Eight years. That’s how long I was principal at ACS Secondary. These eight years have been good years, with many wonderful people and some incredible experiences. I probably could list 50 things that I learned as principal at ACS, but here are five of them. 1. God Works Through Us, Regardless of Our Mistakes This [...]
“What are you doing next year?” I have been asked this question many times over the past year. The more you answer, “I’m not sure…” the more difficult it becomes to get asked that question (just ask any grade 12 student; they will share this same feeling). But I understand those kids a little better [...]
My daughter came to me last November and said, “Dad, a co-worker in the ER wants me to join CrossFit; do you want to take the three week Foundations Class with me?” “Does it involve strenuous exercise and pain?” I asked. “No, thanks.” She finished three weeks of training and couldn’t stop talking about the [...]
Last spring, my Mom was diagnosed with untreatable cancer. In that moment, our family felt a sense of sad apprehension, like storm clouds gathering in the distance on a sunny day. We suddenly had to come to grips with the fact that a part of our story with Mom was coming to an end. We [...]
My daughter phoned me a couple of years ago and said, “Dad, I bought a boat.” Awkward silence. I didn’t know what to say. She had just been married, her husband was in his last year of university, they were poor as church mice and she was halfway through her nursing degree…and she bought a [...]
I remember the tears well. It was like deep, dark rain clouds descending on a sunny day. A mom, in my office, being told we didn’t have any room at ACS in our Learning Support Services department, meaning we would not be able to enrol her son in grade 9 in the fall. The [...]
I asked a simple question last November at a Leadership Team meeting. “Tym, you look stressed out about head coaching the Senior Girls’ basketball team. Can I help?” I wasn’t actually expecting him to give the answer he gave, which was, “Yes, I could really use your help.” I am pretty sure I just meant [...]
Just a few days before the Christmas break, I received a phone call from my friend Dave MacDonald. Dave and his wife, Danaya, have a very collaborative relationship with our school, even though their children don’t attend ACS, as they homeschool in order to volunteer in Guatemala. They have hosted several school events at their [...]
A few weeks ago, three important guests visited our school whose sole purpose was to evaluate our school for the BC Ministry of Education. Every six years, a team shows up at every independent school in BC to check everything. And, I mean everything. The water quality and swing set bolts Among other things, they [...]
This summer, I drove up to Vernon with my little Boston Whaler and we arrived around 9 pm at night. We launched the boat on Wood Lake because all the launches on Kalamalka Lake were closed due to flooding. I drove the boat by myself through the canal and then in the pitch black for [...]
