Sarah Belyamani is a 15-year-old student at Laurel Heights Public School. She was born in Calgary, Alberta, and from a young age was drawn to creativity and storytelling. Sarah loves making up stories because they allow self-expression and help turn emotions and big ideas into something others can connect with. She is inspired by books, music, guided meditation, nature, and personal experiences. Sarah especially enjoys writing romance and action, as it lets her explore experiences she could never live in real life. She has worked on a major creative project involving many characters and often includes redemption arcs in her writing. She has also helped direct a small part of a school production, completed art commissions, and done some voice acting, which helped her gain inspiration, experience different perspectives, and develop her storytelling skills. Currently, Sarah continues her creative journey. Outside of writing, she enjoys playing video games, going on walks, and spending time with her Maine Coon cat, Ozzy. She is passionate about change and hopes to become a psychiatrist to help people find their happy ending. Overall, Sarah believes stories can help us, whether we experience them or create them.

My name is Fiona and I am a grade 12 student who will be pursuing a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in English next year. I enjoy reading and crocheting in my spare time as well as watching shows and movies. A few of my favourite books include Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, The Six of Crows and The Great Gatsby. Some of my favourite shows and movies are The Office, The Lord of the Rings and Just Go With It. Until this year I was also a competitive dancer in several styles, namely ballet. As well as being a fun hobby and pastime, dance allowed me to experiment with a variety of ways through which to tell stories. I’ve been writing short stories since I was younger and started writing a novel in my Writer’s Craft class earlier this year. I’m looking forward to continuing to improve my writing and collaborating with other storytellers.

Madelynn Coutts is a grade ten student in Kitchener. She grew up switching between Kitchener and a small hobby farm in Waterdown. Her love for storytelling was first inspired by the nature in Waterdown, and has continued to grow throughout the years. Currently Madelynn is writing a political fantasy novel with themes of revenge and self assurance. When she needs a break for that, Madelynn delves into extensive worldbuilding that will probably never make it onto the page. Her favorite place to write is on the back deck of her family’s cottage, overlooking the river. To hone her craft, Madelynn attends a weekly workshop for creative writing with a published author at Centauri Arts. When Madelynn is not writing, she is buying more books for her collection. Madelynn’s dream is to publish her first novel before finishing University, and to one day become a mentor to other young writers.

Ben McBride is a 17 year-old artist from Kitchener who’s been making comics and art since the first grade. He’s stayed dedicated to writing grand fantasy stories that let his endless well of ideas shine. He’s worked in many mediums over the years, taking up anything that lets him turn thoughts and stories into colors and composition. Going by the online alias “Runost”, Ben is working on developing his digital art portfolio and turning piles of ideas into new stories. When he’s not creating art, Ben spends his spare time attending local performances and working on his long-distance runs.

James is someone who loves stories. This means stories of any kind; he thinks all stories are valuable and he does his best to put stories out there. He has been creating stories for his whole life. Dating back to when he was eight years old and made a comic book series. Typically in his more recent days, he’ll stick to writing short stories but he is also extremely involved in drama. He loves to write plays; he also loves to act for theatre. He is currently working on the school production at his high school as well as writing many short stories to come. The work he is most proud of is called: My Black Tie; it’s a short story about dealing with grief and trauma which he can connect to very strongly. Another thing about James is that he loves sports. His favourite is Baseball but he also loves to dabble in American Football and Rugby. Mainly he watches/writes: mysterious and wacky things. His favourite genres are: Horror/Thriller, Mystery and Coming of Age. His favourite films are: Fight Club (1999), Midsommar (2019), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012). But he would love to consume any and all stories!!

My name is Katherine, which means pure. I love to write, that’s for sure. I write in French and English too. Many are additions to old stories and many more are new With my pen I weave tales of adventure and bravery. Each stroke breaks the bounds of literature and creativity. But why stop there when there’s still so much to share? Story doesn’t have to be carved in stone. It can be captured on film to give it a whole new tone. As ideas for documentary or comedy fill my mind I bring them to life without wasting any time. With others I’ll shine a light on books made inaccessible. We hope to share our creation at the Charlie Film Festival. As you can clearly see it’s story that calls to me. Whether through animations, comics, or cinematography. It’s that last one – cinematography that I find so cool. I’m even taking a course for it at Vancouver Film School. There is where my future lies. Crafting films that gift viewers with surprise. Surprised by the beauty in every life. Even through the rollercoaster of happiness and strife. So that’s a glimpse of me and my passion. I can’t wait to create in so many more fashions.

Polina Saltevsky is a Grade 10 student at Laurel Heights S.S., and she has loved storytelling for as long as she can remember. She wrote her first book at ten years old, which sparked her interest in using stories to express emotions and experiences. Since then, writing has become something she turns to whenever she needs to think things through or better understand her  feelings. After moving to Canada, writing became even more meaningful to Polina. It gave her a space to process change, express emotions, and hold onto parts of herself while adjusting to something new. In 2024, she joined the WRDSB Student Media Team as a writer. Polina has also written a full theatrical script for a stage play and works in stage management for her school’s theatre productions. Being involved in theatre has shown her how much care and teamwork go into bringing a story to life. She is especially drawn to character-driven and coming-of-age stories and is always working on bringing new stories to life.

Pat the Dog Youth is facilitated by Amy Neufeld. Amy is an award-winning theatre educator with over 25 years experience teaching youth. She has written for CBC’s The Irrelevant Show, and is a TYA playwright. Her play Witches in the Woods received a professional production at Femme Folks Fest in 2023 and at the Tamarack Festival in 2024. After studying acting and musical theatre and spending several years working as a professional actor, Amy went on to co-found Lightning Banjo Productions where she serves as Artistic Director. She is pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC, performs comedy, and runs the local humour writing group Punch Up. And yes, she wants to see a picture of your pet.

Sam Mercury is the assistant facilitator of the Pat the Dog Youth. Having grown up in Kitchener, she is excited to share her passion for storytelling with the next generation of creators in the Waterloo Region. After graduating from the University of Waterloo’s Theatre and Performance program in 2018, Sam has lent her acting talents to shows such as The Vagina Monologues (Green Light Arts), You Can Do It Put Your Mask Into It (Potato Potato-Toronto Fringe), Play This: Street (Tottering Biped Theatre), and we could be (Green Light Arts). Her first original full-length play mixed(er) is set to have its world premiere in September 2026.