The High Performing Educator Podcast

Kirstin Johnson joins the National Executive Council with six years of FCCLA experience. Previously, she served as the Washington State Vice President of Competitive Events and Washington State Vice President of Region 7. During her time in FCCLA, she has also competed in five different STAR Events, each of which earned gold at the national level. Outside of FCCLA, Kirstin is involved in Knowledge...

Sara  Daddario  is a teacher in Southern California who believes that all students can achieve if they know that they are seen, supported, and have a voice. She has been working with teens for 15 years teaching resilience, success maintenance and integrity through the subjects of English and Student Leadership.   When she was little she told her parents she wanted to be a Jedi when she grew up, an...

Scott Mclnnis is the Leadership Teacher and Teacher Librarian at Selkirk Secondary School.  Scott is passionate about helping students appreciate the fulfillment in helping themselves and their community at large.  When Scott is not in the classroom you can find him outdoors, moving his body and doing something physical.   ----------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highper...

Simply put, Mike is the teacher that changed my life as a high school student and young man.  When I think about my experience as a student, it was teachers like Mike that made it worthwhile.  He saw through my identity as an athlete and made personal connections with every student in his classroom.  His passion in our class rubbed off on me and helped me overcome one of the toughest personal peri...

Inspiring students to succeed is what Tracey Klinkhammer aspires to in her role at the University of Toronto Scarborough's Management Co-op Department. With a focus on helping students turn their abilities into exciting possibilities, Tracey leverages her diverse experience in sales, human resources and education to really partner with the students in the program to support their goals. Starting w...

Tom D'Amico is the Director of Education with the Ottawa Catholic School Board. He has over 31 years of experience in education and has had many roles including as a teacher, school administrator and as Superintendent of Human Resources and Superintendent of Learning Technologies and as the Associate Director of Education. An award-winning educator he has been recognized with the Prime Minister's...

Tina Edwards has been an educator in Saskatchewan for the past 27 years, but still considers herself a rookie in the education game.  Student leadership has been a passion of hers since she entered the teaching profession in 1994.    Two highlights of her career are hosting the SK Student Leadership Conference in 2012 and again in 2019.  Projects like these prove that students can accomplish anyth...

Leslie Loewen is the Campus Culture Manager at Fresno Unified School District.  Her students call her "MommaLoew" and she oversees nearly 70,000 of them...  To say she has her hands full is an understatement, but she loves the work she does and it shows in the impact she makes in these young people's lives.   ----------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Network: www.highperformingeducato...

Pat Riddlesprigger was born and raised in the Fresno, California.  The youngest of 2 boys, he is a product of the Central Valley.  Pat has spent majority of his personal and professional life attending or employed by Fresno Unified, the third largest school district in California.  After graduating from Hoover High School in 1988, Pat accepted a full athletic scholarship to California State Univer...

Lesleigh Dye was Superintendent of Schools for Rainbow District School Board since 2006.  She has been responsible for many portfolios from kindergarten program, to Indigenous education, Equity and Inclusive Education, adult education and leadership. Prior to her work with the Rainbow School Board, Dye served as Principal and Vice-Principal of schools in Toronto and Ottawa. With the Ottawa-Carleto...

Manny Figueiredo became Director of Education at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on August 1, 2015. Manny has more than 25 years of teaching experience. He began his career as an Educational Assistant in a secondary school and then taught grades 4, 5, 7 and 8 in the Waterloo region. He spent his time as a school administrator in Hamilton, where he beca...

Michelle started her teaching career in 1991 in Outlook, Saskatchewan teaching Business Education.  Her career then took her to Manitoba and then eventually back to Saskatchewan.  In 1998 she took a teaching job at Melfort Comprehensive and has been there ever since.  In 2004 she became Vice-Principal and now splits her time between administrative duties and the classroom.  She has been involved w...

