Chris began his relationship with SMUS as a boarder in the old Harvey House in the early 1990s. A few years after graduating, he returned as a Junior Houseparent and taught some art classes while studying at UVic. In 2005, he left to teach at—and later was Head of—a cutting edge environmental, experiential school on Eleuthera Island, in The Bahamas.
Chris believes visual communication is increasingly important with the rise of digital media and the Internet, and that art provides students a creative outlet that greatly differs from their core studies. Art is a growing post-secondary option that has viable career paths and Chris emphasizes this in his classes. Teaching creativity is essential if we are to have young people who are able to identify and solve the increasingly complex world they are inheriting.
“Art class has always been ahead of the curve,” he says. “It is experiential learning and differentiated to suit each student’s needs and pace. I love that once a project is in full swing I am bouncing around the room like a ping-pong ball, moving from one student who is just discovering and grasping the basic elements of art to another who must be challenged in new ways.”
His own artistic interests include drawing, painting, illustration, photography, graphic design and video editing. He also plays the guitar.
