Springbank Community High School’s principal, Pam Davidson, is the new acting director for 21st Century Learning with Rocky View Schools.
The department focuses on ensuring education is adapting and changing with new technology and information to ensure students will be prepared for careers later on in life.
“The nature of 21st Century Learning is it’s always a moving target … we are living and working in dynamic times – students are being prepared for jobs that don’t even exist right now,” Davidson explained.
Her new role with the school district is bittersweet. Davidson said she will miss the students and staff at Springbank Community High School.
“I’ve had experience in multiple communities at multiple schools at multiple grade levels. I have done work provincially and nationally with regard to student leadership and leadership development with administrators. My masters happens to be in adult learning but my focus was on professional learning and mentoring … the work that I have done has nicely scaffolded to help prepare for this next step,” said Davidson, who has been with the district since 1992.
The acting director has a few areas of supervision including the implementation of a literacy and numeracy framework across the jurisdiction.
The framework will “focus on providing professional learning for all staff” so that they can be as effective as possible in their respective classrooms. It will also build a foundation for students to develop their 21st century skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, collaboration, communication, and digital literacy.
“As much as it’s about learning how to learn, it’s ensuring that there’s a solid foundation that we’re building upon as we arm them with those skills and help the teachers be prepared to develop those in the students,” Davidson explained.
Davidson will lead the department alongside Dave Morris, associate superintendent of learning with the school division. In addition, she will be co-ordinate with literacy specialists within the schools as well as the other directors in the department.
Davidson will resign as principal of Springbank Community High School after the school year concludes to start her new position. The position as principal for the high school is currently being advertised with the school district.
“This is a tremendous opportunity and I’m excited to take it on but I’m also conflicted because I love my school and the community itself. It’s never easy to leave a school … I have great faith in the people who are here, the students, and the community that this will continue to be an excellent school,” Davidson said.
