Vice-principals are nomadic people, perhaps not by nature, but certainly by job description.  Having said that though, we get attached to places, things and people. Familiarity is comforting, and change can be scary, but it is also an adventure, and who knew more about adventure on the road, than Jack Kerouac –

I was surprised, as always, by how easy the act of leaving was, and how good it felt. The world was suddenly rich with possibility.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

As expected, Centennial is a school rich with possibility. It is everything the previous administrators promised it would be.  Change brings with it endless opportunities to grow both professionally and personally.  A new administrative partner, a new staff, and a new student body – so many names to learn !

Over the past seven years, I have been an administrator in four different schools – Sir Winston Churchill, E.L. Crossley,  St. Catharines Collegiate, and now Welland Centennial. Each school experience has been invaluable in my  professional growth as a school leader. Although my heart is still in my English class, and I am a voracious reader, I am now in the unique position of broadening my knowledge in the business class, the chemistry lab, the construction shop, and to a more limited extent – the math class.

I am excited to be here, and the road to Centennial has been a circuitous one for me. I am a DSBN grad; although, when I graduated it was known as the Lincoln County Board of Education. My son Brandon is also a DSBN grad as well as a University of Guelph grad. I often think of his high school pain having his mother as his teacher.  He survived. My daughter is a DSBN student, and fortunately for her, I have never been her teacher, nor for that matter, her vice-principal.

I love my children, books, tennis, golf, and my dog Marley, who failed the second level of obedience school.  Although I have not been at Centennial very long, I can see why teachers and administrators loathe to leave it. It is a welcoming place, a place rich with possibility. For now, the road ends here, and that’s quite comforting.