Meg Fox, Principal:
Dr. Fox is a parent and educator of many years' experience in the public, private and university systems, with a special interest in the gifted adolescent. She has lectured for learned societies, the University of Toronto, and York University, and has held the post of Head of English and of Vice-Principal at a Toronto private school. She received her doctorate in English Literature from the University of Toronto School of Graduate Studies in 1986, with a dissertation on Political and Social Models in the Works of Philip Sidney. Her special scholarly interests are in Renaissance literature, history and political science. She has also pursued academic work in pedagogy and philosophy as well as fine arts. She has lobbied for the legalisation of midwifery in Ontario, and taken part in numerous amateur and professional theatrical productions. She is a published poet, and the author of five novels. She also sings Gershwin, and accompanies herself on the piano. She has spent many of the happiest hours of her life in the world's great museums.

Claudia Carolina:
One of Canada’s foremost flamenco teachers, choreographers and dancers, she has taught for the University of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, Appleby College, and the University of Calgary as well as teaching music at The Dragon. Artistic director and principal choreographer of Theatre Flamenco, she has shared the soul of Flamenco through classes, workshops and concerts with leading artists, in addition to her many outreach programmes through the Arts Council and Toronto area schools.

Ms. Carolina’s early studies included dance at the National Ballet School and music at the Royal Conservatory of Music. After university studies in music composition, she lived in Spain for 10 years, and studied with such famous artists and teachers as La Tati, Manolete, Ricardo "El Veneno", Paco Fernandes and the late Maria Alba. She has worked and toured extensively in the tablaos of Spain and the concert halls of Europe, the Middle East, the U. S. A. and Canada, along with a two year stint at the New York City Opera, and appearances at New York’s famous flamenco gathering place, le Chateau. She now travels throughout Canada performing, choreographing and teaching, most recently bringing her Misa Flamenca, the first Flamenco Mass to be realized in Canada, to sold-out audiences in the west.

Sarah Beatty, Administrator:
Ms. Beatty grew up in a haunted farmhouse in Queensville, Ontario. She graduated with an Honours BFA at the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2004, where she was trained in printmaking and book arts. She has recently begun to make quirky cards under the name Good Morning Press, a project which has stemmed from collaborative efforts of art practise that is known publicly as S.D.Wormwood. She partners a handbag company called Plain Jane, where she designs, prints, and sews purses.

Dr. Seth Halvorson:
Seth David Halvorson, Ph.D., Columbia University, (2006) M.Phil., Columbia, (2005) M.A., Stanford University, (2000) B.A. with honors, Macalester College, (1996). As a political philosopher who is interested in education, Dr. Halvorson has taught undergraduates in the Core Curriculum at Columbia College, Columbia University, and high school students at summer institutes at Stanford and the University of Iowa. A champion debater, Dr. Halvorson's courses attend to argumentation, critical thinking, and advocacy skills. His scholarly interests lie at the intersection of ethics, politics, and education. His recent book on the mechanics of value debate has been recognized as one of the best textbooks available on the subject.

Two different professional associations have recognized Dr. Halvorson's research. His dissertation was nominated as both outstanding dissertation in politics and moral education. Prior to graduate school he spent three years at Harvard's Institute of Politics. He has over 12 years of experience teaching high school students. He is also a painter and musician. At The Dragon, his emphasis is on the history of philosophy, political and ethical theory, and government.

Jonathan Glidden:
Jonathan Glidden holds an international reputation, as both a classical and world music cellist, and as a teacher. He has worked with members of the Boss Brass, the Celtic music trio Cu Chulainn, and as a member of the M.I.N.G.U.S Jazz Ensemble. Mr. Glidden has been active in Jazz Improvisation, and Middle-Eastern/Indian music, and collaborated with noted Spanish dancers, including Teatro Flamenco. As a classical cellist Jonathan has worked under maestros Sir Andrew Davis, Bramwell Tovey, Nathan Brock, Jacques Lacombe and Alain Trudel, and has been a member of the Northern Lights Festival Orchestra (Mexico), the Toronto Symphony Youth Orchestra, the Mooredale Youth Orchestra, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada and he can be heard regularly on CBC radio.

Mr.Glidden spent four years at Wilfrid Laurier University in the Bachelor of Music Program, where he performed in the NUMUS "Bartulis Fest" project, and the past three years at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. He worked with Canadian composer Glenn Buhr on his film soundtrack as well as performing works by composer Bongani Ndonda-Breen with the silent film ensemble named Muisca Noir. At The Dragon, he is an adjunct teacher of composition and performance, as well as of physical and health education.

