Kelly Creek Community School’s new principal is into technology.
A dedicated educator for over 15 years, Bill Rounis hopes that technology can help parents stay connected with what’s going on at their children’s school.
“We have to get ready for new ways to communicate,” said Rounis, who also has a Twitter account at @billrounis and a blog. And to that end, Kelly Creek’s new principal said he’s developed an mobile application to help open lines of communication between parents and teachers at the school.
Rounis created the mobile app as part of an overarching initiative developed by Matthew Hull, the information, communications and technology coordinator at School District 47.
“The aim is to find a way to communicate with parents easily to let them know what is going on at the school,” said Hull. “The app will work just to let parents know, for example, if the bus is running late.” Hull said he aims to have an app page set up for each school in the district, allowing parents to keep abreast with what is happening at their child’s school in real time.
The app, which runs through the Yapp app maker, is easily downloadable on both iPhone and Android cell phones. The Kelly Creek app page, which will be administered directly by Rounis, will contain the school schedule, as well as regular updates about school activities through the school’s website and Twitter feeds.
The app, intended to serve as a choice for parents in addition to the school’s website, is set to launch on the first day of school, Tuesday, September 8.
It’s a quick on-the-ground start for Rounis who just recently relocated to Powell River with his wife and two children, aged three and eight.
Growing up as the middle child in a Greek family, Rounis said he’s always been one to step up and volunteer for a challenge.
“I was just always one of those people that needs to be busy,” explained Rounis. With a background in mathematics, physical education and a master of arts in educational leadership and administration from Gonzaga University in Washington State, he has certainly been that.
Vice principal for about seven years at Nanaimo’s Cedar Community Secondary, Rounis is a natural fit for the Kelly Creek school where community programs also shape much of the day.
According to Rounis, morning and after-school programs, such as yoga and art classes, do a lot of good work for the community and the children. And, who knows, Rounis’s background working in his family’s pizza place could stand the school’s community kitchen in good stead—“I can make a mean pizza, that’s for sure,” he said.
In addition to slinging a mean slice, Rounis has also been involved in sports, both in his former position as physical education teacher at Nanaimo’s Wellington Secondary School as well as a girls’ volleyball coach.
As a naturally active person, Rounis said Kelly Creek’s emphasis on physical education and getting outside has been a great part of his new job. He said he’s learned a great deal about how central outdoor activity is to learning at Kelly Creek by taking daily walks to explore bike trails around the school as well as an outdoor classroom.
“The number one thing I’ve learned is just how important the environment is at Kelly Creek,” said Rounis. “Here kids learn, not just in a classroom but by getting outside, looking around and getting their hands a little bit dirty.”
The school is nestled between salmon streams and coastal temperate rainforest, offering many options for outdoor learning such as doing math lessons inspired by salmon counts.
Plus, the outdoor spaces offer a quiet, nurturing space for inquisitive minds. “Learning doesn’t just happen in a classroom,” said Rounis, who explained how being outside helps children regulate their own feelings and emotions and learn to focus.
“How much better do you feel after getting a chance to breathe fresh air?” asked Rounis. “When they’re outside they’ve already done their running or walking and are focused and ready to work.”
At a school where cycling is such a big part of the day, Rounis, new to mountain biking, said he’ll have to work at it. “I will let the kids be my teachers on that one,” he said, laughing. “But I look forward to it.”
“It’s great to have a fresh administrator with such extensive experience who can bring all his knowledge here,” said Andrew Shostak, former acting principal at the school. Shostak worked with students to raise money for the establishment of the Powell River Bike and Skate Park, which opened this spring.
Shostak, who has worked for over 10 years as a grade seven teacher at Kelly Creek, is playing hooky from administrative work for now and spending much of his free time at the bike park. He said he is looking forward to working with Rounis to expand the school’s existing outdoor programs.
While everyone, including teachers, administrators, parents and students are sure to enjoy those last few moments of summer freedom over the upcoming long weekend—school starts across Powell River on Tuesday, September 8.
Interested Kelly Creek parents and others can download the app by heading to the Yapp website and installing the Yapp app. Once the app is downloaded the Kelly Creek page is accessible through the code kcss.
