The University of Winnipeg Collegiate (UWC) offers the best of both worlds for Winnipeg students in grades 9 to 12. Noted for accelerated courses, dual credits and its supportive learning environment, The Collegiate continues to build on a long tradition of academic excellence, critical thinking, and community spirit. Meet some of the Collegiate staff.
Carole Anderson
Carole Anderson
UWC Office Manager and Registrar Carole Anderson says she enjoys her job, the great people she works with, “And I love the students — their enthusiasm and energy, their ups and downs, their courage, and their connections with each other. Nothing beats the electricity in the halls at the beginning of the classes.”
Her advice to students is to “do your best, be your own true self, start fresh each day and take time to reflect at the end of it.”
When asked of her favourite spot on campus, Anderson says, “Hands down — ninth floor of the south side of the Rice Building on a sunny day in the winter, with the arc of sunshine from daybreak to dusk, and the chimney exhaust looking very Dickensian.”
While she has “fond memories of the puffed wheat squares from the cafeteria in the days of yore,” her favourite lunch/snack on or around campus is currently “steamed milk from Starbucks, if Kristine (her colleague who you will meet below) is going over.”
As for finding her outside of work hours, she says “If I’m off campus, you probably won’t find me, since my phone will be off and languishing in the bottom of my purse. Come to think of it, it’s probably there now. Maybe I’ll be at the lake, or visiting my fabulous grandchildren.”
People may be surprised to learn that Anderson makes her own maple syrup in the spring from the silver maple tree in her back yard, or that she once played Christmas Carols on her ukulele for Shaw TV’s holiday fire log channel.
Her favourite movie is “Best in Show, I think. Maybe Broadway Danny Rose. Secretly, it might be Mary Poppins.” She is not among the throngs of Netflix junkies; she says she would rather listen to the radio or read, “I can read, re-read, and read again any short story by Alice Munro and also Annie Dillard’s essays.”
She says she can’t possibly choose only one favourite word. However, her colleague Olaf (meet him below) says it’s “newel post.” Her explanation for his suspicion? “Only because he doesn’t know what it is,” she says.
Eric Cable
Eric Cable
Cable is a Physical Education teacher at The University of Winnipeg Collegiate. His words of wisdom are borrowed from the late Nelson Mandela, “Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” He says, “This quote sums up the attitude I think you need to adopt both as a student and as a person.”
Cable is active in inspiring his students to enjoy physical activity. “Whether it’s helping an elite athlete improve their training practices and performance strategies, or introducing students to new and fun lifestyle activities, it makes me really happy to help young adults both discover and maximize the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.”
It is no surprise that his favourite spot on campus is the Duckworth Centre, where you can find him on the court or in the weight room. His favourite food on campus is chicken fingers and fries from Pangea’s kitchen in the Riddell Hall.
When Cable is not on campus you can find him spending time with his small family, his wife and daughter. He says he loves creating memories with them, and when he is not doing that you may also find him playing a sport or hitting up a gym. He also enjoys reading, which he thinks might surprise people.
“I love to read. I love it when a book captivates my imagination and I just can’t put it down.”
His favourite film is Batman: The Dark Knight. He is currently finished watching Narcos on Netflix, although he says his favorite TV show is The Wire, and he advises, “If you haven’t seen it, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
He has many favourite books, but two that stand out are Tandia by Bryce Courtney and Shanatram by Gregory Roberts. His favourite word is “sweat.”
Isabela Dueck
Isabela (Bela) Dueck
Dueck is a Humanities Instructor at UWC. When asked what key piece of key advice she would give a student, she shared, “The older I get, the more I realize how little I know. I tend to listen more than advise. But I do have one sincere wish for all my students; it’s the peroration, I suppose, to my goodbye speech at the end of the school year: I wish my students careers that allow them to exercise their creativity. One thing I do know – creativity is our way out of the mundane.”
Dueck says the part of her job she enjoys the most is discussing ideas and great books with her students. “There is nothing that can compare to the buzz you feel as a teacher when dozens of light bulbs turn on in your students’ heads all at once,” she says. “Magic!”
One of Dueck’s favourite spot on campus is the stained glass window in Bryce Hall. She says she loves the chickpea rollups from Diversity, it is her favourite lunch on campus.
