Meet Our Instructors & Staff
Master Shane Morris
Head Instructor
Black Belt - 7th Dan Tae Kwon Do
Black Belt - 4th Dan Tang Soo Do
Master Morris began his martial arts career at age 8 in Killarney, Manitoba. His early training was in the art of Judo with his father as his instructor. Master Morris moved on to study Taekwondo in a neighboring town until his family moved to New Brunswick at the age of 14. These early lessons with his father sparked a love of the sport that has continued throughout his life.
Master Morris found a school in New Brunswick that practiced Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo. This style employed a more extensive use of the hands in combat than he had learned in previous schools. Master Morris had found the style he would dedicate his life to learning. Master Morris earned his first black belt in 1992 and has continued to teach in this discipline for the last 24 years.
Throughout the years, Master Morris has competed in various open Martial Arts tournaments, winning grand champion and first place trophies. He has enjoyed passing on his extensive knowledge to his students and watching them achieve their martial arts goals, both in tournaments and in the dojang.
Master Morris has taught self defence to law enforcement and civilians alike. In cooperation with the RCMP and Sanctuary House for Battered Women, Master Morris instructed high school girls in the art of self defence in preparation for living on their own. In appreciation for his efforts, the RCMP awarded Master Morris for his contribution to the S.H.A.R.E. Program.
Over his martial arts journey, Master Morris has cross trained in various disciplines including Judo, Kung Fu, Modern Arnis, Karate, Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Hapkido, and Tang Soo Do. Master Morris also trains and teaches martial arts weaponry and disarming. In 2005, Master Morris was appointed Canadian Director for the United Martial Arts Society and served on the Master Advisory Council and Board of Directors. In 2007, Master Morris was appointed Canadian Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Chairman for World Hwa Rang Tang Soo Do Federation.
Master Morris is a founding member of the Martial Virtue Alliance - a group of schools from the USA and Canada connected by Grand Master Michael Clark. The MVA works together closely to provide structure and legitimacy to promotions within the organization. It also provides an avenue for students (including black belts with no instructors) to continue in their martial arts journey of learning and rank advancement.
Master Morris opened his 1st commercial school in 1995 in Woodstock, New Brunswick. Today, his students have schools in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. He retains a close working relationship with his east coast students and his teacher Grand Master Michael Clark – 8th Dan.
From 2015 - 2017, Master Morris served as the National Director for the National Martial Arts Committee for Canada by the World Martial Arts Games Committee.
Master Morris currently holds a 7th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo and a Senior Master Certification. He also holds a 4th Dan Black Belt in Tang Soo Do and Master Certification.
The art of Taekwondo continues to be a life long journey – it is his passion and its tenets guide him through each life experience.
Mrs. Leigh-Ann Morris
School Director
Master of Library and Information Science, MLIS
National Academy for Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer
NSPA Certified Program Design Specialist & Sports Nutrition Coach
Official Candidate for 2019 Ms. Health and Fitness - VOTING IS OPEN
Mrs. Morris has been active in sports her entire life from swimming, to dance, and gymnastics. Her competitive gymnastics career started at the age of 5 and continued well in to her university career. Travelling around Canada and throughout the US, her gymnastics journey had a tremendous impact on her view of sports. These early experiences set the tone for an active lifestyle that continues today.
As a competitive athlete, Mrs. Morris spent countless hours training and competing. She has competed in numerous local, provincial and international competitions, capturing top honours. She understands first hand the time and effort students dedicate to a sport they are passionate about.
Mrs. Morris is a Librarian by trade and holds a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Western Ontario. She spent a number of years working for Calgary Public Library as the Adult Services Librarian. She spent time designing and hosting programs, supervising staff, providing research help, managing the collection, and writing the library's fitness blog. She was and is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service.
In 2014, Master and Mrs. Morris decided to open their own martial arts school. Our humble beginnings in the Shepard Community Centre quickly turned in to a full commercial endeavor. Mrs. Morris left her library career to run the school full time.
Over the past few years, Mrs. Morris has developed a passion for fitness and training. She is a certified personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She has earned the Certified Program Design Specialist and Sports Nutrition Coach designation through the National Sports Performance Association. She is a certified MMA Conditioning Specialist and Youth Exercise Specialist. Mrs. Morris also is CPR and AED certified. She is currently working on a certification in Corrective Exercise.
Mrs. Morris is dedicated to continuing education and lifelong learning. She enjoys taking courses to expand her knowledge and to keep current on exercise science. She regularly attends training camps and conferences to continually expand her knowledge of fitness, training, proper form and nutrition.
