School District 5 has looked north to fill a key position in a Cranbrook school.
The SD5 Board of Education announced Wednesday that Viveka Johnson will be taking over as Principal of Mount Baker Secondary School, effective August, 2014.
Johnson is currently Principal of McKim School in Kimberley, School District 6. She will be taking over from current MBSS Principal Jason Tichauer, who will be serving as SD5's new Director of School Learning.
The SD5 announcement said Johnson has experience as acting District Principal of Special Education in School District 6 (SD6) and was the principal of a middle school and alternate school in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. She is trained in secondary education with an emphasis on math and science.
"We're confident that Viveka is up to the challenge given her broad educational experience and track record as a school and community leader," said Frank Lento, SD5 Board Chair. "We're very excited to welcome Viveka to our District."
"I'm very impressed with what Mount Baker has, and continues to provide, for its students especially given that the building itself is overdue for replacement", says Johnson. "I look forward to collaborating with such quality staff and am excited to get to know the students and school community."
Johnson says she's also excited to be involved in the planning of a replacement Mount Baker/Neighbourhood Learning Centre (NLC) in the near future.
Born and raised in Kimberley, Johnson spent one year following high school in Argentina on a Rotary exchange. Johnson graduated from the University of Alberta in 1998 and received her Master of Counselling Psychology from the University of Calgary in 2006. She remained in Alberta until 2010 when she returned to her home in the East Kootenay.
She is a mother of two, is active in sports and volunteers supporting her children's activities and is on the Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) Community Literacy Committee. When not working, Johnson enjoys travelling, reading and spending time outdoors with family and friends.