Amber Hilstrom, the principal of Sacred Heart School/École Sacré Coeur, is one of 30 exceptional educators recognized as Canada’s Outstanding Principals this year.
The announcement was made Tuesday morning.
The Learning Partnership honours principals from across Canada for exemplary leadership.
“Great principals lead great schools and have a profound impact on a school’s students, teachers and the community as a whole,” stated a press release from the Learning Partnership.
In the press release, it was noted that Hilstrom has led the school in substantially improving student learning outcomes to above provincial benchmarks, in partnership with Dr. Michael Fullan’s New Pedagogies for Deep Learning project.
She purposefully builds relationships with her teaching team as well as community members, using a focus on implementing science, technology, engineering and math curriculum, and inquiring to more deeply engage students in their learning.
“Teachers thrive as leaders, working in teams on initiatives involving faith, leadership, nutrition, wellness activities and technology,” said the news release.
With Amber’s support and leadership, the school has acquired Chromebooks, robots, Lego Mindstorms and a 3D printer to name a few new enabling technologies.
“Her staff praise her for being solution-driven, positive and supportive.”
Now celebrating its 15th year, the Learning Partnership’s Canada’s Outstanding Principals program recognizes the unique and vital contributions of principals in publicly-funded schools. The 30 principals, nominated by parents, colleagues and community members, and chosen by a national selection committee, are being celebrated for demonstrating innovation, leadership and for employing creativity in finding solutions and opportunities within their school communities. They will be recognized for their accomplishments at the annual Canada’s Outstanding Principals awards celebration on Feb. 26 in Toronto.
The recipients also benefit from an executive leadership training program at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. And they will articipate in The World of Work: 2020 and Beyond, a professional learning day, where they have the opportunity to learn about the current workforce from leaders in business, health and education.
The 2019 recipients will join the prestigious ranks of the National Academy of Canada’s Outstanding Principals, which now boasts more than 500 members. The National Academy offers principals ongoing networking, mentoring and professional development opportunities to enhance their leadership skills.
“From Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, to Vancouver, B.C., to Richmond, P.E.I., we are honoured to recognize principals from coast to coast to coast. Principals are so important to the success of our schools and our students. They ensure our schools are dynamic, engaging places to learn, and that students are inspired every single day. These principals are enabling students to thrive in an increasingly diverse and changing world,” said Debra D. Kerby, president and CEO of The Learning Partnership.
“These 30 principals are all instrumental in connecting students, educators, families and the community together and we recognize their indispensable contributions to helping Canada continue as a global leader in education.”
This week’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles will have more on this story.
