Burlington Christian Academy Faculty and Staff
Administration
Shannon Matter
Principal
shannonmatter@bcaschool.ca
Shannon has her Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching from the University of Auckland, New Zealand.
Michelle Collier
Admissions and Marketing
michellecollier@bcaschool.ca
Michelle joined the BCA team in 2010 and is excited to continue her role in Admissions and Marketing. As a parent of three daughters who have all attended BCA, she has a deep appreciation for the school’s Christ-centred community and the meaningful role it plays in the lives of students and their families. She enjoys connecting with prospective families, sharing the unique qualities of BCA, and helping families discover whether BCA is the right fit for their children. Families interested in learning more about BCA or booking a tour are welcome to contact Michelle directly at
michellecollier@bcaschool.ca.
Kristina Spence
Accounting
kristinaspence@bcaschool.ca
Homeroom Teachers
Avril Helfer
Junior Kindergarten
Avril began her career in social work, earning a Master’s degree in Social Work from Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She later completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Education, specializing in the Foundation Phase, through the University of South Africa.
Brie Chapman
Grade 1 and Athletic Director
Brie is excited to be teaching Grade 1 again this year! She has been part of our Burlington Christian Academy family since 2012 and received both her BA Honours and Bachelor of Education from Nipissing Univerisity/Schulich School of Education in North Bay, Ontario.
Megan Wynter
Grade 2
Megan is very excited to be at BCA this year. Megan has a double BA honours in History and Religion from Laurentian University, a Post Graduate Certificate in Museum and Gallery Studies from Georgian College and her B’Ed from Lakehead University in Orillia.
Candice Quesada
Grade 3
Candice Quesada has been teaching at Burlington Christian Academy for 20 years. She spent many years teaching Grade 2 and now enjoys teaching Grade 3.
Michelle Collier
Grade 4
Michelle joined the BCA teaching team in 2010 and is excited to continue her role this year as the Grade 4 homeroom teacher. Her dramatic flair and enthusiastic personality bring energy into her lessons as the subject teacher for Language Arts (for both Grades 4 and 5) and Social Studies (for Grade 4). In addition to teaching, Michelle is also on our social media team. We are looking forward to her creativity on sharing life at BCA on our social media platforms.
Monique Wilsenach
Grade 6
Monique is delighted to be part of the BCA community as the Grade 6 homeroom teacher and English teacher for Grades 6, 7, and 8. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities, a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE), and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.
Dan Cope
Grade 7
In addition to being the Grade 7 teacher, Dan also heads up the EdVenture program here at Burlington Christian Academy. He has his honours BA from McMaster University, and his B. Ed. from the University of Western Ontario.
JD Collier
Grade 8
JD graduated from McMaster University with a B.A. and completed his B. Ed. at the University of Toronto. In addition to the grade 8 homeroom teacher, he is also the ALPA coordinator and manages the school IT department. His passion for sports and young athlete development leads him to coach a variety of sports throughout the year.
Specialty Teachers
John Lewis Morvan
JK - Grade 8 French
I am thrilled and beyond grateful to join the Burlington Christian Academy team as the new JK-8 French teacher. I have 6 years of experience teaching French to students in grades 3-12.
Sam Price
Director of Special Education
Samantha started teaching at Burlington Christian Academy in 2001. As the Director of Special Education, and an Educational Therapist, Samantha’s role is to equip her students with the ability to advocate for their success in the classroom.
Hillary Jamieson
School of the Arts
Hillary is a music teacher and educator with experience in teaching church music and a passion for encouraging and enabling her students to develop a love for music.
Jude Kudera
Music, Computers and Media
“Mr. K” started teaching at Burlington Christian Academy in September 2019. This year Mr. Kudera will be teaching mathematics, music, and computers.
Natalie Spencer-Katzmann
JK/SK Computers, Grades 1,4,5 Art, Educational Assistant
Natalie is Franco-Ontarienne (French Canadian) and a graduate of the Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music.
Ileah Rosella
Music, School of the Arts, Bible
Ileah holds an honours degree in Musical Theatre Performance from Sheridan College as well as a Bachelor of Education from York University.
Shannon Moses
Primary Physical Education and Health
Shannon is very excited to be part of BCA this year! She holds an Honours BA from Wilfrid Laurier University and a B.Ed. from Nipissing University/Schulich School of Education. Shannon has spent most of her teaching career in Grade 3 and is excited to begin a new role as the Physical Education teacher for Grades 1–6.
Paraeducators
Jennifer Grigsby
‘Mrs. C.’ has been a part of the Burlington Christian Academy community since 2009 and joined the staff team in 2017. Mrs. C. is very excited to return for her 7th year here at Burlington Christian Academy as an Educational Assistant in the Primary Division.
Cristina Ivosev
Cristina (Magdalena) joined Burlington Christian Academy in 2021. She has earned a degree in Psychology and Special Education, from her home country and has an experience of more than 20 years working with neurodivergent persons.
Rebecca Mathieu
Rebecca joined BCA as an Education Assistant in 2025. With an Administrative and Legal Office background, God led her back to school to pursue her passion for working with children, graduating with High honours from Sheridan College in 2017 as an Early Childhood Educator.
Samantha Purdy
Samantha joined Burlington Christian Academy as an Educational Assistant in 2023. She has a college diploma from Niagara College in Educational Assistant- Special Needs Support as well as finishing courses on Applied Behaviour Analysis.
Rebecca Blenkhorne
Rebecca Blenkhorne joined the team at BCA as an Educational Assistant, having initially
worked with the school between 2012-2017. In 2019 she went on to pursue an Honours BA in the area of Social Science with a focus in Social Work and Ministry at Redeemer University, before joining the team once again in the Fall of 2025.
What Our Parents Are Saying
The teachers and staff make all the difference. The teachers see their job as a calling and not just a job. Many will go over and beyond. The Christian worldview is prevalent throughout learning and it is encouraging to see the level of faith and commitment among staff and teachers.
BCA teachers and staff are among the most dedicated and caring individuals I have known. Parents often face each year with trepidation that their child will have a new teacher. Well, at BCA they truly defy all odds in that ALL the teachers are fantastic and each year is as great as the last. Every teacher is so well suited for the particular age group that they teach.
My kids are so excited to come to school every day, the teachers are loving and caring and compassionate and love the Lord. The passion the teachers have to teach is genuine.
BCA’s teachers are some of the most passionate I have ever had the pleasure of partnering with. Their love for the kids at BCA is so great, that even when I interact with those that don’t teach my children, they know something special about each of them, and are always very positive in their comments. Bottom line is that BCA teachers genuinely care about the students in their charge...and it shows.
