Greg is currently the department head of Social Studies at Byrne Creek Secondary School in Burnaby. He began his involvement with the BCSSTA as its newsletter editor. After enjoying helping organize the 2010 conference, Greg decided to dedicate some of his professional time to developing a strong executive to represent all BC’s Social Studies teachers. Outside of work, he is kept busy by his two beautiful daughters and keeps active running marathons.

Lois Axford – Secretary
Lois is currently teaching Social Studies, History and Journalism.  When thinking about why she decided to get involved with the PSA, Lois commented, “I’ve always enjoyed meeting with positive professionals in my field.  I find that the type of people who get involved in provincial organizations are hard-working, very committed to their profession and subject area and they frequently think outside the box.  It’s exhilarating to be around them.”  Lois believed that there isn’t anything not to love about Social Studies, but admits that she is a true lover of modern history (the History 12 course) and Canadian studies in general.  She is a big believer in teaching in a way that challenges her students to be critical and creative thinkers, NOT memorizers!  Lois has lived in three different parts of Canada (Ontario, the prairies – both Saskatchewan and Alberta, and now B.C.). She has also had the opportunity to travel through most other parts of Canada (hasn’t been to Newfoundland or the territories, though). She enjoys bringing a lot of personal experiences to the classroom when she teaches Canadian studies.  On top of that she loves travelling in general.  In addition, Lois is a sports lover and has coached a variety of sports over the years (fastball, curling, basketball).

Brenda Ball – Conference Chairperson
Brenda is a Social Studies Department Head and teaches AP World History, AP European History, History 12 and Social Studies 11 at Crofton House School in Vancouver.  She became involved with the PSA because she likes to connect with other professionals around the province, and work towards building great conferences and professional development opportunities for all Social Studies teachers.

Ryan Holly – Member at Large
Ryan is teaching Social Studies in school district #23, the Central Okanagan.  Ryan says ” I decided to get involved with the BCSSTA because I wanted to help represent the Central Okanagan on the Executive, and I wanted to collaborate with other teachers of the subject I am so passionate about.”  He loves all history, but finds 19th and 20th century history particularly fascinating.

Janet Thompson – Member at Large
Janet has been a teacher in Vancouver for 15 years and is the Social Studies department head at Gladstone Secondary School.  She’s taught most of the BC Social Studies courses and loves them all for different reasons.  Janet has a passion for teaching Historical and Critical thinking and has worked for both TC2 and the Historical Thinking Project.  Janet is also a mother of two young girls and an avid soccer player.

Greg Smith – Past President
Greg is a retired Social Studies teacher, as well as past president of the BCSSTA.  Sharing ideas with other social studies teachers, keeping the discipline strong and access to great professional development are what motivated Greg to get involved with the PSA.  Teaching and discussing the great stories and struggles of the people of Canada and the world, as well as understanding the complexities of the man/land relationships are what lead Greg to believe that Social Studies is the most interesting subject in our school system.

Amber Rainke – Newsletter Editor 
Amber currently teaches BASES and ESL  at Panorama Ridge Secondary in Surrey, BC.  She joined the BCSSTA this year because she enjoys sharing materials with other educators and this PSA seemed like an excellent way to do that.  Amber loved stories growing up, and for her, that’s a big part of what history is – a really big story with lots of drama.

Jozsef Budai – Member at Large
Jozsef is currently the Social Studies Department Head at Alpha Secondary in Burnaby.  He teaches History 12, Geography 12 and Socials 9.  Joszef says that he “was motivated to get involved with the BCSSTA because of [his] passion for Social Studies, and Geography 12 in particular.” Jozsef wans to “give a voice for issues surrounding Geography 12, and to be involved in professional development that reaches as many in our profession as possible.”  He openly admits that he is most passionate about Geography 12 and got into teaching specifically because of this course and the nature of the subject matter it contains.

Tiffany Bartlett – Member at Large
Tiffany is a teacher, teaching on call with the Surrey School district.  In addition, she is part of the Vancouver support staff team.  Tiffany became involved with the BCSSTA because she is “excited to be more involved in the realm of B.C. social studies, and wanted the opportunity to meet like minded individuals while contributing to the field.”  Tiffany’s favourite topics are Canadian social history, and medieval history. She also loves finding ways to integrate drama, games, art, and play into her lessons.

Chris Moon - Member at Large
Chris grew up in the Kootenays, in South Eastern BC. He graduated from UVic in 2001 with a BA in Sociology and Political Science. Chris switched careers from Public Administration to teaching after he taught ESL in Taipei Taiwan from 2003 to 2006. He graduated from the UBC Teacher Education Program in 2008. He has taught Social Studies 8, 9 and 11 in a temporary medical leave contract, and as a teacher teaching on call with the Vancouver School Board. Aside from loving all things Historical and Political, Chris is also an armchair astronomer, self taught 3D computer graphics designer and social justice advocate. Chris prides himself on incorporating web-based content to all his Social Studies lessons where ever and when ever possible. Currently he is proud to be helping coordinate workshop presenters for the upcoming BCSSTA Conference Oct 2012.

Adam Woelders – Member at Large
Adam currently teaches Social Studies 9-12, Civilizations 12, History 12, and IB History of Europe and the Middle East.  He joined the BCSSTA with a desire to be involved in supporting Social Studies education in whatever capacity he can.  He believes in promoting the importance of Social Studies within the official curriculum and support professional development of Social Studies educators in British Columbia schools. When asked what he loves most about Social Studies, Adam commented that, “Social Studies and its core components – history, geography and civics – is the most essential area of knowledge within the curriculum and therefore essential that it be taught well, using best practices, by passionate, knowledgeable educators. Not all students will go on to become doctors, lawyers, engineers or construction workers — all students will go on to become global citizens. “

Ebrahim Bawa – Member at Large
Ebrahim Bawa is a teacher teaching on call in Surrey. He became a member at large with the BCSSTA in November 2010. He is the person behind the BCSSTA Facebook page <http://www.facebook.com/groups/244412788923784/ >. He also assists with the Fall conferences.  Ebrahim joined the PSA because he wanted to contribute his skills and abilities to support teachers across the province. His favorite topics in History include exploring the idea of society and civilization, especially with regards to Ancient China and Europe in the 14th, 16th, and 20th Centuries.

Rachel Labossiere – Webmaster
Rachel is the BCSSTA’s webmaster and the person behind the @BCSSTA Twitter account.  She become involved in provincial specialist association last year with the hopes of connecting with other Social Studies teachers, and exploring the professional development side of this profession.  Rachel is currently a TOC for the Coquitlam and Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows school districts.