Mrs. Cristina McAllister Cristina.Mcallister@burnabyschools.ca
Mrs. McAllister has had the joy of teaching at Alpha for the past three years. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in English Literature and minoring in Theatre, only six credits short of the double-major because she couldn’t very well stage manage at the same time she was contracted to perform in a show. Her BA and subsequent Bachelor of Education were both acquired at UBC. Before heading to UBC, she was also in the Theatre Diploma Program at what is now Capilano University. Theatre has been a great part of her life, working through University starring in Vancouver’s longest running theatre show “Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding”. She also developed the Drama program at Saint Thomas Aquinas for 14 years before finding her home in Burnaby. When not running the Drama program here at Alpha or teaching English, Mrs. McAllister is a married mama to boys and a Labradoodle and is an avid crafter. She also loves planning a good theme birthday party!
Cristina is the Department Head of Visual and Performing Arts and teaches Drama and Theatre.
Mrs. Angela Adam
Mrs. Adam has been a public school music teacher since 2002, and most recently taught vocal music and string orchestra in the Fine Arts high school in Montreal, Quebec. Prior to that, she was an elementary music and band teacher in the Burnaby School District, spending most of her years at the nearby Ecole Aubrey Elementary School. She holds a Bachelor of Music and P.D.P.P. in Education from the University of Victoria (2002), and a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from McGill University (2021). Mrs. Adam spent many years performing as a clarinetist with the New Westminster and District Concert Band, and now sings with Elektra Women’s Choir. Outside of teaching, she enjoys yoga, gardening and hiking but spends most of her time driving her three children to hockey and other activities.
Angela teaches Band and Choral Music.
Ms. Kendra Fehr Kendra.Fehr@burnabyschools.ca
Ms. Fehr was born and grew up in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and completed her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education at the University of Saskatchewan and her TESOL diploma at UBC. Kendra spent nine years teaching Visual Arts at an international school in Beijing, China and has now taught art with the Burnaby district for four years. Kendra also has her Master’s of Museum Education from UBC and has worked at the Mendel Art Gallery in Saskatoon, the Alberta Art Gallery in Edmonton and the Museum of Surrey in British Columbia. Kendra is passionate about teaching art and creating a space for the enjoyment of culture and moving to new places and studying has been a way to ensure she has always had a career that allows her to be an educator in these areas. When living overseas, Kendra was an avid traveler and back-packer and has visited 48 different countries. Before meeting her 5 star hotel/foodie husband, Kendra was a champ at finding $20 hostels and cheap street food, trusting in her ear plugs and iron stomach. Kendra is now a new mom and is passionate about sleep and spends her free time doing laundry and cleaning food off of the floor.
Kendra teaches Visual Art.
Ms. Marlene Lawrence Marlene.Lawrence@burnabyschools.ca
Ms. Lawrence studied studio art at Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design and has a Bachelor of Fine Art, a Diploma in Graphic Design, and a Teaching Certificate from SFU. She has a great love for art and loves to inspire creativity in her students by teaching a variety of skills using many different materials while exploring a wide range of subject matter. When she isn’t teaching, she’s busy with her family, enjoying the outdoors, painting, or taking an art class for fun in her spare time.
Marlene teaches Visual Art.
Ms. Stella Teng-Davis Stella.Teng-Davis@burnabyschools.ca
Ms. Teng-Davis teaches yearbook design and media arts/digital literacy. She has a Bachelor of Commerce degree as well as a Bachelor of Education degree, both from the University of British Columbia. She also has a graduate diploma from Simon Fraser University. Ms. Teng-Davis loves all thing design, spending time with her family, hot yoga, and her golden doodle.
Stella teaches Yearbook 11/12.
Ms. Ella Batten
Ms. Batten earned her teaching certificate from SFU and teaches Dance and Drama at Alpha. She applies culturally sustaining pedagogies to position students’ identities at the centre of every learning experience. Ms. Batten grew up dancing on the North Shore and studied Theatre, Arts Management, and English at the University of Toronto. She spent a decade in PR, marketing, producing, and communications for arts companies across Canada, but her work choreographing for high schools and lecturing at Toronto Metropolitan (formerly Ryerson) University’s Performance, Production and Design program led her back to the classroom. Outside of the classroom you can find her on the North Shore mountains, practicing violin, or volunteering with arts organizations.
Ella teaches Dance and Drama.