Lara Nestman joined the CGCS community in 2022.  Lara’s main interests in education are the social-emotional development of students, how students learn better academically when their social-emotional needs are met, and how relationships and support interventions impact learning. Lara obtained her Bachelor of Arts at the University of King’s College and a Bachelor of Education from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Years later, Lara received a Masters of Education in Human Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University, followed by a Master of Counseling in school counseling psychology from the University of Calgary. After teaching middle and high school French immersion, French as a second language, social studies and psychology with the Calgary Board of Education, Halifax Regional School Board, and Kelowna School District #23, Ms. Lara spent eight years at a Calgary charter school as a school counsellor for students with complex academic and social-emotional learning needs. In her downtime, Ms. Lara can often be found cross country skiing at her cabin in BC, spending time on the East Coast with her extended family, walking the family dog, strength training, and reading a good book.