Blog Posts

June marks the end of the school year and also brings PRIDE celebrations. The Abbotsford School District supports the inclusion of “gender identity and expression” as protected under the BC Human Rights Code. All staff and students have the right to express their identities respectfully and without discrimination.

In the bustling halls of Abbotsford's educational institutions, a profound sense of community thrives, fueled by the collaborative efforts of dedicated professionals. At the heart of this collective endeavour lies the invaluable practice of networking, a force that not only unites individuals but also fosters lasting growth and resilience within the Abbotsford School District.

In previous posts, I have shared my perspectives on the spectre of systemic racism in education, particularly in relation to Indigenous Peoples. I highlighted two interrelated constructs related to this issue: epistemic racism (the idea that there is only one form of true knowledge) and the related “racism of low expectations” highlighted in the 2016 Auditor General’s Report.

More than ever, we must recognize that diversity is our strength. Abbotsford, our continuously growing "city in the country," has the third-largest diverse population in Canada, following Toronto and Vancouver. The Sikh community representing 14% of our local population has a rich history that enables Abbotsford to have the oldest existing Gurdwara in Canada, built in 1911. The intentional act of coming together to learn about and from one another is a catalyst for healthy communities, where we can begin to solve complex problems and reach for the joy in education.

Earlier this school year, leaders in our organization had the opportunity to learn from renowned psychiatrist, Dr. Shimi Kang on the subject of mental health and wellbeing.

Black Connections HS is a club that consists of Black mentors from the community and educators from the Abbotsford School District. Black Connections HS aims to build a safe, supportive and uplifting environment for our Black students as well as present opportunities for the Black youth in the Abbotsford School District.

“Now let us begin. Now let us re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world.” -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It has been my practice for the last few Januarys to make predictions about possible changes in the K-12 sector. This practice goes back as far as 2015 when I highlighted the top ten issues facing our education system and some things to watch for as we sought to transform it.

Many of you will know that I am a big football fan, (and an especially big Raider fan). The inspiration for my post this week does not come from Raider Nation, but from the Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. If you follow the Seahawks, you will know that their Super Bowl winning quarterback, Russel Wilson was traded away and that most pundits thought that with back-up quarterback Smith at the helm, the team would be lucky to win half of their games this year.

I had the pleasure this week of meeting with around fifty of Yale Secondary’s Leadership 12 students. They are an amazing and diverse group of go-getters who help to make their school and community better through service. In addition to the work they do, they are also curious about leadership and routinely invite leaders from various parts of the community to talk about their roles and perspectives on leadership. This week I was the invited guest. Among the things they wanted to learn more about were my background, how I became superintendent, as well as the joys and challenges of the job.