The High Performing Educator now has over 230 featured interviews and articles with educators all around the globe! Thank you for being a part of this community as a listener or a guest. Have an amazing summer break and we'll see you in September! ------- Sam Demma is a 22-year-old sought-after youth speaker, mentor, and entrepreneur who provides people with the tools and strategies they need to become changemakers in their schools, businesses, teams, and in the lives of those around them.  His programs help people realize the impact of their seemingly insignificant everyday small actions. Yearly, Sam speaks to 30,000+ students, educators, and parents across North America.  His work is featured in national news stations like Breakfast Television, Global News, CTV and shared by Ashton Kutcher.  His youtube videos have been viewed over 100,000 times and are screened in schools across the globe. Sam is also the Founder of The High Performing Student. This career program teaches students how to create a vision, set goals, develop organizational skills, improve public speaking, and ultimately prepare them for their future. Along with this program, Sam hosts the High Performing Student Podcast.  This show has 200+ episodes, 50,000 downloads and over 110 reviews.  Past guests include Dr. Ivan Joseph, Jairek Robbins, Thomas Frank, Hannah Alper, and many more. At the age of 17, he cofounded Pickwaste, a social enterprise that teaches students about the importance of volunteerism and servant leadership.  The organization has completed over 300 community litter cleanups, filling nearly 3000 bags of trash and providing students with close to 6000 volunteer hours.   Past speaking clients include: The Taco Bell Foundation The California Guard Canadian Student Leadership Associaton Canadian Cancer Society Business Professionals of America And over 150 schools and organizations. You can download his speaking brochure by clicking here ✎ EditSign .     Some awards and designations include: Top 35 under 35 Global Changemaker Top 25 under 25 Environmentalist The youngest board member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers   When Sam is not travelling or speaking, you can find Sam in a dojo doing Japanese Ju-Jitsu, dancing the bachata, or spending time in his backyard reading. Sam Demma on Instagram Sam Demma on Twitter Sam Demma on Facebook Sam Demma on YouTube Sam Demma on Linkedin Sam Demma on TEDx

Jim (@riederj) leads the flagship Institute program at West Island College. providing students with academic focused experiential opportunities focused on future careers opportunities in Business, Engineering, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, and International Languages and Culture.  Jim is always looking to partner with professional organization who will share their stories and provide opportunities for his students as they develop their passion for future university and career paths.  Jim has had a dual career in Education and in the Software industry.  Jim started his career in education and education administration, becoming a Vice-Principal at 27 years of age.    After a 7 year stint as a school leader, Jim left education to pursue a career with a software startup that grew, went through a series of acquisitions and went public.     Jim eventually became a sale director who looked after sales teams and a reseller channel that extended across North America and the globe.  About 6 years ago Jim returned to his educational roots and started working at West Island College, leading the Admissions team, and eventually transitioning to his current role as the Head of the Institute program.   Jim has been married for 27 years and has two grown children who are pursuing their own careers in Business and Biotechnology.  Jim’s enjoys hockey, golf, travel, backpacking and just being with people. Connect with Jim: Email | Instagram | Linkedin | Twitter ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Tara Connor is the Principal of Abbey Park High School in the Halton District School Board. She spent her upbringing following her passions of music, but her love for teaching and youth guided her toward a journey working in education. She spends her time thinking about how we can improve, not just as individuals but as schools and a system.  Tara holds both a master's and doctorate, has lectured in Universities and has an obsession with helping youth. She believes students don't have to have it all figured out and advocates that students/educators follow their nudges and passions.  ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Reg Lavergne is the Superintendent of Instruction for Southeast schools and for the Ottawa-Carleton Virtual Secondary School (OCVSS). Reg supports innovative and alternative approaches to Student Success and Adolescent Learning within this role. For 23 years, Reg has served students in Kindergarten to Grade 12 in rural, urban, large, small, adaptive, and community schools as a teacher, department head, Vice-Principal and Principal. He has also served as the System Principal of Student Success and Innovation and Adolescent Learning. Currently, Reg is working on an Educational Doctorate degree focused on increasing student voice and identity in student learning experiences. He is also designing and implementing the Authentic Student Learning Experience framework to embed student voice and is working with SSTs to build a model for Student Success for students in grades 7 and 8, and grades 9-12. At the OCDSB, Reg has greatly enjoyed working with teachers to build and implement learning models and approaches that help students see their own genius. ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Steph is an engagement, education, and technology expert. She is constantly working to unlearn mindsets which result in inequities for Indigenous, Black, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+ students and colleagues. She has coordinated the OCSB elearning program for 4.5 years and assists teachers working to leverage technology from kindergarten to grade 12. She has presented at various conferences across Canada demonstrating how digital tools can be used for differentiation, deepen understanding and to promote activism for social justice. She has contributed to several Ontario elearning writing projects such as Canadian Families (2017) and the Catholic Virtual Ontario's Canadian History courses (2022). As she returns to the classroom in September 2022, she looks forward to applying equitable and responsive strategies to engage students from grade 9 - 12 in History, Geography and Social Sciences. She has experience in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program, the New South Wales (Australia) Board of Studies Curriculum, and taught in Glasgow, Scotland. She can be found most days enjoying a grilled cheese sandwich, planning her next trip abroad and would like to say, "pspsps" to your cat. Email her at: [email protected] ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Jacqueline is entering her 35th year as a learner and is on a quest for more! Having taught in three Ontario boards as well as at the Faculty of Education at the University of Toronto, she has also co-authored several textbooks and articles for educational journals. In Halton, Jacqueline has been a school administrator at Lord Elgin High School (now known as Robert Bateman HS), TA Blakelock, Iroquois Ridge, Nelson and was the founding principal at Dr Frank J. Hayden SS. As Superintendent of Education for the schools in Milton, Continuing Education, and the portfolio of Innovation and Ingenuity, Jacqueline provides the fuel to The Shift team. She believes that no one should have to “play the game of school” and wants to create the conditions that allow students and staff to be more excited for Monday mornings than they are for Friday afternoons. She provides TOTAL support mixed with the spirit of saying “Yes, and...” to help push the edges of the school sandbox to awesome places. As we are in the depths of solving the wicked challenges of COVID, it is exciting times as we are never going “BACK” to the 150 year old model of schooling ... we are moving FORWARD and imagining what school could be .... Are you ready to TRY, FAIL, LEARN & SHIFT? ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Josh Windosr is the Principal at Grand River Collegiate in Kitchener, Ontario. He has worked in numerous sectors including social services, business and marketing and for the past 22 years as an Educator. Josh began his teaching careers in Health and Physical Education and Special Education but has taught Math, History, Geography, Science, was a Department Head of Special Education and a consultant responsible for professional development and a district elearning program.   Josh was a Vice-Principal at 3 high schools in the Waterloo Region before becoming the Principal at Grand River. In addition, Josh has been a long time coach in various sports in the community, at secondary schools and at the University level where he has been the head Men's rugby coach at both Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Waterloo.   As a leader, Josh believes that growth mindset and self determination theory are the key components to school improvement and fostering innovative teaching practices that support student learning.   ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Curtis is an award-winning author, keynote speaker, STEM and hip-hop teacher, social entrepreneur, and the founder of Source Code Academy Canada — Canada’s first culture-focused innovation and entrepreneurship academy preparing children and youth for the future of work. Curtis is the critically acclaimed author and mobile app developer for the World’s First Augmented Reality Memoir, Butterflies in the Trenches. As a self taught computer programmer, Curtis built "BITT Smart Book App", the mobile app that brings his memoir to life. By holding the device over photos throughout the book, readers use the app to unlock hidden audio and visual content. Curtis' guiding mission of No Child Left Behind ™ provides students, educators, and organizations with tools and actionable strategies to identify their passion, find purpose, and use their gifts to make a difference in their lives, schools, businesses, and communities.   