Shad Laurier
Program Director
Joe Monks
Instructor and Outreach Coordinator, Faculty of Education
Joe (he/him) is an experienced educator and administrator with a lifelong interest in the STEM disciplines. He holds a Bachelor’s of Education in Math and PE from the University of Exeter in England and a Masters of Education from the University of New England in Australia. He has over 20 years of experience teaching and leading in schools and organizations in the UK, Bahrain, Malaysia, Japan, and most recently, the Czech Republic.
During his time in the Czech Republic, he served as the First Tech Challenge (FTC) Robotics partner for the Central and Eastern European Region. At Laurier, Joe serves in the Faculty of Education as the project manager of the ‘STEMovation’ and ‘Mission on the Moon’ projects. Both initiatives aim to provide in-community STEM experiences for children and youth from groups under-represented in STEM education and careers.
Joe is an enthusiastic triathlete who has represented Great Britain in long distance triathlon. His passion for cycling allows him to explore the country roads and gravel trails of the Waterloo region. He is a volunteer bike mechanic at ‘Recycle Cycles’ community bike shop in Kitchener.
Meghan Bellamy
Upper School Teacher at St. John’s-Kilmarnock School
Meghan (she/her) arrived at teaching a bit later in life than most, but prior to that spent years working with young people in various capacities, such as tutoring, summer camps, and After School Care, and enjoyed these experiences immensely. So, when the opportunity arose to be a part of Shad Laurier for Summer 2025, a program that she had only heard great things about, the choice was easy. She is looking forward to learning alongside the students while engaging in the broad variety of enriching experiences, and helping support them in getting the most out of their time at Shad.
Meghan graduated from Laurier with a BSc in Honours Psychology, having switched majors after 2 years in the Biology program. She then moved to Victoria, BC, where she earned her BEd and MEd at the University of Victoria, as well as gaining a wealth of experience in hiking, camping, playing ice hockey, rock climbing, and kayaking. In her current role as an Upper School teacher, she has taught subjects ranging from Health and Physical Education to Civics to World Studies to Theory of Knowledge, as well as coaching a multitude of sports and supervising the Model UN club and the strings ensemble.
Along with the aforementioned activities, Meghan enjoys walking her beloved dog, reading, and playing various musical instruments. Travel is also an important part of her life, and among the countries she has visited are Uganda and Mexico to help build houses for families in need, as well as England to visit family, and France and Spain to hike and explore.
