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INUVIK
Barely a week into his new job as the physical education teacher at East Three Secondary School, Colin Pybus knows he has some big shoes to fill.

Colin Pybus has some big shoes to fill as the new physical education teacher at East Three Secondary School. He took over the role from Dave Halpine after moving from Tuktoyaktuk. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

Pybus has taken over from the very popular Dave Halpine, who has returned to eastern Canada with his family after a long stint in the North.

Halpine was a multi-talented dynamo who would be a hard act for anyone to follow, much less someone still in the early stages of a career.

"Yes, I had a chance to meet Dave a time or two," Pybus said with a smile.

Interestingly, it looks as if the two men have come out of the same factory of gym teachers. Pybus, although somewhat younger, bears a striking resemblance to Halpine, albeit a larger, taller version.

"It's funny that even though I have bigger shoes (than Halpine), I know I have big shoes to fill," he said with a wry grin.

He's a native of Walkerton, Ont., who made his way to the North via a 1-year stint in Tuktoyaktuk last year. He taught gym and, while he enjoyed it, he jumped at the chance to come live and play in Inuvik.

Pybus graduated from Brock University in Ontario, where he earned a B.A., a teaching degree and a M.A.

He worked for 10 different schools and two school boards in Ontario for about three years as a substitute and in contract roles. Several of those were around his hometown of Walkerton, which is best (and unfortunately) known for being the site of Canada's largest tainted water tragedy.

There's a glut of teachers in Ontario, as in many of the provinces in the south, Pybus said, so he looked further afield. Like most who come to the NWT, he's also a fan of the North and wanted a chance to experience it.

He arrived in Tuk in January, and worked there until the end of the school year.

Pybus said he's been getting to know Inuvik and the school. He's focusing on finding out what the students have done in the past, putting his own spin on things and looking for new experiences for them.

He said like most physical education classes, the focus has been on the traditional team sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer and hockey. While that's fine, the approach doesn't offer the same appeal to students who aren't geared to those kind of familiar sports, Pybus said.

Those students are hungry for different, perhaps more individualistic experience, and he's hoping to provide that.

He pointed to Inuvik's ski club and the town's wealth of recreational opportunities as providing some of the gateways to that. Other sports, like snowshoeing, are on his agenda, too.

Pybus said he's thoroughly impressed with the facilities available here in town.

Inuvik is roughly the same size as his Walkerton hometown, he said, but offers far more recreation and quality opportunities.

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