Saint John Paul II Academy Society
The Saint John Paul II Academy Society is an incorporated entity under the Societies Act of British Columbia in July 2020. It is the legal entity responsible for the day-to-day operation of the school. Its constitution and bylaws can be found at the links below. The Society is overseen by a board of directors and represents the authority for the school. The board is made up of parent representatives, wider school supporters and those appointed by the Archbishop of Vancouver.
The school operates using a president-principal model where the board vests in the position of the president the overall responsibility for the school as its chief executive. The principal is responsible for the delivery of the educational program and reports directly to the president.
The Saint John Paul II Academy Board of Directors are: Chairperson: Mr. Ben Sears; Board Members: Fr. Lawrence Donnelly, Mrs. Dallas Parsons, Mrs. Christiane Ahpin, Mr. James Borkowksi, Mr. Chris Formosa, Mrs. Jenae Kassam, Mr. Dan Moric, Mr. Jose Vargas, Mr. Troy Van Vliet.
Society’s Constitution and By-laws
Your Society Board of Directors
Ben Sears
Chair
Benjamin Sears is President of Morgan Creek Communications. He is a resident of South Surrey, a parishioner at Good Shepard Church, a 3rd degree Knight of Columbus, and a proud parent of a daughter at Star of the Sea Elementary School.
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Fr. Lawrence Donnelly
Board Member
Fr. Donnelly is pastor of Sts. Joachim and Ann parish in Aldergrove. He served with distinction as the Archbishop’s Representative on the Academy’s education committee (the precursor to the Society Board) and currently is on the board of Catholic independent School of Vancouver Archdiocese (CISVA). Fr. Donnelly is a graduate in music from UBC, classics from the University of Ottawa, and theology at the Pontifical Beda College in Rome.
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Jenae Kassam
Board Member
Jenae and her husband Salim have a daughter, Isabella, who is currently a grade 9 student at the Academy. Jenae and her family are parishioners at Star of the Sea parish in South Surrey. She is the co-owner and a consultant at Kadence Hospitality and Development Inc. where she leads the Retail Operations and Customer Experience practice. Her background encompasses Marketing, Retail, Event Production and Television Production. Previously Jenae owned and operated a retail clothing company. Her board responsibilities include assisting with school fundraising initiatives as well as marketing and communications.
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Dan Moric
Board Member
Has a passion for Catholic Education and brings over 30 years of experience as a leader and educator in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He recently retired from his position as Superintendent for the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese (CISVA); a position that he held from 2015-2018. Prior to this, he served 4 years as the Archbishop’s Delegate for Administration for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver (RCAV). Mr. Moric has held key educational and administrative roles in CISVA as Associate Superintendent, Principal, Vice-Principal, Department Head and Classroom Teacher. He has taught in three CISVA schools and is now keen to share in the growth and development of St. John Paul II Academy as a member of the Board of Directors. Mr. Moric and his family are active members of Holy Trinity Parish in North Vancouver
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Jose Vargas
Board Member
Jose has one daughter studying at the Academy who joined the school in grade 8 during the second year of operation of the school in September 2019. He and his family are members of Sacred Heart Parish in Ladner. Jose is a Director at OSI Maritime Systems in Burnaby, BC. In addition to his board responsibilities he also acts as a brand ambassador for the school at Sacred Heart parish.
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Troy Van Vliet
Board Member
A key catalyst for the establishment of the Academy, Troy Van Vliet is the principal and owner of Tavan Developments Limited, a builder of luxury homes in the lower mainland. His oldest daughter is a student at Saint John Paul II Academy and his youngest attends Star of the Sea Elementary School. Troy is chair of the board of Directors of the Saint John Paul II Academy Foundation and serves on the Society board in an ex-officio capacity.
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