Rocky View Schools (RVS) has announced the appointment of two new principals for area schools. Darrell Lonsberry will take over as principal of Springbank Middle School, while Lindsay Adams will become principal of École Elbow Valley Elementary, also in Springbank.
Lonsberry, currently principal of the Connect Charter School in Calgary, brings more than 20 years of experience to his new role. He was formerly the vice principal at the Connect Charter School, and has worked as a teacher in both the Calgary Board of Education and Grande Yellowhead Public School divisions.
“I hope to bring that continued focus on student engagement and student success (to my new role) that Rocky View is known for,” he said.
“(I hope to) continue to bring that focus on high standards that the school is known for. (I look forward to) working closely with the parent community, because that’s another strong aspect of Springbank Middle School that I appreciate.”
Coming to RVS from a different school division can be a bit of a challenge for any educator, however, Lonsberry said he looked closely at RVS before making the decision to take the job at Springbank Middle School.
“It’s really important that it’s a good fit – that it works for Rocky View and that it works for me. It’s really difficult for a principal to find themselves in a situation where the ideals, the beliefs of the school and the jurisdiction aren’t really aligned with your own. That’s a difficult situation,” he said.
“I can tell you that there’s a whole lot of alignment between Rocky View’s priorities and my own priorities.”
Adams has been the assistant principal of École Edwards Elementary in Airdrie since 2013. She has also spent time in the classroom as a teacher and served as the ministry of education liaison. She is currently the chair of RVS’ French Immersion Benchmarks Committee and is a member of the Superintendent’s Literacy and Numeracy Task Group.
“I am absolutely thrilled. I have to say I’m so excited to be part of the community and team at Elbow Valley,” Adams said. “There’s so many amazing things happening there. I’m just looking forward to getting in there and getting to know people and contributing to the culture and establishing strong relationships with everyone there.”
Adams has spent some time researching her new school to prepare for her first year at the helm.
“I’m familiar with the community. I’ve done a lot of research on the history of that school. They have a really rich history and a lot of community involvement,” she said.
“In talking with the trustees and the senior executives at central office, I’ve learned more things just about the amazing things that are happening there and the culture pieces that go along with it.”
Superintendent of Schools Don Hoium said he was confident the school would “continue to thrive under her leadership.”
Lonsberry and Adams assume their new roles in late August.
“On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I welcome Darrell to Rocky View Schools and offer my congratulations to both he and Lindsay on their new appointments,” Board Chair Colleen Munro said. “Our leadership roster for the fall is in great form.”