Around the school, Mrs. Morris handles every aspect of the schools daily functions. From new student registration and orientation, SMA schedule, gear ordering, arranging belt gradings, school get togethers, designing SMA swag, she has got all the bases covered. She is your first point of contact at the school and handles the front of house on a daily basis.
Mrs. Morris runs boot camps, offers personal training sessions and personalized online training programs. She is a certified Gymnastic and Trampoline Coach with 10 years experiencing coaching.
Mrs. Morris is the social media manager and website designer for Summit Martial Arts and Martial Virtue Alliance.
Mrs. Morris has enjoyed watching the students at SMA grow - both as young persons and as martial artists. Some of our families have been with us since we opened our doors in 2014. We are truly humbled by all the tremendous support and loyalty our families have shown us over the years. For that, we are truly grateful.
Certifications
Our Martial Arts Instructors
Mr. Florian Bernardo
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Mr. Bernardo started his Martial Arts journey on October 9th, 2010 at the age of 35. As a father of two boys enrolled in Taekwondo, his initial purpose was to share a common, fun, and healthy activity with his kids. As they continue to journey in the virtues of Martial Arts practicing respect, humility, integrity, self-control and indomitable spirit, Taekwondo has truly become a passion for his family.
Mr. Bernardo joined Summit Martial Arts at its inception in May of 2014. He enjoys training with his boys and has honed his skills as an instructor over the years. On September 19th, 2015, Mr. Bernardo became the first Summit Martial Art student to be promoted to Black Belt. He hopes to inspire both kids and adult students that they too can reach their goals if they put their heart into it.
Mr. Max Stronge
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Mr. Stronge started training in the martial arts in 2004 after being inspired by the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Mr. Stronge has been with SMA since 2014, shortly after our opening day. He has been training in the martial arts for 14 years in various styles and has competed in countless tournaments. In July 2016, he was chosen as CTV Athlete of the Week for his Outstanding Performance and Athletic Ability. Later that July, Mr. Stronge competed at the 2016 WOMAA World Martial Arts Games in Essenbach, Germany, bringing home two silver medals in the point and continuous fighting divisions.
Mr. Stronge graduated from the SMA Junior Instructor Training Program in September 2017. Mr. Stronge has spent several years under the direct supervision of Master Shane Morris, honing his teaching skills and assisting in tournament training.
After almost a decade in the tournament scene, Mr. Stronge has now found a new passion - teaching. His greatest accomplishment has been passing on his love of the martial arts to others. He is dedicated to learning and improving his skills both as an instructor and a student. Mr. Stronge hopes that everyone he has the pleasure of instructing can find the same joy in the martial arts that he does.
Mr. Stronge earned his first degree Black Belt on Saturday, June 2, 2018
Our Junior Assistant Instructors
Mr. Marcuz Bernardo
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Junior Instructor Training Program Graduate
Marcuz began his martial arts journey at the age of 7. He has been with SMA since we opened our doors in May 2014. He completed his JIT Team training in 2017 and has been assisting in our children's classes for 2 years. Marcuz believes that being in the martial arts has helped him be a better person. He tries to make sure that everyone has a positive learning experience, while having a little bit of fun. I can also relate to kids in a matter where they understand me, and can follow my lead. And last but not least, Marcuz believes strongly in the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control, and Indomitable spirit. Marcuz's most treasured moments were earning a Gold for Forms and Silver for Bo Staff at the 2014 TAFISA World Martial Arts Games and taking home Grand Champion at the 2019 41st Annual Western Karate Championships. Check out their story on Global News. His proudest moment was earning his Black Belt in May 2017. Being a black belt, Marcuz feels honored to serve our school and help grow our community. Marcuz looks forward to working with SMA students for years to come.
Mr. Aidan Bernardo
Black Belt - 1st Dan
Junior Instructor Training Program Graduate
Aidan began his martial arts training at the age of 6. He has been with SMA since it's inception in May 2014. He completed his JIT Team training in 2017 and has been assisting in our children's classes for 2 years. To Aidan, martial arts is not about becoming the best kicker or puncher, it is about being disciplined, helping others, learning to protect himself and others. He enjoys teaching because it is an opportunity to build connections and to learn new things and grow as a martial artist. Throughout his journey, he has learned how to defend himself by using different techniques and strategies, learned some awesome take downs and learned how to push his limits and set new goals. Aidan's biggest accomplishment was earning his Black Belt in May 2017, winning Grand Champion at the 2015 Shuswap Open Martial Arts Tournament, and competing in the 2014 TAFISA World Martial Arts Games earning a Gold Medal for Team Canada in Bo Staff. Aidan credits martial arts for making him the person he is today.
