While hundreds of new students will attend school for the first time in September, both of Moose Jaw’s school divisions will also be led by new directors of education.
Ryan Boughen is the new education director/CEO of Prairie South School Division, after serving as superintendent of school operations for several years. He replaces Tony Baldwin, who resigned in July and now works in Prairie Valley School Division.
Meanwhile, Ward Strueby is the new education director/CEO for Holy Trinity Catholic School Division, after serving several years as superintendent of learning. He replaces Sean Chase, who resigned in June to become education director with the Regina Catholic School Division.
The Moose Jaw Express spoke with both education directors about their thoughts about the upcoming year.
Prairie South School Division
Managing the school division during a pandemic and attempting to balance direction from the provincial government with expectations in the community “is sure tricky,” chuckled Boughen. People have had different experiences and want the division to pursue different directions.
“We’re trying to do the best we can for the kids, given the situation that we’re in and given the information that we’re given from the province … ,” he said. “It’s a hard piece to manage because you want kids and families to start the school year and really have a great year. It would be really nice if this (the pandemic) were over.”
Boughen is excited for the upcoming school year and wants to continue being a champion for Prairie South. He appreciates working with trustees and a supportive team at the division office who want students and staff to flourish.
There is plenty of continuous learning to do as an education director, Boughen said. Yet, working at the division office for over 10 years under three other education directors has been beneficial.
“I certainly have lots to learn, but I feel like I have a pretty good foundation and pretty strong board to work with and a really strong team around me to help with that,” he added.
Moving from the classroom to the board office means working with different people even though the overall goal is to support children, Boughen pointed out. His new role is “very people-based” and encourages others to work collectively.
One of Boughen’s personal goals is to ensure that Prairie South is a place where staff and students want to come every day. He noted that the division is good at its core business of helping students do well, ensuring their mental health and well-being is supported and ensuring they are learning at a high level.
“The first piece of our work is to ensure our students feel connected and engaged back in school because there’s some thought that the re-connection and engagement is foundational to the engagement work,” Boughen said, adding division administration looks forward to starting this process.
Holy Trinity Catholic School Division
It’s exciting to be the new director of education, but that excitement also comes with learning new things, said Strueby. However, he is willing to dedicate the time to ensure that the division supports all students.
Continuing to promote Holy Trinity’s positive reputation is one thing Strueby is eager to do, along with furthering the feeling that the division is a big family and promoting a Christ-centred learning environment.
“I look at my own kids, and being in a new setting, I think it’s so important that we know who our kids are and we celebrate their differences and work together so that families help support kids when they have struggles,” he said.
“Along the way, kids are going to have failures, and it’s important for them to know that’s OK because that’s how you learn. And we’re here to work alongside them to support them.”
Strueby believes he is prepared for this new role after spending seven years as a superintendent and working beside three other education directors. While those experiences were critical for his development, he reiterated that he would continue to work with the board and school administrators to implement policies and procedures that keep students safe and ensure their learning.
One goal Strueby has is to reconnect with schools in Moose Jaw after focusing mostly on the rural schools the last few years.
“A big part for me is building relationships,” he added. “I have the goal of working with other community organizations and partner school divisions so we can do things as efficiently as possible and ensure that students really have that remarkable experience in schools.”
