At the tender age of 15 years old, Dave Sirois joined his cousin Bob Sirois in attending a Taekwondo class as a spectator. It was his first time meeting Grandmaster Moo Yong Lee in his school on Essex Street in Lawrence. At the end of that class, he was a spectator no longer. On January 29, 1975, he signed up for Taekwondo classes and hasn’t stopped since.

His cousin Bob Sirois went on to be the first US student of Grandmaster Lee to earn a black belt, First Dan. In those early days there was another student that left a lasting impression on him. At a belt test, a young student named Gary Pelletier was being pushed to the limit by Grandmaster Lee. Dave was amazed at the skill and capability of Gary, and how GM Lee pulled the best out of him. Gary would be a continuing influence on Dave. Dave focused on his Taekwondo training, and went on to start instructing in 1977.

Amongst Grandmaster Sirois’ fondest memories was the nearly two decades after GM Lee moved from Lawrence MA to Connecticut. Every other Saturday GM Sirois and the other senior students would drive to Connecticut to attend class with GM Lee. And on the other Saturdays, GM Lee would drive up to Massachusetts to teach. This group would become the foundation of Pelham United Tae Kwon Do as we know it today.

Grandmaster Sirois teaches regularly on Monday nights at United Tae Kwon Do. He is a respected instructor for his ability to relate well to students, young and old, experienced and neophyte. Grandmaster Sirois' message to new students is simple: “The hardest class is the first one. Everyone goes through the same challenges.”

Grandmaster Jack Sciuto started taking Judo lessons at age of twelve from Mr. Bob Champy in Methuen MA. The two years he spent in those classes laid a foundation for his lifelong interest in the martial arts. After a subsequent two-year break, he started training with Grandmaster Lee.

A 15-year-and-nine-month-old Jack Sciuto was in Driving School on the second floor across the street from the Taekwondo school on Essex Street in Lawrence MA. The classes he saw were more interesting than driving class and looked like fun. The week after he finished driving school, he started his Taekwondo training with a world-class 8th-Dan Grandmaster. It was January of 1974.

For about a year at the Essex Street school, all of Jack’s classes were taught by Grandmaster Lee, prior to his move to Hartford CT. Thereafter, Grandmaster Lee wanted the instructors taking over for him to be 18-years or older. So, Jack was not immediately qualified to teach in the absence of Grandmaster Lee. A routine of travelling to and from Hartford was started to keep the knowledge flowing from Grandmaster Lee to his students. On the first and third (and fifth) Saturdays of the month, the students would travel to Hartford for training. On the second and fourth Saturday, Grandmaster Lee would travel north.

When Jack turned eighteen, he started teaching. Though not yet a Black Belt, it was a necessity as the school had not yet generated its first Black Belt. And from this necessity, Grandmaster Jack Sciuto developed his skills as a teacher and the experience matured him. Taekwondo led this 18-year-old to begin effectively teaching large classes of 25-30 students of mixed ages.

Jack tested for Black Belt (1st Dan) in 1978. He was then working for his father and had no plans for his career. He certainly had no ambition to be a teacher professionally. He did not go to college immediately after high school. He was training in Taekwondo almost every night.

Eventually, Jack found his musical passion in the form of the guitar. As his interest in music became more focused, his Taekwondo began to take a back seat. He began attending Berklee College of Music in Boston, and his schedule immediately filled with classes, commuting from home and playing gigs as many as six nights per week to pay for school. He did not train in Taekwondo for about seven years. He did, however, become an accomplished musician during this time.

In 1988, Jack Sciuto was out of school and playing a gig at the Beach Club in Salisbury Beach, when (now Grandmasters) Gary Pelletier and Bob Lemire successfully sought him out to “capture” him for the Taekwondo school. Jack came off stage after his performance and was jumped by his Taekwondo classmates. Jack returned to Taekwondo training, quickly earned his Second Dan, and has been active ever since. The new school in Pelham opened at the end of 1989.

Grandmaster Sciuto’s message to new students is "You can achieve more than you think you can, if you approach it honestly and diligently. You’re not going to be great [overnight]. You need to stay at it. Limit your excuses.”

Today, Grandmaster Sciuto is a professional musician, music teacher, and continues to teach Taekwondo regularly. In fact, his Wednesday night class has been a fixture at United Tae Kwon Do since 1990. He also teaches Taekwondo in the Ste. Jeanne d’Arc School in Lowell MA as part of their athletic program.

Grandmaster Brian Levesque began studying Taekwondo under Grand Master Moo Yong Lee on March 2nd, 1979. He joined his father (Ray) who was a good friend of Grand Master Lee, and his older brother Kevin Levesque who was nearing his black belt level at that time. Brian’s dad was also doing the maintenance at the school and as Brian would help his dad, he had the privilege of meeting and knowing Grandmaster Lee. It was Grandmaster Lee who encouraged Brian to start training, and once he did he found his true joy and happiness. For many years Brian would travel from Dracut to Lawrence along with his brother and Grandmaster Bob Lemire. For years they would attend class 5-6 days per week and do some running and weights before the class. Brian started teaching classes at the Lawrence school for all levels and ages when he was a red belt and this provided him great experience and knowledge in teaching this great art. There was also many Saturday trips with his Taekwondo brothers and sisters to see Grandmaster Lee in Hartford, CT and take some amazing classes there and creating many fond memories.

During these years Brian competed in several tournaments and always medaled and at seventeen years old became a certified National Referee. For many years he supported the state championships in MA and NH and the US Cup annually. He also created Mill City Tae Kwon Do which was an affordable TKD program for kids. This program ran for several years in the early 2000’s.

As time went on Brian got married and had two sons. His training slowed down during this time and he would coach his boys in basketball. He ended up being the President of Dracut Basketball for both Rec and Travel programs. Also became a member and vice Chairman for the Dracut Recreation Commission and a member of the first Community Preservation Committee (CPC) that focused on land preservation. As his sons got a little older, he became an IAABO Certified Referee for Board 95 for several years before getting back to primarily focus on his true passion with Taekwondo. In 2017 and 2018 he was certified as a personal trainer and a Yoga instructor. Brian is also Reiki II certified. All these things help contribute to his skills as a Taekwondo instructor.

He is the Secretary and Executive Board Member for UTKD and a board member of USTIU.