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A Monster in the Classroom

Michael Gregory was the most popular teacher at Calgary’s John Ware school—and a serial abuser who preyed on students for nearly 20 years. How did he fall through the cracks?

Pretty, popular and precocious, Kelly Schneider was an “it” girl at Calgary’s John Ware School, a junior high school in the city’s suburban southwest. As the only child of working parents, she was unusually independent for her age, eager for the adults in her life to see her as mature and capable. That desire for approval sometimes left her racked with self-doubt and anxiety, especially as she entered adolescence. “Big boobs, big eyes, blonde hair,” she recalls. “But I hated myself.”

By 1989, when she was 14, she had developed bulimia. That same year, too busy with her hectic social life to focus on her studies, she was held back to repeat Grade 8. The bright side? She’d redo the year with Mr. Gregory—or, as his colleagues thought of him, “Mr. Popularity.”

Michael Gregory wasn’t the kind of teacher kids avoided in the halls. Rather, they fell into his orbit. When Schneider joined his homeroom, Gregory was in his mid-20s. He had taught for just three years—math, science and outdoor education—but had already developed a cult of personality as a relatable role model who could speak to kids in their own language. He sported hoodies and shorts in class, and was notorious for his raunchy humour and outrageous behaviour, which Schneider experienced firsthand as his new teacher’s pet.

Gregory nicknamed Schneider “Canyon Meadows”—a double entendre playing on her well-developed body and Meadows, her surname at the time. His attention wasn’t just verbal, either. During one volleyball practice, she says, Gregory and a gym teacher carried her to the showers and drenched her, fully clothed. Another time, she says, he tossed a bikini top at her during an exam and teased her: “Next time you’re at my house, pick up after yourself.” She was embarrassed and confused—at that point, she hadn’t been to his house—but she was proud to think he might see her as more woman than girl. The confusion drew her closer to him, as she focused on earning his attention and avoiding his disappointment. With the benefit of 33 years of hindsight, Schneider now believes her poor self-esteem and rebellious spirit made her an easy mark for his advances—including, soon enough, inappropriate touching.

At first it was a hand on her shoulder in the halls, then a tender tap on her back while she cleaned chalkboards, and eventually a stroke of her leg as she sat in his truck, making runs to Mountain Equipment Co-op to buy supplies for his outdoor-education program.

Gregory lived in Haysboro, a neighbourhood not far from John Ware School. Because he kept outdoor-ed equipment at home, he had an excuse to bring students there, including Schneider...

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