WEYBURN, Sask. – Saskatchewan elementary school principals in Weyburn and Saskatoon have been selected as two of 40 outstanding principals.
Tuesday afternoon, Arlene Dobson’s students at Weyburn’s Haig School honored her with a special assembly and words of appreciation.
“She is fun, awesome, pretty, intelligent and spectacular – and she never gets mad,” said one student.
Her school kept her nomination a secret, but it was no secret that she’s deserving.
Watch the video below: Weyburn principal of the year
“With our Haig school family, parents, staff, EA’s, anyone that has an issue or concern, Arlene is just the go-to person. Just a terrific leader,” said Kenton Field, Haig’s Vice-Principal.
Last week, she and St. Marks Community School ‘s principal, Owen Fortosky were both recognized nationally by the Learning Partnership.
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“Arlene implemented the RTI program, which is how do you respond to students that aren’t performing the way they would like?” said Kelly Hilkewich, Southeast Cornerstone Public School Division superintendent, of Dobson.
Dobson’s take on the program has meant all teachers meet regularly to help each other help students struggling in Math and English. It has seen the most success in the division.
“We’ll have kids that are reading at a certain level and they might have a benchmark in the fall and then by winter we can see they’ve improved,” said Dobson.
Meanwhile, Fortosky is being recognized for his commitment to using of technology for education in Saskatoon. He’s introduced smart boards, laptops and digital cameras in every classroom.
“Our children, no matter where they are, need to learn 21st century skills,” he said.
Connie Davis, a teacher librarian at St. Marks and one of Fortosky’s nominators added, “It started to become a school culture and now is becoming our vision.”
While both principals are being recognized for their vision and leadership, they give credit to great staff and students.
“The parents and the kids, that’s what makes it all worth it, is seeing the kids do the best they can,” said Dobson.
Dobson and Fortosky will travel to Toronto for the awards gala on Feb. 25.
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