February 12, 2009

Principal Selected for the new Chute Lake Elementary School

KELOWNA, BC: School District No. 23 is pleased to announce that Bruce McKay has been appointed the Principal of Chute Lake Elementary School, which is scheduled to open in September 2009. The new school will alleviate overcrowding at Anne McClymont Elementary and service the growing Kettle Valley Estates and surrounding neighbourhoods.

As Principal of a school in its final phase of construction, McKay will be responsible for selecting much of the new equipment required in the administrative office and classrooms. He will also organize a complete staff of teachers and support personnel during the next few months, notes Rod Odlum, Director of Instruction, Human Resources.

“Bruce is an experienced, energetic Principal who brings a great deal of expertise and people skills to the position,” says Odlum. “It is a huge challenge to open a brand new school and Bruce is up to it.”

McKay began his career in this District as a teacher at Okanagan Mission Secondary in 1990. He taught at Rutland Middle and Bankhead Elementary. He became Vice Principal at Bankhead Elementary in 1993 then served as Vice-Principal at KLO Middle School in 1997, and Principal at Rutland Elementary in 1998 and Raymer Elementary in 2004. McKay also has experience with opening a new school; he was Principal when the replacement Rutland Elementary School opened five years ago.

In addition to being a school conveniently close to a rapidly-expanding neighbourhood in the Mission under the guidance of an experienced Principal, Chute Lake Elementary School is also very environmentally-friendly. The ‘green’ initiatives include a geothermal heating and cooling system, a two-storey design to limit the ‘footprint’ and leave more space for playgrounds and sports fields, roof-top photovoltaic cells for energy production, natural ventilation, local building materials to reduce the amount of fuel used in transportation, low-flow toilets, and durable, natural materials such as Marmoleum.

Approved by the Superintendent and Rod Odlum on February 12, 2009

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For comments, please contact:

Rod Odlum, Director of Instruction, Human Resources (250) 860-8888

Bruce McKay, currently Principal, Raymer Elementary, (250) 762-4823

Mike Roberts, Superintendent of Schools (250) 860-8888

For background information: please contact Lisa Harrison lharriso@sd23.bc.ca or 470-3284.