WHOLE CHILD TEAM LEAD

Hello!

My name is Alisha McLean, and I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the Whole Child Team at the First Nation School Board. I am passionate about people and the opportunity to learn about others’ unique stories and lived experiences.

I am a settler of Irish, Scottish, German and Russian ancestry, born within Treaty 8 Territory – the homeland and traditional hunting grounds of the Métis, Dene, Cree, Chipewyan and Beaver Peoples in northern Alberta.

I was raised on the Traditional Territories of the Anishinaabe and the Huron-Wendat Peoples, just north of Toronto, Ontario.

My grandfathers were farmers and skilled craftsmen. My grandmothers managed households of large families, and were gifted sewers and cooks.

My husband and I met in the Yukon, and feel so honoured to raise our daughter here.

I arrived in Whitehorse in June 2008 to work as a reporter and radio host at CHON FM. I met the Yukon through the stories of Yukon First Nations Peoples past, present, and the dreams for the future.

In 2011, I completed my bachelor’s of Education at the University of Toronto, before returning to the Yukon. Since then, I have spent my career supporting children, youth and families through Yukon Government programs as a frontline worker, supervisor and, more recently, an adult Educator.

I believe every person is doing the best they can with the skills they have, and can grow in incredible ways when met with curiosity, compassion and empathy.

I am passionate about trauma-informed care and have been a trainer of the "Risking Connection" curriculum for over a decade – understanding how the brain is wired, how stress and trauma change the way the brain works, and coaching adults to approach every interaction in more trauma-informed ways.

I believe First Nation communities are important leaders in Whole Child development, and that programming should be centred around culture and traditional values and ways of knowing.

I look forward to working together to support the unique vision and goals of Whole Child learning in each community. I am so excited to do this work and walk this path together!

WHOLE CHILD COACH

It is a privilege to be a Whole Child Coach with the First Nation School Board.

I am of Irish and Finnish descent on my mother’s side, and I’m Scottish and Haíɫzaqv on my father’s.

I was raised and learned on the unceded and ancestral homelands of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), qiqéyt (Qayqayt), and Stó:lō (Sto:lo) Peoples.

I came to the Yukon in 2019 to work as a speech-language pathologist supporting people’s communication across the lifespan so they can connect with themselves and their loved ones.

In this role, I had the privilege of building relationships with children, youth, and adults in many communities in the Yukon and northern British Columbia, where I supported their speech, language, and literacy development. 

I believe that each person is gifted with strengths, and that when their community wraps around them, they can flourish and overcome obstacles through caring relationships.

Over the years, I noticed the importance of first building safe, caring and authentic relationships with Learners as the foundation for their development.

I am excited to focus on this work as a Whole Child Coach and look forward to connecting with learners, families and school teams to learn and grow with them.

To feel connected to myself, I enjoy gardening, skiing, dancing, painting and running for a very long time up and down mountains. I am thrilled to be a part of the Whole Child journey with the First Nation School Board!

WHOLE CHILD COACH

My name is Heidi Warren, daughter of Bill and Bea Warren, granddaughter of Anna-Ursula von Richthofen and Hans Heinrich von Stryk (maternal grandparents), Margaret Dawson and Louis Warren (paternal grandparents).

My ancestry is German and Irish.

I was born on Treaty 8 Territory in High Prairie, Alberta, and raised on many Treaty 8 Nations’ Traditional Territories.

I spent my formative years in the Northwest Territories, primarily in Tetl’it Zheh, the home of the Gwich’in people.

Life brought me to the Traditional Territory of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in Dawson City, Yukon, almost 20 years ago, first working in the school as a substitute teacher and then running the Education Outreach program (now the Independent Learning Centre).

I took a leap of faith and moved to the Traditional Territory of the White River First Nation in Beaver Creek, Yukon, in 2016 to become the teaching principal of Nelnah Bessie John School.

I have loved so much about all the places I have lived and the people I have come to know. I have also learned an incredible amount about myself. Through these teachings from the land, the Learners, and the Elders, I have developed a grounded sense of what I need to thrive.

My intention is to listen deeply to others’ knowledge and share what I have learned. By taking on this new role with FNSB, I am excited to see and learn from all the new communities and Learners I will get to know!

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANT COACH

Hi! My name is Christine Drinnan.

I was born in Victoria, B.C., and I came to the Yukon almost 25 years ago.

Since then, I spent time living and working in Whitehorse, Ross River, and Dawson City, before settling in Dakwäkãda (Haines Junction). Dakwäkãda is where I am raising my two sons with my husband, as well as our eight horses.

Together, we have a family hay farm and a trapline.

I am a Child and Youth Practitioner by trade, but the main part of my career has centred on Educational Assistant work in the communities.

I have also worked as a Family Support Worker at Shäwthän Näzhì since its beginnings.

I believe in community and community service through walking alongside others who are doing this work.

I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of Learners’ educational journeys and to work with them as they grow into their potential.

I feel that working with FNSB is the next step in this journey. In doing so, I can support Educational Assistants in having a stronger voice in conversations about education at the ground level and be part of a team that explores various ways to serve Learners and families.

I love learning, making connections with people, being curious, and getting excited about new ideas.

My family and I love land-based activities – travelling the mountains on horseback, enjoying the trapline, birdwatching, and harvesting.

I am looking forward to a year of listening to the needs of schools and communities, and leaning into a person-centred, strength-based approach that uncovers each individual’s superpowers.