Note from the Principal
My name is Jennifer Meeker and on September 1st I will officially join the Centre Wellington District High School Community as Principal. Staff and Admin have been working much of the summer to make our startup in September as smooth as possible. These are extraordinary times and we are doing our best to be prepared to take on whatever comes our way.
This past year has not been easy for any of us and especially our students. Distance learning proved to be a challenge for many, but we also heard positive stories from students who felt that they enjoyed this way of learning. Staff worked hard and changed their course delivery to meet the distance learning format, and some of those changes will remain as we move forward into the new school year. Change is never easy, but we have learned that it is necessary as we adapt in these unprecedented times. I do not think any of us will look at on-line learning, or our skills using a variety of learning platforms, the same way again. I know that my skills have improved; however nothing can replace a teacher in the classroom, face to face with students. The relationships between staff and students are integral to learning – an essential component to, and not just about, effective curriculum delivery.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led us to uncover many issues in our world. We know that work needs to be done, in many aspects of education, to address these issues. The Upper Grand District School Board is committed to disrupting systemic racism and oppression in all of its forms. We will implement ongoing mandatory anti-racism and anti-oppression training for all staff, review our protocols and policies, including our hiring practices, and be fully transparent and accountable to all Upper Grand students, staff, families, and stakeholders in an ongoing manner. At CWDHS we are committed to doing this work. Many staff have been working over the summer to develop their understanding of their own role in disrupting systemic racism and oppression, and as we move into the school year, we will continue this work.There will be challenges ahead, but we will work together to build relationships within our school as well as within our broader community, to support new initiatives as well as those that have already been initiated in the broader Centre Wellington community.
I look forward to the year ahead and getting to know the Falcon community.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Meeker