JOHN JALSEVAC grew up in Toronto, in a large Catholic family of eight. He is the proud father of six (with number seven on the way). He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Theology minor) from Christendom College, and a Masters in Theology from the University of Toronto.
John is currently a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Toronto (Centre for Medieval Studies), where he is a Faculty of Arts and Science Top (FAST) Fellow, and a winner of the Canada Graduate Scholarship. He is also the winner of the 2022 American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly's "Rising Scholar" award.
His dissertation, which he expects to defend in the Spring/Summer of 2023, is a study of Thomas Aquinas's Philosophy of Memory.
Outside of academia, by his own description, John is a proud father, and an indiscriminate pursuer of hobbies including gardening (of a garden that somehow continues to grow every year) beekeeping, beer brewing, singing, piano playing, languages, martial artist, running, power lifting and writing poetry/fiction and general life enthusiast.
With his education, knowledge, deep love for our faith, the importance he puts on family, and his recognition of the wonderful distinction of classical education, our school is in expert hands.
JOY MEEHAN was born and raised in Toronto. A published author, she loves travelling, reading, and the Blue Jays.
Joy is fluent in English and French; she has travelled extensively including a UN-sponsored 6-week International Seminar in French West Africa.
Joy joins the staff of Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of the Wayside with over 20 years of management and administration experience within various organizations.
FR. DAMIAN SMULLEN was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Peterborough in 1988. He completed studies for the priesthood at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy, and the Pontifical University of Patrick's College, Maynooth, Ireland. Fr. Smullen has had many years of association with Our Lady of the Wayside School. Formerly, as teacher of High School Religion, and latterly, as School Chaplain. He continues to be a student of the relationship between Faith and Culture, and is an "amateur" of Poetry, in particular, the Irish Poets, W.B. Yeats and Patrick Cavanagh. He is currently the Chaplain at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
MATTHEW ACTON was born in Edmonton, Alberta and grew up in the Calgary area. After high school he attended the University of Alberta, where he began in Engineering but switched into the humanities after converting to Catholicism. He graduated in 2018 with a major in English Literature and a minor in Catholic Theology.
Since then he has been pursuing graduate studies in philosophy at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, with a particular focus on Medieval Philosophy and the Thomistic tradition.
He enjoys running, cooking, and playing guitar, as well as camping in the Rockies during the summer.
ALICE HODGES is an American by birth, and Canadian by choice. She joined OLWCS in the fall of 2012, bringing her commitment to liberal arts education to the high school program in Math and Science. She has taught mathematics, philosophy, and English at several schools in the U.S. and in Ontario, in both the independent and public systems. She holds a B.A. in Philosophy and the History of Mathematics and Science from St. John’s College (Annapolis), and a M.S. in Education from Niagara University. When not teaching, she is busy sharing her love of books, sport, and the great outdoors with her husband and four children.
ABBEY CONNELL grew up in a large, Catholic family of twelve. Having volunteered at Our Lady of the Wayside Catholic School, in the elementary classes for a teacher placement, she is a familiar and beloved face in our hallways. Abbey is very involved in the Catholic community at Trent University, and has a passion for all things artistic.
Abbey is an inspiring and imaginative individual who our art students are blessed to have during the second half of our school term!
GEOFF BUTLER is currently organist and Music Director at Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church where he conducts the Gallery Choir (adults) and a newly formed Children’s Choir. Prior to this appointment he was Music Director at All Saints’ Roman Catholic Church in Etobicoke where he served the music ministry for 32 years.
Mr. Butler is the artistic director of the Toronto Choral Society, which is one of the oldest organizations in Toronto. Under his baton, the 150-voice choir have delighted audiences with performances that have included Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah, and many more. As part of the TCS family, he also conducts the North 44° chamber ensemble, and founded the Streethaven Women’s Choir, a group drawn from clients of Streethaven at the Crossroads, a women’s shelter in downtown Toronto.
As Co-Artistic Director of Opera York, Mr. Butler conducts up-and-coming young professionals in an outstanding range of well-received productions that have included The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, and Rigoletto. His rapport with young singers means he is also in demand as a vocal instructor, clinician, and adjudicator. Mr. Butler is a frequent guest conductor with the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra where he has conducted The Brahms Requiem, Elgar’s The Music Makers as well as works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Verdi, Wagner and Mozart.
He has also been a guest conductor with the Oakville Symphony, Hart House Symphony and other instrumental ensembles. Geoffrey’s career in music began as a professional tenor. He has performed as guest soloist with many orchestras, including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, The Cincinnati Pops, The Toronto Symphony, Pennsylvania Sinfonia, Naples Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.
URSULA SYTNYK has been an educator since 2003. Her mind and heart have long been pulled toward classical liberal arts education, which led Ursula to homeschool her three children from pre-K to grade 7. She dug deep into the theories and practices of classical education and continues to foster the pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty in her students. She has taught at the college level for nearly 20 years, instructing students in the mortgage brokering field and has served as a substitute teacher in the Peterborough area in grades K - 12. As Board Chair at the Trent Valley Literacy Association, Ursula is devoted to cultivating literacy skills in the community. She is an admirer of the works of C.S. Lewis and continues to grow in her appreciation for the Great Books of the Western World.
When not teaching, you might find her attending St. Anne’s parish with her family, struggling to keep her garden alive, reading aloud to her children or reheating a lukewarm cup of tea.
SR. MARY AUGUSTINE HARDY, SOLI, was raised in Saint John, NB, where, for many years, played both the violin in the local orchestra, and the alto saxophone, in both concert and jazz bands, participating annually in the New Brunswick Competitive Festival of Music for many years.
While studying at Seat of Wisdom College, she studied Sacred Music Conducting, and since 2008, has served as choir director for her religious community. She has been conductor of the Sparrows Children’s Choir at Immaculate Conception Parish in Port Perry since September of 2018.