Sep 01

Creating opportunities not solving problems!

Earlier this week, I read Dan Rockwell’s blog aka @Leadershipfreak, about making meetings vibrant. His premise was that meetings where opportunities were created, left participants feeling energized. In contrast, meetings where the sole purpose seemed to be about solving problems, left everyone feeling exhausted. For leaders, who always seem to have a abundance of meetings in their schedule, this should be a simple concept that needs their full attention.

In another distinction between leadership and management, one could say that leaders create opprotunities while managers solve problems. But in truth, you cannot be an exceptional leader without the ability to also solve problems. There are critical issues, often that must solved in an expedient manner, that both leader and manager must address. Organizations, even the best of the best, are not without problems to solve. But maybe the distinction arises from the different approaches taken by the leader when a problem arises or is on the horizon.

I would suggest that when most leaders are faced with a non-emergent problem they are inclined to not solve it! Solving it may be the easiest action, but it does not provide any recipe for mentorship for developing leaders. In essence, solving the problem takes the monkey off someone else’s back and places it on the leader! Developing leaders must be provided the opportunity to, with guidance and wisdom from the leader, experience the pressure of the monkey and look for and further implement plausible solutions. But that is still problem solving- a necessary skill, but not one that clearly defines true leadership.

Leaders look at any issue or obstacle not as problems to solve but as opportunities to create. They fully understand that there is not just one right answer or one correct path. Leaders covet the divergent thinking that accompanies creating opportunities. They do not focus on what the solution is but rather what are the possibilities. Rather than one simple answer, they want more questions, less linearity and more messiness! Leaders believe that in that web of ideas comes not only the solution to the issue but the creation of a better product, a better system.

Leaders who create opportunities instead of simply solving problems need to be confident in the messiness of the work. They fully believe that what will be created through the thrashing in the beginning will be better than the simple solution that is usually easily achieved.  Leaders unlike managers possess the ability to as Seth Godin puts it, “quiet the lizard brain!” And finally, they need to be able to connect the dots in the quagmire of information in order to lead into the messiness and lead out again with clarity of purpose.

Next time you are facing a challenge, don’t simply try to solve it. Instead, look for the opportunities created within and you will define yourself more as a leader than a manager! Good luck!!!

Aug 29

From the Desk of the Superintendent- Opening Address to Staff

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back. What a great start to the day with David Wells and I hope you are enjoying our combined Spiritual Development Day and opening celebration. Before I begin my opening comments, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire staff of Children of St. Martha, Kelsey, Kim and Lynn Saler who did much prep work this summer for their work on organizing today. Also, a big thank you to Joann Bartley, our new Director of Religious Education who ensured all the pieces of the day fit well and of course in the background, Sheri Schwark who just knows how to put things together like videos and inserts. I would also like to thank Chris Hartman and the entire music ministry. Finally, to Fr. Kevin who will be leading our Eucharistic Celebration later this afternoon and to all of our clergy for attending and sharing in our day today.

Amazingly, this is my 5th superintendent address at our opening day and each year I struggle with what I want to say and the message that I want to leave you with. This year I want to talk about the 3 keys to success as espoused by Seth Godin, one of my new favorite authors. In his short video, Godin says that the 3 keys are: patience, bravery and generosity. I also believe that each of these keys speaks to our three year faith plan as we Take Our Place at the Table.

Godin says in patience, that the shortest way to get to where you’re going is to take the long road. They say that patience is a virtue and it is one that we must model for our students, our colleagues and our community. The work in education is very hard and I’ve learned that change is seemingly on someone’s else’s timetable and rarely on your own. Patience reminds us that learning is a journey and not a destination, it is not linear but rather dynamic and it is not about just today but the many tomorrows that lie ahead of us.

