A principal should always work to give their students more opportunities to succeed.
That’s the philosophy of Caitlin Currie, the new principal of Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School. Currie said that she took on running PSO as an opportunity to try out something new and grow as an educator. So far, she said the transition has been largely seamless.
“I love the town. I cannot believe how friendly people are at the school but also at the grocery store,” Currie, 35, said. “Folks have just been very warm and welcoming. From neighbours to staff members, it’s been awesome.”
After graduating from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s and the University of Victoria with a master’s in education, Currie took a job working in Alexis Creek Elementary/Secondary School. She said she went for a year and stayed for eight after falling in love with her work and the landscape.
Currie started as a teacher before taking the opportunity to become a principal five years ago. Thanks to the school’s small size, she still got to teach and had plenty of one-on-one experiences with her students while she built up her administrative skills. Currie also took on School District 27’s rural secondary program, offering post-secondary education to students located in rural and remote communities.
“I taught in that program for a number of years then took it on as a principal in the last year or so,” Currie said. “The beauty of rural and remote education is you get to do a little bit of everything.”
Currie said thanks to her time in Alexis Creek, the foundation of her approach to education is maintaining a strong relationship between students, the school and the community. She builds these relationships by being calm, kind and caring for those she works with every day.
Even though PSO is a larger school, with 560 students enrolled this year, Currie said she feels at home thanks to 100 Mile House’s small-town feel. Growing up in Whistler, she said she graduated with the same 30 students she started kindergarten with.
“The part I really enjoy is seeing people grow over time. What’s super cool about small places is you’re really close to that so you get to work with kids and families over years,” Currie said. “It’s so neat to see them grow, become successful and then come back and tell you. That’s one of the really special parts of the job, it’s great to see.”
Much like in Alexis Creek, Currie said she can already tell PSO is a real centre for the community. The pride students and staff alike take in the school is something she finds amazing to experience.
Currie said at the moment she doesn’t have any major changes in mind for PSO. Instead, she said she has met with the staff to learn what works at the school and what they think could be improved for the future.
“I came and visited the school in June. This school has a great walk-in-the-door feel. I’ve walked in and out of many schools in my time and that’s not always the case, particularly in a high school,” Currie said. “That connection piece still seems really easy. I’m really excited to be here and I’m really looking forward to meeting folks.”
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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