Bob Rodgers, who has been acting principal at Crossfield Elementary School, will officially take over the reigns as principal of the school in August. Rocky View Schools (RVS) Superintendent of Schools Don Hoium announced the appointment April 4.
Rodgers, who has worked for RVS since 1998, said he’s looking forward to continuing to work at the school, not least because of the great teaching team and support staff.
“This is the school where they should send every new administrator because what an amazing place it is, right here,” he said. “I’ve worked with very many high-functioning, outstanding staff and this is easily the top of them all. Every teacher here, all the support staff just gives 100 per cent for the kids everyday.”
Rodgers spent a number of years in the Canadian Armed Forces before attaining a bachelor of education degree and masters degree in educational technology from the University of Calgary. He has previously worked at W.H. Murdoch School in Crossfield, Ralph McCall School in Airdrie and the Beiseker School, and as an instructor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary.
While he said he doesn’t have plans to make big changes at Crossfield School, Rodgers said he hopes to reinvigorate some existing projects.
“I’m more of a collaborative leader,” he said. ”I don’t come in to make a lot of big changes, instead I’m looking at the things that are already in place with the staff and making sure we’re really bringing excellence to what we’re already doing.”
Crossfield School has a current enrolment of 303 students in kindergarten to Grade 5.
Fireside School
Thomas Elbel will become the first principal of a new kindergarten to Grade 8 school currently being built in Fireside in Cochrane scheduled to open in September 2017.
Elbel, currently principal at Manachaban Middle School, said he’s looking forward to working with RVS and the community of Cochrane leading up to the school’s opening.
“I’m thrilled about it. I’m really excited about this challenge to form a school vision that responds to the community needs, that responds pedagogically. I hope to have lots of input into that,” he said. “Of course, I have my own ideas but you need to consider the school community, you need to consider the staff that you’re going to end up working with, so I think it’s a puzzle piece but it’s a fun one.”
Elbel has been with RVS since 1998 and has taught previously at George McDougall High School in Airdrie and Cochrane High School. He will assume his new role in March 2017, six months before the school is set to open.
In describing what he will be doing in those intervening months Elbel said, “Planning will be the biggest part of it. Putting timelines into place (for registration, etc.), putting the staffing in place.”
The new school will initially open with classes from kindergarten to Grade 7, with full occupancy to Grade 8 planned for 2018.
Elbel said he works by a motto of “open minds, open doors.”
“I think you need to be accessible to students, to parents, to staff. I think it’s good to be part of a vibrant community and not a school that’s separate from the community,” he said.
Chair of the Board of Trustees of RVS Colleen Munro extended her congratulations on behalf of the board to both Rodgers and Elbel, and said, “We look forward to their continued leadership in our jurisdiction.”
