After 30 years with the Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) and 12 years as its superintendent, Superintendent Bevan Daverne is retiring after this school year.
Daverne's retirement comes just months after he received his Canadian Superintendent of the Year award, which is the perfect way to show just how much he has meant to the GHSD as its superintendent. As he reflected on his long and storied career, he couldn't pick any specific highlights as he said there were too many good things to choose from, but the people he's worked with over the years stood out to him.
"I've worked with some amazing people, when I was in schools, in the office, and certainly lately in my role... we've had such good individuals, amazing people all across our system that truly has been a highlight for the last 30 years. I've been truly blessed for three decades and just working with amazing people wherever I've been," he said.
Daverne's focus on the people around him is clear whenever he spoke about his plans for the GHSD or what's been going on, as he always credited the GHSD's success to the hardworking staff that made it all possible. Even when speaking about the Canadian Superintendent of the Year award, he emphasized that too was representative of the GHSD team and not just an individual award.
Daverne's impact during his time as superintendent was strongly felt in many ways, but one of the big initiatives he brought was 'powerful learning', which is a student centred approach to learning to focus on their experiences.
"We want students to be able to learn not just in shallow ways but more deeply. Learning that sticks, learning that makes a difference to them, learning in a way that matters to their everyday lives as well."
This includes factors like giving students more choices in their learning, educating students through different outlets like experiences or projects, and collaborating with your peers and community.
Community was another highlight Daverne pointed out when looking back on his career, as he was proud of the various partnership projects the GHSD undertook in a variety of ways. He was also happy to see large scale changes like the building of George Freeman School, and the soon to be new Westmount School.
Even though he's retiring, Daverne plans on staying busy and is looking forward to all the extra time he'll have.
"I have lots of hobbies, I've got grandkids, I've got grown kids who have renovation projects of their own. I think I'm going to do a little consulting work, so there'll be a lot to do. I won't be sitting idle on the couch all the time in retirement, but I am looking forward to a little more flexibility, and more time with my family."
"Having had the opportunity to work with such amazing people at every step of the way and being able to do some exciting things for students and exciting building projects, I've had a very enjoyable career, I've loved it."
There's no doubt Daverne's impact on GHSD was hugely influential and brought many positive changes, and as he wrapped up speaking about his career he once again pointed to the people he worked with as what made his time with GHSD so special.
On top of many other plans, he said he and his wife are both avid mountain bikers and love the outdoors. Given that Daverne isn't retiring until June, he hasn't thought too much about whether he will have any future involvement within the GHSD, but said he is very willing to help out wherever he can.
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Fri, Apr 26, 4:30 PM