Godin’s second key to success is that of bravery. In my mind it is better defined as courage or grit. The road less travelled is the road that we must continue to embark upon in our Division. Maintaining the status quo is the easiest path we can take but it takes great courage to step out of our comfort zones and face the path of greatest resistance in not only the education that we offer but more importantly the faith that we believe in. Our world has become far too secular and preaching, evangelizing and otherwise promoting Christian values is not popular. We must be brave and courageous to stand up against secular values that don’t hold faith at its core. As Jesus stood up against the Pharisees and said this is wrong, we too must be willing to stand up and reject the unjust attitudes and practices that surround us each and every day.

And finally, Godin talks about the need for generosity as a pre-condition to be successful. It is not what is good for me but rather what is good for the community. This is about being unselfish and looking at the greater good as opposed to our individual wants. We always shine in this area every year in our Division and I’m asking for your generosity again this year in supporting the schools in High River that were devastated by the flooding. In conversations with both superintendents and some staff living in the area, it is hard to imagine the devastation in that community and how so many are experiencing great losses and how grateful they are with our collection! Please be generous so that we as a faith community can show our support for those who are far less fortunate than us today. 

As I enter my 5th year as Superintendent, I have been witness to the patience, bravery and generosity of our Division. I am proud and more importantly I feel blessed to be the leader of this excellent division. We continue to make great strides in the learning process and better meet the needs of all students. This excellence does not come from my leadership but rather it comes from the work of each and every one of you. For the work that you do with our students, our families, our community and with each other, I thank you.  May God bless you this school year and May God continue to lead us in our journey with patience, bravery and generosity! Thank you and have a wonderful remainder of the day and best of luck this school year. God Bless!

Aug 25

A marathon and not a sprint!

This week, staff will officially return to work on Tuesday, although many have been in and out of the schools throughout the summer.  Our Division’s opening day celebration will be held on Wednesday and then schools will have a couple more days to prepare before students return to classes after the long weekend.

There is always a flood of emotions on those first couple of days. There is a recognition that summer is coming to a close, a great excitement to see our colleagues and even a little anxiety as we get ready to welcome the new school year.  Whether you are in a school or not, these emotions are real and often produce a slight tauntness in our mid-sections!

It is not hard to understand why these emotions rear their heads at this time. We are about to enter another year of the educational race that runs from the start of September to the end of June. While that time period should indicate it is a marathon, we quite often live it as a 10 month sprint! “Full speed ahead” or “Petal to the metal” seems to be the anology for the school year. We put our heads down and enter the race as soon as our feet hit the ground and don’t look up until the end of June.

Simply put, this is not healthy for those in the education sector or students. As part of the Provincial Framework Agreement with the Government of Alberta, divisions are required to establish a committee to look at the current teacher workload. While this committee and the resulting report may assist in defining what is imposed on us and what we impose on ourselves, the necessary and deep seated changes required, will need to (1) come from our own attitudes about the race and (2) center on teacher efficacy!

Learning takes time and reflection is required. We cannot allow ourselves to be simply sucked into the vortex of finishing the race. We need to begin to welcome the journey of learning as opposed to be fixated on the destination of results! Assessments focusing on the learning growth of each student needs to be central to our attitudes. While diploma exams may still hamper that attitude, every year prior has the potential to be far more dynamic and far more real. We have the opportunity to fully engage students as opposed to simply covering curriculum…with the right attitude and correct support.

The correct support comes from educators working together, being connected and sharing their vast expertise. Teacher efficacy is about building instructional skills and believing that one can make a difference. It is about administrators both at the school and divsion office who support innovative and creative practices that challenge the status quo. And finally it is about slowing down so that you can enjoy the ride.

This year, make learning and your teaching a marathon and not a sprint. Challenge your own attitudes and the external pressure to get to the finish line quickly. Take time to reflect on your own practice and connect with fellow educators through a Personal Learning Network! Advocate for real learning and not shallow achievement. The time you take will enhance both your journey and that of your students. Enjoy your marathon!!!

 

 

 

 

Aug 18

Compliance is not engagement

When you look back to your days as a student, were you well behaved? Did you sit still and listen? Did teachers like to have you in their class? If you answered yes to these questions, my next question is of utmost importance: Were you truly an engaged student or were you simply compliant?

