Neerlandia Public Christian School students will see a familiar face in the associate principal’s office this year.
Starting in September, long time Neerlandia Public Christian school teacher Kimberly Tuininga-Sybesma will be taking over as the school’s associate principal. For the last eight years, Tuininga-Sybesma has been a teacher at Neerlandia Public Christian School.
“I’m a born and bred Neerlandian,” she said, adding that even though she is from the area she never dreamed she would end up back in hamlet where she grew up.
Actually, like her predecessor, Prakash Raju, Tuininga-Sybesma, when she left home to attend post secondary school, first at King’s College University and then the University of Alberta (U of A) where she received an arts diploma and her bachelors of education, respectively, she never planned to return home.
“It was a great time to be entering the teaching profession,” Tuininga-Sybesma, said. “There was a big need for teachers, I think I applied to five or six school divisions and I got offers from all of them.”
In the end, she decided to take an offer from the Leduc Society of Christian Education and teach at their Covenant Christian School.
“I chose it because, besides the fact it was a really good school, it was close to the city,” she said.
Tuininga-Sybesma taught in Leduc for five years, platooning from Grades 1 to 3, depending on the year and the need in the school.
“I am not sure why, but I have always been attracted to teaching the younger grades,” she said. After five years in Leduc, Tuininga-Sybesma, decided it was time to move on, but she admitted Neerlandia wasn’t necessarily on her radar.
“My husband and I were looking to buy and while we were up here visiting, we found this acreage that we just fell in love with. That was probably the main reason why we decided to come back here,” she said, adding another reason was because she has family, including her parents, in the area. “I think its been about 18 years now.”
At first Tuininga-Sybesma worked for the Pembina Hills School Division as a substitute teacher, filling in when she was called upon in Neerlandia, Barrhead, Fort Assiniboine and Westlock.
It wasn’t until her youngest daughter, Chloe, started Grade 1 that she decided to look for a more permanent position at Neerlandia Public Christian School.
Like Leduc, for her first few years in Neerlandia, she taught Grade 3 before eventually moving up to teach slightly older students in Grades 4 and 5.
“The difference is hard to explain, in Kindgergarten to Grade 3 they are more dependent on the teacher and by Grade 4 and 5 they are little bit more independent, but they still like the teacher and are still quite respectful.”
As for why Tuininga-Sybesma decided to take the plunge into administration, she jokingly blames others, most notably school board trustee, Jennifer Tuininga.
“I never really thought about going into administration, but a number of people over the years kept telling me I should do it,” she said, adding that when the position in Neerlandia opened up only when Tuininga talked to her did she really start to consider it. “She said just apply and do the interview and that you don’t have to take the job unless you really want to.”
And so far so good. Although she didn’t take over officially until this week, Tuininga-Sybesma said she actually began her duties late last school year, helping to formulate this year’s timetables and interviewing for a new teacher.
As for what she is most looking forward to in her new position, she said it is two fold.
“I love planning, and being organized and I’m looking forward to bringing those skills to my new position,” she said. “And of course I’m looking forward to working with my amazing staff and students and moving into our new building later this year.”
And for those students who are in Grades 4 and 5 this year, they will also have the opportunity to see Tuininga-Sybesma in the classroom, for at least two days a week.
