George Freeman vice principal says goodbye after 16 years with Golden Hills School Division
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Matt Laslo has resigned from his position serving as vice principal of George Freeman school, taking on a new role as an educator in Salmon Arm, B.C.
“Obviously there are some mixed emotions. I was the vice principal over at George Freeman for the past two years and it was the best job in the world,” said Laslo. “It was awesome, the school is really good, we were able to do some pretty awesome stuff, getting that sport court build, and getting some of that landscaping done outside and building up the sports programs, but I am excited for a new opportunity to move out here to B.C. and try something different.”
Laslo added he has lived in Strathmore for over 30 years. Prior to serving at George Freeman, he spent five years at Crowther Memorial, and eight years at Strathmore High School. In total, he was with the Golden Hills School Division for 16 years.
He explained he was inspired to become an educator by the teachers he learned under, who instilled a love of learning and a love of being in school. To this extent, Laslo credits Rob Pirie, Brad Steele, and Dion Galandy, among others.
“During the teachers’ strike, we started looking around and it is not completely the strike or the government or anything, but it was a part in that, and (seeing) how our provincial government handled that situation,” said Laslo. “I ended up stumbling on a … job up here in Salmon Arm. We had camped up in the Shuswap region for the last couple summers, and we really liked the area, especially the trees, the lakes, the mountains, the access to the outdoor lifestyle.”
Laslo will now serve as the vice principal of JL Jackson Secondary. His official start date was Tuesday, Feb. 17. Jillian Terry will take over the vice principalship at George Freeman.
His new school currently operates with students in Grades 9-11 and will adopt Grade 12 students in the next educational year. Grade 8 students will be introduced into the school in the following year.
“It is hard to say goodbye to a community you have been a part of for so long, and yesterday just during the drive, you just deal with all those mixed emotions and mixed feelings,” said Laslo. “When you get out here and you see the mountains and you see the trees and you see the Shuswap Lake, a person starts to feel pretty lucky that I’m even getting an opportunity to try and experience something like this.”