Iqaluit principal among Canada's best
Sonja Lonsdale's innovative leadership will grow with Rotman business training
Casey Lessard
Northern News Services
Published Monday, February 9, 2015
IQALUIT
Sonja Lonsdale not only made Joamie School and the community of Iqaluit proud when she was named one of Canada's 40-top principals, she also made her retired teacher-parents proud.
Iqaluit's Joamie School principal Sonja Lonsdale, front left, was named one of Canada's 40 Outstanding Principals of 2015 by The Learning Partnership. - photo courtesy of Joamie School |
"My mom was a principal for the last five years of her career," Lonsdale said. "They're pretty proud. I grew up in a small town where community is huge. My mom and dad gave back a lot to their community, and they were involved in pretty much every organization. I've got a ways to go."
Nominated by her colleagues, led by vice-principal Darlene Nuqingaq, Lonsdale is off to a good start as a member of The Learning Partnership's Canada's Outstanding Principals of 2015 cohort. She will receive the honour at a gala in Toronto Feb. 24.
"I'm very, very honoured," she said, adding this is her third year as principal and her 13th year at Joamie, where she started her teaching career. "I want my staff and colleagues to know this is a reflection of a team working together to make the school a great place to be for kids, a healthy environment for everyone to be in and that it's a very welcoming school."
Typically, The Learning Partnership recognizes one Nunavut principal each year. Nuqingaq herself received the honour in 2005.
"I was really impressed with how well this school is run," said Nuqingaq, who worked for the Department of Education for five years before returning to the school environment in the fall. "She's really created a shared leadership team and the students feel part of the school. One of the things I was most impressed with was the way the school dismisses kids. The kids line up within the school. It's a much safer way instead of having everyone outside waiting for the buses to come."
"Being a principal is an extremely demanding job," stated Akela Peoples, president and CEO of The Learning Partnership in a news release. "Principals shoulder the responsibility of leading and managing everything that happens in their school. From effective teaching and learning to operational oversight of facilities and establishing community partnerships, their ultimate goal is to enhance student achievement and prepare them for the future."
Lonsdale said the school's responsibility extends beyond providing an education for its 230 students.
"We do have a lot of kids that come to school with other needs that aren't traditionally the responsibility of schools," she said. "We're always looking for support with our breakfast program. Our lost-and-found area has quadrupled in size with hats and mitts. People need support and that's something we are well aware of. People say kids can't learn if they're hungry. We need to have our kids in a strong state of wellness in our schools. If they're hungry, feed them. If they're tired, find a quiet space for them to rest."
There's a good business case for this approach, Nuqingaq said. And Lonsdale will get to expand that type of thinking later this month as the honour comes with an expenses-paid trip to Toronto to attend a five-day executive leadership training seminar at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.
"You have to support the whole child, not just their academic smarts," said Nuqingaq. "That's what corporate Canada's saying: we don't need you to teach the skills, we need school systems to teach the kids how to be emotionally intelligent, and how to work with others, like the IQ principles that we focus on in our Nunavut schools."
Lonsdale said it takes a great team to execute the vision, and that includes the leadership, teachers, support staff, parents and children.
"Our staff is excellent in that they are not just paying attention to the 20 students in their class," she said. "It's about looking out for everyone. The kids do a lot together. We have a lot of clubs, extra-curriculars, spirit days. Kids love to come to school, and that could be challenging for some schools and some kids. We want kids to feel happy and feel safe, that they're part of a big team."
