‘I’m so lucky to have great people around me’

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This article was published 03/02/2017 (3378 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a school where teamwork has been a defining characteristic of success for decades, Vincent Massey Collegiate’s principal is crediting his circle of colleagues for his latest achievement.

Principal Tony Carvey, 55, was named one of Canada’s 40 Outstanding Principals of 2017 by The Learning Partnership on Jan. 31.

Carvey has been working in education for over 30 years, beginning his career in a school in California and eventually making his way to the Pembina Trails School Division where he has remained for 16 years.

“I was very humbled and honoured,” Carvey said, sitting in his office at the Fort Garry high school. “I said to my staff this afternoon… that it really is not an award for me as a principal — it’s a team award, starting with all the teammates that I’ve had as vice-principal, and the mentors I’ve learned from as principals when I was a vice-principal.

“It’s a huge team effort and it’s really all about the people who’ve surrounded me and I’m so lucky to have great people around me.”

The Learning Partnership is a national charity tasked with building partnerships to support, promote and advance publicly funded education in Canada, and the Outstanding Principal award recognizes administrators who demonstrate innovation and leadership by employing creativity in finding solutions and opportunities within their school, according to the organization.

Since taking over the helm at Vincent Massey in 2014, Carvey has introduced a handful of initiatives that have increased the well-being of students and staff in a proactive manner.

For the past two years, the school community has focused its attention on mental health and providing appropriate supports and resources to the student population. The work culminated in a school-wide event last February called Strive2Thrive.

“The mental health needs of our students we see as one of the core things that need to be addressed and addressed in a way that breaks down stigma,” Carvey said. “We spent a lot of time, energy and effort last year around mental health and continue on with professional development.”

Carvey’s administration has also led the charge in making Vincent Massey an accessible and inclusive environment through renovations and awareness programs. On Nov. 16, the school was awarded a $30,000 grant from the Rick Hansen Foundation to make the front entrance wheelchair accessible with a new ramp and doors. The school is now turning its focus to the tri-level library in an effort to make it usable for all. Carvey said the push for inclusivity has been a rallying point for the school.

“In my time we’ve completed the elevator project, we completed a total renovation of student services and the counsellors area, we renovated the student centre and the special needs room for accessibility and use of space,” Carvey said.

While infrastructure and resource enhancements are important aspects of Carvey’s work at Vincent Massey, it’s the relationships he builds in the halls, classrooms, and staff room that he holds close to heart. Over his nearly three dozen years in education, Carvey said he’s been involved in some capacity in the careers of many school leaders, and now teachers at Vincent Massey are considering taking on new leadership roles.

“In my role as a principal at a large school like this, I’ve always believed in building the leadership capacity of the people around me,” Carvey explained. “I would hope that this award is a reflection of that and the fact that I’ve been able to build capacity and inspire people to think about how they can enlarge their circle of influence.”