Exchange Coordinators 2010-2011

Dennis Wikerd

For the past 30 years, Dennis Wikerd has been teaching primarily in the area of French language instruction, alongside his administrative responsibilities as Assistant Principal at Rockway. A committed francophile, Mr. Wikerd seeks to instill in his students a passion for French language and cultural learning. Having traveled extensively with student groups both in Canada and internationally, he values experiential learning as a bridge to cross-cultural understanding between Canadian and European societies.

Since 1997, Dennis Wikerd has given leadership to the French component of the exchange, which evolved out of relationships with colleagues established while studying at the University of Strasbourg, France.

Rosemarie Tossell

Rosemarie has been teaching science courses at Rockway on a part-time basis, since 2006.  She also teaches Grade 9 German to native speakers at Concordia German Language School on Saturday mornings.  She enjoys exposing students to new ideas and cultures and sharing the joy of traveling abroad.  Two summers ago she took her family back to Europe for a 4 week tour of Germany, Austria and Italy.  They put 5000 km on the rental car as they visited historic towns and villages.  They especially enjoyed seeing the differences in lifestyle and standard of living in the former DDR and Berlin, 20 years after the Fall of the Wall.

Rosemarie looks forward to returning to the Rhine Region and exploring Strasbourg and Paris with the students from Rockway.  It will be a chance to practice French and German with native speakers and enjoy the fine cheeses, breads and pastries, and study history and art in the field.