Team

Gregg LeRock

Project creator, songwriter and producer / Two-time Juno award nominee Gregg LeRock is Canada’s FSL Superstar. To over two million students, he’s the guitar-slinging French rock star who makes them want to sing — at the top of their lungs — in French! To thousands of FSL teachers, he’s the go-to French educator, providing extensive teaching and learning materials that engage students, who can’t get enough of his catchy melodies, funky grooves and meaningful lyrics. Gregg’s teaching supports connect to the curriculum through themes of equity, diversity, mental health and well-being. View his full bio here or at the link above.

Cathy Stanley

Lead curriculum author / Born and raised in Montréal, Cathy studied French at McGill University and l’Université de Nice (France) before completing her Master of Education degree at OISE, University of Toronto. As FSL Consultant for York Region DSB, Cathy created and presented professional development workshops at board, provincial and federal levels. She presented for the OMLTA (Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association), L’ACPI (L’Association canadienne des professeurs de l’immersion), ERGO (ESL/ELD Resource Group of Ontario), ETFO (Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario) and The Power of Literacy Through the Arts. Cathy is co-author of Gr. 1-12 AIDS awareness lessons for the Stephen Lewis Foundation, internationally available on the SLF website. More recently, Cathy published a national Core French Grade 8 Teacher’s Guides and Student Activities unit, C’est ma vie, distributed by Les Éditions CEC. She is currently a co-developer of teacher training materials and teacher trainer for the international high school Rosedale Academy. Her work for Le projet national Au Canada combines her passions for supporting teachers and motivating students in bilingual education, learning through the arts, instructional intelligence, supporting spontaneous conversations, critical thinking, and real-life connections.

Lorraine Richard

Lead advisor/editor / During her career with the York Region DSB, Lorraine’s positions included: Curriculum Consultant for FSL and International Languages; Secondary French and International Languages Department Head and teacher of French, German and Spanish; elementary Core French teacher. Lorraine is also Past President of the Ontario Modern Language Teachers’ Association (OMLTA), as well as the Modern Languages Council (MLC), an author for Pearson Canada, a frequent workshop presenter, and has led many Ministry-funded FSL projects. Lorraine received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her commitment to excellence in education.

Natalie de Wit

Abbotsford District Pilot Project 2021 / An experienced and dedicated FSL educator, Natalie is the Modern Languages Consultant (K-12) for BC’s Abbotsford School District. A presenter of multi-school Gregg LeRock events at Abbotsford Arts Centre, Natalie partnered with Gregg and Core French and French Immersion teachers from 30 Abbotsford District schools for the 2021 Pilot Project, delivered via both classroom and online learning.

Bill Hogarth

Advisor / Bill Hogarth is a collaborative senior leader who, in periods of both expansion and consolidation over the past 40 years with two school boards, has had a broad range of experiences: expertise in developing and implementing strategic plans, board policy and ministry regulations, as well as curriculum and professional development of programs. As Director of Education for 16 years, Bill’s leadership was instrumental in moving the York Region District School Board from a narrow internal focus to a robust, continually evolving  and sophisticated organization that advocates not only for York Region students, but for public education as a cornerstone of all healthy communities. Bill is the recipient of an honorary Doctorate of Law degree from York University.

Trish Kolber

Advisor / As both the Modern Languages Consultant for the Vancouver School Board and the French Language Representative for the BC Association of Teachers of Modern Languages (BCATML), Trish has supported teachers in the classroom and in professional development workshops. She has also presented to the Senate Committee on Official Languages.

Jill Durrant

Pilot teacher and advisor – French Immersion / An FSL specialist with over 20 years’ experience teaching French Immersion with the Toronto DSB. Jill and her students piloted Gregg’s “Rendez-vous virtuel” component in 2021: “My students LOVE learning and singing Gregg’s songs… it’s their favourite part of both classroom and virtual learning. Our ‘Rendez-vous virtuel’ visit and performance was the highlight of their year… we can’t wait to be part of Gregg’s national project!”

Michèle Zoccoli

Pilot teacher and advisor – Core French / Michèle’s love of languages and her experience of immersing herself in authentic environments in both Québec and France have led to a rewarding career in teaching. Her FSL roles for her school board have included teacher, coach, classroom facilitator and new FSL teacher mentor.

Yana Ioffe

Advisor / Yana’s commitment to leading and learning in French, Music and Literacy includes work as a Curriculum and Instruction Consultant, French Immersion principal, and French teacher. Yana partnered with Gregg to create and lead the Literacy Through Music: Character Education Songwriting program for York Region DSB which was awarded the Promising Practices Award by the Character Education Partnership, Washington, DC.

Joan Dobbie

Advisor, CPF Halifax / An experienced business professional at senior levels, Joan is also the president of the CPF-NS Halifax Peninsula and Mainland South Chapter and has also worked in various executive positions on the provincial board and at the local chapter level.

