RICHLAND ACADEMY

Deeper ThinkingConfidentWorld Ready

Faculty and staff

Stepping into Richland Academy, you enter an extraordinary place for children. It is a place where all of our energies are dedicated to helping children become their best selves. We purposefully create an environment to meet their needs from early childhood to emerging adolescence.

Click on our staff profile pictures to learn more about them!

Administration Team

Sandi Fischer
Head of School

Sandi holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Post Graduate degree in Education. She joined Richland in 2018 with over a decade of experience as a Principal. She is passionate about inclusive and innovative education models that help every child become confident learners and thinkers.

Bessy Bianco
Office & Admissions Manager

Bessy holds a Bachelor of Arts, and has worked for many years in administration. Her focus and concerns are on the well-being of our Richland students. She consistently displays her enthusiasm for collaborating with students and coordinating school events.

Adrian Cheung
Director of Communications, Technology and Design

Adrian holds a Bachelor of Technology and a Master's degree in Education. He plays a vital role in communications to keep parents informed and connected. He manages Richland's online presence, and facilitates technology use at school.

Joanne Pace
IB-PYP Coordinator and Learning Strategist

Joanne holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Education. She is the learning strategies teacher at Richland, and she constantly challenges her students to think critically in a world that requires creativity and innovative thinking.

Nalini Subramanyam
Kindergarten Lead & Reggio Lead

Nalini holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Cambridge Diploma for Teachers and Trainers, and Diploma in Early Childhood Education. She believes that the cognitive, emotional, social and physical development of children in the early years has a direct impact on their overall development and on the adult they will become.

Lesley Cousins
Office Administrator

Lesley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and she is working as an office administrator at Richland. She extends her support to students who may have encountered playground mishaps or when they're not feeling their best.

K-8 Faculty Team

Lindsay Penther
Kindergarten Teacher

Lindsay holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Bachelor’s of Education degree. She is thoroughly looking forward to work with the amazing children.

Chantal Paguaga
Kindergarten Co-teacher

Chantal is a Registered Early Child Educator and teaching as a co-teacher in Kindergarten. She hopes to make your child’s learning experience an adventure that your child will never forget.

Kate Daniel
Kindergarten Teacher and Reggio Lead

Kate Daniel has been teaching at Richland Academy for 17 years as the Senior Kindergarten Teacher. She enjoys teaching the PYP program, and a believer in creating challenging, Reggio inspired inquiry environments.

Alexandra Vanegas
Kindergarten Co-teacher

Alexandra has a teacher's degree and a Registered Early Childhood Educator. She is always contributing in the Kindergarten room, and is very passionate when working with children.

Laura McCutcheon
Grade 1 Teacher

Laura holds a Bachelor of Arts in Childhood Education, and a Master's degree in Elementary Reading and Literacy. She always create positive and effective cognitive approaches to teaching and learning.

Melissa Bracciale
Grade 1 Teacher

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Education degree. She has been teaching in private schools for 14 years, in grades ranging from Senior Kindergarten to Grade Two.

Natalie Revesz
Grade 2 Teacher

Natalie is a graduate from Ryerson University and York University (Bachelor of Education), and had spent the over ten years as a primary school teacher in New Zealand before joining Richland.

Daniela Quiquero
Grade 2 Teacher

Daniela holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Children’s Studies, and a Bachelor of Education degree. Her passion for teaching is driven by her dedication to creating inclusive and engaging learning environments.

Hind Najjar Zahr
Grade 3 Teacher and Literacy Lead

Hind has been an elementary school teacher for over 20 years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and a Master’s degree in Education.

Selina Wong
Grade 3 Support Teacher

Selina holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master's degree in Management. Her passion for education has led her to obtain a teacher certificate in Early Childhood Education and a certificate in special education.

Susan Kennedy
Grade 4 Teacher

Susan holds a Bachelor of Education degree, and she has been teaching at the International School of Geneva (IB school) for the past 14 years before joining Richland. She strives to create an environment where children feel respected, cared for, and valued.

