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
May 23
What is your legacy?
A number of years ago I spoke about creating a legacy. While some may believe this to be egotistical, there is nothing further from the truth. In education, we should be trying to create a legacy each and every day. True legacies are not about self other than the goal to improve oneself in order to …
May 15
What have you learned?
I think it is quite sad that our world is so driven by achievement. What did you achieve this year or what award did you receive or simply what did you get, are common questions that surround us. It is not that I’m anti success, quite the opposite. My issue is that achievement seems to …
May 02
From the Desk of the Superintendent- May 2016
Good morning from Kananaskis where I’m joining my fellow Catholic Superintendents for a couple of days of meetings before Blueprints. Blueprints follows SPICE and from all indications, the SPICE conference which finished up on Sunday was a huge success. Congratulations again to our Excellence in Catholic Education Award winner Chris Hartman who was recognized here …
Apr 20
School fees and the basics
The following article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on April 20, 2016. Holy Spirit Catholic Schools has just set their strategic priorities for the next three year and it should come as no surprise that literacy and numeracy are front and centre. The statistics are overwhelming that children who do not read by the …
Apr 11
Interviews 101
In the education world, we are getting into interview season. Over the next couple of months, a number of positions will be advertised and interviews will be scheduled. I’ve been on both sides of the table over the years but in my current position, I’m more likely to be asking the questions and making the …
Apr 01
From the Desk of the Superintendent- April 2016
Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a blessed Easter and enjoyed some well deserved time away from the busyness that seems to consume all of our lives. This Easter was especially special as it was the first for me as a grandpa! Our beautiful grandson Carter, wishes you a very happy Easter too! …
Mar 20
Let’s begin with content!
Last evening I had the pleasure of moderating the film, “Most Likely to Succeed” at the Fort Macleod Film Festival. The American documentary challenges our thoughts on where education needs to go in order to “perhaps” better prepare our students for an ever-changing future. The main focus of the film is High Tech High, a …
Mar 09
The Importance of Principals
The following article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on March 9, 2016. Most often, behind every great school is a great principal. School leadership counts. I’ve contended for many years that the position with the most impact in a school division is that of the principal. They are pulled in many different directions on …
Mar 07
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Spiritual Development Opening Address
Good morning everyone and welcome to today’s Spiritual Development Day. Today is a day that highlights our difference as a Catholic School System. Our learning is not academic focused, but rather faith based. Our minds will likely be challenged but it is more important that our hearts are moved and our spirits our nourished. Today …
Feb 29
From the Desk of the Superintendent- March 2016
Last week, we hosted 10 school divisions from across the province, who form the Learning and Technology Policy Framework Community of Practice. This was a great honour, as it allowed us to showcase our work as well as learn from other innovative divisions around the province. I had the privilege of presenting to the group on …