After 34 years working as an educator in the public school system and five years as the principal of Bowen Island Community School [BICS], Jennifer Pardee is retiring. On Thursday, the school held a special assembly to honour her, complete with a celebratory flash mob and a plaque presented to Pardee by a group of parents.
Prior to taking over as principal at BICS, Pardee worked at École Pauline Johnson, and also Chartwell Elementary in West Vancouver. Each school, she says, has its own particular identity. At Chartwell, the school identity was influenced by the fact that the neighbourhood is incredibly multicultural. On Bowen, she says, the obvious influence is the fact that it is a rural community, but also the fact that almost everyone who is here really wants to be here.
Pardee says the role of principal is best described as that of a “lead learner.”
“I’ve worked continuously with teachers and parents to look at student learning, and find ways to enhance it,” says Pardee. “In our strategic meeting, we identified two learning goals: the development of the head and the heart. The latter goal is about supporting social and emotional development, and also enhancing the climate of the school. Implementing the Virtues Project has been a big part of that.”
The Virtues Project is an international initiative to “inspire the practice of virtues in everyday life.” The project offers a guide for educators on how to create a culture of caring with guidelines for restorative justice, and on how to transform bullying behaviour and initiate peer mentoring.
At BICS, the project is visible on the walls of the school with posters describing each of the 52 identified virtues. Pardee says it is also reflected in what it means for the students to be sent to the principal’s office.
“I don’t want going to the principal’s office to be a bad thing,” say Pardee, reflecting on the fact that being sent to the principal office is typically a form of punishment. “I like to think of myself as a problem solver, so if a kid is in my office I can find out what the problem is and help resolve it. The Virtues Project is related to this in the fact that it provides a language for talking about how we want people to be with one another.”
Pardee says one of the projects she is most proud of, what she would call her legacy, is the establishment of a student’s council at BICS.
“Student representatives from all of the classes between grades 3 and 7 meet every few weeks to discuss ideas, and then bring them back to their classes for feedback,” explains Pardee. “I really like this because I feel it gives students a voice. It teaches them how to set an agenda, and also, it is a great way to create a two-way conversation between myself and the students.”
Pardee points to an occasion where members of student’s council brought up problems on the playground at recess, in one of their meetings.
“From that meeting, we worked to develop a set of Playground Guidelines, the basis of which are: Be Fair, Be Safe, Be Kind,” says Pardee. She also points to the establishment of school spirit days and last year’s creation of a “kindness quilt” for Pink Day (the International Day Against Bullying).
“I was a teacher for decades and I loved being in the classroom; so as principal I wanted to stay connected to the students,” says Pardee. “Programs like students council have been a big part of that.”
Pardee says that it’s the relationships she’ll miss most about the job.
“There’s a feeling at school that we’re all in this together - especially with my close team made up of Scott, Sandy and Sarah. We are like a machine,” she says. “And I am so grateful to be here. But with more time on my hands I am looking forward to finding other ways to connect with the Bowen community, and I know that plenty will come up.”
Pardee is the first BICS principal in many years to actually live on Bowen, but she won’t be the last as her successor, Vice Principal Scott Slater, is also a Bowen resident.
