Jeremy Siemens

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Teacher

jsiemens@westgatemennonite.org

Jeremy was born and raised in Altona, MB, but has lived in Winnipeg for the better part of the last twenty years. After completing a BA in Communications in Media (Canadian Mennonite University), he spent a few years writing press releases, designing websites, and running ad campaigns. Eventually, he realized that his volunteer work with students (coaching basketball, leading service projects, etc.) was more life-giving than his office job and he headed to the University of Toronto to pursue his Bachelor of Education. Since joining Westgate in 2013, Jeremy has found himself in many types of classrooms. From basic French to Outdoor Education to Futures in Business, his early courses challenged him to be a jack of all trades. More recently, he has settled into his role teaching high school ELA/Social Studies and career counseling. He loves helping students make sense of the world around them, whether that involves discussing current events, unpacking complex novels, or sorting through post-secondary options. Living up to the educational cliché of being a lifelong learner, Jeremy has taken many opportunities to get back into the classroom. He earned his PBDE and M.Ed. from the University of Manitoba, publishing research on the effects of Education for Reconciliation on non-Indigenous students. In 2024, he was selected to participate in the Teachers Institute on Parliamentary Democracy in Ottawa, where he got to sit in the House of Commons, rub shoulders with Parliamentarians, and nerd out with other Social Studies teachers from across the country. Jeremy draws on this training in his volunteer work. He serves on the Education Impact Council with United Way Winnipeg and co-leads the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s Research Team. When he’s not busy with the things listed above, you can find Jeremy pacing the sidelines of a basketball game, reading a good book, or exploring the world on bike with his wife Katelin.