Nicole Rawlinson has been appointed an assistant principal of Ponoka Elementary School (PES, joining principal Leslie Crawford and assistant principal Lois Spate.
Rawlinson replaces Dania Hill who joins Red Deer Public Schools as a school administrator.
“I am full of gratitude and excitement to return to Ponoka Elementary School in this new role. It is somewhat ironic that I am returning to PES exactly 10 years from when I first started my career there in a Grade 4 classroom. It is nice knowing there will be many familiar faces to reacquaint myself with, and a lot of new ones to get to know too,” said Rawlinson. “I am thrilled to rejoin the great team at Ponoka Elementary, and am looking forward to working with the PES students, staff and parents to continue moving the school in positive directions.”
“Nicole has done an excellent job in her leadership role with the AISI project at Iron Ridge Campus in Blackfalds,” said deputy superintendent Del Litke. “We are confident that she will continue to provide that same passion and strong leadership abilities in her new role at Ponoka Elementary School.”
Rawlinson holds a bachelor of education degree with distinction from the University of Alberta. Her career got off to a fabulous start in 1999, when as a Grade 4 classroom teacher at Ponoka Elementary School, she was selected as the Alberta School Boards Association Zone 4 Edwin Parr Award winner for outstanding first year teachers.
In 2001 she moved to Iron Ridge Campus in Blackfalds to teach Grade 2. For the past three years she has been a successful Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) lead teacher at Iron Ridge Campus, a position in which she is able to share her exemplary teaching and assessment skills with her colleagues. Because of her knowledge and skills in the assessment arena, Rawlinson was also selected as a district leader with the Alberta Assessment Consortium.
In the area of administration, Rawlinson is a graduate of the Wolf Creek Public Schools Leadership 2000 program. Leadership 2000 allows classroom teachers to develop their leadership capacity should they wish to become an administrator in the future. She also has enthusiastically and confidently stepped into the role of acting administrator when needed at Iron Ridge Campus.
Education is in Rawlinson’s blood as the daughter of a teacher, the daughter-in-law of a teacher and the wife of a teacher. She has twin five-year-old daughters, Keira and Brynn, and two step-sons, Kyle and Eric.
Outside of school, Rawlinson’s first choice is to spend time with her family. Together they enjoy the great outdoors, camping and exploring new places as well as visiting with good friends.
“Getting to experience the thrill of watching our little girls learn, grow and discover the world is my greatest passion,” said Rawlinson. She also enjoys reading, running, cycling and attempting to expand her culinary skills by making tasty creations in the kitchen.