After nearly a 35 year career in education, I retired as the Superintendent of Schools in January 2020. While in the role as superintendent, I sat on two national committees, ERDI and C21 and also was an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University. I now work as a leadership consultant supporting the work of school boards, system and school leaders.
Chris Smeaton
Author's posts
Jun 29
“Small Town, Big Dreams” 2018 Graduation Address for St. Mary’s Taber
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Honoured Guests and especially to our St. Mary’s Graduates of 2018. It is always a pleasure to attend our graduation ceremonies and bring greetings on behalf of the entire school division. A number of years ago I was asked to do some work in New York City and provide …
Jun 24
From the Desk of the Superintendent- 2017-18 Year End Message
It is a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I’m sitting here on my deck after returning from Calgary earlier today. I taught my last class of this semester for Gonzaga, but the bonus was being able to see our son, daughter, son-in-law and of course our two precious grandchildren. Emerson was born 4 weeks ago and Carter …
Jun 03
From the Desk of the Superintendent- June 2018
I’m sitting in a hotel room in Red Deer completing this blog post, after spending a glorious morning in the pool with our grandson Carter. This past weekend, I was in Calgary teaching (weekend 2 of 4) the course “The Principalship” for Gonzaga University. Rather than return to Lethbridge on Saturday night and then turn …
May 13
“Change is inevitable, growth is an opportunity” 2018 Graduation Address for St. Michael’s Pincher Creek
Oki! Bonjour Mesdames et Monsieurs, and Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen and especially to our St. Michael’s Graduates of 2018. Your graduation quote, “Change is inevitable, growth is an opportunity” leads me to the question, “What opportunity?” We know that some of the growth we encounter is innate, it just happens, like getting taller. And …
May 13
“We are Glorious” 2018 Graduation Address for Catholic Central High School
Oki! Bonjour Mesdames et Monsieurs, and Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen and especially to our CCH Graduates of 2018. Although I love movies, I’m not great at taking them in at the theatre and so unfortunately I’ve not seen the movie, “The Greatest Showman” from which you’ve taken your grad theme, “We are Glorious.” But …
May 09
The Journey to Inclusion
Recently, my Director of Support Services and I have been meeting with a small group of parents from the system on our continued journey to inclusion. All of these parents have children with diverse learning needs, some more significant than others. This is not a formal committee of the board, but rather an opportunity to …
Apr 29
From the Desk of the Superintendent- May 2018
I’m writing this blog post while in beautiful Kananaskis, having just finished attending the annual SPICE Conference hosted by Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA). I’ll be here for a couple of more days for Catholic superintendent meetings and then be back in the office on Wednesday morning. This is my first time attending SPICE …
Apr 15
Why are we dismantling education in Canada?
It is Sunday…a typical work day for me (I try to take Friday night and all day Saturday off to spend with my wife and family) and I’m ready to focus on work I need to do for the division. But instead, I’m going to spend the next 2-3 hours or more responding to the …
Apr 04
From the Desk of the Superintendent- April 2018
Welcome to April and the winter that never seems to end! I hope that everyone had a most blessed Easter and those who could were able to spend the time with family and friends. March was certainly a full month of learning and activities in schools and throughout the division. Highlighting the learning was our …
Mar 25
No Armed Teachers Here!
Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida and the ensuing conversations around gun control in the United States, I’ve found myself trying to hold back on not making comments. Part of my reasoning is because I’m Canadian and in some ways probably don’t have the right to judge another country’s policies. But I’m also an educator …