Jill Meraw
Counsellor (Grade 10)
In 1996, my husband and I made the move from Dalhousie, NB to Red Deer, AB. It was an incredibly difficult decision to leave our families and make the move across Canada but it is a decision in which I have had no regrets. I truly love the Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division and I feel honoured to be a part of this wonderful community.
For close to 10 years, I had the privilege to teach Physical Education at Ecole Secondaire Notre Dame High School. Sports are a true passion of mine so having the opportunity to teach something so close to my heart was a dream job!
In 2004, I was asked to step into a counselling role and it was during that time that my passion for counselling was ignited. Since then, I have immersed myself in training sessions, certification courses and workshops, and a master's degree in counselling psychology. For the past 9 years I have been a counsellor at St. Patrick's Community School in Red Deer. At the end of January, 2014, I made the tough decision to leave St. Patrick's and move back to the high school as a guidance counsellor. It has always been a dream of mine to get back to Notre Dame and I am excited for the new challenges that lie before me!
I am married to Ken Meraw who is a vice principal at Mother Teresa school in Sylvan Lake. We have three wonderful children; Eric, Caleigh and Emma. Oh, a dog Buddha and a cat, Ozzie!
I love to read, play sports, go for walks or hikes, watch my kids play sports, and spend time with my family and friends.
I have been blessed to travel and meet wonderful people over the years. Some favorite memories would include travelling to Europe with some good friends for a school trip, playing field hockey in Bermuda, fulfilling a life-long dream of going to the Olympics in Vancouver with my good friend Robyn, Disneyland with my family and most recently going to LA with good friends to see TWO live tapings of my favorite talk show host....Ellen Degeneres!
Education, Courses and Certification
- BSc Physcial Education (1993)- St. Francis Xavier University
- Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology (2010)- Yorkville University
- Threat Assessment Level I and II
- Threat Assessment Trainer (2012)
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention Training
- Mental Health First Aid
- Roots of Empathy Instructor
- Non-violent Crisis Intervention Certificate
- ATA Guidance Council- Murray Jampolsky Memorial Award for Outstanding Practicing School Counsellor (2010)
- ATA Teacher Excellence Semi-Finalist (2012)