Mr. Lamb is a proud French Canadian from the Aylmer sector of Gatineau. Being fluently bilingual, he knows the importance of speaking and writing in both of Canada’s official languages—it has granted him many opportunities, such as working internationally for the International Baccalaureate Organization.

Mr. Lamb has been in the wonderful, ever-evolving world of Education for over 25 years, having previously worked in an all-girls school and in a faith-based school. He was also a founding member of the first International Baccalaureate school in the Capital Region. As a previous Mathematics and Science teacher, Mr. Lamb strongly believes that STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is the basis of a great education.

Regardless of whether it is in music, art, or creative writing, Mrs. Beach loves lighting that spark of learning and enthusiasm in her students! She derives enormous personal satisfaction from being able to challenge her students to write at a very high level using a wide and varied vocabulary. She plays the cello and loves baroque and early music (pre-1600’s). Ms. Beach originally trained as a lawyer in the UK, but changed careers to teaching to facilitate being a mother to her two adopted children.

Mme Sholpan grew up in a small town near Almaty, Kazakhstan. Her interest for foreign languages led her to attend the Kazakh University of International Relations and Modern Languages where she earned a B.A. in French Studies. She also completed an exchange at the Université de Rennes I in France. After graduation, she worked as a French teacher in high schools and later in her alma mater.

Mme Sholpan is married and has three children. She likes to travel with her family and learn about new cultures. She spends her spare time reading, cooking, and crafting. She likes outdoor activities, such as walking and biking. She also likes to swim and take yoga classes.

Sophie Bertrand has earned a Masters in Vocal Performance from the University of Ottawa and has been teaching music in conservatories and private schools for over fifteen years. She furthered her studies in Munich, Germany, sang in a variety of masterclasses with world-renowned artists, and performed in numerous opera productions at the National Arts Centre, including Louis Riel, Le Nozze di Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana, Pagliacci, Lucia di Lammermoor, Turandot, and Manon. She is currently a member of the Ottawa Duo, a professional voice/piano duo in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. In contrast to her passion for opera, Sophie is also a performing member of the local drumming group Oto-Wa Taiko. 

Sophie enjoys bringing her vast knowledge and experience of music and the performing arts to the classroom. She challenges herself to inspire her students to find their inner artists and explore a variety of multicultural pieces. She aims to ignite a love of music and the arts within her students that they will carry long after they graduate from JOA.

Mme Penny was born and raised in the Outaouais/ Ottawa region. She started her schooling in Aylmer, Québec, and moved to Ottawa in 6th grade, where she attended various Ottawa schools, including the University of Ottawa, graduating with an Honours degree in Lettres françaises and a Bachelor of Education with a specialty in French as a Second Language Teaching. 

Since 1999, she has taught in various school boards at the primary, junior, and intermediate levels as a Core French teacher as well as a homeroom teacher in the Early, Middle, Late, and Extended Immersion programs. 

As an educator, Mme Penny finds immense joy in bringing people and/ or organizations into her classroom to enhance the curriculum. Her most recent classroom pedagogy focus has been particularly in the realm of STEM/ Coding and critical thinking through science and literacy. She has worked closely with organizations such as Canadian Geographic as well as being an Ambassador with Kids Code Jeunesse. She is also a certified DELF corrector/assessor and worked on Ministry of Education initiatives that provide teachers with exemplars for DELF assessments. 

Over the last couple of years, she has enjoyed working with the terrific staff and students at JOA and feels blessed to be a part of this school community helping out in various capacities such as launching the Managebac and the Open Apply platforms this past year, as well as anything else that is needed to help support teachers and staff. Mme Penny speaks French, English, and Greek and in her free time, she enjoys walking, cooking new recipes, watching movies, and traveling when she can.

Erin Elliott grew up in a small town in Southwestern Ontario.  She moved to the Ottawa area after high school to attend Carleton University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Honors in 2002. She returned to school and graduated in 2007 from Nipissing University with her Bachelor of Education.

