Sep 02, 2010


Students at both Sharbot Lake High School and St. James Major Catholic School will be meeting new principals as they head back to their classrooms in less than a week’s time.

One new face is that of Mike Arsenault (photo right), the new principal at St. James Major, who is taking over the reins from Nadia Luciuk.

Mike defines himself as a “passionate educator” with 12 years of classroom teaching experience. He most recently headed up the curriculum department at the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board.

This year St. James Major has been annexed to John XXIII Catholic School in Kingston and Mr. Arsenault will be fulfilling a dual role as principal at both schools. Joining him this year will be new vice principal, Tina MacCauley-Gray.

St. James will run two full classes this year. Another new staff member, Nicole Perry, will head the kindergarten to grade 4 class. The grade 5-8 class that will be taught by returning teacher Ron Gibson.

Mr. Arsenault is bringing his strong desire to develop community and relationships to the school. “No effective work can be done in the relationship between home, school and parish if there is not a solid working relationship between the three,” he said. “One strength I bring to St. James is the ability to communicate effectively and build those relationships by being open to new ideas that people have”.

He said that his experience in teaching and curriculum development has given him a broader perspective on the range of what can be done. He looks forward to working with the teachers at St. James to ensure that the program they are offering is tailored to meet the needs of the students.

He expects enrollment this year to be between 20 and 25 students, just about a third of its capacity.

Just down the road, Heather Highet (photo left) is settling into her new role as principal at Sharbot Lake High School.

She has been an educator for 22 years, with 11 years of classroom experience at QECVI and KCVI in Kingston, teaching both biology and chemistry.

She then began working as a curriculum consultant with the Limestone District School Board, during the years of the secondary school reform, and it was in that role that she was first introduced to Sharbot Lake.

She has a wealth of experience with rural students, families and communities, having worked for the past four years as the vice principal at Napanee District Secondary School, after serving as vice principal one LaSalle Secondary School for a year.

Highet is excited by the overall community feel of the school, the students and the staff. She recalls outgoing principal Janet Sanderson affectionately referring to them as “one large family”.

“The beauty of the landscape is an added bonus to coming to Sharbot Lake,” she said.

The challenges that face Highet right now are similar to those facing Mr. Arsenault. Her immediate goal is to get to know the students and staff.

“My number one priority right now is getting to know the community and to learn as much as I can about Sharbot Lake, the students, their families and the staff and to keep the school running well. This school is especially known for its wonderful academic achievements and I want to be able to support that in any way that I can,” she said.

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