Blog

Dear PCS Family,

On behalf of the board and Dr. Ogborne I would like to make you aware of an important upcoming season in the history of Pickering Christian School.

About two years ago, Dr. Ogborne approached us as a board and asked us to begin a dialogue with him about a potential plan for the transition of his leadership as Principal here at PCS and what that might look like.  We knew this chapter in the life of Dr. Ogborne and PCS would eventually arrive, and although saddened, we understood the importance of developing a strong plan in concert with Dr. Ogborne.

It is important to take a moment to recognize and understand the impact that Dr. Ogborne has had on the school and all of us here at PCS.  In the fall of 1985, Mr. Ogborne transferred from Scarborough Christian School and assumed the duties of Vice Principal and teacher for Grades 5-8. He then became the Principal of PCS and has faithfully served in that role for the past 35 years (literally from day one). His passion first and foremost for his Saviour, Jesus Christ, has always been evident in his leadership.  And all of us can agree that his love for the students and his drive to provide them with the best Christian education possible has been clearly evident throughout his time here as Principal.  All of our kids’ lives have been impacted by Dr. Ogborne.  Under his leadership PCS has continued to grow and develop as a model school for Christian Education. 

Realizing how critical this transition of leadership is to the ongoing health and continued growth of the school, we as a board, along with Dr. Ogborne’s leadership, reached out to our umbrella organization, EDVANCE Christian School Association.  EDVANCE is an organization that specializes in providing exceptional services to affiliate Christian Schools in all matters pertaining to Christian education including how to effectively transition from one principal to the next. With their support and guidance, EDVANCE came in to the school and met with the teachers, staff and the board to work on defining the characteristics and skill sets that would be beneficial for the next principal. As a board, we took the input from the teachers and staff and with the help of EDVANCE created a profile for the next head of school to help guide the hiring process.

With this profile in place and the understanding with Dr. Ogborne, we are announcing that this academic school year ending in June 2021 will in fact be Dr. Ogborne’s final year serving as Principal of Pickering Christian School.  Our deepest thanks to Dr. Ogborne for all he has poured into the school.  We look forward to acknowledging and celebrating his many years of service in various ways through the remaining months of the school year.

Our next step in the process is creating a job posting in January 2021. We will accept resume’s from qualified candidates both internally and externally.  Our desire is to conduct interviews as soon as possible and our prayer is to be able to, the Lord willing, introduce the next Principal of Pickering Christian School in the Spring of 2021.

We would ask that you please join us in praying through this process that God will make it very clear to us as a board who the next person is to take the torch from Dr. Ogborne.  We also pray for our teachers, staff and students as we embark on this transition.  Lastly, we pray for Dr. Ogborne as he continues to lead through this process selflessly while also preparing for his future outside of the context of the school.

Sincerely,

Kelvin Kauffeldt

Chairman, PCS Board