For Curtis, this journey all began with a bicycle. After sacrificing a professional football career, Curtis led a cross-Canada cycling tour called "Ride for Promise" and fundraised $100,000 in 60 days for Toronto Community Housing after-school programs. He was featured in the award-winning documentary, Ride for Promise. Curtis' journey has been covered by CBC, CP24, Global News, Breakfast Television, CityNews, CTV, Your Morning Show, and TED. In his spare time, he is a Team Canada Duathlete for the 2021 Multi-sport World Championships. Curtis grew up in Scarborough, Ontario, where he still works. He has dedicated his life to advocating for Black and racialized youth in low- income communities across Toronto, Canada, and globally. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Physical and Health Education from Queen’s University and a BEd in STEM education from Ontario Tech University. Curtis has been the recipient of numerous awards including USPORTS National Russ Jackson, 2021 Best Indie Book Award Winner for Inspirational Non-Fiction, Herbert H. Carnegie National Citizenship, City of Toronto Spirit of Sport Diversity and Inclusion, and the City of Toronto Hall of Honour inductee. Curtis believes with conviction that each and every person is gifted, it is just a matter of having the right platform and opportunities to unwrap and use these gifts.  ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Written directly from Jeannie: Originally thought about Communications. Had the opportunity to be on local radio as a teenager and I really liked the experience. One of my best friends was killed in a car accident a week before graduating high school and this experience changed my life. Following the devastation of this experience, I knew that I wanted to help other people but truly did not know how….. Changed my direction to a degree in psychology and thought about pursuing a Ph.D. to help young people process grief and loss.  I had classes at Ottawa U from Monday to Thursday and would often travel home from Friday to Sunday to spend time with my family. On one of my trips home, I ran into my grade 6 teacher, Mrs. Yolkowskie. She encouraged me to come volunteer with her on days when I did not have class. I said I would call her and did. I began volunteering at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School every Friday in Mrs. Yolkowskie’s special education class. I loved the experience. It was in this classroom that my dream of becoming an educator was born.  I finished my BA in Psychology and applied to Faculties of Education at Ottawa University and Queen’s. Between finishing my BA and starting my BEd, I married my husband (now 29 years). I chose Ottawa U because of its close proximity to home. I travelled back and forth that year to finish my BEd.  When I finished my BEd. there were few jobs. This was a time when few positions existed in the province so I supplied for a year until I received a contract with the Renfrew County Catholic District School Board. I worked in a rural school community and in a larger school until I became a principal at the age of 31. I worked in Renfrew Catholic for 22 years before making a family decision to transfer to Ottawa Catholic where I worked as a principal for four and a half years. Working in a rural board and large urban board was a wonderful experience.  Throughout my career I have been inspired by so many educators,family and friends. Perhaps my biggest influence is my Aunt Jean. Was hired as a Superintendent with PVNCCDSB in December of 2020. Had the portfolio of Faith, Equity, Indigenous Education and Secondary Program from January 2021-February 2022. Have since moved into the portfolio of Special Education Services, Faith/Equity and still supporting Indigenous Education until the end of the year. For me, advocating for, supporting & empowering students is what I try to do each and every day along with continuing to learn and grow. When we stop learning, we stop living. Two quotes that resonate with me are:  “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” Steve Jobs “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” Eckhart Tolle ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com

Kathleen Moro (@MrsKathleenMoro), is the Principal at Corpus Christi Catholic Secondary School in Burlington, Ontario.  She has worked with the Halton Catholic District School Board for over 30 years in both elementary and secondary roles, including Special Education.  Kathleen believes in student-centred decision-making and working with a collaborative team to ensure that students are supported throughout their academic journey.  With an inquiry mindset, Kathleen pushes her school communities to value dialogue, persevere through tough questions, and embrace mistakes as much as success!  Kathleen is an avid supporter of the arts and athletics, recognizing that these are vehicles for student engagement, community building, and empowering young people to realize that they can make a difference in the world. ------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducator.com  More information on Sam: www.samdemma.com