Mr. Mikko Bernardo
Junior Black Belt
Junior Instructor Training Program Graduate
Mikko started his martial arts journey when he was just 6 years old. He has been with SMA since it's inception in May 2014. He completed his JIT Team training in 2017 and has been assisting in our children's classes for 2 years. To Mikko, martial arts is not just a sport, it's a way of living. Mikko believes strongly in conducting his life according to the 5 Tenets of Taekwondo - Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-control and Indomitable spirit. He works hard to apply these principles to his daily life. When Mikko is teaching, his greatest joy is seeing kids smile. That alone makes his day. Mikko's proudest accomplishment was earning his Black Belt in May 2017. He is the youngest SMA student to bestowed such an honour. Mikko also competed in the 2014 TAFISA World Martial Arts bringing home Gold in Forms and Pt. Sparring, Silver for Continuous Sparring, and Bronze for Bo Staff for Team Canada and taking home Grand Champion from the 2018 Calgary City Championships. The Bernardo's were featured on Global News as they prepared for their World Games. Check out their story.
Chaney Mowat
Blue Belt
Junior Instructor Training Program Graduate
Chaney has been training in martial arts for 5 years. She completed her JIT Team training in 2017 and has been assisting in our children's classes for 2 years. Chaney loves working with kids, she enjoys watching them progress and improve their techniques. Through her martial arts journey, Chaney has learned a lot about discipline and responsibility. Assisting in our classes has helped her learn the importance of proper movement and mechanics. Teaching has helped her grow immensely in her own journey - allowing her to perfect her techniques. Chaney's proudest moments are competing at the 2014 TAFISA World Martial Arts Games, taking home 2 Bronze and 1 Silver medal for Team Canada, winning her first Gold medal in 2015, and earning a Bronze and Silver in an all-boys division this year. In May 2018, Chaney was chosen as CTV Athlete of the Week for Outstanding Performance and Athletic Ability.
Elena Guo
Brown Belt
Junior Instructor Training Program Graduate
Elena has been training in the martial arts for 3 1/2 years, joining SMA in April 2016. Elena completed the SMA Junior Instructor Training Program in September 2018. She believes the mental aspects of Tae Kwon Do are the most valuable lessons. These lessons have taught her discipline, perseverance, self-control and respect. She understands that to succeed you must break through the mental barriers and never give up. Elena believes that words and actions reflect who you are. Showing respect to others is also showing respect to yourself. Elena enjoys instructing because it allows her to pass on knowledge and experience to younger students. She believes if you can help one person improve it makes a difference in their lives. She looks forward to expanding her knowledge and skills through her martial arts journey.
2019 Junior Instructors Training Program Graduates
Mr. Richard Zeller
Purple Belt
Mr. Zeller began training at Summit Martial Arts in October 2017 after watching how much his two children have enjoyed their own training over the years. Mr. Zeller loves the challenges that every class brings, and is a firm believer in the lasting impact that the five tenets of Tae Kwon Do has on all its students and instructors alike. The physical and mental strength gained through training at SMA is something that he embraces each and every day and is always looking forward to the next chapter of his journey. Mr. Zeller is extremely honoured and equally excited to be part of the JIT team and is looking forward to helping other students learn and have fun through their own journeys.
Ms. Danielle Bravo
Purple Belt
Ms. Bravo's martial artist journey started in 2014. She earned her red belt in ITF Tae Kwon Do before joining SMA in 2016. In the beginning, Ms. Bravo's main motivation for joining martial arts was to be physically fit, but she quickly realized that martial arts is more than a way of life. It promotes both mental and physical well-being. Attending classes at SMA has embedded this way of life through the leadership and mentoring of my instructors. Ms. Bravo sees her instructors as role models whose footsteps she would like to follow and exemplify to younger students. Ms. Bravo is both honored and excited to be selected to join the JIT program. She embraces the new challenge of teaching other students and looks forward to deepening her knowledge and honing her own techniques at the same time.
Brody Morris
Red Belt
Brody began his martial arts journey at the age of 5. His early experiences took place in the basement of his home under the instruction of Master Morris. Before the opening of SMA, Brody achieved his yellow belt in ITF Tae Kwon Do. Brody has been training at SMA since it's inception in May 2014. He has competed in numerous local and provincial tournaments, taking home Gold in Forms, Sparring and Bo Staff. Brody enjoys assisting in our youngest children's classes. He is dedicated to giving back to the martial arts as it has taught him many lessons that he applies to his daily life. Brody has set a goal for himself and hopes to test for his red with black band belt this coming September. Most recently, Brody attended the 2019 MVA Martial Arts Camp in Halifax, NS to hone his skills and learn from top instructors in our organization.