My name is Nicolas Lepine, and I have been involved with Montessori my whole life, from student to teacher. My educational background, Montessori experience, and athletic history have given me a unique insight into creating fun and engaging Montessori PE lessons.

Background

• Attended Rogers Park Montessori (Chicago) for kindergarten

• In grade school and high school played: basketball, baseball, football, volleyball, track and field, soccer, swimming, tae kwon do, fencing, and gymnastics

• Competitive powerlifter for close to two decades

• B.S. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign

  • Personal Trainer for four years with the Campus Recreation Department

  • Helped publish research on arterial stiffness and exercise

  • Led group strength and conditioning classes for elderly subjects for research on the effects of exercise on mental cognition and memory

• M.A.Ed. and AMS certificate 6-12 from St. Catherine's University

  • Action research was on the effects of integrating PE with the classroom curriculum

• Co-head teacher in a Montessori upper elementary classroom for seven years (thirteen years of classroom experience) at Rogers Park Montessori

• Currently Athletic Director and PE instructor (eight years experience)

• Currently coaching basketball (Fifteen years), volleyball (five years), cross country (five years), and track and field (five years)

• Published in Tomorrow’s Child Magazine

  • Sportsmanship is Social Emotional Learning November 2022, Vol. 28 No. 4

• Presentation history:

  • 2024 28th MF/IMC Montessori Conference presenting the Sustainability Game

  • 2024 SCMA (South Carolina Montessori Alliance) Annual Conference

  • 2023 Montessori Family Alliance Webinar

    • “Physical Wellness Part 3 - The Activities We Do

  • 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024 AIMS (Association of Illinois Montessori Schools) conference

  • 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2025 WMA conference (Wisconsin Montessori Association)

    • Video Link to the 2022 Conference

  • 2021 18th World Education Summit, Early Childhood Education panelist

    • Video link

  • 2020 Guidepost Montessori Webinar

    • Elementary Learning with Physical Activity at Home is Possible; Here’s How

    • Video link

  • 2019 Training Seminars Montessori Inštitut Ljubljana, Slovenia