Staff Photo By: Darcie Thom

Gwenn McKay, a Principal and teacher at the Kennedy School.

By: Darcie Thom

On Monday afternoon, at the Kennedy School, students skipped down the halls with eagerness in their voices. Standing inside of the staff room, Mrs. Gwenn McKay, the newest addition to the Kennedy School, smiled as she watched the students roam the halls during their classroom break. This 2009 school year marks a 30-year career in the education field for McKay, presently a Principal and teacher at the Kennedy School.

McKay completed her Bachelor of Education Degree at the University of Regina specializing in Student Services, Elementary Reading, Language Arts and Assessment and Evaluation. McKay recalled her parents instilling the need for higher education and completed that request prior to her education career. “I got married before (I started) teaching, I started my career in at Corning School,” recalls McKay, “Didn’t think I’d be teaching thirty years later, though!”

During the first stages of her career, McKay worked at the Corning School with a brief pause to raise her two sons, Andrew and Michael. When Michael became of school age and attended Corning School, McKay returned back to her career in Education at the Windthorst School for a half-time position. This teacher remained at the school and filled the position of Principal for the remaining two years of the Windthorst School, which closed down in June of 2006. Teachers and students celebrated the history of the school throughout the school year and celebrated the end of the school year with a concert, fireworks and celebration party.

Following her teaching and Principal position at Windthorst School, McKay joined the Kipling School Staff as a Student Services teacher, and taught a variety of courses throughout her stay.

Over the past three decades, Mrs. McKay has taught Grade 8 English, Grade 6 English, and various arts. In her best efforts to prepare the students for a lifetime of goals and career choices, McKay took charge in teaching Life Transitions to many of her students.

The achievements made and met by students and teachers didn’t stop when the bell rang at the end of the day, McKay took part in a large variety of extra-curricular activities including music, concerts and coaching golf. She shows a deep interest during the holidays creating plays that involve the community. “It was always so interesting to see the students on stage and watching them ‘act’ as a community member,” McKay said with a smile, “you would have a student on the stage acting like a bank manager and sitting in the front row would be the community bank manager”.

When the question of students and their future goals and dreams arises, Mrs. McKay simply says, “(we) have them learn to work hard, do the best that they can and be proud of the things that they’ve accomplished”.

This golf-loving individual plans to make more time for her yard-work and farming upon her retirement, a time in which she has not finalized yet. McKay plans to re-fill her barn with animals and spend some time with horses again, a pastime which she enjoyed until this past summer when her horse passed away.

Gwenn and Gordon McKay have enjoyed endless trips together across Canada, but one particular trip stands out in mind. “We went to Cape Breton Island once, the people (in their communities) have musical get-togethers, it’s spontaneous and relaxed there,” recalls McKay. Both Mrs. McKay and her husband Gordon enjoy taking long trips together to visit their sons in Alberta and to take full advantage of the time spent with Andrew, his wife Angie and their four-month-old son, Brawn. Mrs. McKay joked, “I enjoy long-driving trips with my husband, he drives, I enjoy the sight-seeing!”.