Rundle Returns to the Classroom

There’s something special about returning to the place where your own education journey began. For some Rundle alumni, that journey has come full circle as they return to the classroom, this time as teachers and staff. We’re proud to have alumni who are now helping shape the next generation of Rundle students, sharing their knowledge, experiences and passion for the school community that helped shape them.

 

Chaz Gunderman, Academy ’25
Advancement and Campaign Assistant | Rundle Society
Started May 2025

Favourite Rundle Memories
Buddies program – from having a buddy to becoming one myself, and later working alongside my former buddy in the Business Office.

Q: How does being a Rundle grad help in your job?
A: Being a Rundle grad helps me connect with families through my own experiences from the school.

 

Cassandra Zbrodoff, College ’21
Advancement & Events Coordinator | Rundle Society
Started Aug. 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
Grades 10 and 11, when I had the opportunity to be the senior girls’ basketball team manager alongside Nat and Aly. I also loved coaching Grade 8 girls’ volleyball with Ms. Wood and Micalee. I really enjoyed finding a different way to stay involved in athletics throughout my time at Rundle.

Q: What intrigues you most about your job at Rundle?
A: Getting to know so many parents across all of the campuses at our events and having the opportunity to learn more about the Academy’s wonderful programs, as I did not get the chance to visit the Academy much as a College student. Having earned a degree in Disability Studies, I especially appreciate all that the Academy provides for students with learning disabilities.

 

Mac Gordon, Academy ’18
Intern Teacher | Rundle Academy
Started Sept. 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
Science experiments with Mr. Burla, I appreciate the care Rundle gave me and I’m glad that has not changed.

Q: Did you ever imagine that you would one day be teaching in the same school where you were once a student?
A: I never imagined I would become a teacher at the school I was a student at for so many years. What’s more is that I never would have thought that I would be teaching alongside many of the teachers that inspired me to become a teacher myself. It is an incredibly fulfilling and surreal experience.

 

Hannah Bentson, College ’17
Junior High Math and Science Teacher | Rundle College
Started May 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
Edgewater trip, playing on the Junior and Senior Girls Basketball teams, Australia exchange program.

Q: Was there a teacher, coach, or experience at Rundle that had a lasting influence on you?
A: Kassie Green was my Grade 8 homeroom teacher and coached me in basketball throughout high school. She was pivotal in my decision to pursue an education degree, welcoming me back to volunteer in her classroom, having me as her assistant basketball coach, and providing references along the way. Additionally, Melissa Mann and Roma Stepaniuk were instrumental in my decision to earn a science degree. Both built my confidence in math and science during high school and inspired my passion for the subjects I teach today.

 

Kirstin Young, College ’17
Senior High Science Teacher | Rundle College
Started Sept. 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
How the teachers made the classes engaging and prepared us for university. Rundle remembers you as a student, not just as within your class but beyond.

Q: What does it mean to you to come full circle and now help shape the Rundle experience for the next generation?
A: I am grateful to be able to continue to create the community that shaped me as a student. I hope to bring energy and passion to my subjects and help students find a passion in science and make strong memories at Rundle.

 

Juliana Welch, College ’14
Grade 1 Teacher | Rundle College
Started Sept. 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
Edgewater trip, camping in Grade 9, Europe trip in Grade 10.

Q: What brought you back to Rundle, this time as a teacher?
A: Coming back to Rundle as a teacher has been such a special full-circle experience. Having been a student here myself, I know first-hand how much of an impact the teachers and school community can have on a child’s education. When the opportunity came up to return as a Grade 1 teacher, I was excited to become part of a community that had played such an important role in my own life. It’s been incredibly rewarding to now be on the other side of the classroom, helping create the same positive experiences for my own students.

 

Samantha Sirianni, College ’13
Junior High 7-9 Science Teacher, Head of Numbers, Robotics Team Coach | Rundle Academy
Started May 2019

Favourite Rundle Memories
PERU! This was the experience of a lifetime, the family feeling of the school – how all students knew each other and teachers knew us all too. This is so important and always made me feel valued and seen.

Q: What is the one value you try to instil in your students that you learned at Rundle?
A: Being curious. My teachers always taught me to think and explore my passions. My science teachers especially, Mrs. Belt, Mr. Hardie, and Ms. Mann changed my life. They taught me to love science and learning. I hope I can instil this curiosity and love of learning in my students. They always supported me and my family – they knew my mom by name and that’s something I try to do with my students’ families as well.

 

Megan Janzen, Academy ’12
Grade 7 and 9 Science, Sr. Varsity Girls Basketball Coach | Rundle College
Started Sept. 2026

Favourite Rundle Memories
Winning the banner for junior high basketball, participating in the various drama productions, Social in high school with Mr. Hoganson and Mr. Lawson.

