The Garden Valley School Division (GVSD) has named the first-ever principal of the Pine Ridge Elementary School in Winkler.

Renae Hildebrand, who is currently the principal of the Border Valley/Blumenfeld Administration Unit has been appointed to the role.

"It is very exciting that the division is trusting me with this, and I know that I have a great team of people that have gone through this before with all the other new schools that have been built." (Submitted photo of Renae Hildebrand)

Over the past 20 years with GVSD, Hildebrand's experience has included teaching grades K-8, EAL, guidance, and resource. She has spent the past five years as principal at Border Valley.

Hildebrand will start her new position February 4th, 2019, seven months before the school's scheduled opening.

Aside from her administrative duties, Hildebrand says she has a specific goal in mind when she begins her role as Pine Ridge principal. "A lot of the other (new) schools, the principal has moved with a group of teachers that they've known to the new school," said Hildebrand. She says the opening of Pine Ridge will be a unique situation in that four different schools will be feeding into Pine Ridge with staff. "So my main focus from February to June (2019) will be to get to know the team and to come up with what Pine Ridge's identity is going to be, and how to work with each other's strengths, and getting to know them in a deeper level than just their names and what grades they teach."

Hildebrand says change is always complicated and difficult, whether it's a good change or whether it's a change someone's not quite ready for, and so it's important for her to take away any fear. "So I will be talking to staff, and getting to know them, and talking about how are we going to make the place (Pine Ridge) a really great place for students...as far as change goes, the kids are also going to feel some stress about that."

Hildebrand says some students will be excited to be at a new school, and some will be leaving friends at their old school. Therefore, they need to make sure that they're ready to support them however they can to ensure it's a good experience for them right from the start.