Jiří Zelenda is the CEO of Maple Bear Czechia. Before bringing Canada's largest education network to the Czech Republic, he was CEO of Scio.

Jiří has a long-standing commitment to innovation in education, as an experienced education manager he has already been at the birth of a successful new network of schools, and advocates a student-centred educational approach that supports the holistic development of the child - intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.

The same attitude is the basis of the educational methodology in Maple Bear Czechia schools. In his personal life, Jiří is a proud father of two children, whom he raises with his wife Adela. In his spare time, he is interested in history, especially of Southeast Asia, which he has also studied.

Lucie Chlubná has been working in marketing for almost 10 years and has extensive experience with foreign projects. In the past, she successfully led the entire marketing team at Oscar Senior, which brought her valuable skills and perspective in the field. Her expertise and competencies have led her to speak at a number of prestigious Czech and international conferences, including the Engaging Conference and DEX Innovation Conference.

She currently heads marketing for Maple Bear, the first elementary school in the Czech Republic. Her interest and commitment doesn't just stop at marketing, but is also there for all children and parents who express interest in enrolling in the school. Lucie brings not only passion and creativity to her work, but also long-term experience and solid leadership.

Martin Drnek is a lifelong enthusiast of education and has been dedicated to it his entire professional career. He started as a teacher, then went on to create textbooks for secondary schools.

For more than 11 years, he worked at Scio and was behind the innovative digitisation of university entrance exams using artificial intelligence algotithms. He has experience in international research and commercial international projects. He also authored a successful tool for preschool children to develop emotional intelligence and has presented this topic repeatedly as an expert in the media.

He is currently the headmaster of Maple Bear, the first bilingual primary school in the Czech Republic, with a clear ambition to push the boundaries of quality education and modern pedagogy in the Czech environment one step further.

Originally from the heart of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Marissa found herself in the role of educator. She spent her formative years in Canadian public schools before pursuing higher education. At university, Marissa earned dual degrees in English and Early Childhood Education.

Her unwavering passion and dedication to literature at an early age is evident in her work as an educator, where she works tirelessly to instill a love of reading and writing in young people. Marissa is a firm believer in the power of interactive, hands-on learning that allows children to explore and build knowledge together.

For Marissa, education goes far beyond academics. She is an advocate for holistic development and emphasizes the importance of paying attention to children's social, emotional, and physical well-being alongside their intellectual growth.

Marissa brings her enthusiasm for Canadian curriculum and teaching methods to the Maple Bear team, where she aims to continue to foster a love of learning in young minds.

Lída has been inspired by her work as a teacher since childhood. She decided to study teaching at Masaryk University. During her studies, she spent her free time abroad working with children of different ages. After completing her Master's degree, she decided to combine her passion for travelling with learning about different educational systems, which brought her a lot of experience and inspiration.

She worked in a Czech-British primary school as a primary 1 teacher and taught in a bilingual education system. This experience significantly shaped her teaching practice and sparked her interest to continue working in a bilingual and international environment. She therefore took the opportunity to travel to New Zealand, where she was able to join a team of teachers in a primary school. This experience gave her valuable insight into the education system and methodology there. She worked with teachers and participated in teaching sessions, where she gained inspiration and ideas that she often draws on in her classes.

In her spare time, she enjoys playing sports, spending time with family and friends, self-education, traveling, and loves to hike in the mountains.

She is very excited for the new school year where she and her colleagues at Maple Bear will create the most stimulating environment for children to successfully start their educational journey.

Markéta has been working in the field of childcare and administration since she finished her studies. She received her education at the Secondary Industrial School in Brno, where she studied social work.

In her career, she worked as a caregiver in a children's group, where she was responsible for the care of children, their activation and education. She also participated in the administrative activities of the centre. In her spare time, Markéta enjoys playing sports, travelling and spending time with family and friends.

She is passionate about bringing her experience to the Maple Bear team to foster a love of learning and growth in children and colleagues. She is ready to take an active role in marketing and communicating the school, organizing visits and events, and creating a positive and professional environment.

Lorraine joined the Maple Bear team as a Year Zero teacher and brings with her a wealth of experience and a passion for education.

She is originally from South Africa and holds an academic degree in Education from the University of the Witwatersrand as well as a TEFL qualification.

With her previous experience teaching first year students, she is excited to now guide and develop young minds on their educational journey.

Outside of teaching, Lorraine enjoys a variety of hobbies including painting, bouldering and playing board games. She is committed to creating a positive and engaging learning environment for all students and looks forward to working with parents and to a successful school year.

Michaela graduated from Masaryk University, Faculty of Sports Studies, majoring in Physical Education and Sport. After graduation she gained extensive experience as a physical education teacher in primary and secondary school, where she also participated in school projects and worked as an administrator. In addition, she has coached in the gymnastics club, managed the administration of the club and worked in the kindergarten.

Michaela brings to Maple Bear a wealth of experience not only from her work with children but also in the administrative field. She looks forward to contributing her skills to the school's quality learning environment.