Contact Information for Teachers and Staff

To contact Academy staff by phone, call 416-928-0124 and enter the extension listed below. Teachers do not have extensions or voicemail. To connect with a teacher, enter extension “0” and speak with the front desk. Alternatively, email the teacher(s) with whom you’re trying to connect, and request a phone discussion.

NameExtensionE-mail
Ada Miller
Administrative Liaison
32411amiller@ymcaacademy.org
Alex Haberfellner
Teacher
-ahaberfellner@ymcaacademy.org
Andras Nagy
IT Infrastructure Manager
31404anagy@ymcaacademy.org
Arnold Chan
Teacher
-achan@ymcaacademy.org
Braeden Samuel
Teacher
-bsamuel@ymcaacademy.org
Brandon Stewart
Teacher
-bstewart@ymcaacademy.org
Brittany Hosein
Student Life Counsellor
32403bhosein@ymcaacademy.org
Brydie Smith
Educational Assistant
-bsmith@ymcaacademy.org
Cassidy Scott
Teacher
-cscott@ymcaacademy.org
Dayna Dann
Middle School Coordinator / Teacher
32400ddann@ymcaacademy.org
Emily Terriah
Educational Assistant
-eterriah@ymcaacademy.org
Evelin Paredes
Administrative Liaison
31400eparedes@ymcaacademy.org
Felicia Epstein
Teacher
-fepstein@ymcaacademy.org
Gaye Rawding
Head of School
31401grawding@ymcaacademy.org
Jessamyn Polson
Teacher
-jpolson@ymcaacademy.org
Katie Clay
Teacher
-kclay@ymcaacademy.org
Katie Freeland
Teacher
-kfreeland@ymcaacademy.org
Lareesa Duncan
Student Life Counsellor
31403lduncan@ymcaacademy.org
Luka Ilic
Special Education Supervisor / Teacher
31413Lilic@ymcaacademy.org
Megan Steciw
Teacher
-msteciw@ymcaacademy.org
Rein Tammemagi
Teacher
-rtammemagi@ymcaacademy.org
Vikkie Fung
Teacher
-vfung@ymcaacademy.org
Zareh Demirdji
Guidance Supervisor / Teacher
31408zdemirdji@ymcaacademy.org
Zoe Rutherford
Teacher
-zrutherford@ymcaacademy.org

About the Academy Team

The YMCA Academy teacher and staff team is made up of professionals with accreditation and experience in a wide variety of fields, within and beyond the realm of education. Passionate about helping young people, Academy teachers and staff work with families to tailor educational programs and to provide support in small group settings.

Teacher Bios

Brandon Stewart
Brandon teaches History and English at the YMCA Academy, and leverages his community connections, creativity, and energy to bring cross-curricular learning opportunities and drama techniques to his classroom. Before obtaining his B. Ed. from OISE in 2012, Brandon obtained a B.A. in History from Brock University, where he minored in English Language and Literature. Brandon loves animals — his three dogs keep him very busy outside the classroom.

Katie Clay
Katie graduated from the University of Guelph with a B.Sc. in Biological Science and earned her B.Ed. at OISE. Upon graduating she moved to South Korea to teach ESL at a public elementary school. Her interest in teaching English language learners also led her to working at a summer camp for international youth and teaching at an international school in Toronto. Before joining the Academy, Katie also worked one on one with students at a private learning centre, teaching credit courses and tutoring students of all ages in many different subjects. Now at the Academy, Katie teaches Math and is enjoying discovering all of the unique ways her students learn. In her spare time, Katie loves experimenting in the kitchen and planning for her next travel destination.

MJ Duggan
MJ graduated from the Queen's University Concurrent Education program with a B.A. in Psychology, and a B.Ed. Upon graduation she moved to Bangkok, Thailand to teach special education at the International School of Bangkok. The YMCA has always been an integral part of MJ's life. She started attending YMCA overnight camps as a child and continued to be an active member of YMCA camps into adulthood. She worked for several summers at the Toronto Island YMCA Camp. MJ loves to travel and is an absolute food fanatic. She looks forward to beginning this new leg with the YMCA Academy!

Rein Tammemagi
Rein brings a wealth of environmental sustainability and outdoor education knowledge and experience to everything he does at The YMCA Academy. After receiving a joint honours B.Sc. in Environmental Science and Biology from Trent University, Rein began developing programming designed to inspire kids to lead healthier environmental lifestyles. While working as an outdoor educator at YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre, he met the staff and students of The YMCA Academy (who were visiting Cedar Glen on their annual overnight excursion). He was blown away by the Academy ­— students and staff alike — and soon began volunteering at the school. This experience inspired him to become a classroom teacher, and he obtained his B.Ed. from Trent University before returning to the Academy in the winter of 2013. Rein teaches a wide range of subjects, including Science (with a particular emphasis on Environmental Science), Food and Nutrition, and Healthy Active Living. He is an avid cyclist and appreciates every opportunity to reconnect with the natural world.

Zareh Demirdji
Zareh graduated from the University of Toronto with a bachelor degree in Physical Health and Education and earned his B.Ed. at OISE. Before pursuing a career in education, Zareh spent five years using his kinesiology degree in the fitness industry. Zareh has been teaching at the YMCA Academy since 2009. In his spare time, Zareh enjoys spending time with his wife, staying current with science news, and reading and gaming. Zareh currently teaches Science, Physical Education, and various other health-related courses.

Zoe Rutherford
Zoe teaches math and art at the YMCA Academy. She loves to work with and learn from youth, and builds strong relationships by infusing her lessons and classroom culture with empathy, compassion, mindfulness, and kindness. She joined the Academy team in 2017 after spending six years working at YMCA day and overnight camps, as well as three years as a nanny. Zoe obtained a B.A. in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and a Masters in Child Study and Education from OISE in 2016. She loves being in the outdoors with friends (ideally, as close to the ocean as possible), and enjoys Thai food, live music, and buying plants that she can’t actually take care of — her miniature garden in the Academy staff room notwithstanding.