Navid Niazi

I have been an educator for more than 24 years as a teacher and as a Vice-Principal. I am a proud father of two teenage girls. I enjoy learning, especially about all thing human and mind-body connection. I strive to live a positive and fulfilling life everyday, but fail to achieve that often, only to begin the new day with optimism and hope for a new me.

Robin Jenkinson

Robin Jenkinson is former botanist and biologist who has engaged with primary school students for the past five years in school gardens and schoolyard naturescaping. She is a certified LifeLab School Gardens Educator, along with other school garden certifications. She also represents the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, facilitating environmental education projects through their Wild School program, including Fulford, Fernwood, and Salt Spring Elementary schools, so far!

Tiffany Wightman

Tiffany has been studying and practicing aerial arts for 14 years, where she first fell in love with the art through Victoria Mihalyi at Flying Dreams Studio.

Since then, Tiffany has been studying as many circus disciplines as possible, in order to share her passion with students in her day job as a teacher and counsellor in SD64. Tiffany's aerial coach training extended to Circus West, while she designed a new circus program, Tsunami Circus, at the historical Saltspring Island Middle School in 2015.

Tiffany learned alongside a variety of professional performers, expanding her circus knowledge to prop play when joining VestaFire Entertainment at the Vancouver Island Music Festival. This led Tiffany to expand her circus interests, which led her to the renowned acrobatic circus group from Australia, Gravity and Other Myths, who trained Tsunami Circus coaches in their acro journey.

Tiffany has trained and taught hundreds of children, youth and adults for the past 8 years, through public school circus programs, summer camps, and private classes for all ages, abilities and circus disciplines. Tiffany is registered with the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) and has completed the Gymnastics Foundations & Artistic courses working towards certification.

Tiffany has a special passion for choreography and creating annual community circus shows with her students. She is the founder of Tsunami Circus.

Tiffany is Lead Coach for Circus Fundamentals for 6-11, Intermediate Circus for 11+ and the Circus Performance troupe.

Stacy Mitchell

Stacy Mitchell started her teaching career in Ontario and 2008 had the opportunity to move to Salt Spring Island full time. She loves being surrounded by the energy of teenagers. Her passion is to help them navigate the anatomical and physiological changes they are experiencing daily and learning real tools to support them in their daily lives. Stacy has completed a Masters of Education in Sport Coaching from University of Victoria. Outside, the school walls, Stacy is Rowing Canada Performance coach and has many accomplishments in the sports world both national and internationally as a coach and athlete. She is a nerd who loves to talk science and dog sled racing at any chance she can.

Katy Bigsby

REiL Learning is an educational consultancy supporting organization, staff, and adult learners that work with kids and youth in education, out-of-school, and recreation programs. Katy Bigsby is the founder and lead consultant at REiL Learning. Katy holds a master’s degree in educational leadership and brings a wealth of experience as an educator, counsellor, facilitator, and most recently as an educational consultant working with school districts, schools, and child and youth serving community organizations. For more information about Katy and her work, visit www.REiLlearning.com

Helane Ellis

Helane Ellis has been a Montessori teacher for 20+ years, working with young children. She has also taught the provincial ECE course for the Montessori Teacher training course, presented workshops in botany and zoology and for the last 10 years been exploring mindfulness with her students. As a result she has developed a mindfulness curriculum that she and other teachers have been using in their classrooms for several years.

Robin Jenkinson

Robin Jenkinson is a WildBC Facilitator through the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation and has facilitated several projects that support SD64 Indigenous Enhancement goals. She has studied ethnobotany with a Haida teacher, helped compile an online ethnobotany database for the Coeur d'Alene Tribe in north Idaho, and restored camas wetlands with the Nez Perce Tribe. She tries to learn and act in ways that promote reconciliation, including helping schools openly celebrate Indigenous culture and practices and by inviting elders and Indigenous Knowledge keepers into the schools to share teachings.

Bryce Woollcombe

Bryce Woollcombe is a professional saxophonist who accidentally started teaching and hasn’t stopped for 26 years. His education technology journey has included 1:1 Linux laptops, the first digital collaboration tools for school, integrating digital design in middle-years ADST, and providing support to teachers as they integrate technology to expand and augment their practice. He currently teaches Robotics, REAL, Woodwork, Technology, and a couple other things at the Pender Island Junior Secondary program.