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“An integrative education is lived and felt. It thrives on a mandate to educate children from the inside out, with an eye on their future and a healthier future for our world. This mandate does not neglect the need for academic achievement. To the contrary! An Integrative Education immerses academics in a relevant and timely context and gives them a purpose for being.”

– Marie Lardino

The founder and director of VIS holds a B.A. (UofT), a B.Ed. (York U), and M.Ed. (OISE/UT) in curriculum with a focus on Holistic Education. She began her Doctor of Education candidacy in 2012 at the University of Liverpool, UK, eventually returning her focus to her practical work at VIS.

Marie began her career in education as a teacher at the Toronto District School Board, where she taught for eleven years prior to founding VIS. She also holds qualifications in all Primary, Junior and Intermediate divisions with additional Principal’s  Qualifications (P1) from OISE/UT.

Marie has conducted workshops for teachers in the U.S. and Canada with the aim of helping them establish peaceful school environments. She served as an Adjunct Professor at York University’s Faculty of Education for several years, and has given seminars at many faculties of education on Integrative and Holistic Education. She developed guidelines on the topic of conflict resolution for the Toronto District School Board, and has published curriculum on children’s rights and other materials on educational topics for Primary Voices K-6 (1990-1994), UNICEF (1995), and for the Institute of Global Education at OISE/UT (1992-2000). In addition, Marie was a board member for the Children’s Own Media Museum (COMM), and served as a Liaison Administrator for the Faculty of Education/Master of Teaching program at OISE/UT.

As of September 2017, Marie stepped down from her role as principal of VIS, which she held for 17 years. She continues to pursue her passion for painting throughout Europe.

More recently, Ms. Lardino’s passion for painting realism and the remarkable impact of her life’s work were highlighted in the following article: https://www.cortonainternational.com/news/leggi/424/CORTONA-PROFILES—NO-5 Please take a look at what our Founder/Director is up to right now.

“The Integrative School” and other articles written by Marie Lardino can be found on her blog, ThePave: “A Discussion About Bullying”.