Even though classes aren't in session at schools around the Rocky View division at this time, planning is still underway to get leaders in place for when things, hopefully, are back to normal this fall.  

With that thought in mind, RVS Superintendent Greg Luterbach has just appointed three principals to take over the helms of two schools in Airdrie and one in Cochrane.

Thomas Elbel will be heading east, from Cochrane to Airdrie to become the principal of Ecole Airdrie Middle School.  Elbel is currently the principal of Fireside School,

Elbel joined the ranks of RVS’ administrators in 2006, taking on the assistant principalship at George McDougall High School. He went to on lead Manachaban Middle School for seven years, before taking the reigns of Cochrane’s newest school in March 2017.

Elbel is known as an innovative leader with an ability to build positive and lasting relationships, Fluent in French and German, Elbel also has been instrumental in helping to build capacity in RVS’ second language teachers over the years. He holds a Master of Education, Leadership/Administration from the University of Lethbridge, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary, and a Certificat École de Langue Française from the University of Western Ontario. 

Barb Holden has been the principal of A.E. Bowers Elementary in Airdrie since 2014 but is now moving to Heloise Lorimer School this fall. Prior to joining RVS in 2011, Holden lent her expertise to Parkland School Division as an assistant principal, special needs coordinator, and early education teacher.

Since joining RVS, Holden has built a reputation of being a compassionate leader with a unique ability to bring people together to collaboratively drive transformational change. During her six years at A.E. Bowers, Holden has successfully built a culture where resiliency, trust, and compassion were as much of a focus as was helping students achieve their educational outcomes. She has participated in RVS’ AdministrativeLeadership Program and other jurisdictionally-led professional learning initiatives. Holden holds a Master of Education, Educational Psychology – Special Education from the University of Alberta, and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Regina.

Holden will move into a role that has only been held by one person.  Brenda Valerio, who's held the position at the school since it opened in 2016, will become the principal of Manachaban Middle School in Cochrane in August. 

Valerio arrived in RVS in 2003 from the Calgary Catholic School District, where she served as an assistant principal, instructional design consultant, and teacher. In 2007, she took on the role of assistant principal of Glenbow Elementary, before being appointed principal of Meadowbrook School in 2010.

In her four years as principal of Heloise Lorimer, Valerio has been instrumental in establishing a culture that reflects the virtues of a Heloise Knight and focuses on literacy, numeracy, and mental wellness.

Valerio holds a Master of Arts, Educational Leadership from San Diego State University. As well, she holds two degrees, a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Physical Education, both from the University of Calgary.

All of the new appointments take effect in August.  Formal competition for the principalships of A.E. Bowers Elementary and Fireside School will be announced at a later date.  

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