School District No. 5 (SD5) Board of Education is pleased to announce the hiring of Dave Hill as the new principal for Mount Baker Secondary School (MBSS) effective August 2020.

Hill will replace Viveka Johnson, who recently accepted the position of Director of Instruction – Learning Support Services for neighbouring School District No. 6 (SD6).

Born in Vancouver, Hill moved to the East Kootenay in 1992 to begin teaching. He has spent his entire career in SD5 and has taught many subjects over the years, including working with colleagues in MBSS’s Drama and Outdoors programs. He is presently one of two Vice Principals at MBSS, a position he has held for eight years.

“Dave is more than ready to take on this leadership role,” said Frank Lento, SD5 Board Chair. “He fosters strong relationships within the school community and has a talent for viewing challenges as opportunities. I look forward to seeing how he incorporates the newly revised curriculum into secondary school learning.”

According to Lento, Hill was instrumental in putting together Mount Baker’s COVID-19 Safety Plan and is already planning strategies for effective learning within COVID guidelines for the 2020/21 school year.

Hill says there are still many unknowns with respect to COVID-19 safety protocols that will impact how the new school year unfolds. “I am excited about puzzling over those challenges, collaborating with colleagues at Mount Baker and finding opportunities within the revised curriculum to engage our students in learning.”

Hill is married to Sylvie de Grandpré (Mme Sylvie), an educator with SD5 who is presently completing her PhD in Education. He has a son and a daughter, both of whom graduated from MBSS.

In his spare time he enjoys “being taken for walks by his wife,” kayaking and gardening. Hill also admits to having an extensive collection of home projects so that he never has to worry about having nothing to do.

SD5

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