New principal for MPS

Children at Morrisburg Public School (MPS) will be seeing a new face in the hallways and around the schoolyard this year.

Beverley Bethune, MPS’s new principal, is making the 75km commute from South Lancaster, a town east of Cornwall.

The new principal at MPS brings a strong background in special education as well as in steering a school in a positive direction.

In 1975, Bethune received a Bachelor of Physical Education as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Geography, both from McMaster.

Bethune received her Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa in 1992, qualifying her to teach intermediate and secondary in the areas of physical education and geography.

Bethune added computers and special education to her teaching credentials in the 1990’s. Qualifications for junior division were added in 2005.

Also in 2005 Bethune also began  working to complete the requirements to become an Ontario school principal. This she achieved in 2006.

The position with MPS is Bethune’s first time serving as principal. To back her in her new position she brings extensive  experience as a vice-principal.

Bethune comes directly to MPS from her position as Vice-Principal of T. R. Leger’s Eastern Region where she worked with at risk students.

Prior to that Bethune served as Vice-Principal at Rothwell Osnabruck K-13 School in Ingleside.

Her first stint as a vice-principal lasted for five years at Cornwall’s General Vanier Intermediate School.

Before becoming a vice-principal, Bethune taught at General Vanier when it was a secondary school and continued to teach there when it became an Intermediate School in 2002.

Principal Bethune believes that  students are “all teachable” and she wants to see “that each individual student reach their own potential.”

In terms of plans for the school, Principal Bethune said that her “focus is [on] student learning.”

She went on to say that her “passion in education is the at risk student.”

When asked what she’d like to say to readers of the Leader, Bethune said that she is a “strong believer in community partnerships and community focus on schools.”

She ended the interview with an invitation to the community: “I welcome anyone who wants to volunteer.”