Don Ablett

Advisor / Don’s MBA from UWO’s Ivey School of Business led to his first career in senior management in high tech industries. His second career was vocational – and involved 30 years in education. Don received the prestigious Principals of Music National Award for outstanding support of music programming for his contributions as a secondary school principal for the Peel DSB. Known for his impromptu performances for both staff and students, he is also a seasoned musician with three albums to his credit.

David Geene

Advisor / David’s work at the York Region DSB includes school board music consultant, and French Immersion principal and music teacher. He also has worked with the Ontario Ministry of Education as Education Officer for Arts Curriculum. David and two of his schools enjoyed partnerships with Gregg as part of the award-winning Literacy Through Music: Character Education Songwriting program.

Francine Bouffard

Lead editor / A proud Franco-Ontarienne, Francine has over 25 years’ experience sharing both her love of language and her knowledge of la Francophonie as a Toronto CDSB French Immersion teacher. Francine is admired by colleagues and students alike for her contagious energy, boundless enthusiasm and attention to detail.

Dagmar Rathjen

Editor / Raised in a trilingual family in Hudson, Québec, Dagmar is fluent in French, English and German. Since graduating from University of Ottawa’s esteemed School of Translation and Interpretation, she has worked as an official government interpreter on Parliament Hill. In her spare time, Dagmar leads tours in all three languages in various countries.

LiveWire Remote Recorders Ltd.

Audio/technical consultants and production managers / With over 4,000 remote recordings since 1978, LiveWire is Canada’s premier live recording company. They have provided sound recording and mixes for the biggest bands and events in both North America and around the world. The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Coldplay, 50 Cent, Céline Dion, Harry Connick Jr., Alan Jackson, Ringo Starr, Gordon Lightfoot, Blue Rodeo, The Tragically Hip, Oscar Peterson, Leonard Cohen, Ozzie Osbourne, Joni Mitchell, Van Halen, the Juno Awards and the Olympics are just a few of the many artists and events who have benefited from their 18-wheeler mobile recording studio and experienced technicians to record TV specials, live albums, film scores, and sports and entertainment events.

Gregg LeRock

A graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Lettres françaises faculty, Gregg is an award-winning bilingual educator who has worked in collaboration with the education sector for the past 25 years. He started his education career in French Immersion with the Toronto District School Board. In his work as FSL Superstar Gregg LeRock, he has led curriculum-based, multi-school French programs for more than half a million elementary students across Canada, receiving critical acclaim from students, teachers and French consultants. He has received two Juno nominations for his French-language recordings and has written curriculum-based songs and materials for major publishers which are featured in textbooks used by hundreds of thousands of elementary FSL students across Canada.

In addition to teaching songwriting workshops and courses at elementary, high school, college and university levels, Gregg has led comprehensive, values-based songwriting projects for several school boards, co-writing songs with over 5,000 students, producing 20 full-length CDs and including over 250 schools. These collaborative projects engaged students in themes of integrity, equity, diversity, community, mental health and well-being. Gregg’s partnership with York Region middle school students led to the creation and recording of the title song for Hana’s Suitcase, CBC Sunday Edition producer Karen Levine’s story that makes the story of the Holocaust accessible to children. The book and song have helped teachers and parents around the world to speak with children about the importance of tolerance and respect. Gregg’s Literacy Through Music: Character Education Songwriting partnership with York Region DSB was awarded the Promising Practices Award by the Character Education Partnership, Washington, DC, and his Literacy and Values Through Music: The Future We Want program with Peel DSB garnered accolades from teachers, administrators, students and their families, and from the Ministry of Education, for its promotion of equity in public education.

Gregg has led workshops and written articles for numerous professional arts and education organizations, including the the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Modern Languages Teachers’ Association, Ontario Music Educators’ Association, Ontario Contact, Showcase Alberta, the Songwriters’ Association of Canada and Today’s Parent. He has served as a judge for the Juno Awards and was the featured performer for the Concours d’art oratoire, Canadian Parents for French’s national public speaking contest. Celebrated by CBC Radio as “the best songwriter you ‘never’ heard!,” Gregg has written topical songs for local and national radio programs, and created the Songs in the Key of Canada show which was featured nationally on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe for CBC’s Canada Day broadcasts. He performed an outdoor concert at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan to more than 10,000 Canadian and NATO troops with Blue Rodeo and Newfoundland’s Lori Anna Reid. Gregg’s collaborative charitable projects include the creation of the World Vision World Song project for Peel and Halton Region schools, leading the Stephen Lewis Foundation Voices for Africa project with York Region schools and working as musical director for Camp Trillium, a year-round camp for kids and families dealing with childhood cancer.