Director General

I am very proud to be the leader of the Western Quebec School Board, an English language board, and unlike any other. Its territory is over 90,000 square kilometers, which is twice the size of Nova Scotia! Spread across this expanse are 30 schools and adult and vocational education centres serving more than 8,000 students involved in programmes from 4-year old pre-kindergarten to adult education and vocational training. The smallest school has less than 40 students, the largest, a senior high school, has more than 850. We span northern, rural, and urban areas and communities.

The challenges associated with such enormous geography and diverse communities have made us innovative, creative, and progressive. We are committed to excellence, lifelong learning, respect for all, and a team approach to problem solving. To this end, everyone - our commissioners, our support staff, our teachers, our professionals, our administrators, our parents and our communities are valued collaborative partners in a devoted "students first" approach.

"Our future begins here" is our corporate motto. It is how we view our jobs, and how we deal with issues. As Einstein wrote: "The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." Education is the key to opening minds to that different level of thinking.

Mike Dawson
Director General