Rusty Hick takes top job in September
Jul 01, 2009 - 04:30 AM
By Jennifer Stone
CLARINGTON -- Ten years ago, Rusty Hick strode into Bowmanville High School as principal, taking on that role for the first time.
A decade later, he'll be in an entirely different job, atop the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, to which he has been named director of education.
He replaces current director Sylvia Terpstra, who retires effective September.
The swift ascent wasn't something Mr. Hick entirely expected, but it was something of a natural progression for the former English and history teacher, who spent four years at BHS before a year as principal of a Peterborough high school, then moving into a superintendent role with the board.
"One you make the decision to leave the classroom, you're giving up that daily energy with a classroom of your own," Mr. Hick said. "The trade-off is that you get to influence more lives on a broader scale."
Mr. Hick has 23 years experience in education, beginning as a teacher, then serving as vice principal in schools in York Region before joining the Kawartha board in 1999.
His teaching career also included stints in special and alternative education.
Setting Mr. Hick apart from many of his predecessors is the fact he has school-aged children, who attend classes in a neighbouring board.
"I think it grounds me," the father of three said of what influence that will have on how he handles the directorship of the board. "I have a personal connection to what happens in schools. It serves me well in having empathy and understanding for parents."
The board has a "really good strategic plan," with student achievement being one of the key goals, notes Mr. Hick. But student achievement can't be the only goal of education, he said.
"The whole child has to be emphasized -- emotional, social, physical and spiritual to an extent," Mr. Hick said. "We're a community of learners and we measure that in a broad way -- the whole school experience for the whole child.
"I really want to emphasize that every child matters every day."
Ensuring students have a positive school experience is important, Mr. Hick said.
"I've often told young teachers, you're creating lifelong memories," he said. "What do you want them to be? We want people to know you care before they care what you know."
Having been a principal in, then a superintendent for Clarington allows Mr. Hick a unique perspective. He's seen first-hand how Clarington -- the only growing area of the board -- differs from other areas within it, where enrolment is largely on the decline. There also may be ways to better include Clarington in the board identity, through greater interaction between the diverse ends of the board, he said.
"There are obvious connections with social service agencies, supports for (Clarington) kids, that are Durham-based," he said. "We can continue to benefit from those, but we can also pull Clarington schools into KPR."
The new job will be a challenge, but there's one thing to always remember, Mr. Hick said.
"As long as we continue to keep students at the centre of our decision-making, the rest will just carry," he said. "We have to keep that moral compass -- what's best for the students."
Recommend :