Compliance sounds like a dirty word yet, for many years that is what we have truly valued in our classrooms. And why not…it made our job as educators much easier! Students sat in rows, listened (not necessarily intensely) but quietly and did what they were told to do! Furthermore, if there was any misbehaviour, a quick call home to mom or dad and that was eliminated fairly quickly. Whether you want to believe that those were the good old days is irrelevant because that’s not how our classrooms are or should be today!

Our world can ill afford to “produce” another generation of compliant students. The very definition of compliance should strike fear into our hearts and minds. The students we want and truly need in our classrooms are committed. But the committed learner will never be allowed to develop in classrooms that still recognize and reward compliance. Silent classrooms with a five rows of five desks matrix cannot instill the engagement required to move from compliant student to committed learner.

Before we blame the system, let’s be reminded that WE ARE the system! We have control of what happens in the classroom. We may not have sole choice of what we teach, but we control how we teach and as professionals that is our unique body of knowledge. Great pedagogy should always trump mediocre curriculum or any other issue we face!

Great pedagogy in today’s classroom must mimic the real experiences in our students’ lives. Given the digital world our students live in, engagement must include appropriate technology. There is no way to minimize the requirement to engage students with technology as a tool! Even the most engaging traditional teacher cannot compete against the feedback our students are experiencing in their gaming world. It is impossible!

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Our students deserve to be engaged in their classrooms and our society needs committed learners. We can no longer settle for compliance in our classrooms. Students should not be satisfied with “stock” answers they can get from Google but instead want to be able to question more. Compliance equals a knowledge receiver while commitment is more equivalent to a knowledge creator. Compliance maintains the status quo while commitment searches for a better way!

As professionals, we too desire to be committed and engaged. There is no better time than the present to be the role models of commitment and engagement to our students in our classrooms. Our students are the future but we can assist them to create it through engaging not compliant classrooms!

Aug 13

Cohesive Teams

There is tremendous amount of information and research about being a leader in today’s world. But what about the team that surrounds the leader? Successful leaders do not do it on their own! Instead, they develop a team that carries their organization forward. A focus on the development of the leader’s team is crucial for the leader’s success but ultimately benefits the entire organization.

Often leaders come into their teams. They are parachuted into the organization and must establish relationships with the current staff. In other instances, the new leader is able to hand pick his or her new team members. The majority of time, it is a combination of both. Regardless of the situation, a cohesive team must be developed to ensure positive outcomes.

Cohesive teams share a common vision. Every member understands the purpose of the organization and works to further the mission and vision. This has to be a non-negotiable for the leader and his or her team. The picture of the end results must be crystal clear to all team members and their desire to meet those outcomes must be united. Although the road to those goals may be different, the end results must be accepted and shared by all members of the team. Without commonality, teams become increasingly fragmented and eventually implode.

Cohesive teams trust one another. From a relational point of view, trust is of the greatest importance. While the leader must always first extend the hand of trust to all members, eventually all members must extend their own hands too! Team members spend too much time together to have to second guess one another. Trust allows team members to be vulnerable, enhances creativity and promotes a risk taking environment. In its truest form, it is raw and the more raw, the greater the cohesion of the team. Well established trust brings about authentic loyalty to the leader and equally important to each other.

Cohesive teams have conflict. One of the toughest lessons for a leader is to allow conflict into the team because it can be uncomfortable. However, the result of no conflict is group think. Group think is disastrous to an organization’s health and well being. Team members must attack issues from their perspectives with honesty and most importantly, without ego! Positive conflict is without personal ego! This conflict is not about getting your own way but rather ensuring the correct path is taken to achieve the desired results. In the absence of a common vision and trust, positive conflict is rarely evident. Usually the conflict that exists in this case is both unproductive and damaging.