When she is not on campus you can find her on a 10K run in West Winnipeg, and she says what people might find surprising is that she does not live in Wolseley.
She is currently watching on Jessica Jones on Netflix. Her favourite book is Little Big by John Crowley, and her favourite word is “duende,” which she says is a “flamenco term denoting the power of art and music to move the soul.”
Olaf Johnson
Olaf Johnson
UWC’s Systems/Accounts Coordinator Olaf Johnson says he enjoys working with his colleagues and students. He also delights in his holidays. His advice for students is to “follow your dreams and be happy.”
His favourite spots on campus are the Duckworth Centre and Recplex, for the squash and racquetball courts and the soccer Field. His favourite lunch/snack on or around campus is coffee and the double smoked bacon breakfast sandwich at Starbucks.
What people might not know about him is that Johnson plays chess and squash and racquetball. “I also received my black belt in Tae Kwon Do at the age of 9,” shared Johnson.
His favourite movie is Disney’s Frozen, and he is currently watching White Collar on Netflix. His favourite book is Where’s Waldo? As for his favourite word? “Kristine won’t let me say it at work,” he says.
Kristine Ramnarine Khan
Kristine Ramnarine Khan
Kristine Ramnarine Khan is the International Student Advisor who encourages her students to ask her for help and advice. She enjoys the diversity of her students.
Her favourite spot on campus is Bernice’s Reading Room in the library, named in honour of Bernice Blazewicz Pitcairn.
Khan’s favourite snack on or around campus is an exclusive one. “Carole’s homemade gingerbread cookies,” she says, referring to the baking of her colleague in the UWC office, Carole Anderson.
Khan has a couple of secrets; she has an island accent she uses only at home, and she enjoys being mean to Olaf. Her favourite movie is a tie between Titanic and A Christmas Story, and she is currently watching Peppa Pig on Netflix with my daughter Ariana. Her favourite book is I Love You Forever by Robert Munsch. And, her favourite word is “Olaf”, the name of her colleague.
Dena Martin
Dena Martin
Dena Martin teaches math at The University of Winnipeg Collegiate. She finds the students there wonderful, which is why she enjoys her job. Her key advice to students is, “Don’t hesitate to ask. If you have a question; ask. If you need help; ask.” She also said,”If you are contemplating doing something adventurous or “outside your box”, do it. We tend to have more regrets about what we DON’T do.”
Martin’s favourite place on campus is Convocation Hall, of which she says “What a beautiful room.”
She says something people might not know about her is that she plays the oboe.
Her favourite movie is My Big Fat Greek Wedding and she is watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix. When asked what her favourite word is, her reply is “a toss-up between stoichiometry and ubiquitous”.
JoAnne Small
JoAnne Small
JoAnne Small is a Physical Education Instructor and a Guidance Counselor at the Collegiate. When asked about advice for students, Small says, “It is hard to narrow it down.” But she adds that one rule she has always tried to live by is “to do what you love and don’t settle. Life is too short not to take risks. In coaching, I often refer to the concept of no regrets. There is no worse feeling then to sit and think of what you could have done, so don’t be afraid to take action and give everything your best.”
Small enjoys her combination of teaching physical education and counseling responsibilities, as they link her love of teaching the importance of physical fitness and living an active lifestyle with her love for helping her students.
“I really believe in everything I do, and I believe the things I do can make a difference in our students’ lives,” shared Small.
Small’s favourite spot on campus is the gym. “It has always felt like a second home to me,” she says. “As a former Wesmen athlete, the Duckworth Center will always hold a lot of great memories for me.”
Small’s favourite lunch/snack on or around campus is Subway, and she says “I constantly run across the street to Subway. Anyone that knows me well knows my love of Subway cookies!” She says she also frequents Sorrentos “for their salads. If you haven’t tried them the club house salad it is a personal favourite.”
When she is not on campus you can find her in other gyms coaching basketball, at home spending time with her family, or cheering at Jets games.
She says one thing her students might not know about her is that she is a self-prescribed “numbers geek. I originally thought I would love a career in banking, and my first degree was in business.”
Small’s says her favourite words as a counselor are good words. “Amazing, fabulous, and awesome are used in my vocabulary often,” she says.
All Images Courtesy of the University of Winnipeg, Naniece Ibrahim
