The Journey Begins

Welcome To Winslow!

Our Houseparents are excited to welcome you to Winslow house this year. Here is a little bit about us.

Meet the Team

Mrs. Riley Doland (she/her)

Mrs. Doland and her husband Brady (Mr. Doland) and their four year old daughter, Kaya, and 1.5 year old son, Levi, live on the first and second floor of Winslow House. It is Mrs. Doland’s 11th year in boarding and first year as the Winslow Senior House Parent. Born and raised in Calgary, moved to Victoria in 2010 to complete her Varsity Track and Field career and begin the adventure of becoming a teacher. Mrs. Doland spent her first year teaching a family with four children as they travelled all over Europe, before settling into her career as a Grade 6 Math and Science Teacher at the SMUS Middle School.  Her husband, Mr. Doland, teaches P.E. at the Senior School, and fun fact, they are Middle School sweet hearts! They both have a love for travel and look forward to adventuring the world once the pandemic is over. 

Ms. Gaby Emmett (she/her)

Ms. Emmett has been in boarding since 2017 and lives on the third floor of Winslow with her partner Mr. McCloskey, and their dog, Tsuga, as the Senior Assistant Houseparent. Ms. Emmett was born and raised in Victoria, BC, the traditional territories of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Esquimalt) and W̱SÁNEĆ People, and loves spending time outside, camping, kayaking, hiking and doing yoga. She has a degree in Child and Youth Care and is currently completing her Masters in Counselling Psychology. She has spent many years working with children, youth and families doing therapeutic adventure, adaptive recreation and counselling. In addition to her role as Senior Assistant in boarding she also works as the counsellor at the SMUS Junior School. She loves to travel, and her adventures have taken her to Australia, France, Mexico, Costa Rica and the United States, with many more countries on her list of places to explore. Her partner, Mr. McCloskey, is a Science Teacher at the Middle School and has worked in boarding since 2013.

Ms. Katie Marti (she/her)

Katie Marti has been at SMUS since 2016 and currently teaches Grade 8 Humanities at the Middle School. She is originally from New Brunswick, but has lived and worked all across Canada – from guiding dog sled trips in Algonquin Park, Ontario, and facilitating heliski trips in the mountains of Revelstoke, BC, to working as a chef in an off-grid wilderness lodge way up in the Yukon. She loves all sorts of outdoor adventure, but some of her other passions include playing music, writing poetry, and hanging out with her enormous cat, Ted.

Ms. Melissa McGrath (she/her)

​​Ms. McGrath was raised in Nelson BC, arguably one of the most beautiful cities in Canada where she learned her love for nature and the outdoors.  Growing up she enjoyed anything to do with sports and excelled in ski racing at a national level.  She is the mother of a 23 year old son who she enjoys doing all sorts of fitness with.  Ms. McGrath worked in the public school system for 18 years as an Educational Assistant and as a house parent to international students.  In her spare time she loves traveling, hiking, water skiing, soccer, cooking and spending time with friends and family.

Ms. Meg Hollingworth (she/her)

Ms. Meg Hollingworth is so excited to be part of the Winslow House team as a House Parent again this year. This is her second year working in boarding at SMUS, but she has enjoyed working in other boarding experiences and with youth of all ages for the past 17 years. 

Having grown up north of Toronto, ON, Ms. Hollingworth loves the unique adventures the Island offers. She has danced forever and has enjoyed camp for as long as she can remember. One of her first jobs was as a camp counsellor at St. Andrew’s College, a  “rival” CAIS School in Aurora, ON. She went to Western University for her undergraduate degree in Psychology, as well as her Education and Masters Degrees. She loved living in London, ON and feels some similarities between the familial small city vibe of London and Victoria.

Ms. Hollingworth is a performer at heart and has danced since she was 4 years old. She even took a year off to dance on a cruise ship! On top of her job teaching Gr. 8 and working in Learning Resources, she teaches YOGA and loves to share that with the House and through the yoga co-curricular here at SMUS.

Finally, this summer Ms. Hollingworth married Barnacle House Parent, Mr. Bryant Hollingworth…she is now also sister to Mr. Tom Hollingworth and Director Keith Driscoll!

She cannot wait to support you through your year and is looking forward to all the connection time and activities.

Ms. Morgan Ambrose (she/her)
Ms. Ambrose hails originally from Treaty 7 Territory in Southern Alberta, home of the Blackfoot Confederacy, TsuuT’ina, and Stoney Nakoda First Nations. She loves being outside and has spent the last 15 years working as an educator and guide in the Rocky Mountains and along the coast of Vancouver Island. Her longest and most interesting work has been with a wilderness-based, youth residential addiction treatment center. She’s stoked to have been recently certified as a guide with the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides.
Ms. Ambrose has been moving around for the past number of years and, as a recent arrival to Victoria, is looking forward to settling in and attempting to learn how to sail. She also loves to dance, read, and have conversations with people about anything they are interested in! She has recently graduated with an MA in Conflict Analysis and Management and is building a career as a family mediator. 
She lives with her dog, Fin, and her partner, Mr. Lyster, who is working as a houseparent at Barnacle House. The three of them can be found exploring outside in rain or shine. Ms. Ambrose feels incredibly fortunate to have been warmly welcomed into such a generous community at SMUS and can’t wait to spend time with Winslow folks!