Finally, cohesive teams are different. Effective leaders don’t want “mini-me” clones sitting around the table. Differing personalities, learning styles and problem solving abilities enhance team dynamics. A confident leader surrounds oneself with excellence and looks for traits or skills in others that he or she may be lacking or underdeveloped. This broad perspective is essential to creating the best path forward for the team and ultimately the organization.

Organizational growth will always begin with a strong leader but will only endure with a cohesive team. It is imperative to develop a team that shares a common vision and is characterized with much trust. In addition, the team must be able to confront the brutal facts in an open and honest manner by viewing all issues through distinct lenses. With those building blocks, organizations will be well served by their leadership teams.

Aug 06

Blogging as a reflective practice!

Early this summer I read Dean Sharski’s post “In search of a reflective practitioner.” on the importance of blogging as a reflective practice. It caused me to reflect on that practice (or lack of) during my own career.

I would like to say that as a beginning teacher in 1985, I rarely engaged in reflective practice. I was pretty successful in my first few years of teaching and honestly was a little arrogant in that I figured I had it! Given my success as an athlete and a coach, my transition to the classroom held little challenge. I also had the benefit of teaching in high school back then where there was always a lower stream. The prevailing thought was that if a student didn’t get it, they just moved down a level. It was never my fault as a teacher; it was always the students. Unfortunately, my thought process didn’t vary much from many of the staff that I taught with that at that time.

My “perfect” world began to crumble when I taught a very small group of students in my fourth year of teaching. This group were strong academically but did not seem to respond like previous classes of mine. Even the strong relational skills that I’d had with other classes didn’t seem to assist me in my teaching. The struggle was immense in my mind because I wasn’t connecting like I was used to with the students and all of my techniques were fairly ineffective. Even with the assistance of my school administration, this class was just not “falling into line” with how I taught.

Fortunately, I began my graduate work from Gonzaga University at that time and was provided with some excellent “beyond my own paradigm” thinking. It also forced me to begin in an infancy sort of way to reflect on my own practice. I began to realize that the way I was delivering the curriculum was not the best way for the vast majority of the class to receive it. Their learning style was out of sync with my teaching style and more importantly they weren’t changing their learning style to accommodate my teaching style! Thus began my initiation into reflective practice albeit only for that class because, quite honestly it worked for every other class.

My next revelation came with my move from a middle to upper class high school to a low socioeconomic and diverse K-12 school. Many of the strategies that I had used successfully in the past for all classes were simply not enough. I dealt with a more diverse population with greater needs and there was no “lower” stream to place these students. For the first time in my teaching career, I had to attend to students with special needs and I had other adults in my classroom. Not only did I have to teach the whole class, some students required individual education plans and I, as the professional was called on to modify their work. My teaching changed enough to meet those students’ needs but not much more. It was a great learning experience for me as a teacher but looking back I’d fallen into the trap that many educators do in that I became so busy doing that I never took (not had) the time to truly reflect on my practice.

One more move back to a higher socioeconomic area and an exclusive elementary school and I was back to being very successful. The students responded to my teaching style, staff enjoyed me as a leader and the parents and community were generally content. In fact, with the results that the school was getting back then, there was little need to reflect on much of anything at all. Often success is the worse culprit to not being reflective on what you do and that was and certainly continued to be true in my life.

The next stage of my educational career led me into a position in senior administration. And as you can probably imagine, the transition was fairly smooth and success was the general outcome. With only one major blip that forced me to move to another school division, my educational life has been pretty successful. However, it is now since becoming a superintendent four years ago that I’ve truly come to appreciate the importance and necessity of reflective practice. And truthfully, it has become more consciously raised since entering into the realm of social media and my initiation to blogging.

To me blogging is one step ahead of personal journaling and two steps ahead of silent reflection. There are times that we all need to sit quietly and reflect on our experiences in our life, the classroom or as a leader. These do us well but often are not enough because they may not lead us to any action. Journaling allows us to put our thoughts on paper and signifies the next step to being reflective and invoking action. However, journaling tends to be personal and rarely is seen by others. This to me is where blogging rises above all other forms of reflective practice. It takes into account our silent thoughts and places them on “paper” but it takes the next step which puts our thoughts public!

