By Kathy Rowe
Enthusiastic, energetic and focused! These are words to describe Mark Varvas, the new principal at Sir Oliver Mowat. Mark began his teaching career in 1999, and 10 years later he was promoted to vice-principal. His career as vice-principal took him to a few high schools in Scarborough over a period of 13 years, then he was promoted to principal at Silverthorn C.I. in Etobicoke. Following a three-year stay at Silverthorn, Mark was moved closer to home to Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate this year.
Mark has much to bring to the table as the school year gets underway. Mowat has approximately 950 students enrolled, which he describes as a comfortable number for the building. “I love working with students and their families and I believe that we must put our students’ needs first,” he said.
When describing his leadership style, Mark said, “I am a relational leader. It’s the relationships I make that drive me to this role. I’m approachable and I lead from within. I have a door open policy, and I model the behaviour that I want to see in others.”
Having coached competitive high school basketball for many years, he brings a coaching mentality to his work, such as team building. “I’m a big believer in celebrating small successes in terms of student learning. I encourage staff to call parents at home with the good news! We want students to find their best success.”
When it comes to those students who struggle with some aspects of learning, Mark has ideas about how to support them. “Staff will offer extra help as well as mentorship. I want staff to look out for the students who may need encouragement. I say to them, be a caring adult.”
Mark notes that early intervention is key. “Also, struggling learners can take advantage of credit rescue days. These are days when new material is not introduced in the classroom. This time allows these students to catch up on work and get the help they need.”
He went on to say that Special High Schools Major (SHSM) is a program that he would like to bring to Mowat. SHSM is a Toronto District School Board program funded by the Ministry that allows students to focus on a certain sector of education. It involves certification and training for skills and knowledge relevant to a chosen field. Mark hopes to bring sports marketing and horticulture/landscaping to Mowat as part of the SHSM program.
The Mowat population is very diverse, and Mark feels strongly that every student needs to feel welcome. “A student who feels welcome is going to be emboldened to do good things. I intend to encourage staff first to work on personal land acknowledgements – in other words, what does this land mean to you? I want to challenge the staff to remove the barriers. We have many diverse clubs here at Mowat: Black Student Alliance (BSA), Muslim Student Alliance (MSA) and the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). Mowat students will celebrate Orange Shirt Day on September 30, and during Ramadan, there will be a room available for students to use for prayer.”
Mark emphasizes, “The more you put into your high school years, the more you will get out of them, and that’s what I say to Mowat students. I challenge them to get involved with one thing. I want a busy school – a school should be a beehive of activity.”
When commenting on student safety he said, “My vice-principals and I are presentand we are around the school at lunch time in the hallways. As well, we have a good relationship with 43 Division.”
It’s clear that Mark is excited to be leading the staff and students at Mowat this year and we wish him much success.