Canadian
Accredited
Independent
Schools

Jo-Anne Kingstone started her career in independent schools over thirty-five years ago as a teaching intern at Ridley College in St. Catharines, Ontario. In the years between that first year and today, she has dedicated herself to education, and to the ideals and practicalities of living, working and leading in communities such as those created by independent schools.

 

Her own leadership journey started at The Webb Schools in California, where she was the Director of Residential Life and the Associate Dean of the girls school. From there, a return to Canada brought her to BC where she spent 10 years as Deputy Head at Shawnigan Lake School and then Deputy Head at Crofton House School. From Crofton, Jo-Anne assumed the Headship of Aspengrove School, a K-12 IB Continuum school on Vancouver Island. During her time at Aspengrove, the school saw the completion of a new strategic plan which included the design and construction of its first permanent building, an Athletic and Activity Centre, and an outdoor experiential learning lab.

 

Jo-Anne was a member of The Association of Boarding Schools Board (TABS) and served on their teaching faculty, working with schools and boarding school professionals from across the US and Canada in the development of best practices in boarding school education.

 

Currently, Jo-Anne volunteers on two boards: the Lake Trail Community Education Society Board (a non-profit board that governs a community middle school) and The Independent Schools Association of British Columbia (ISABC). With over 25 years of experience in accreditation, Jo-Anne enjoys her role as a Peer Review Facilitator for CAIS schools. She is also a member of the CAIS Services team.

 

Jo-Anne's school leadership journey has built her expertise in many areas: operations and program design, whole school functions and change management, strategic understanding, design and facilitation, team and leadership development, governance and community engagement. This broad range of experience informs Jo-Anne's current work as a coach and facilitator for leaders, teams, and schools seeking to build their capacity and advance their strategic objectives. She is a founding partner with Elarton Point Strategies.

 

Aside from her daily routine of running forest trails, drinking good coffee, and spending time with her family, Jo-Anne continues to dedicate herself to school communities, school leaders and the young people at the centre of their good work.