As a principal, I’ve seen a lot of things. But nothing prepared me for the day last year when I got “a-quack-ed.” Imagine this: I walk into my office, ready for a typical afternoon of emails, meetings, and decision-making. But something’s off. There’s an unusual sense of stillness in the room, a quiet—too quiet—until I [...]
In 1986, I stepped into the role of elementary principal, and I was met with a daunting challenge issued by then ACS Board Chair, Jack Van Dyke: to fill the four vacant classrooms in our new elementary campus on the Abbotsford-Mission Highway. Little did we anticipate that this newly rebuilt campus, erected after the devastation [...]
In 1991, I was a grade 9 student at Abbotsford Christian Secondary School. I bused to school every day with the other Chilliwack and Agassiz kids, had a blue top locker in the hallway that now leads to the mechanics shop (my locker combination was 27-54-39), and spent most of my free time making [...]
How do you teach elementary students about the effects of Canadian geography on Canada’s history? Or about how the vast array of geographical terrains and climates of early Canada impacted the Indigenous peoples and the first European settlers? You build a 3D map of Canada so large it’s difficult to find a table big enough! [...]
A few years ago, Kirsi Antunes, our school counsellor, introduced our staff to the language of “expected” and “unexpected” behaviours. For opportunities where we wanted to correct a student’s actions (actions, not willful wrongdoing), rather than saying they were making a bad choice, we tried to name the unexpected behaviours and help them choose [...]
Our bi-weekly Friday morning chapel is one of those things that makes the elementary campus just a little extra wonderful. Our kindergarten students joined us for chapel for the first time last week Friday, and hearing 450 children’s voices singing praise songs together is the best. What a privilege it is to offer Christian education. [...]
Life in the elementary is an adventure! From exploring, discovering, and hands-on learning, our students embrace learning to its fullest. Looking back on this school year, we saw God's goodness and wonder on a daily basis and for this, we are so thankful! We asked the elementary staff to share their favourite memories of the [...]
Fourteen moves in 14 years. From hoarders’ homes from the 1950s to bears in our yard daily, we have lived in some interesting places. We have completed some challenging renos and cleared out some interesting items. So why have we moved so many times? With my husband in land development, we decided to take on [...]
The idea of self-care was never something that I grew up thinking about. My parents, who lived through World War II, never really talked about the idea of caring for yourself. Looking back on my childhood, though, I know that I was blessed with daily self-care. I grew up on a small farm in Agassiz. [...]
On New Year’s Day, my family gathered at my mom’s house for dinner together in honour of what would have been my Dad’s 72nd birthday. In the afternoon as the turkey was cooking in the oven, we all headed outside. The weather was cold and crisp, the sky clear. Afternoon Booked Solid With all the [...]
