Several new staff members at local schools

New Administrator
RRHS has a new Vice-principal, Casey Slack, who replaces Kendal Olson who is now the principal of Riverview and McCrosson-Tovell schools.
Slack is originally from Southern Ontario but had his first teaching job in Dryden. It was his memories from that first job that brought him back to the region. “I have always loved the way of life here.”
He said the rat race of his home town,Toronto, is just not for him or his wife. They are both long distance runners and love the outdoors.
While he signed on for a term position in Dryden it stretched into three years, which he did not regret. From there he taught in Fenlon Falls, Ont., near Peterborough and from there he went to Ecuador in South America. Learning of an opportunity to oversee the opening of a new high school campus from a friend, he travelled to Cairo, Egypt next. On his way back to Northwestern Ontario, he and his wife took a detour to Markham, Ont. for two years. There he was Vice-principal of a school with 1,600 kids more than ten times the enrollment at RRHS this year.
However, he is liking the smaller school and the opportunities it is presenting. “In the big city the school shuts down at 4 here it becomes the focal point of the community.”
He hopes to get involved with coaching and says he is an avid chess player. “I would love to get an indoor football program going and maybe a chess club.”
Outside of school he loves to fish and snowmobile. He also likes to see wildlife, noting they have seen a bear, moose, eagles, deer and wolves already. “That is neat!”
He enjoys the laid back traffic not missing the rat race of the big city. “Toronto is insane.”
He and his wife are living in Emo for now. She has taken a year off teaching, but Slack said they like it here and may be here for the long haul.

New Teacher
Chris Dubé was a bio-chemist by trade before deciding that teaching was more up his alley.
He is now teaching Math, Science and Computers at RRHS.
Dubé worked in his field as a Food Chemist, helping produce the results consumers read on the nutritional data part of food labels. But before that he had worked as a teacher’s assistant at the University of Waterloo and had also worked with mentally challenged kids for three summers. “I just found that more rewarding than the lab work,” said Dubé.
So he quit his lab job and went back to school at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
He is originally from the Peterborough, Ont. area, but loves it here. He and his partner, also a RRHS new teacher, Laura Mason, both love the outdoors. “We try to get out there whenever we get a chance,” said Dubé.
He also enjoys all kinds of sports including soccer and volleyball, the latter which he is coaching the senior boys this semester.
“Teaching and coaching are great. They get me more involved and are more rewarding. Stuff like that I can’t get working in a lab.”
He said his classes have been great and that the people here are very nice. “We were very fortunate to find a job at the same school in an area that we both like,” said Dubé.
Next semester he will be teaching Computers and Math. At present he is teaching Math and Science.

New Teacher
Rainy River High School has a new Law, French and English teacher all rolled into one.
Laura Mason, originally from Thunder Bay, studied at Queens University in Kingston, where she majored in English. She then returned home to do teachers college at Lakehead University.
While she had not anticipated teaching French and Law, she said her personal French immersion education gave her the confidence to move ahead teaching it as well as Law.
The job in Rainy River almost happened by chance. Her partner, Chris Dubé, had applied for a Math/Science position at RRHS. “I saw there was this opening but did not know if I should apply,” said Laura. However, Chris encouraged her to send her resumé with his references for the other job.
Low and behold they both received calls for interviews.
“This is ideal for me,” said Mason, who loves the region and outdoor activities like canoeing and hiking.
This is her first teaching job and she said it has been very challenging getting her feet planted. But she said that the staff, especially her mentor and fellow teacher, Laura Armistead, have been very helpful.
Mason said that the classes are quite small, which she likes as it allows her a lot more one on one time with the students.
She is teaching French to grade nine, Law and English to grade twelve. Next semester she will be teaching Careers and English to grade ten students.
She plans to get involved with extracurricular activities next semester. “I would like to help with student council and I am committed to helping with a drama production already.” But for now she is focused on the daily challenges of her new job.

New Teacher
Riverview Elementary School had a new grade four and five teacher.
Kendra Halvorsen, from Finland, Ont., has her hands full with 27 kids in a split grade classroom.
It is her first teaching job after completing her degree at Lakehead University where she majored in psychology and went to teacher’s college.
“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and live close to home, so this is perfect here in Rainy River,” said Halvorsen.
She is teaching just about everything including Math, Language, Science, Art, Social Studies, Physical Education, Music and Drama. The only subject she does not teach is French.
“It has been really good. The days go by so fast and I have a very nice group of kids. I am from a rural setting so this fits for me,” said Halvorsen.
She said it has been challenging to teach to two different age groups, especially subjects like math where one is at one level and the other is at another. “The kids are used to it though, because it is what they have had all along.”
Once she gets settled, she hopes to help with extracurricular activities.
Outside of school she enjoys outdoors activities like fishing, etc.

New Teacher
McCrosson-Tovell School in Bergland has one new teacher this year.
Sarah McTavish, from Devlin, is teaching a grade 3-5 class there. She majored in Pyschology and minored in English at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay.
While she always wanted to be an elementary teacher she did go back to school over the summer and became more qualified. She can now teach up to grade 10.
While her class spans three grades she only has ten students. She is teaching them Math, Language Arts, Science and Music. McTavish is also teaching Physical Education to the entire school in the afternoon.
She has also involved herself in coaching and is currently getting the kids ready for the district cross country meet and soccer tournaments.
“It is nice to be back (home).” She likes the area and is glad to be teaching close to her hometown. “There was no question in my mind. I wanted to teach in the Rainy River District.”
She likes to hunt and fish and was a competitive swimmer for 13 years.
She said everything is falling into place and that the staff have been very helpful.