By Kira Allen and Nathalie Froment | March 22 2021 |
When Ms. Scarlett was given the opportunity to join KSS as our principal, accepting the position was an easy decision. After her time specializing in special education from Kindergarten to grade 12 with the Limestone District School Board, she is very excited to return to secondary students.
Ms. Scarlett began teaching English at the North York Board of Education (now the Toronto District School Board). Since then, her career has taken her to QECVI, Lasalle Secondary School, Napanee District Secondary School, Frontenac Secondary School, KCVI, Educational Services specializing in Special Education at the school board, and now, KSS.
In her first few weeks with KSS, she has enjoyed getting to know staff and students, and has found the school “open and friendly”.
Ms. Scarlett is passionate about building belonging and connections at KSS. She told us “Working in special education shaped my desire that every student has what they need to be successful.” During our interview, she was especially enthusiastic about the importance of student voice and equity work. From an education standpoint, she expressed how she is devoted to being able to “support all students with literacy development”.
Outside of school, Ms. Scarlett likes spending time outdoors with her husband, two children, and her awesome golden retriever, Rudy. She enjoys walking and biking at Lemoine point, camping with her family, and growing vegetables like beans, peppers, and zucchini. She recognizes the importance of finding time away from screens and is looking forward to returning to in-person spin classes.
When asked about her plans for KSS, Ms. Scarlett was very excited about the possibility of KSS safely restarting in-person extracurricular activities, from clubs to athletics to arts. She misses having the opportunity to interact with students in hallways and form in-person connections between classes but is optimistic that these things will be feasible soon. In the future, she envisions fully utilizing the outdoor spaces around KSS for barbecues, get-togethers, live music, and other fun activities.
During our conversation, Ms. Scarlett highlighted the importance of having parent/community connections, and opportunities to celebrate all students at a variety of events. She wants every student to have “a caring adult that they are able to connect with” and to know “I’m here, my door is always open. I’m here to listen and support.”
Knitting Source for picture https://kss.limestone.on.ca/news/news___important_items/new_principal_message_from_darlene_scarlett
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