Congratulations to the 2009 John Carroll High School Teacher of the Year: Karen (Stromak) Vercillo

Congratulations to the 2009 John Carroll High School Teacher of the Year, Karen Vercillo! Karen is a Personal Fitness and Life Management teacher at John Carroll, the only private, Catholic school in the four-county area. "It is nice to be recognized for teaching something for which I truly have a passion. Health and fitness are so important, and I love being able to connect with teenagers through such a positive outlet," remarked Karen.

Since taking over the personal fitness curriculum two years ago, Karen has made drastic changes. "I am grateful to my principal, Mr. Hopper, who has really allowed me to change the focus of my class from sports to fitness." Karen now runs a high-intensity workout regime in each class and focuses on improving the fitness of every student. She has included visits from military personnel into her curriculum, where the soldiers have introduced "mini-bootcamps." To make exercise more fun, Karen has also included the latest fitness equipment, popular music, and routines that will improve the student-athletes' performances.

"I began teaching aerobics my senior year at John Carroll at Nature's Way Fitness Center in Ft. Pierce and continued to teach for 10 years. I also became certified as a personal trainer and trained clients for 7 years. Staying fit has always been a priority to me, and I love to see others get excited about improving their level of fitness."

Karen graduated from John Carroll High School in 1993 and the University of Central Florida with a degree in Sociology. She is married to fellow John Carroll alumni, Tony, and has two children, Anthony and Emma. Karen is also the Character Education program sponsor at the school. Congratulations, Karen, on being recognized as the 2009 John Carroll High School Teacher of the Year!