Mary O'Neill

Personal

  • Long-time Eagle Ridge resident and respected educator
  • Dedicated nearly four decades to supporting students, families and educators in School District 43 while remaining deeply engaged in community service and mentorship.

Community Service & Achievements

  • Currently serving as President of the Talitha Koum Society, while also volunteering as an educator, counsellor, stand-in grandmother, shopper, driver and “Mrs. Fix-It.”
  • Served School District 43 as a teacher, counsellor, vice-principal and principal, most recently at Dr. Charles Best Secondary
  • Holds a Master of Education in Counselling (UBC) and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Psychology (SFU)

    Certified Clinical Counsellor, Family Therapist and member of the National Association of School Psychologists

  • Crisis Response & Mental Health Leadership

  • Helped establish the District’s Critical Response Team and Crisis Response Handbook

  • Delivered suicide prevention training and led crisis response and debriefings throughout the region

  • Supported development of the District’s Teen Parent Program

  • Served as Head Teacher and Counsellor for Coquitlam Alternate Basic Education (CABE)

  • Founding contributor to the Tri-Cities’ first restorative justice initiative, now Communities Embracing Restorative Action (CERA)

  • Instructor at City University of Seattle (Vancouver Campus) from 2014 to 2020, supervising teachers—primarily from School District 43—completing their Master’s Degrees in Counselling.

Awards & Recognition

  • BC Achievement Community Award (2018)
  • Service on the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Pastoral Council
  • Service on St. Joseph’s Parish Council (Port Moody)
  • Member of the Education Committee at Archbishop Carney Regional Secondary School