Cadieux says ‘adieu’

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This article was published 21/06/2019 (2487 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ronald Cadieux never expected to end up as an educator. But if he could go back and do it all over again, he wouldn’t think twice.

“I wanted to work in computer programming, but I was miserable,” said Cadieux, principal at Collège Pierre-Elliott-Trudeau. “My peers were going into education, and I thought it was a real opportunity. It beckoned, I entered it, and never looked back.”

Born and raised in Windsor Park, Cadieux graduated from Collège de Saint-Boniface in 1987. That fall, he was hired a Grade 7 teacher at École Centrale.

“This was back in the heyday when they were trying to hire a lot of Francophone-bilingual teachers,” Cadieux said.

From there, Cadieux spent time at École Regent Park before moving over to CPET in 1996, where he would spend 20 of the next 22 years.

“What I really appreciate, looking back, is the opportunity as a proud Francophone to work en français daily, which is a huge privilege for me,” Cadieux admitted. “I am really fortunate to have worked in this school and this community. It’s been a real privilege.”

In 2005, he was appointed teaching vice-principal at CPET. Then, from 2010 to 2012, he served as VP at Kildonan-East Collegiate.

“That was when Diana Posthumus was principal there,” Cadieux recalled. “That was a great professional experience for me.”

Following his stint at Kildonan-East Collegiate, Cadieux was appointed principal back at CPET. He said that the only drawback of working on the administration side was that it took him away from teaching.

“I really would have loved to have been in the classroom more often, on the front lines with the teachers, learning with the students,” he said. “But the management side has kept me operating in the background, which is fine. It has enabled me to at least try to empower and encourage the staff to do their job.”

However, no career is without its challenges. 

“Education can be very demanding, but at the same time very rewarding,” he said. “We are a small school here, so we really develop a sense of family. Family tragedies weighed really heavily on our school community. I’ve attended a few more funerals than I would care to admit. Those were very tough.”

A lifelong hockey player, Cadieux was behind the bench when the CPET Canadiens first entered the Winnipeg High School Hockey League. He has been involved with the league ever since, in one capacity or another, and was recently awarded the Keith Bodley Memorial Award as “adult volunteer who epitomizes the best characteristics of all hockey people.” A point of pride for Cadieux was the formation of CPET’s girls hockey team in the Winnipeg Women’s High School Hockey League in 2017.

“My only regret is I never had an opportunity to play as a player,” he said. “I think it would have been really neat to have had the opportunity to play and represent my school.”

For Cadieux, athletics represents an opportunity to bring students and staff together.

“Learning has evolved into a partnership between teachers and students,” Cadieux said. “Academic success has to deal with good, positive relationships, and I think a strong athletic program strengthens and encourages those relationships and builds a sense of belonging, which is key.”

In his retirement, Cadieux said he is looking forward to doing “more of everything,” including indulging in hobbies, playing sports, and spending time with friends and family. Travel, too, is on the agenda.

“I look forward to going on holidays that are twice as long and half the price,” he said. “I think there will be some point soon where I will find myself on a Caribbean beach during a school day.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@freepress.mb.ca Call him at 204-697-7112

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