Long-time Principal Suzanne Powell is handing the torch to her former Vice-Principal Garth Shindle, overseeing 650 grades 5-8 students at Ecole Morden Middle School this fall.

A strong advocate for students, Powell began her career with Western School Division at EMMS in 2002 serving as a teacher. Staff says Powell leaves a legacy of a "kids first" approach.

"I think what people don't see is when they think about school is how much joy kids bring, they're funny people, they see the humour in lots of things," she says. "At the end of the day, when you listen to a kid explain their thinking, it's magical."

Looking back, she hopes students have learned that it's ok to make mistakes in the pursuit of their passion.

Shindle will take over as Principal at the start of the new school year, formerly serving as Vice-Principal since 2016. Prior to WSD, Shindle worked for 13 years as a teacher and administrator in Carman and Roland.

He explains growing up in a home with a mom who was a social worker and a father who was a teacher left an impression and opened his eyes to the importance of making an impact on your community. "That was high on my priority list and education is what I chose to pursue to meet that goal."

Together as a team, Shindle and Powell have worked closely to build a school based on the inclusion and the pursuit of excellence. "Our staff are working really hard just to consistently improve themselves and their practice."

"What I'm looking forward to most is a continuation of the work we've started and accomplished so far."