Rhonda Nixon is the new superintendent for School District 73 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

NEW SUPERINTENDENT

New superintendent looking forward to more Indigenous inclusivity as part of SD73 mission

Jul 9, 2021 | 5:09 PM

KAMLOOPS — Friday marked the official passing of the torch from School District 73’s outgoing superintendent Terry Sullivan to the new one Rhonda Nixon, who takes over the role fully on Monday (July 12).

Nixon has been working under Sullivan for the last month, learning the ins and outs of her new role as superintendent of the district. It’s been a busier first four weeks than she ever could’ve expected.

“We were thrown quickly into developing emergency response procedures, communication from the residential school tragedy, which has just then blossomed into, ‘How do we support the communities immediately?’ and I was actually part of those conversations,” said Nixon. “So I think the biggest difference between what I thought would happen during COVID and what is happening is I’ve an agent in the process. I’ve been able to be hands-on and see how we’re working together.”

Nixon appreciates the district’s vision of equity and excellence, one of the reasons she applied for the job.

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“This district has done a fantastic job achieving parity for Aboriginal students in many regards, but there is still a distance to go,” noted Nixon. “I have to credit the previous superintendent for that. Superintendent [Alison] Sidow had a very strong school district strategic plan, so that was a big focus. I think part of the vision is to continue the good work started.”

Friday was Terry Sullivan’s official last day — his second retirement as SD73 superintendent after taking it on as an interim role for the last year.

Dealing with COVID-19 all year, Sullivan says it was his most challenging as superintendent, but he’s also proud of how the district handled it.

“When I look back on the year, we didn’t lose a day in session. There were 40 schools in B.C. that we closed during the pandemic. None of our schools closed,” said Sullivan. “We had 95 per cent of our students come back in September, which is 10 per cent above what the provincial average was, so there was confidence on the part of our parents to send students back and I think we’ve maintained that.”