The former superintendent of human resources for the Northwest School Division is the new director of education for Light of Christ Catholic School Division.
Cory Rideout, 39, began work the beginning of August, taking over from Herb Sutton, now retired from education after a 33-year career.
Rideout and his family, wife Michelle and two daughters, have relocated from Meadow Lake. His wife is teaching at Holy Family School and their daughters are in school there as well. The family is presently renting accommodations at Murray Lake while their new house is being built in Battleford West.
"If you have to rent, it's nice to rent at the lake," he says.
Rideout became a teacher after a decade in the military.
Born and raised in Conception Bay South, N.L. in a town called Foxtrap, Rideout joined the military when he was 16. He served with the Canadian navy for the next 10 years, while earning degrees in kinesiology and mathematics from the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Rideout says he spent the majority of his military career in navigation. Travel and learning to dive were two of his main goals in joining the navy, and he was able to accomplish both.
Another goal was to become a peacekeeper.
In 1997, he did a peacekeeping tour in Haiti, earning the Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal.
He could have made a career in the military, but once he had achieved those three main goals he had set for himself, he thought, "I'm good now. Let's try something diffident."
Rideout went back to school, earning another bachelor degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland, this one in secondary education.
Why education?
Rideout says, "One of the things I learned in the military was leadership. The military is all about leadership and looking after the people around you. You are only as good as the guy or gal next to you."
The military is a servant-leadership oriented organization, he says.
"You are not an individual in the military. You are part of a team, and every training course that you take, any drill and practice you do in the military is about the betterment of the group, rather than yourself. You put yourself out there for the people around you."
He says that's also what education means to him.
"It's not about me, it's about the people I serve," says Rideout. "I care about kids. I care about people."
He moved to Saskatchewan in 2000 to pursue his teaching career. It began as a high school math teacher. He eventually became a vice-principal, then a principal.
Rideout has a master's degree in education administration from the University of Saskatchewan and he also holds a national designation in human resources - Certified Human Resources Professional.
For the last five years he has been superintendent of human resources with the Northwest School Division.
Caring about people is why he moved into the human resources aspect of education.
"I wanted to affect the most change I could, the most influence I could, and help people," says Rideout.
"I wasn't unhappy at Northwest School Division," he says about his decision to apply for the director of education position at Light of Christ. "I had a great job, with great people and a great school division."
He wasn't looking for a new job until he heard Herb Sutton was retiring.
"I wasn't trolling for a job. This is the one I wanted, "Rideout says. "If I didn't get it I'd still be there."
Aug. 1 was his first official day, but since the Light of Christ board of education has its meetings in the evening, for the first few months after being awarded the job in March, he travelled down from Meadow Lake "to see how things are going and learn from Herb."
Rideout says, "Herb is one of the most highly respected educators in the province, so for me not to take advantage of that wouldn't have been very smart of me."
Sutton has been supportive of him, says Rideout.
"Talk about servant-leadership, [Sutton] exemplifies it. He lives it every day. He's a good mentor."
Sutton, who served as director of education from 2007 to the end of this past school year, has taken on a six-month contract with the City of North Battleford as its new community program co-ordinator to deal with crime prevention and community safety efforts.
Rideout says everyone has been treating him well since taking over for Sutton.
"The support here has been unbelievable. My values align perfectly with what this school division is all about."
