When September rolls around, R.F. Staples Secondary School, Westlock Elementary School and Barrhead Composite High School will all have new principals.
Earlier this month, the Pembina Hills school division announced the three schools would be swapping their top administrators.
R.F. Staples’ principal Pierre Ouimet is moving over to Westlock Elementary; Steven Kaplan is shifting from Westlock Elementary to take over the principal’s chair at BCHS, while Dave Garbutt is leaving BCHS to become the new principal at R.F. Staples.
“For a district like us, it’s kind of a big deal,” Ouimet said of the changes.
Ouimet has been at R.F. Staples for the past eight school years, the last three of which were as the principal. Before his time in Westlock, he had taught at BCHS for four years, meaning the last 12 years has seen him working solely in 7-12 schools.
Although he’s moving to a K-6 school, he said he doesn’t see it as an unduly drastic change.
“Kids are kids,” he said. “We’re in the people business, and the things I’ve learned about working with kids, I think, would be the biggest transferable.”
The only major difference would be the age and size of the students, Ouimet said.
In his years working in schools, he said the key to being successful is building relationships with everyone in the building. There is a different dynamic at play at a junior high or high school compared to an elementary school.
At R.F. Staples, the job involves dealing with such issues as young drivers and students who smoke. While moving to WES is a chance to escape those teenage concerns, he said, there will still be bridges to be crossed.
“I fully anticipate there being some other types of things I don’t even know of that I’m sure I’ll learn over time,” Ouimet said.
Like sticky hands, for instance.
“It’s one of those things I heard — you get used to sticky hands and people coming up to you and hugging you around your knees with their sticky hands.”
Those relationships Ouimet said are the key to success in any job are also what are giving him a bit of pause as he prepares to leave.
“I’ll miss the relationships that have been built, not only with the adults, but with the kids in this building over the last eight years, because some of them are very strong and will be forever,” he said.
Barrhead Composite High School principal Dave Garbutt has been tasked with filling Ouimet’s shoes.
Garbutt took over as principal at BCHS for the start of the 2011-2012 school year, and said he has enjoyed the previous three “excellent” years in Barrhead.
“I’ve probably learned more from the staff and the students than I’ve contributed to them,” he said.
Garbutt said he is excited about the chance to further his career, explaining R.F. has a sterling reputation.
“I’ve heard nothing but positive things about R.F. Staples.
With many years of experience in different school divisions over the years, the most recent being spending time as the principal at Stettler Middle School, brings with him a bit of an outsider’s perspective, but he doesn’t plan on making any sweeping changes.
Instead, he intends to come to Westlock and get a feel for the school and its traditions before implementing any changes.
One change that could come to R.F. Staples is a change Garbutt brought in at BCHS — desegregating the school.
He explained at BCHS he merged the junior and senior high schools into one, because declining enrolment made it difficult to keep the schools separate.
At BCHS, all the time blocks are the same, and teachers now teach both junior high and senior high classes.
“Would that work in Westlock? Possibly,” he said.
“Am I planning on coming there and forcing that on people? No.”
Regardless of whether Garbutt brings changes to R.F. Staples, he said he wants to consult with all possible stakeholders — the staff, students and parents.
“Basically what I’m going to be asking is what’s working well and, in your opinion, what’s not,” he said.
Although Garbutt came to BCHS with a lot of experience, he also came with baggage.
Shortly after he was hired in 2011, a Barrhead parent raised concerns about Garbutt having pleaded guilty to assault stemming from an argument with his wife. The argument started as a verbal dispute, but escalated when Garbutt pushed his wife, bruising her arm. He avoided jail time, but was handed an 18-month conditional sentence.
Then-PHRD Supt. Egbert Stang said he was aware of Garbutt’s situation before hiring him, stating the division investigated the situation. Stang said the division does not condone such behaviour, but determined the assault was a one-time event and people do make mistakes.
Westlock Elementary School principal Steven Kaplan is returning to the Barrhead side of Pembina Hills as he takes over as principal at BCHS in September.
Kaplan came to WES for the start of the 2012-2013 school year after a previous posting as Dunstable School’s principal, and fully enjoyed his time at the school.
“I can say I really like this school and I’ve really grown to love the community,” he said. “I appreciate the overall commitment to providing great education at Westlock Elementary. I feel extremely fortunate to have had that experience to do what I could in the last two years.”
Despite the opportunity before him, Kaplan said it’s hard to leave WES and what the staff has been working on.
“We’ve got teachers who are in upper elementary who are really working hard at creating great compassionate communities that recognize diversity and are open to building a strong learning environment,” he said.
Adding to the challenge of pulling himself away from WES is how his relationship with his students is going to change going into a school with older kids.
“Here, in an elementary school, most children just welcome you with open arms and frankly they love you right away,” he said.
Junior and senior high students are more mature and will make you earn your relationship with them, he said.
“You have to be fair and you have to be just, and you have to walk the talk,” he said, explaining you need to prove they can trust you.
