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Our Team of Talents
Learning Facilitators
Alanna
Alanna is an experienced teacher specializing in literature and composition. While teaching, she was a National Speech and Debate Association coach that qualified a state team three years in a row as well as qualifying two students to the national competition. She has a bachelor’s in teaching from Indiana University in the United States. Currently, she is pursuing her Master’s in education policy and leadership. Her goal is to support students in becoming lifelong learners by creating engaging and responsive content. She plans lessons that encourage critical thinking and empower students to develop their own voices through writing and speaking.
Frances
Frances is a creative and technical writer, who holds a Master’s Degree in Arts (Creative Writing) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication (Journalism & Public Relations) . She has mentored youth for several years, and has experience assisting them with English education and life’s challenges. As a writer, she has published a number of articles reviewing film, TV and books for websites and pop culture conventions, and is constantly working on new creative projects that spark her interest. She is passionate about creating enthralling narratives with compelling characters, and loves seeing young people thrive in the arts. In her role at NPE, she hopes to help students express themselves and ignite a passion for reading and storytelling.
Cassie
Cassie is an experienced writer and artist, and professionally has worked a number of years as a creative workshop facilitator. Her favourite part of any creative pursuit is character creation and weaving intricate, rich fantasy worlds. She is both an avid reader and writer of stories, and is passionate about creative literature and the infinite possibilities that surround it. She loves working with young people in encouraging their imaginations to bloom, and in building their confidence in creative problem-solving within their stories. She believes strongly that learning should be fun and accessible for all, and enjoys employing versatile and educational creative methods when it comes to teaching. She hopes to foster the love of storytelling in young people and create a new generation of readers, writers and creators.
Chris
Chris is an Education Advisor with over 22 years educational experience, including management and coordination of mainstream and Special Education at local, regional, national and international level. Her experiences range from Head of Early childhood, primary teaching, middle and high school, Special Ed expert, Literacy Intervention Specialist and Teacher Mentor in Australia and overseas. Chris is passionate about making a positive and inspiring impact on children’s lives, assisting them to be the best they can be. She enjoys helping children become independent and self-confident learners. Chris teaches online Creative Literacy classes with our ES1 and S1 students.
Ana
Ana is a passionate scientist who always loves science investigation and planning new science experimental design. She has taught Science to primary, secondary, and undergraduate level both overseas and in Australia. Dr Ana finished her postdoc research project in the area of Chemistry and Biology at the Australian National University where she did her doctoral studies, specialised in Chemistry and Biology. Dr Ana strongly believes that kids learn Science by instinct because of their natural curiosity and persistence. "We must continue nurturing these skills with critical thinking, problem solving and cooperative attitude so they can thrive in the future. "
Alethea
Alethea is an avid lover of all things science and design, currently applying her knowledge in STEM towards completing her Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Inspired by her own hands-on experiences in the classroom, she is passionate about fostering the same creative and inquisitive problem-solving mindset in her students, experienced in teaching STEM classes as well as delivering some of NPE’s holiday programs! Alethea is passionate about running interactive design challenges that apply STEM concepts through a non-linear engineering design process, encouraging her students to test, reflect and reiterate their own ideas. Outside of this, she explores her interests in humanitarian engineering and human centred design as the Co-President of Engineers Without Borders UNSW, and volunteers to present EWB humanitarian workshops to primary and high school students.
Trinity
Trinity is a keen advocate for diversity and equity in STEAM education (science, technology, engineering, the arts and maths) and holds a Bachelor of Science in Science Communication from the Australian National University. As an aspiring science communicator, Trinity is passionate about current science and getting others inspired, excited and interested in it and aims to provide fun, engaging and meaningful STEAM learning opportunities to students in her role as a STEAM learning facilitator at NPE. She has experience as an academic mentor for university students, presenting science demonstrations at Questacon, conducting research for strategic communications for Australian Science Innovations and is currently working in a scholarship capacity developing materials for learning programs for CSIRO. Trinity also works as a communications officer at NPE, creating materials for NPE's website, social media and learning programs.
STEM Educational Consultant
Dr Anne Forbes
Anne Forbes (BSc, BEd, MScAgr, PhD) has a wide range of science-related experiences including being a Plant Pathology researcher, primary school science teacher, and currently, a university researcher and educator in primary school science education. She describes her role as 'finding effective ways to open doors to the world of science and STEM for young learners and their teachers'. A recent highlight was being part of the winning author team for the text STEM Education in the Primary School: A Teacher’s Toolkit that won the 2021 EPAA Award for 'Outstanding Tertiary/VET Resource'. She has just completed a companion publication titled Science Education in the Primary School: A Teacher's Toolkit, also published by Cambridge University Press. Anne has led and contributed to the development of a Coursera course for teachers to learn about Artificial Intelligence and has been invited to comment on international issues such as how to get more girls and young women into STEM.
Guest Speaker for Entrepreneurial Project
Nina Hooper
Nina Hooper, a graduate of Harvard and Stanford Universities, the founder of the Junior Entrepreneur Project. Nina is passionate about entrepreneur education and has experienced firsthand how these skills empower kids to reach their potential. When she was in the US she started up an entrepreneur education initiative and had delivered pitches in many schools. She loves developing kids essential skills through fun projects and has so much to give from her great experience in teaching in overseas and in Australia.
We encourage innovative and critical thinking in everything we do. We cultivate entrepreneurial mindset in our team as we believe it drives and motivates us to continue to improve, look for opportunities, solve problems and create values in the community!
Collaboration, teamwork and a growth mindset is the DNA of NPE's culture.
