Who is Kurtis?

Kurtis Hewson has been a teacher, vice-principal, and principal, as well as taught at the post-secondary level with the Faculty of Education at the University of Lethbridge and the University of Alberta, primarily instructing and supervising pre-service teachers.  With over a decade of experience as an administrator, including five years as principal at West Meadow Elementary School in Claresholm, Alberta, Kurtis has championed the call for collaborative structures in schools to ensure success for all students.  Kurtis received his BA/BEd degrees from the University of Lethbridge and a MEd degree from the University of Calgary with a specialization in Instructional Leadership.  In addition to two finalist awards from Alberta Excellence in Teaching program (as a teacher and an administrator) and one of five Alberta Edwin Parr award recipients for excellence in his first year of teaching, Kurtis was one of three honorees for the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award in 2010.  Kurtis is one of five Alberta principals featured in Reflecting on Leadership for Learning: Case Studies of Five Alberta Elementary School Principals, addressing exemplary leadership practices in elementary schools in Alberta.  Kurtis has also previously engaged in doctoral studies with the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta, focusing on the role of teacher community in relation to teacher professional praxis.