Meet the team behind the International Program

We are a passionate team that takes our responsibility seriously. We provide the best possible service to ensure our students are both safe and well cared for.

Colleen Hannah

Director

Colleen has lived and learned in the Fraser Valley most of her life. She has taught elementary through to high school. Colleen started teaching in 1997 in Parksville and came to Mission Public Schools in 2004 where she has been both a school based and district Principal. Colleen is passionate about education and ensuring that International students achieve their academic potential, while living and learning in Mission. Interculturalization and globalization are a vital component of British Columbia's world class education system and increases all students success by honouring and promoting a positive diverse student population throughout our schools. She enjoys working with schools, students, staff and international agents and families on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and shared territories of the Stó:lō people, the Matheqwí, Sq’éwlets, Qwó:ltl’el, and Leq’á:mel First Nations.

Terri Szlovicsak

Homestay Coordinator

Terri has worked in the Mission Public School district since 2005, as an Educational Assistant and Homestay Coordinator. Terri has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work, with a child welfare specialization. As a Homestay Coordinator, she is the main support for our international students and host families, and is available to them 24/7. Terri also organizes monthly meetings with the students and coordinates activities and field trips. Her passion and dedication to our students is often recognized as a strong point of our program by our educational partners.

Yvonne Turner

Administrative Assistant

Yvonne has worked in the Mission Public School District since 2007 and we were lucky enough to have her join our team in 2009. She is our administrative assistant extraordinaire! Yvonne is the unsung hero of our program and handles everything from the first inquiry to departure, and everything in between. She keeps us all on our toes, everything running smoothly and is always one step ahead of us. Our tech savvy side kick not only does all the data entry for students, registration, agents, finance and school information, she is also always there to support everything in between. We are very grateful to have her as our always cheery team member.

Kim Hunter

Homestay Assistant

Kim has worked in the Mission Public School District since 2013 and joined our team in July 2016. Kim has enthusiastically jumped in to provide Homestay administrative support and much more! As the Homestay Assistant, Kim wears many hats, and does it with competency and passion. We are very fortunate to have Kim on our team. She does not think twice about going the extra mile for our students, anytime. From comforting an upset student, emergency moves, driving students home or planning events, Kim does it all with compassion and kindness. She generously helps us, to continue providing the unsurpassed personal care our program is known for. Always kind, caring and organized, Kim is a valued support to staff, students, agents and host families.