Meet the Team: Ms. Sara Kaljuvee

Ms. Sara Kaljuvee recently joined the GNS team, teaching PHE 7 to 10. She also coached Grade 8 Girls Basketball this past term and will coach Grade 7 Girls Volleyball and will start a Grade 9 to 12 Girls Rugby program in the new year.

What made you want to be part of the GNS community?

I completed my teaching practicum here and had a wonderful time with Ms. Leah Hall as my mentor. Everyone in the PHE department was great to work with, I appreciated how the team works towards a common goal and helps each other out along the way. I’m big on culture and GNS was the right fit!

Congratulations on recently graduating from the International Baccalaureate (IB) Educator Stream at the University of British Columbia. How did you choose teaching as a career?

Thank you! I didn’t want to sit in front of a computer all day and wanted to do something where I would help others and still stay active. I have a huge passion for sports and wanted to work with students to build their foundation of fitness in an environment that focused on engagement, not results, and centred on overall holistic wellness. 

You received three prestigious graduation awards from UBC, The Karen Hawkins Memorial Scholarship in Education, The Outstanding Practicum Award and The Outstanding Community Field Experience Award. How did you specifically pick this IB program as the right path for you?

What interested me the most about the IB is the international aspect, because I found through my travels that you learn a lot from other people and their different perspectives. I did find this UBC program offered a more well-rounded education, as like the IB itself, it is very interdisciplinary and students were able to collaborate with different unit plans and ideas. The International Baccalaureate Educator Program is a very difficult program to get into and it is Canada’s first IB recognized teacher education program. 

Before you began teaching, you had a career in rugby, including as a Team Canada Olympian at Rio 2016! Can you tell us more about this experience?

I was called up to the Canadian National Rugby Team after my second year of university (my first degree was in Kinesiology from St. Francis Xavier University). So I moved to Victoria to focus on Rugby 7s and worked on my degree part-time. I was fortunate to win gold at both the 2015 and 2019 Pan American Games and bronze at the 2016 Olympics. After I retired from the 7s program, I continued playing with the Canadian national Rugby 15s team and attended UBC to earn my education degree. I had the incredible opportunity to represent Canada at the 2022 World Cup, where we finished fourth.

What are some of your interests outside of school?

A lot of my time outside of teaching is taken up with training. I went from training eight hours a day, to now teaching a full day. Before or after school, I like to fit in strength training or cardio, it’s a big part of my routine. My partner and I also just recently bought a house, so we’ve been really into home renovations lately. I also enjoy surfing, even though I’m not very good at it, and I absolutely love camping.

What do you like about living and working in Victoria?

I love living here because it feels so holistic and vibrant. Everywhere I look, people are outside enjoying the weather. It’s perfect for me—I can go on camping trips, hike, and just embrace a healthier, more active lifestyle.