Principal focused on building relationships

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/02/2018 (2774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Report card season has come early for Acadia Junior High School principal Troy Scott.

Scott was named one of 40 outstanding principals in the country by The Learning Partnership on Jan. 31.

Each year the national charity recognizes 40 public educators who demonstrate innovation, leadership and use creativity to find solutions and opportunities within their school communities, according to a release.

Principals are nominated by their colleagues in the school system who also collect letters of support from community members that are submitted to a national jury, which selects the class of outstanding principals.

Scott, 40, said he’s grateful for the top grade his co-workers have given him and reading the peer evaluations has been overwhelming.

“I got into education because I love working with kids and I love building those supportive relationships with kids,” Scott told The Sou’wester. “When you’re doing it you’re enjoying it and you’re trying to help because you care and you don’t do it because you’re looking for recognition or praise.

“So when you’re reading these things it’s just overwhelming because you start to see the way that’s rubbed off on people.”

Scott has been principal at Acadia Junior High, a Grade 7 to 9 school in Fort Richmond with just over 650 students, since 2014. Prior to becoming principal at Acadia, Scott worked at Fort Richmond Collegiate for four-and-a-half years as vice-principal and has been a part of the Pembina Trails School Division for 15 years.

During his time at Acadia, Scott said he’s tried to emphasize the importance of building relationships with students and teachers, approaching each day with positivity, and creating capacity on his staff to deal with any changes and challenges the classroom can present.

One ongoing challenge at Acadia is ensuring newcomer families and students are getting the support they need in the community and at school.

Scott said about 200 students at Acadia are taking English as a second language programming and 50 different countries and cultures represented in the school.

“As we’ve seen that diversity over the last 15 years, we’ve had to do a lot of professional development and learning,” Scott said. “So working with the staff, whether it be in the classroom with the kids, or in terms of strategies that not just support English language learners, but all kids… and making sure we’re welcoming when the kids come in has been a huge developing piece for us.”

The junior high, along with principal Lisa Boles and the folks at Fort Richmond Collegiate, have begun The Peaceful Village, an after-school program for newcomer students focused on literacy, numeracy, nutrition, leadership, projects and “village kitchens.”

Scott said the program may be one of his proudest initiatives looking back over the past four years.

“It has over 200 kids in it and it’s extremely popular and is bursting at the seams and clearly met a need,” he said. “A lot of the parents when they’re new to country are working multiple jobs… this gives their kids a place to go and be safe.”