HUMBOLDT — Randy MacLEAN, Horizon’s deputy director of education, has announced his resignation from the role, after receiving an opportunity to serve as director of education in the New Brunswick Anglophone East School District.
MacLEAN said the thing he’s most proud of over his time in Horizon is the relationships.
“It was the opportunity to work with 43 schools, 20 plus different communities, seven First Nations I had zero experience with coming to Saskatchewan,” he said. “It was the trust we managed to build and through that the success we saw with our students, our communities and our staff.”
Other highlights he said he’s proud of include creating spaces in schools for arts and sports opportunities in rural locations, and playing a part in creating the virtual learning opportunities for students beginning in the COVID-19 pandemic.
MacLEAN started his role with the Horizon School Division on Oct. 1, 2013, moving from being principal of Alexander Galt Regional High School in Lennoxville, Que. Before that he served another two positions as principal, another as vice principal, and worked at senior office and taught – culminating in 17 years in the field.
MacLEAN said when he was offered the role with Horizon, it was the perfect opportunity to give his children a “Western Canadian experience.”
“I’ve never been to Saskatchewan before my interview but when I came to my interview, just fantastic board members I interviewed with and a fantastic interview team,” MacLEAN said. “In a span of five days I was sold.”
The job in New Brunswick will be taking MacLEAN back home to the Maritime provinces, having originally heralded from Nova Scotia. He said the opportunity to be close to family at this point in his life as well as the career opportunity was something that couldn’t be passed up.
“I left Nova Scotia in 1996, the opportunity to go home and get close to my family was huge, it was a strong pull. Also my wife is from Quebec, and an opportunity of close proximity to her parents and her family was a huge draw but the opportunity.”
In his resignation to the Horizon School Division board during February’s meeting, he spoke highly of Kevin Garinger, the director of education, positioning the director as a mentor that led him to being ready to step up to the role elsewhere.
To pass on to the next deputy director, MacLEAN said if he could leave a yearbook style message to leave behind it would be “listen first.”
“Lead with your ears and listen to what people need, build supports and find resources to support them,” MacLEAN said.
“We’re lifelong learners and it takes time. Sometimes we have assumptions and ideas and thoughts and things we want to do, but at the same time in leadership we learn quickly our greatest asset are our ears. As we listen and we understand what people’s concerns, their hopes, their ideas and their thoughts are as we begin to build relationships. As we build relationships, we build trust, and we do things together as a unit.”
MacLEAN begins his new role at the end of April. Recruitment is ongoing for his successor.