Blogging makes you vulnerable and I believe is a requirement for our deepest reflective practice. It is personal and full of emotion. It requires you to wear your heart on your sleeve. It forces you to believe in what you are writing because you may be challenged. Your thoughts are public not only for your own self use but for others. Blogging is communal and reminds us that we are not just educating our own students but every student around the world. I may never meet some of the people whose blogs I read regularly but I learn from them because of their public presence. And my learning is not only good for my own professional growth it has the ability to enhance others too!

Blogging may be time consuming but it is certainly worth the time as a reflective practice. It forces us to reflect on where we are and more importantly where we want to go. And it is worthwhile whether we are at the top of our game or just struggling to get by. For me, one who is not a gifted writer, it forces me to work on an area of growth, rejuvenate my mind, reflect on my practice and improve my leadership. Those are pretty good reasons to make it a weekly ritual during the school year!!!

Aug 03

To Sir, With Love

A couple of weeks ago, while flipping through the channels, I came across the movie To Sir, With Love starring Sidney Poitier. It is a favorite of mine, that I’ve watched all or parts too many times to remember. Like many films that tackle real school life, it reminded me of the power of an educator interacting with students. “Sir” took a personal interest in his students and was willing to make a difference in their lives. Funny, isn’t that what we are all called to do in education?

Fast forward to earlier this week when I was chatting about education with one of my golfing colleagues. Interestingly he stated, “There are few successful people who have not been influenced along the way by a teacher.” What a powerful statement! Everybody within the education system needs to remind themselves of the powerful influence that we have as educators. Each word or interaction we have with our students and even our parents has the ability to build up or tear down!

But his comments also made me wonder about those students who have not been successful in school. Who did not influence them and why not? Research is pretty clear that successful students have at least one strong relationship with an adult in the school. Should that not be our mantra in our schools today; To ensure that every child has a significant adult in their school life, each and every day? What would that look like to those students who seem to fall through the cracks or just fade away silently?

Education should never be minimalized and the impact that it has on our society can no longer be taken for granted. More importantly, the positive influence that one educator can provide to a child has the potential to not only change the life of one student but potentially change a generation. That message must ring clearly in our minds at the beginning of each school year and every day we face children.

In a few weeks, school bells will begin ringing again and students will be entering another year of their schooling. What will it take for us in education for this year for all students to be successful? We may never have enough money in education or all of the ideal conditions, but we can certainly maintain the positive attitude to truly make a difference in the lives of children. We can always be committed to being that significant adult in the life of a child. And we can, as I’ve written before, always be “creating our legacy.”

Begin the year seeking the students who need your extra support, extra attention, extra care and love. Make it happen and you will be part of another successful student who was influenced by an educator!

 

Jul 29

My Last Class…

At the end of June, I brought greetings to the St. Mary’s Graduating Class of 2013. The evening held a little bit of nostagia for me as this graduating class, was in kindergarten during my last year as a principal. So in essence, this was my last class. Although I’ve coached since then, both in school and club teams, this was the last time I had direct contact with students in a teaching setting.

Some of the students were new to the school, others were barely recognizable due to how much they had changed and some I knew well because of a connection with their parents. Regardless, it was still a shock to see how much each of these students had grown from their first year in kindergarten and my last year as principal. It was also a stark reminder that I’ve been out of the classroom full time since the end of June 2001. For all of my fellow superintendents and other central office personnel, this is a fact of our jobs! We no longer have the day to day contact with students yet, we must stay connected to the current classroom while still influencing the future of schooling. It is like being on the dance floor and the balcony simultaneously!

This stark recognition that I no longer had any more of my students in the system led me to ponder my own journey since entering senior administration. Unfortunately, my role as superintendent took me out of the coaching ranks four years ago. Although it is not the same as being in the classroom, it did provide me with a much needed “kid fix.” My last class reminded me that I need to remain student focused and not lose touch with this generation of learners, both students and teachers. As a central office person, I can ill afford to become less connected- it does the system no good! And, I cannot lose the passion to be with students. The day that I do not still  yearn to be back in the classroom is the day that I should retire from this profession!

