives alongside one another here.

WPGA became more than a workplace. It became the community where my son grew up, where friendships deepened into lifelong bonds, and where colleagues became extended family. Over the years, we have celebrated births, graduations, weddings, accomplishments, and milestones together. We have also grieved together, wept together, and supported one another through the loss of people we loved.

Each September, a new pack of Wolves arrives. Every June, another group heads out into the world. One of the great privileges of spending so many years in a school community is having the chance to witness lives unfold. I taught Diamond Point as a student and later had the privilege of welcoming Diamond back as a colleague. Before long, I may well teach Diamond's children. Former students such as Sean Lum and Lindsay Haider returned not as learners, but as fellow educators. Those moments remind me that a school is not simply a place. It is a living community that stretches across generations.

Some of my favourite moments happen far beyond the classroom. An email arrives from an alumnus halfway around the world. A former student shares news of a remarkable achievement, a new career, a growing family, or an opportunity to help the next generation of WPGA students. In those moments, I am reminded that teaching is, at its heart, an act of witnessing. We are given the extraordinary privilege of walking alongside young people for a brief chapter of their lives and then watching them go on to exceed every expectation.

When I think of WPGA, I don't first think of buildings, programs, or even classes. I think of people. I think of friendships that have lasted decades, students who became colleagues, alumni who became mentors, and generations of Wolves connected by a shared story. That is what family means to me.

How have you seen WPGA grow or change over the years—and what has remained the same?


What’s one lesson or value from WPGA that you carry into your life beyond school?