As the new school year quickly approaches, Quinte News had the chance to speak with the directors of both the Algonquin and Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) and the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB).
David Desantis is the Director of Education for the ALCDSB.
He says the school board has a lot going on as it welcomes students back to class.
“We launched a brand new multi year strategic plan. We just completed our five year plan. Wrapped it up in June, so we’re launching a new one this fall, more on social media in the coming days, and also a brand new five year pastoral theme. So the first pastoral theme will be called, We are Called, and so students will be enshrined in that pastoral theme as they walk through classrooms next week.”
Desantis says the school board continues to eye the renovation of the J.J. O’Neill Catholic School, while also noting that the school will be undergoing a name change.
“A lot of people don’t realize that J.J. O’Neill was a Monsignor in the Archdiocese, so I felt it appropriate to rebrand the school name Monsignor JJ O’Neill when we open it up again with with the new, renovated building, hopefully in January. That’s the trajectory.”
An update on the new build in Picton was also provided.
“It’s on Talbot Street, beautiful, five acre property that abuts on to the Millennium Trail. We’re still waiting for tenders to go through quite a little bit of a snag in the recent process, but we’re hoping that that school will be built in the next couple of years.”
With the growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Desantis says the school board is planning to launch rules and guidelines on an AI strategy that will mirror the multi-year strategic plan. .
“We want to make sure that we support our teachers and principals as instructional leaders to ensure that they’re ready to use AI in the classroom, so that students understand the ethical implications of AI and hopefully use it in a way that helps with the process of learning, not the end product.”
You can listen to the full interview below:
Quinte News chat with HPEDSB Director of Education, Katherine McIver, will be released on Tuesday.
