GHSD Superintendent named Canadian Superintendent of the Year
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) Superintendent Bevan Daverne has been named the Canadian Superintendent of the Year by the Canadian Association of School System Administrators (CASSA).
Laurie Huntley, board chair for GHSD, said the team couldn’t be more excited for Daverne.
“We’re absolutely thrilled for him and he is the most deserving person that you can imagine. To be recognized nationally, it’s just what we were hoping for,” said Huntley explaining that to be eligible for the award, a division superintendent within the province must first be nominated at the provincial level by a fellow member of the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS).
If the nominee is awarded at the provincial level, their name may be put forward to be recognized nationally.
“Our deputy superintendent nominated Bevan and I provided a letter of support for the nomination, then CASS decides who of their nominees wins provincially, and their name is put forward to the CASSA,” said Huntley. “There definitely were criteria that they were looking at … you have to have examples of exemplary leadership and enhanced the profession throughout their career.”
Daverne has been a member of CASS since 2011 and was president of the organization from 2019 to 2021.
According to a release, Daverne’s system leadership as Superintendent with GHSD has focused on “powerful learning” – an instructional leadership approach based on research principles for improving student learning.
“Bevan is an exemplary leader and if you talk to him, he’s going to tell you it’s all about team. He’s a very humble individual,” added Huntley. “When you have a high performing team, the key to that is high performing leadership, and that’s what Bevan has done for us as a school division.”
Going forward, Huntley said that under Daverne’s leadership GHSD is on the cusp of a new endeavor with the Acme School Division to further develop high school, trade, and skill development partnerships with post secondary facilities for students to achieve trade certificates without having to leave their communities.
“It’s taking that focus on having very deep learning and understanding and experiences, … and that has definitely been one of the key leadership focuses for Bevan … since he started as a superintendent, and It’s resulted in so many different kinds of successes,” said Huntley.
In addition to the award received from CASSA, Daverne will be acknowledged as the Canadian Superintendent of the Year by the American Superintendents Association at its annual conference scheduled for Feb. 16-18, 2023 in San Antonio.
Daverne joins six other Alberta superintendents who have received the national award since 2002.