December, 2025
December 1-5, 2025
Good afternoon, Horizon.
I hope everyone found Friday’s Personal Professional Day valuable; a chance to catch up, recharge, and focus on whatever you needed most to support the work you do for our students.
This past week has been a challenging one for me personally. I spent a portion of it at St Paul’s Hospital, where my family and I have been surrounding my mother as she faces some serious health challenges. Moments like these remind me of where our strength comes from. Strength grows through the support and care of others. Whether in our classrooms or at my mother’s hospital bedside, love and care support those who need us to be strong and resilient. The need for connection became even more pronounced as my mom’s younger sister needed strength as her husband of 48 years is battling terminal cancer and was admitted to St Paul’s on Tuesday.
There is such an enormous power in human connection. It can literally keep a child wanting to come to school or help carry people through difficult moments. I've talked about former US Surgeon General Dr Vivek Murthy in the past, connecting him to work we are doing with social media. What really connected me to him was a book he wrote on the power of connection called Together: The Healing Power of Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. If you haven't had the chance to read it, I encourage you to do so. It was the reminder I needed during my mom’s ongoing health challenges, and it is the vital nature of the work we do on school buses and in classrooms across our system and beyond.
Murthy proposes that human connection underpins well-being, happiness, resilience, and social cohesion. He argues that restoring connection is vital, both physically and mentally, for individuals and society as a whole. One way that he talks about combating this is through service. Through formal volunteering or informal kindness, we can build bonds. At the same time, he also makes the argument that being open to receiving help fosters connection and mutual support. From our Christmas Hamper project, to daily efforts in our classrooms, to supporting loved ones in need, there is no question that connection builds hope and generates strength for all.
The beautiful words by renowned author Albert Camus are also a reminder I want to share: “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer.” I think it is so true that even when everything feels cold and difficult, we can discover that something bright and unbreakable lives within us.
The quiet strength and resilience of our children and my mother feel especially important to me as we move through December together. I’m deeply thankful for my family, my Horizon family, and for the extraordinary care received from the hands and hearts of so many who look after our children and our loved ones in need. So to all of you, thank you.
Learning Improvement Plans
I was able to get into schools one day this week to continue our Learning Improvement Plan (LIP) meetings, connecting with school leaders to discuss student learning, explore data-driven strategies, and review the supports in place to enhance outcomes across Horizon.
Superintendents Jacquie Bergerman, Terry Leibel, and Bryan McNabb joined me at their assigned LIP schools to meet with principals and vice principals. On Thursday, we met with the schools of Archerwill, Rose Valley, Kelvington, Englefeld, and Muenster. As always, I want to thank our school teams for their work in preparing the plans that ultimately support the work happening in our schools.
Christmas Hamper Project
The great work behind our Christmas Hamper Project continued last week, with many helping hands coming together to wrap gifts. On Tuesday, we were pleased to welcome students from Muenster School to the Division Office for an afternoon of wrapping. On Thursday, student volunteers from HCI and community volunteers from RBC, MNP, and BHP helped finish preparing the presents. It’s heartening to see such strong community support for this meaningful initiative that, once again, serves to build strength for those in need at this important time of year.
Have a great week, everyone.
-Kevin
Kevin C. Garinger B.Ed., M.A.Ed., Ed.D. (Candidate)
Director of Education/CEO
Horizon School Division No. 205