MEET OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Driving success in the classroom — and beyond
Somersfield Academy has an outstanding team of dedicated instructors,
all of whom are determined to help students succeed.
Our team members offer support and guidance, uniquely tailored to each student.
Our goal is to provide an environment where teachers are valued for their outside-the-box thinking,
creative ideas, and exemplify teacher-student learning ally-ship.
PETER T HOWE
Head of School
Total Years in Education: 30 years
Degrees/Education: Bachelor of Commerce (Queen’s University), M.A. Art History (University of Toronto),
Ph.D. studies Architectural History (ABD) (University of Toronto)
Teaching Philosophy:
All educational environments should be places of safety, even of refuge, where learners are encouraged to experiment, dare, fail, and create. Pedagogy should stimulate imagination and creative thinking, and promote intellectual freedom, which includes the right to make mistakes and learn from them. Environments that allow and enable this, sometimes messy, learning work are crucial to developing true understanding, empathy, ethical frameworks, and an appreciation of differences in understanding and points of view. Educators should work to create environments that allow students to be vulnerable and free from fear of judgment when they grapple with new ideas and difficult knowledge.
KATE ROSS
Head of Diploma Programme
Division/Subject Taught: Head of DP & DP Coordinator, Music HL
Total Years in Education: 36 years
Degrees/Education: BA (Hons) MA (International Education) PGCE
Teaching Philosophy:
Education for all. I believe in preparing students for success and
empowering them to be drivers of their own destiny.
CHARLIE JUDD
Head of Secondary Division & Upper Primary Division
Division/Subject Taught: Division Head of Secondary (Upper Primary and MYP)
Total Years in Education: 19 years
Degrees/Education: BA (Hons) English Literature; B. Ed.
Teaching Philosophy:
Effective teaching and learning begins and ends with strong communication and connectivity between teachers and students. Building bonds is of equal importance in the educational process as delivering content or instructing skills. So much of student success depends on the context in which teaching and learning is presented. The best teachers understand this principle and go the extra step to not only know their subject areas but to know each child. All of us long to be understood. Learning is at its highest when everyone feels honored to be himself or herself within a learning community. At Somersfield, teachers are builders; relationships with students and high level subject expertise are our the bricks and mortar. Let’s build our future together.
JANICE OUTERBRIDGE
Children's House & Lower Primary Division Head
Total Years in Education: 23 years
Degrees/Education: A.A.S. in Accounting, Associate Early Childhood Credential, B.S. in Business Administration, and M.A in Education
Teaching Philosophy:
I believe that every child possesses within them a greatness that must be nurtured and developed as it unfolds, and through education, we can provide guidance and pathways for their greatness to be realized.