Deniece James
Grade 4 Teacher

Deniece received her Bachelor of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) and she is passionate about art, her students and exploring new ways of teaching and learning.

Ashley Fritz
Grade 5 Teacher

Ashley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Kinesiology as well as a Bachelor of Education. As someone who believes in lifelong learning, Ashley continued her studies to earn early years qualifications, as well as qualifications focused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Giancarlo De Luca
Grade 5 Teacher

Giancarlo has a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honors in Sociology, a Bachelor of Education degree, as well as a Minor in Geography. He is a supportive individual who loves to learn.

Christine Wentzell
Grade 6 Teacher

Christine holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master's degree in Education. She has taught in IB World Schools in Italy, South Korea, Bangladesh, China and Senegal.

Millie Soriano
Grade 7 Teacher

Mrs. Soriano’s has over ten years of teaching experience in a private school setting as a Homeroom teacher, ESL teacher, and Art Specialist, as well as three years of experience teaching internationally as an English teacher in Japan.

John Alton
Grade 8 Teacher

John studied at Queen’s University on two separate occasions, achieving both his Bachelors of Education as well as his Bachelors of Science, majoring in biology.

Asha Mistry
Primary Teacher (on maternity leave)

Asha holds a Bachelors of Arts degree, a Bachelors of Education degree, and a Master's of Education degree. She has experience teaching in a private school setting, both in Ontario and in the United Kingdom.

Specialties Faculty Team

Jacob Demers
Athletic Director

Mr. Demers graduated from Brock University with a Bachelor of Physical Education Honours degree and a Bachelor of Education degree.

Music Teacher
Whitney Henderson
Performing Arts

Whitney graduated from the University of Toronto in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music and Education. She has been passionately exploring the performing arts throughout her childhood and into the present.

Amelie Thompson
French Lead Teacher

Amélie has over 20 years of teaching French and Spanish in the UK in a variety of settings before relocating to Canada.

Sarah Sherman
Primary French Teacher & English Language Learner

Sarah Sherman holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto where she majored in History and double-minored in French and Renaissance Studies.

Josephine Sherman
Visual Arts / Atelierista

Josephine is passionate about fostering creativity and empowering others to make a difference through the visual arts.

Adrianne Kraft
Information and Communication Technology

Adrianne has worked with children in a variety of roles- coach, tutor, and teacher for over 5 years.

Jessica Spritzer
Librarian / Kindergarten Visual Arts / Wellness Coordinator

Jessica holds certifications as a support worker and yoga instructor, Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Art and Philosophy, as well as  a Post Graduate Certification in Museum Studies and Curatorship.

Mike Sidnam
Kindergarten Physical Education and Learning Support

Mike holds a Bachelor of Education degree, and with over 15 years in education spanning Japan, New Zealand, and Canada, he is a seasoned educator dedicated to instilling a passion for lifelong learning.

Melika Ostadhashem
Student Support & After Care Coordinator

Melika holds a Master's degree in TEFL and over four years of experience in International Baccalaureate (IB) education. She always creates an inclusive and dynamic learning environment.

Facilities Staff

Heidi Rybak
Meal Coordinator Manager

Heidi has an extensive background working in both hospitality and with children.

Nina Schembre
Meal Coordinator

Nina is working alongside Heidi to provide nutritious, delicious meals for the students.

Rafael Nieves
Campus Manager

Rafael ensures Richland operates smoothly on many levels, both internally and around the campus.

Raymund Narciso
Custodian

Raymund is trained as a Personal Support Worker and very excited to be working at Richland.

Clinton Chang
Custodian

Clinton became a dedicated Custodian in 1990 enforcing sanitation regulations one clean classroom at a time.

Carlos Hernandez
Custodian

Carlos joined Richland Academy in 2020 as casual part time custodian. He has over 12 years of experience as a custodian.