Jasper classrooms have opened their doors to 11 new teachers this year, and the Fitzhugh has taken the time to get to know each of them a little in the hopes of helping fellow Jasperites do the same. They have their own unique stories, but one thing they all share is excitement for their new jobs and hitting the books with their students. Tune in next week for the remaining six teachers. 

Jocelyn Nadeau 

École Desrochers 

Math and Science 

Grades 10 - 12

When Quebec City native Jocelyn Nadeau completed his prior teaching contract, he started looking for a small community to work in. “I saw Jasper and thought, that’s where I gotta go,” he said. The hockey player chose the town because of all it has to offer, especially mountain biking and fishing.

It’s a big change coming from the city to a town like Jasper, but Nadeau knows there are advantages, especially after seeing a CBC series called Pass/Fail that outlined the issues large schools face. “Big city schools are impersonal,” Nadeau said. “It says kids don’t relate to their teachers, which is important for me as a pedagogue.”

Nadeau said he’s looking forward to getting to know the students. “I’m interested in who they are now and who they want to be,” he said.

There’s also an adjustment when switching from 37 students in Quebec to a class of three here in Jasper. “It’s great to have a small class but when you’re used to have 37, they’re so quiet, I don’t really have any discipline to do,” he said. “There’s an adaptation.”

Some adapting will be done outside the school as well. “Being far from friends and far from home is always really challenging,” Nadeau said. “But I’m hoping to make good friends here. And the staff here is really close and really friendly.”

Keven Masson 

École Desrochers 

Social Studies 7-12, 

Phys Ed K-8 

Keven Masson grew up in Sorel, a town an hour northeast of Montreal, and lived there until he left to go to Sherbrooke University where he studied history and education. Masson graduated earlier this year and was on a road trip to Alaska when he heard about the position in Jasper.

“I didn’t know much about Jasper,” he said. “I looked online, saw mountains, fresh air, it looked pretty good.”

What he’s found now that he’s here is everyone he’s met is kind, and always smiling. “Right away I had people coming and introducing themselves,” Masson said. 

He teaches Social Studies and Phys Ed, the latter of which is new to him, though he enjoys it already. And his students are great. “They’re pretty cool, they have a lot to learn but a lot to give too.”

His favourite teaching technique is using movies, songs, books, or the radio as catalysts for his lessons. “I think it’s the best way,” he said. “I talked with the older students about the Republican convention.”

Masson wasn’t sure whether he’d like hiking at first - he’s more into hockey and tennis - but he plans to take advantage of all Jasper has to offer. “It’s new for me, but I’m pretty sure it’s the best time to start things like that,” he said. “There’s so much to do, I’m pretty sure I will do a lot during the year.”

Mollie Lalonde 

Jr./Sr. High School

Phys Ed

Mollie Lalonde is new to the high school but not new to the community. Lalonde started teaching French, Math and some English last November at Jasper Elementary, and was hired to start as a physical education teacher at the high school for this September. “I was really excited about that because Phys Ed is my passion,” she said.

Lalonde was born in Sudbury, Ont., grew up in Hamilton and lived in Edmonton briefly before coming to Jasper with her boyfriend in tow.

Now she’s teaching what she loves to the most receptive students she’s met. “The good thing about here is that the kids are really athletic already,” she said. “I’ve taught in other places where the kids don’t want to do anything. Here, they’re out the door before I am.”

A teaching experience that stands out in Lalonde’s mind happened before she arrived in the Rockies, when a student in her class suddenly started to choke. Lalonde bolted toward him. “It was a little bit of a scare for both of us,” she said. The student was fine by the time she got to his side, but the other students had caught Lalonde breaking her own rule. “The kids said, ‘Don’t run! You told us you’re not supposed to run’,” she said.

So far, everything’s been going well here for Lalonde, who said she’s had an “awesome” experience in Jasper so far. “It’s been a nice change in my life,” she said, adding she plans to stay, “As long as they’ll keep me.”

Véronique LaFlamme 

École Desrochers

7-12 French, 

7-12 Health, K-8 Art 

This isn’t the first time Véronique LaFlamme has been in Jasper, as she completed a practicum at Jasper Elementary in 2006. The native of Lévis, a town outside Quebec City, liked it here so much she decided to return after graduating from teacher’s college earlier this year.

Now she’s teaching French at École Desrochers, a transition made easier by the fact she already knows a number of the students from her previous stint, and because she has a comrade. Josée Ruel is also from Quebec, also did her practicum here, and is now teaching in Jasper, so the two have been working side-by-side for some time.

LaFlamme said she’s most looking forward to seeing how her students improve through the year. “I love French, I love to make the students discover,” she said.

Her favourite teaching method when it comes to French is comic strips, or bandes dessineés. “It’s easier to learn another language with those,” LaFlamme said. “I love to use that.”

After just a few days at the front of the class, LaFlamme’s new job is going “great.”

“I like the mentality, the vision, the challenge of giving students an identity through the language,” she said. 

LaFlamme enjoys outdoor sports and just bought a mountain bike, so she may stick around in Jasper awhile.

Michelle Beauchamps 

Jasper Elementary

Kindergarten 

Michelle Beauchamps had a lifelong hunch that she wanted to be a teacher, but it took an experience far from home to push her into the career in earnest. 

The native of North Bay, ON got a job at a school while traveling through South Korea and after a short short stint teaching kindergarten knew it was the job for her. 

“I always wanted to be a teacher, so when I was in Korea I just tried it out. I ended up teaching kindergarten there and those experiences basically solidified my desire to teach,” said Beauchamps. 

After a week with the kindergarten students in Jasper Beauchamps is settling into full-time teacher mode. She said her biggest worry before the first day was how the children would react when leaving their parents for the first time. As a first-year teacher Beauchamps shared common ground with her students in going through the jitters of the first day together.

I was probably about as nervous as some of them were,” she said. “The night before wasn’t the greatest of sleeps, but nerves are good. It means you care.”

As for how she’ll spend her leisure time in Jasper, Beauchamps said she’ll be enjoying the area’s campgrounds as well as the hiking and bike trails. Beauchamps is no stranger to the outdoors, having spent seven summers working as a tree planter.