Aurora Casa Staff

Cassidy grew up in the small village of Waskatenau, AB and moved to Whitehorse in August 2021. She obtained her Early Learning and Child Care Diploma (Level 3) in June 2020 and was running a daycare before she graduated from college. In Cassidy’s spare time she enjoys fishing, hiking, climbing, playing volleyball, and spending time with her dog, cat, and husband

Erin was born and raised in the small village of Mayo, about 5 hours north of Whitehorse. She is a proud member of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun. At age 6 she and her family moved to Whitehorse, where Erin went through her schooling and graduated in 1999 from F.H. Collins Secondary. She enrolled in the Yukon First Nation Teacher Education Program at Yukon College and graduated in 2005 with her Bachelor’s of Education.

In 2006 Erin enrolled her son in Montessori Borealis and got to know more about the Montessori philosophy. She began substitute teaching in the preschool and immediately fell in love with how different it was from other centres she had observed. It was then that she realized she wanted to be a part of Montessori education in the Yukon. In 2008 Erin was hired to run Montessori Borealis’ first summer camp and from there became an assistant until 2019. In 2019 Erin made the choice to take her AMI training in San Diego and graduated with her AMI Montessori diploma in 2020. 

Together with her husband Cliff, they own and operate Avalanche Athletics, a local fitness facility here in Whitehorse. With their 5 children, they love to travel, paddle board at their cabin and spend time with their Newfoundland puppy, Mike, and Burnese Mountain Dog, Gus. Erin also loves to paint, bead, sew and learn about her culture. 

Born in the small village of Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Josée grew up there in the heart of the boreale forest. In 2009, Josée decided to try a different “borealis”, and arrived in the Yukon. Montessori Borealis was fortunate to have Josée join us as Summer Camp Director in the summer of 2010. Since then, she has been our French Teacher, Assistant Teacher, and After School Care Supervisor.

Josée’s creative nature shines in her lessons as she includes art, music, outdoor time and nature in her French lessons, along with the basics of reading and writing the language. Josée’s paintings, poetry and more have been featured in local art shows. She is also a dancer, and even does fire dancing for Whitehorse events! Her background includes a major in Theatre and Arts, as well as a Bachelor in literacy, cultural animation, and psychosocial intervention.

Dianna grew up in Thunder Bay, ON where she got her HBA in anthropology and BEd at Lakehead University. Before moving to Whitehorse in early 2022, she was teaching English as a Second Language to both children and adults in Eastern China. After spending over two years there she felt the desire to get back home and experience life further north. She enjoys hiking around with her camera in her spare time, running, swimming and making plans for future adventures.

Sukhjeet grew up in India and came to Canada as an international student in 2019, in 2021 she graduated from Yukon University with her Early Childhood Diploma. Her main career goal is to become a pediatrician. Reading, writing, and music are some of her passions. Although Sukjheet’s parents were very supportive of her, she was faced with many adverse childhood experiences within the educational system. These experiences have helped Sukjheet develop her understanding of the importance of a child’s early years. She believes that each child is a beautiful gift who is capable, unique, and important. The quality programs in early childhood education are not only beneficial for children and families, but are also the foundation to a beautiful and kind society, nation and world.