There will be new leadership at Ecole West Park School in Altona starting this fall.

Border Land School Division has appointed Derek Sawatzky as principal of the school, effective September 2021.

A division news release indicates Sawatzky obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Winnipeg and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Manitoba. He brings thirteen years of experience teaching ELA, Math, Science Social Studies, Physical Education, and ICT in the classroom.

"Derek is excited about shifting his career toward educational leadership and is currently enrolled in the Post-baccalaureate Diploma in Education Program at the University of Manitoba with a focus on Educational Leadership," added the statement.

As well, Sawatzky has been involved with many extracurricular activities at the school and has assumed the role of school administrator when required.

Additionally, the Division stated that Sawatzky has worked to implement BLSD initiatives such as Performance Based Reading Assessment (PBRA), the Numeracy Action Project (NAP), and the ELA curriculum refresh in his classroom and to support their implementation in École West Park. He has also been part of school-based teams to provide leadership on school initiatives and he is currently a member of the Divisional Literacy Committee.

"We welcome Derek to his new role within the Border Land School Division and we look forward to working with him as Principal of École West Park School."