She started her career at Joan of Arc Academy filling in as the English Grade One and Two teacher. In 2009 she taught her first Grade Five class and knew that was where she belonged. Erin is also an intermediate science teacher. She particularly appreciates that the curriculum allows her to discuss environmental issues and concerns with her students and hopes that together they can make an impact.

When she is not at school, Erin can be found at the arena cheering on her son’s hockey team, practicing piano with her daughter, or walking her Springer Spaniel, Piper.

Donna Jones has always had a tremendous interest in learning to speak French. As a student, she participated in a student exchange program and had the opportunity to live with a family in Quebec City. She also spent a summer studying French in Jonquière. She is proud to be part of a school that gives girls the opportunity to learn both official languages from an early age. She has taught at Joan of Arc for many years because she believes in the advantages of its education. Her own daughter will soon be a Joan of Arc graduate.

When she is not at school, Donna likes spending time with her family, reading, and journaling. She is always searching for interesting books to spark her students’ love of reading.

Rita Kouakou was born and raised in the Ivory Coast. She immigrated to Canada with a French Master’s degree in communication and a dream of becoming a teacher. She went to the university of Ottawa for her Bachelor of Education degree in 2013.

Before joining the Academy, Mrs. Rita worked for two years in Saskatchewan as a teacher of francization and then two years in Claudel as a kindergarten teacher. Mrs. Rita is committed and passionate. Her personal model is: do it with love or do not do it at all. Teaching is her passion and she gives her very best every day.

Mrs. Rita is married and the happy mother of 4 girls. She is an aspiring writer and an excellent storyteller. Her dream is to build an orphanage for children.

Dr. Julia E. Morris grew up in the Toronto area, but also lived in Westfield, New Brunswick and in Rouen, France. She has been in the Outaouais since 2003. She attributes her love of language and literature to her travels as a young person. She obtained her Ph.D. in Lettres françaises from the University of Ottawa in 2010.

Dr. Morris teaches in French and concentrates on writing, strategic communication, grammar and style. She also has expertise in francophone contemporary literature. She likes to draw on female-centric themes and female-authored narratives in the classroom.

Dr. Morris’ interests include spending as much time with her two kids as possible, running in Gatineau Park with her collie dog, working on her vegetable gardens for as long as the season permits and helping her husband with craft and furniture projects.

The best part of Sabine Neubert’s day is her interaction with the students. Helping them learn is her passion, especially guiding them to grasp new concepts and broaden their horizons. Born and raised in Germany, Sabine Neubert obtained her Master’s Degree in Education from Humboldt University, Germany, and taught English and Russian at a middle and secondary school in Burg, Germany. She completed an intensive linguistics course in Moscow, Russia, and worked for a year at a Comprehensive school in Wales, UK. She has explored the cultures of many countries in Europe, North Africa, Latin, and North America.

After extensive travel in Canada, she decided to relocate 22 years ago and has called Ottawa home ever since. Sabine Neubert has been at Joan of Arc Academy since 2002. The small group and individualized learning environment allow her optimally to share her experience and passion for learning with her students, so they can be inspired, grow and become open-minded and confident girls who will one day take up leading roles in our society. Sabine Neubert likes the outdoors. She loves camping, hiking, skiing, canoeing, and kayaking.

Martha Whitlock grew up in Ottawa, knowing from a very young age that she would choose a career working with children. After graduating from high school, she earned a B.Sc. in Psychology from McGill University, a Master of Arts in Psychology from Carleton University and a B.Ed. from the University of Ottawa. Once her studies were complete, Mrs. Whitlock moved overseas to pursue a teaching career working at international schools in Costa Rica, England and Japan. Ultimately, she decided to move back home to be closer to family.

While she enjoys teaching a variety of subjects, Mrs. Whitlock’s biggest passion is teaching mathematics. She truly loves guiding children to develop a positive attitude toward learning mathematics, to be confident in their math ability and to strive to be the best mathematicians they can be.

When Mrs. Whitlock is not teaching, she loves spending time with her two daughters, husband and two cats. Some of her favourite pastimes include cooking, travelling, downhill skiing, running, cycling and swimming.