OUTLOOK — It appears there’s been a crosstown change in the local education field in Outlook.
Kari Alford, who served as the Dean of Campus Life at LCBI High School for six years while also teaching art, music, home economics, and Christian ethics, has been getting familiar with her new surroundings just across town at Outlook High School, where she now serves as principal.
Switching from the Home of the Bisons to the Home of the Blues in her professional life isn’t new to Alford, as she attended OHS before spending her senior high grades at LCBI, making this move a “things come back around” moment in her life.
Alford’s career since obtaining her education degree in 1994 has seen her travel extensively, with time in the classroom not only around the province but as far away as B.C. and California, giving her a wide variety of teaching experience. In addition, she has worked in the camp environment, including 12 years as executive director of Kinasao Lutheran Bible Camp at Christopher Lake.
A career in education was perhaps destined for her.
"I loved school as a student," said Alford, sitting down with SaskToday. "And I think I just loved kids, too. My degree is actually elementary school education, and so that was the direction I started at and did some special training in that down in California. So it's just kind of been one of those lifetimes! I knew that's what I wanted to do right from the beginning."
Reflecting on her role at LCBI, Alford said it was a period of her life that produced a treasure trove of memories she’ll remember for the rest of her life. The Dean of Campus Life’s role is to serve as a guide for students outside the classroom, meaning Alford spent a lot of time on memorable trips and experiences.
"The variety of things that I got to do was awesome," she said. "So I was the one in charge of a lot of the travel programs and mission trips for the kids. We'd go hiking in the mountains every year, camping up north every year, and even to Mexico every year. I also took one mission trip to Africa. So the variety of it and getting to do a lot of the highlight things for the kids were just amazing experiences. I loved all the music stuff and I did the handbell choir, helping with the musicals. Those kinds of things are just life-giving for me, and really being able to impact kids’ lives and have a big influence on not just academics but everything outside of academics."
Alford says she’ll miss the staff and especially the kids at LCBI, which she believes is much more than a typical school, but she has great aspirations for doing similar things in her new role as principal of Outlook High School. Seeking a new challenge, she looks forward to connecting with new students, new staff, and possibly strengthening ties between the two Outlook schools.
"I was ready for something different," Alford said. "I love the community of Outlook, and to be able to have input and influence with kids, and to be here, is incredible. And you sometimes get interesting reactions, right? You might get them from people when you make this transition from LCBI to OHS — 'Oh, you're going to the competition.' It's said with a smile and a wink, but I don't feel that we are in competition. And the school division and the interview process really made me feel that way, too. It's almost like, how can we bridge schools? Or how can we just serve kids in general? As two different institutions, we just want kids to have the best experience possible. For me, to come into a different school, I just want to make this school the best it can be for the kids who are going here."
Seeing how schools around the province opened and the hallways and classrooms have become a sea of activity with the arrival of the new school year on September 2, Alford may not yet fully realize how she’s acclimated to her new surroundings, but she’s already enjoying getting to know her staff and getting a feel for life at OHS.
"Well, I've had two weeks here prior to the students coming back," she said, noting that teachers were already in the halls while students enjoyed the last days of summer. "It's been going surprisingly well, I think. I actually expected it to be harder than it is right now. Well, maybe not 'harder,' but more challenging. I just feel accepted, and at first I was kind of feeling like an outsider coming in, right? A lot of these teachers have worked together for 20 years, but I haven't felt that as an issue at all. We went to our division meeting in Rosetown last week, where all the teachers in the division meet to discuss the new year ahead, and it just kind of struck me. I'm honestly so proud to be the principal of OHS. I'm proud of my position, and I'm proud of what I'm doing. Learning all the names and the families involved is overwhelming, sure, and the work can be a learning curve, but there's so much support from the division and from people who know what they're doing. I would say I feel overwhelmed with some things, but also well-supported and well-accepted in most others."
When asked about similarities between her new role and her previous role as dean at LCBI, Alford said she sees some, but has also heard from others that it can feel like two very different environments.
"I would say there are definitely similarities," she said. "We're in the same business, sure. But I've also had other people describe it who've had kids in both places that it's a completely different world. We have different ingredients, right? At LCBI, when you have access to kids almost 24/7 and staff there 24/7, you can do a lot of different things. Whereas here, it feels like we deal with the academic part of their day and a little bit if they're in sports or something else, but we have much less influence on them as people who are growing. It feels like a narrower focus than at LCBI, where it's more of an encompassing focus. I'd say that's the difference, but they're not that far apart in differences than I anticipated."
Alford, who will also teach Grade 9 students in addition to her role as principal, credits fellow educators such as OHS Vice-Principal Keith Theoret and former principal Colette Evans for helping her transition.
"Oh, Colette has been phenomenal; super helpful and super supportive," she said. "We've actually been working together since June, and so we'd spend time just talking about goals and challenges and things like that. Plus, she left me all of her files and documents, so it's been a wealth of help and support from her. And Keith is my godsend right now. The two of them just started some really good stuff such as trying to really build a sense of belonging and a sense of pride in our school and trying to increase engagement in some of those things. So I just feel like I'm kind of riding a wave that they've started. I came to realize that there's a really good basis here and things are just getting started."
Looking ahead, Alford says she’s most interested in getting to know her students and learning what they want out of life. Currently working on her master’s degree, she’s also focused on parent and community engagement and improving connections between the community, parents, and students.
Alford’s major goal, along with OHS staff, is to help influence students in whatever path they choose.
"For me, it's getting to know the kids and what they really want," she said. "I actually just had a conversation with my Grade 9 kids yesterday. By the time they're in Grade 12, I want this to be the best high school experience for them that it can be. And so we're talking about the years ahead and I asked them, 'What do we want the school to look like?' Some of their ideas were a little out there, like wanting free snowmobiles and a swimming pool! We might not get there, but it's just getting to really know the kids, getting to know what they want and what they need, and then make it all the very best it can be."