Brian Beare:
Mr. Beare has a Master of Science in Physics (Toronto, 2006), a Certificate of Advanced Study in Mathematics (Cambridge, 2005) and a Bachelor of Mathematics (Waterloo, 2001). He has worked in the North American software industry and on information technology projects for the Red Cross in Zimbabwe. Most recently he undertook research in experimental particle physics at the University of Toronto and worked as a teaching assistant. He now joins the Dragon Academy to put more focus in his career on science education. He splits some of his spare time playing the guitar, bass and drums, but competency in any one of them remains elusive.

Jaclyn Piudik
Jaclyn Piudik, a native of New York City, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Hampshire College, where she studied photography, women's studies and fashion theory. She earned a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from the City College of New York. Her poems have been appeared in many literary journals and her first chapbook was published in Toronto in 2005. She did at second Master of Arts degree in Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto, where she is currently working toward the completion of her Ph.D. Jaclyn has lived in France and Israel and is skilled in French, Hebrew, and Latin (in addition to other languages). Her tastes and interests have always been very eclectic. Her pastimes include African djembe drumming, going to the opera, reading, writing and listening to poetry, travel and learning about different cultures. She is an animal lover and currently lives with 5 cats.

James Shaw, Registrar
James grew up frolicking in our nation's capital. He played rugby and clarinet and eventually took an interest in literature and politics. After high school James traveled across Canada eventually landing in Halifax where he took the Foundation Year Program and finally left King's with a Double Honours in Contemporary Studies and History some years later. During this period he wrote children's stories for educational software programs and began his love affair with photography on a long trip to India. After graduation, James set off once again teaching English and gallivanting throughout East Asia and Southern Africa. Over two and a half years later James returned to Canada and started his training to become an ESL teacher here at home. James Shaw B.A.(Hons) TESOL, TESL Canada.

Dan Giang
Dan Giang holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics (Toronto, 2009), an M.Sc. in Physics (Toronto, 2003), and a B.Sc. Honours in Physics with a minor in Fine Arts (Calgary, 2002). His Ph.D. thesis covered cosmology, singularities, extra dimensions and braneworld theory. His artwork attempts to cover much of the same topics (to varying degrees of success). He has worked as a teaching assistant at the University of Toronto earning the Van Kranendonk Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.

Emma Brown
Emma Brown is very excited to be joining the faculty of The Dragon for the 2009/10 school year. She has recently completed her Bachelor of Education this past June at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. In 2007 Emma received her Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto in Sexual Diversity Studies and Fine Art History. Emma will be co teaching the Healthy Active Living courses at the Dragon. Within the Physical Education courses she will be spearheading the Sexual Education Programme where she will be focusing on providing students with the information and critical thinking skills necessary for a healthy and informed sexual identity.

Tammy Manor
Tammy Manor is a teacher as well as a lifelong student. She attended McMaster University where she completed a Bachelor of Sciences, with a major in Psychology and a minor in Mathematics. Always having had a passion for mathematics and music, she decided to pursue teaching both subjects at the high school level. She received her Bachelor of Education from the University of Toronto in 2007. She enjoys helping people overcome challenges, which is why she is passionate about teaching. Other interests include spirituality, human behaviour, humour and the arts.

Matt Russo:
Matt Russo holds a B. Mus. for Jazz guitar from the U of T where he is currently completing a specialist degree in Astrophysics. He teaches senior level Math and Physics courses at the Dragon Academy, developing the students' faculties in understanding the mathematical nature of the universe, critical and skeptical thinking, and areas of Physics such as quantum mechanics and cosmology. He also teaches a weekly workshop in rock music, providing the students with a venue to develop their musical personalities through practice, performance and recording. Mr. Russo has a passion for scientific literacy which he inherited from Carl Sagan and enjoys teaching at the Dragon Academy immensely.

On Sabbatical

Nicole Fallon:
Nicole Fallon is a PhD candidate at the Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto, where she is studying Medieval Latin and Middle English Christian legends. She enjoys working with students of all levels and has years of experience as a university teaching assistant, a private tutor and a supplemental education instructor. Ms. Fallon received her undergraduate and graduate training in Latin at York University and University of Toronto. In addition to her MA in medieval studies, she holds a Master of Science degree from Dalhousie and a Bachelor of Science honours degree from Queen’s University. In her spare time she pursues collage art, needlework and stained glass, and is an avid reader and doll collector.

FACULTY

On Sabbatical