Q: How does being a Rundle alumna influence the way you connect with your students and create a classroom environment where they feel known, supported and encouraged to succeed?
A: I believe every student has a place in the classroom and I feel that being a Rundle alum, along with my beliefs, provides opportunities for all my students to feel success and support while challenging them to push themselves outside of their comfort zone. It has also helped me create a classroom where my students feel safe to make mistakes knowing that the mistake doesn’t define them as a person but helps them grow and understand. It has influenced the way I listen to what the students need and how I recognize where they might be at the moment guiding them and working with them as a team.

 

Kayley Miller, Academy ’11
Teacher | Rundle Academy
Started Sept. 2021

Favourite Rundle Memories
The small class sizes, the ski trip, the Europe trip, and volunteering in Guatemala.

Q: Has Rundle changed much (not just the building) since you attended?
A: The number of students has changed, but the heart of the Academy, what made it such a special place, has stayed the same. The staff are just as passionate and caring as when I was a student. It’s still a community that accepts everyone for who they are and lets you be your authentic self.

 

Travis Rasch, College ’10
Director of Athletics | Rundle College
Started in Oct. 2016

Favourite Rundle Memories
Edgewater Trip, Fernie Ski Trips, 2009 Football Provincial Championship, Rundle Athletics.

Q: Do you find yourself drawing on your own experiences as a Rundle student in your approach to teaching?
A: I draw on my own personal experience all the time when teaching. I know what the students are going through, as I was once in their shoes. I took the same classes, and there are a few teachers still around who taught me. I can empathize with the students.

 

Stephanie Falkenberg, Academy ’08
Grade 4 Teacher | Rundle Academy
Started Sept. 2014

Favourite Rundle Memories
Europe trip, being part of many teams (volleyball, basketball, cross-country), realizing that I am actually capable of doing things, that I am smart, and that I have a whole group of people who believe in me and are ready to support me.

Q: What’s it like being colleagues with teachers who once taught you?
A: Initially, when I first started working at Rundle Academy, it was an adjustment, as it felt kind of strange to be working with my old High School teachers. However, I think it helped that I was working in the elementary school, as I didn’t work directly with any of them. When the whole school came together, it felt a little weird at first, but now, with over a decade teaching at Rundle Academy, I consider them my friends. It has also been very special, as I have had the honour of teaching some of my High School teachers’ children. Lastly, I feel especially grateful that my High School TA teacher is still here, as I can turn to her when I need support and appreciate the friendship we have created.

 

Christina Locking (née Petropoulos), College ’08
Grade 5 Teacher | Rundle Academy
Started Sept. 2015

Favourite Rundle Memories
Friends I made, the incredible learning environment with small class sizes, the one to one support that all allowed me to find success, the teachers, who I will forever be grateful for. 

Q: What do you think makes the Rundle experience unique, and what do you hope never changes?
A: I hope the culture, community and heart never change. It’s what makes us special. So much so that I knew after graduating high school I wanted to come back to be a teacher at Rundle to inspire and support students just as my former teachers did for me. We are a unique school because we lead with our heart. Every student that walks through the doors will feel safe, loved and cared for. 

 

Zach Flower Academy ’06
Teacher | Rundle Academy
Started Sept. 2018

Favourite Rundle Memories
The sense of community. Rundle was a place where relationships mattered, where teachers knew you as an individual, and where you felt like you belonged. The friendships, the personalities, the laughs, and the teachers who challenged me, and the feeling of being part of something special.

Q: Has your perspective on Rundle changed now that you see the school through the eyes of an educator?
A: Absolutely! Coming back to Rundle as an educator has been one of the most surreal and rewarding experiences of my life. I graduated in 2006, and 14 years later, I found myself walking those same hallways, except this time I was the teacher! It’s a strange feeling going from being the kid sitting in the classroom to being the adult responsible for what happens in it.

I have two favourite ways of describing my relationship with Rundle: “Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!” Or perhaps more accurately, “I’ve been at Rundle since 1999. I just took a 14-year sabbatical!”

Being on the other side of education has given me a tremendous appreciation for the people who made my own experience so meaningful. (As a student, you don’t always recognize the time, energy, patience, and genuine care that teachers invest in you. As an educator, I see it every single day). Shout out to Mr. Lawson, Cheryl Phillips, Peter Morrow, Jamie Burla, Michelle Cawthorpe, Melissa Mann, and Stu Palmer. All of these teachers had a role in shaping the student and learner I am today.

What has been especially meaningful is getting to contribute to the same community that helped shape who I am. I understand Rundle’s mission on a much deeper level now, particularly the importance of recognizing that every student learns differently and deserves an opportunity to succeed. I was that student. There’s something pretty special about returning to a place that helped you grow up and getting the chance to help the next generation do the same.