George Kourtis is the program coordinator for Health and Physical Education at the Toronto District School Board, and coordinator of additional qualification courses at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His passion for Health and Physical Education is reflected in his efforts to support teachers in their quest to advocate for and promote healthy active living and lifelong physical literacy. George is an active fitness instructor, circulating from classroom to classroom and working with outside sport teams.
Carter Livingstone is the curriculum leader of the Health and Physical Education Department at West Hill Collegiate Institute in Toronto. He has seven years of teaching experience in the Toronto District School Board, and has also taught additional qualification courses in health and physical education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has presented at numerous TDSB health and physical education professional development conferences. Carter played nine years of professional lacrosse in the National Lacrosse League and five years of CIS football.
Rob Cherepuschak is currently a physical education teacher at Thom Collegiate in Regina, Saskatchewan, after spending ten years at Martin Collegiate, where he played a large role in the implementation of several programs, including the Grade 9 Outdoor School and the Grade 12 Winter Residential Outdoor Experience. Rob is currently head coach of the Regina Red Sox of the Western Major Baseball League, and was the pitching coach for the Saskatchewan Selects (2001–2004) and the 2005 Canada Summer Games team. In recognition of Rob’s ability to serve as a positive role model epitomizing personal health and fitness, enjoyment of activity, sportsmanship, and sensitivity to the needs of his students, he was awarded the 2009 Physical Education Teaching Excellence Award for Saskatchewan.
Brent Adam is a physical educator of seventeen years, and a certified personal trainer. For the past four years, he has been teaching at Thom Collegiate in Regina, Saskatchewan. Brent has coached a variety of sports, including football, volleyball, basketball, track, hockey, and lacrosse. He received the Saskatchewan Physical Education Association Local Initiative Award in 2000, and the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association Outstanding Coach Award in 2004. Brent has also written the curriculum for a locally developed course called High Performance Training 20.
Rob Pacas has been teaching for over twenty years and is currently the curriculum leader of the Exceptional Athlete Program at Birchmount Park CI in Scarborough, Ontario. He has taught fitness and additional qualification classes at both the University of Toronto and York University and has instructed at numerous workshops promoting fitness concepts and styles throughout Ontario. Rob currently coaches football at Birchmount and is a trainer for a AAA Atom hockey team. He is the owner of Pro 1 Fit.com, a company that promotes and educates through a full complement of programs and products.
Jeff Weddig has been a teacher for fifteen years, with experience that includes time in Australia, New Zealand, and at a private military school. He is currently vice-principal at John F. Ross CVI in Guelph, Ontario. A former head of physical education and athletics at Erin District High School and one of the Upper Grand District School Board's physical and health education subject chairs, Jeff was and still is a strong advocate for PHE staff and students and a tireless promoter of the philosophy of Healthy Active Living for Life. While at Erin DHS, Jeff initiated and helped to build a strong Grade 9 camp and mentorship program, as well as many PHE curriculum and extracurricular sport support programs within the school and local community. Jeff has also been a member of the coaching community for close to twenty years in the sports of rugby, lacrosse, and wrestling.
Jenny Kierstead is founder of the award-winning Breathing Space Yoga Studio. She has become a visionary in the yoga movement throughout Eastern Canada, and received the prestigious Woman of Excellence Award in entrepreneurship and innovation in 2009. In addition to building a thriving franchise system of yoga studios, Jenny has been instrumental in implementing yoga in public schools, as she contributed to the development of the new Yoga 11 curriculum being taught throughout Atlantic Canada. Jenny has also co-designed a yoga for autism program and a special needs yoga program.