Principal's Message
June has arrived, and with it comes both stress and excitement. Most of the elementary students will be excited to have days on end to bike around, play at a friend's house, swim at McNab, or just relax under a tree and read a book in the shade. For my high school students, they may share similar interests, but they might also be ready to jump into a summer job, continue off-season training for a specific sport, or perhaps get themselves prepared for life after public education. Whatever it is they are looking forward to, it is always nice to be able to look out into the future and see something exciting just in front of yourself.
To my grade 12 students who are about to conclude their public education lives, I want to wish you the best of luck going forward. It has truly been an honour and privilege to have worked with you since you were very young, and now to see you head out into the "real world". I am excited for you, as you certainly have the potential to make an incredible impact wherever you end up. I just hope wherever you go and whatever you do, you continue to strive to do what is right as opposed to what is easiest. I believe our society will be a much greater place with you in it, and I am excited to find out what you are doing in the future. Also, feel free to pop in and say hi, as we always have fond memories of our students, so enjoy an update from time to time.
We hosted a pre-district track and field event for Horizon School Division, which saw almost 400 athletes compete in a myriad of individual competitions. Events of that magnitude take immense preparation and organization, for which I am exceptionally proud of our staff. The day ran exceptionally smoothly despite the weather only half-cooperating. In the end, the feedback we received was almost all positive, with the only downside being that the bat on the starting light was unrecognizable from a distance, meaning our "bat signal" maybe didn't have the comedic effect planned if you were at the 100 or 200 meter start lines. Next, we will keep our track in top condition as we host Annaheim and Quill Lake for an elementary track and field day. In anticipation of all the work that will be required to pull that day off, I want to thank everyone who steps up and helps us make that day possible, as it is a massive undertaking and requires not just staff but significant parent help. The brave parents who have volunteered to help out with their time, energy, and efforts are immensely appreciated by all of our staff and students.
Finally, I just want to thank everyone for yet another great year. There will always be hiccups along the way, but I am always encouraged and grateful for the conversations around those hiccups. Working together truly moves things along much quicker than being adversaries. One of the perks about being in my chair is that I get to be a witness to the passion parents/guardians and staff have in pursuit of children/students receiving a top-notch public education experience. Thank you to everyone for playing an integral role in helping develop our youth into incredible adults. Have a great month of June, and I will see you all for the 2025-2026 school year!
Jay Fitzsimmons