Bridgit Moore is the Leadership teacher and Activity Director for Grace Davis High School.  She has been an educator for 20 years and has done a variety of positions such as math and psychology teacher, school counselling, and coaching.  She is married and has 4 kids ages 9, 10, 14, and 16, and this year, opened up her house to a 15-year-old exchange student from Germany.  She loves her job and lo...

Scott Kirkness is an educator living in Southeastern Saskatchewan. Raised and educated in Ontario, he moved west in 2013 after teaching in the UK. Scott is married with three beautiful children and enjoys training for marathons in his spare time. He graduated with BA (History) from Laurentian University in 2010 and a B. Ed from Lakehead University in 2011. Scott has plans to obtain a Master's of E...

Kelly Weaver ( @NaturalRedHead ) is the student activities director at Iolani School in Hawaii. When she's not in the school building, Kelly is a certified Law of Attraction Life Purpose Coach, solopreneur, writer, speaker, wife, and mother of two beautiful daughters. For almost two decades she has taught middle and high school students in both public and private schools. In 2014, she finally took...

Aubrey Patterson ( @PattersonAubrey ) spent 30 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent in a high-performing school district. Today, he is the CEO and Founder of Warm Demanders, an educational consulting company that provides coaching and online programs. Their goal is to help leaders build a high-impact remarkable culture, provide clarity with a smile, and find the time for the things th...

Alexandra (Allie) Raper is the signature program, senior specialist at the Canadian Cancer Society.  She is responsible for creating new business and enhancing current business opportunities throughout Post-Secondary schools across Canada within the Relay For Life Youth Program, guiding Post-Secondary engagement and expansion across Canada within the Relay For Life Youth Program, and working to im...

Shonna Barth ( @ShonnaBarth ), is the Principal at Crescent Heights High School. She is a recipient of the 2020-2021 Distinguished Leadership Award presented by the Council for School Leadership of the Alberta Teachers' Association. She started at Cresent Heights eight years ago as a counsellor and moved into her role as vice principal after three years and is now the Principal of the school.  She...

Dulcie has been in education for the past 20 years. She is currently the Principal of Student Success, Learning to 18 and Secondary Program at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board where she is able to share her passion for instructional leadership, teacher development and student success. Wife, mother, educator, and bookworm! ----------   Want to join the High Performing Educator Netwo...

Peter Prochilo is currently a Superintendent of Education with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. His portfolio includes the supervision of all Secondary Schools, Secondary Curriculum, Alternative and Adult Education, International Education and the Remote/Virtual School Peter leads with a passion for equity of access and enhanced student pathways as he supports students, staff and school...

Eric started Jack.org  with his wife Sandra Hanington and their closest friends in May 2010 after losing their son Jack to suicide. Since then, Eric has put aside his business interests and leads Jack.org full-time. Eric works tirelessly to inspire discussion about mental health, especially among young people. In 2013, Eric received the Champion of Mental Health award from CAMIMH and the QE Diamon...

Douglas L. Gleddie, PhD, is a husband and father who also happens to be an Associate Professor and Acting Vice-Dean/Associate Dean Academic in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta (UofA). He teaches physical and health education curriculum and pedagogy to undergraduate students and graduate courses in health and physical education, reflective practice, physical/health literacy and...

Kevin has been in education for well over 25 years and his diverse experiences working in different school boards, countries, and roles have given him the perspective needed to approach his work in a faith-based, holistic approach. Kevin is a passionate and experienced school administrator in the elementary and secondary panels in private schools and publicly funded Catholic education system in On...

Paulette Lippert is passionate about all things education.  She has been devoting her time and energy to her work for the past 27-years.  Growing up in a rural area, she realized that access to opportunities was a challenge and now she bridges these exact gaps for the students in the Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board.  As the Experiential Learning Leader, Paulette spends her time bringing...

Paul Dols is the Climate & Culture Coordinator at Monrovia High School in Southern California. His responsibilities include being Activities Director, Renaissance Coordinator, and Link Crew Coordinator.  A classroom teacher for 26 years, his passion and goal are to create a school that every student and staffulty member calls home and no one wants to leave.  Paul believes that education is the nob...