I love the opportunity to interact with students and senior administration should always look for ways to be in the schools with students. Some of my fondest memories of this past year were sitting with students in the hallways, lunchrooms or classrooms and just “shooting the breeze.”  Listening to students assists me in gaining a better perspective of what is needed in our schools today. It allows me to understand what the classroom looks like and feels like from the student’s point of view. Without that perspective, my days of an educational leader should probably align with my last class and I should retire and I’m not nearly ready for that!

Jul 02

From the Desk of the Superintendent- My Last Class

Last Friday, I addressed the 2013 graduating class of St. Mary School in Taber. It was a special evening for me in particular, as many of these students were in my last kindergarten class. In 2001, I left the principalship of St. Patrick, where these students attended kindergarten. This group is the last connection to my teaching career in schools. Although I’ve coached many students since then, these students were the last that I ever had as students, even if I was only their principal and taught them physical education. It was a profound moment and it caused me to reflect on my own journey as an educator. Later this summer, I’ll post on those reflections, but until then, please enjoy my address!

St. Mary Address

Good evening ladies and gentlemen, honored guests and St Mary Graduates of 2013. It is a great pleasure to be here tonight and bring greetings from the entire school division. This group holds a very special place in my heart as they were the last group of students, starting kindergarten in my final year as principal of St. Patrick School. I knew some of them better than others as they had older siblings that I taught and so I had the pleasure of watching many of them come into the school with moms and dads and participate in many of the family activities that are such a part of our school system in Taber. And so as the last year of being in a school as a principal before entering senior administration, I hold on to those memories with great fondness.

Although graduates, it is your theme, “hold onto the memories”, I want to begin tonight by speaking to your parents. Holding onto the memories for us parents is like building a scrapbook. That scrapbook may be in pictures or videos but our most important memories are etched into our minds and hearts. We remember the day you were born and the first time we held you. We remember your first words and your first steps. We remember your first day in school. For some, this was your first child entering school and there were a few tears; for others it was your last and there were a few tears too…but for different reasons. We even remember, although we’ve tried to forget, when you openly defied us or even maybe even said that you hated us. And we remember this past year, last night and we will remember and hold on to the memories of tonight too! Each of the graduates has created a scrapbook of memories for all of us parents.

The beauty of a small graduating class is the intimacy, the ability to retell the class history and to remember the memories. Each of you will hold on to different memories from your years in school. They may be your kindergarten graduation or your grade 5 farewell. They may be speech arts or outdoor ed trip, or sports or music or… the list is endless. Hold on to those memories…all of them. Celebrate the good ones and always remember to learn from the ones that weren’t so good!

More importantly, now it is time to create your own memories. It is time to choose your own path. You have been gifted with a strong foundation from your family and your schooling. This strong foundation has allowed both your physical and your spiritual self to grow and develop. You now have all the tools to create lasting memories that will honor you, honor your family and honor God. The memories that you’ve already created will pale in comparison to the memories that you will make in your future. 

As a parent, for many your first principal and now the Superintendent, I thank you for the memories you have already created. Holy Spirit has been blessed to part of your growth and development and I will forever remember my last class and this evening. Now go out and create the memories that will reflect who you are and want to be as a unique creation of God. May God continue to bless you in your past, present and future memories! Good luck and God Bless!

Jun 23

From the Desk of the Superintendent- Year End Message

Where has the year gone? I ask myself this question about this time every year. It reminds me that the work done in education is akin to a sprint more often than a marathon. We hunker down in late August and barely look up until the end of the school year. It also reminds me that when you love what you do and are passionate about what you do, the work just seems to fly by. That doesn’t mean that fatigue doesn’t set in at times in the year; it is difficult to always be in sprint mode! Society in general has a work/life balance issue and education is no different. Fortunately, we have some time in the summer to allow ourselves to rest and rejuvenate. I know that I’m very much looking forward to some holiday time this summer too!

