Summer break may still feel like a long way off, but the Sunshine Coast School District 46 (SD46) has announced who will be leading schools when class is back in session this fall.
For the 2022-23 school year, the following roles were announced in a press release on April 14:
Ursula Hardwick, the current principal of Davis Bay Elementary School since 2016, is getting ready to return as a teacher next year. She has worked with the school district since 1996, and said it has been an honour and privilege to work with the leadership team.
Rae-dene Pednaud will step in as the Davis Bay Elementary principal, leaving her role as vice principal of Chatelech Secondary. She has previously taught in both Chatelech and Pender Harbour Secondary schools, and has experience with curriculum development, and is currently working on a certificate in school management and leadership.
Desiree Harris will be the new vice principal at Chatelech Secondary. Although Harris earned her teaching degree in Surrey, B.C., she has taught abroad for several years – in Shanghai, China, for three years and in Perth, Australia for four years. Since returning to Canada, Harris worked in Langley before joining SD46 as a teacher in the Indigenous Education Learning Team. She has also served as the vice principal at Elphinstone Secondary.
Sue Bailey, the vice principal at Elphinstone Secondary, is also returning to teaching in the fall, so Jeff Marshall will take on her role. Marshall has been the principal at West Sechelt since 2019, and brings with him years of experience at four other Sunshine Coast schools since 1999: Kinnikinnick Elementary as principal, and teaching at Roberts Creek Elementary, Chatelech and Pender Harbour Secondary.
Olwen Cowen is set to be principal at West Sechelt Elementary, after having led Cedar Grove Elementary School since 2019. Her background includes a variety of roles in education, including guiding other teachers through their graduate studies. Lia Cuccurullo will now be principal. She’ll be joining the SD46 team from the Vancouver School Board, where she is currently a vice principal and has spent seven years teaching. Before that, she taught in Australia, Abu Dhabi and Italy.
SD46 superintendent Kate Kerr welcomed the staff members to their new leadership roles, and wished Hardwick and Bailey all the best as they return to teaching, saying “we are so fortunate that we are still going to benefit from their expertise and knowledge in other capacities.”
