Reflection of presentation by John Percevault – Director of Technology, School District 51ohn Percevault,

Today we met with another outstanding IT leader, Mr. John Percevault. Mr. Percevault has worked in IT for over 20 years in various capacities and has made a tremendous impact in every district he has worked in. Before moving to Lethbridge, Mr. Percevault worked in the Grande Yellowhead School Division to bring them into the 21st century and create an enviable videoconferencing network.

Upon his arrival in District 51, Mr. Percevault noticed several trouble spots -
They had an outdated evergreen plan; they needed the right people in the right positions; there was a huge discrepancy between the new modern schools and older, outdated schools; each school was committed to doing what worked for them, rather than working from a central, unified vision. He explained that he was hired to fix 2 main problems – replace the Novell server with a Microsoft version and build a technology vision. As he states it, "I was hired to be a change agent."

Mr. Percevault admits that it can be difficult to implement change when you first move to a place and people don't know or trust you. However, Barry Litun had paved the way and he trusted Mr. Percevault to make the right decisions and put together a team of talented people. Mr. Percevault is the first to admit that this was not a one man job and re-iterated Barry's point about hiring the right people. He graciously gave credit to the many people that worked with him to form an advisory committee.

Through a democratic process, and by utilizing the skills of the team and networking with his previous contacts, Mr. Percevault was able to move District 51 into the 21 century in only 2 short years - a tremendous feat! One of the points that both Mr. Percevault and Barry mentioned was the importance of networking. You never know when you might need to call upon a previous contact.

Mr. Percevault described the process that catapulted District 51 into one of the frontrunners (in my opinion) of the technological school reform. He identified 7 main events or key decisions that occurred in District 51 from June, 2007 to now:
- Develop a clear mandate from the Superintendent that speaks to the importance of IT
- Create a clear vision that ensures everyone is on the same page
- Integrate the 3 goals into AISI projects, School Education Plans, etc. Make these goals the absolute focus for all schools in the board - 21st Century learning environments, Differentiated Instruction, and Assessment FOR learning
- Develop a workable financial framework and take advantage of any available grants
- Build multimedia classrooms by ensuring equitable access to computers, projectors, etc.
- Embed Professional Development into your vision and modify the school calendar to make it happen
- Hire the right people and provide incentive for them to stay

Mr. Percevault exhibits many qualities of an effective leader, but what really struck me is his passion. He genuinely cares about public education. He believes, without a doubt, that utilizing technology in our schools is best practice. And he has the dedication and vision to make it happen. Amazing things are happening in District 51!

I think that the main similarity that I recognize between Barry Litun, Don Knezek, and Mr. Percevault is their ability to connect with the right people, build relationships, and inspire the people around them to do what is in the best interests of education.