This year has been another success for Holy Spirit. We continue to offer high quality Catholic Education and excel in our innovative and creative practices. I’m always amazed at how often we are provincially recognized and yet seem to fly under the radar in our own communities. The great work that goes on in our division may be taken for granted by some but I do not! It is not that the job of Superintendent of Schools is easy but when you surround yourself with excellence, from the board office to the schools, it is certainly easier! To that end, I would like to thank the following for contributing to the success of our division.

  1. St. Basil Catholic Education Centre Staff– Each day, I work with a group of individuals committed to making Holy Spirit a great place to work. Often, these people do their jobs without any fanfare and with little recognition. Their work is often behind the scenes! Yet, when there is a need, they are always ready to extend a helping hand to our schools, our parents and our communities. There is no doubt that a large part of the reason for my extreme contentment with this position is because of the people I work with.
  2. School Leaders– It is pretty easy to create a risk taking environment and to have a million and one ideas but to operationalize it, is a different story. Our school leaders do just that! Holy Spirit administrators put into practice what is desirable for our division and requested by the province. They make decisions and sometimes, what are very tough decisions, on what is best for our students day in and day out! Their ability to work with staff, students, parents and the community they serve is a blessing. I am truly grateful for their continued dedication to our division.
  3. Teachers– Nobody knows the life of a teacher unless you have taught. We often do not know the impact of teachers on our students. Our students are well cared for and highly educated by our teachers. It is why we are continually recognized provincially. It is always a great source of pride when I walk into our classrooms and see teachers modeling lifelong learning as they engage in new instructional practices; where they are challenging their own paradigms and continuing to hone their professional craft. They care deeply for our students and for that I am most appreciative.
  4. Support Staff– School systems do not become excellent without a myriad of supports. Our support staff provides exemplary service to our students, our teachers and our schools. The cheerful voice on the phone, the work with our FNMI students, the counselling of our students and work with families all contribute to an excellent system. Clean schools, early learning, student assistance and administrative support all demonstrate a commitment to our students on a daily basis. Often this work is overlooked and yet without it, Holy Spirit would just be an ordinary system. Thank you for your work!
  5. Parents– Parents are the first educators! To all those parents who are actively engaged with their child’s education, a big thank you! We know that when parents and teachers are on the same team, working together, collaborating and communicating, students benefit. I also have special appreciation to all of those parents involved in school council. Your time commitment is most appreciated as you work for not only your own children but for all children in your school community. Parents, thank you for the honor of educating your children in Holy Spirit.
  6. Parishes– Each year, the partnership with our local parishes continues to become stronger. Our parish priests and workers continue to be more visible in our schools and more available for support. Few know your intensely busy schedule but we are most thankful that you continue to carve out time to spend in our schools and support to our division.
  7. Board of Trustees– In October, school board elections will be held and I’m unaware of who of our current trustees will be seeking re-election. As a superintendent, who is the board’s only employee that is a frightening thought! I say that because of the positive relationship that has been built with our trustees over their term.  Our trustees, allow both myself and the rest of senior administration to do our job without micromanaging and they are a force in their political realm. I truly value their support and appreciate their desire for me to be accountable. They are truly are committed to Catholic education in Holy Spirit and have served their communities well during their term.

Next year will be one of many changes. We have a number of new administrators in the division and we say goodbye to some special people. To all of our retirees, I say thank you for creating a wonderful legacy. You have made a positive impact on the lives of so many children during your career. To those leaving our system, I wish you the best of luck in your new surroundings. May God continue to bless you in your work!

I again say thank you to everyone within Holy Spirit for contributing to another successful year. I am blessed to lead a faith based organization that is committed to living out our mission and forwarding our vision! Have a wonderful summer- get some rest, spend time with family and friends and relax! God Bless!