Daverne
Bevan Daverne, Superintendent for Golden Hills School Division, received the provincial EXL Award for Excellence in School System Leadership at the Annual General Meeting of the College of Alberta School Superintendents (CASS) held March 17, 2022.
This prestigious award is granted to outstanding school system leaders who exhibit exemplary leadership ability and have enhanced the profession of school system administration over the course of their careers.
As the Alberta recipient of the EXL Award, Daverne will be the CASS nominee for the national EXL Award as Canadian Superintendent of the Year, to be announced at the CASSA Conference, which will be held at St. Andrews By-The-Sea, NB July 6 – 8, 2022.
Consideration for the EXL award is given to those system education leaders who guide children’s educational experiences: establish the character of a school system’s programs through the important work with school boards, school leaders, teachers, and parents; shape children’s attitudes towards learning and their perceptions of themselves as lifelong learners, and establish model effective leadership and mentoring.
Golden Hills’ implementation of its ‘powerful learning’ instructional leadership approach has reflected Daverne’s moral imperative for demonstrating success for all students.
Based upon research principles for improving student learning, Daverne’s approach to furthering such research has begun with articulating this information through a clearly stated, online resource that would be frequently used as a basis for professional dialogue throughout the jurisdiction.
A robust system of support through district teacher collaboration days, instructional coaches, teacher supervision, professional learning opportunities, focus groups and school Powerful Learning proposal grants helps to move this important work forward in classrooms.
This work and the successes for students are regularly celebrated through social media and divisional websites.
This highly intentional and supportive approach has resulted in demonstrable gains for the improvement of student learning over time.
Furthering the jurisdiction as a community connector and partner has been critical to Daverne’s leadership influence.
Innovations in trades education, the development of an online learning academy, and targeted community and business partnerships resulting in two new schools and two modernizations in the last seven years have aptly showcased the integration of the jurisdiction’s school communities with unique student learning opportunities as well as the aspirations of broader municipal and regional communities throughout the division.
Board Chair, Laurie Huntley, in affirming Daverne’s leadership skills has most appropriately stated the rationale for this recognition.
“Bevan is an individual who demonstrates both the science and the art of leadership,” Huntley remarks.
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