The Marks of Excellence from new Principal Mr. Spronk

The Marks of Excellence from new Principal Mr. Spronk

A.L. Horton School has a new Principal, Mr. Matt Spronk.

Mr. Spronk grew up outside of Sherwood Park. He now lives on an acreage by South Cooking Lake with his wife and his four-year-old daughter, two-year-old son, and one-month-old son. Spronk said his wife and children help to keep his life exciting and he loves hanging out with them. As well, he enjoys traveling and playing a lot of different types of sports.

Spronk said he started off by taking Business to get a Commerce degree and he really wanted to do something where he made a difference for other people; especially in kids’ lives. His first job was teaching construction in Ryley at the Jr/Sr. High School. While he was doing that, he obtained his Master’s Degree in Education and then he became assistant principal at this school for two years. After this, he was principal for a year at Round Hill and went on to be Assistant Principal at Strathcona School in Sherwood Park before he came to A.L. Horton School.

Spronk’s eyes brightened when he said he wanted to be a principal for an elementary school because he loves the kids. “They are so excited to come to school every day; you don’t get that in high school.”

Spronk, however, admitted he enjoyed working at high schools too because he wants to grow his own practice and be an educator who is well-rounded.

One of the biggest joys Spronk obtains as an educator is seeing children walk out of school feeling better than when they came in every day.

Some challenges Spronk feels educators face are with the economy, there is a lot of changes regarding funding where it is difficult sometimes because they want to make sure they have the best education available for the students while staying fiscally responsible. Spronk feels the most important aspect of education according to him is three pillars of education: character, literacy, and numeracy which are priorities for them at this school.

Spronk closed by saying he wants A.L. Horton School to be the best school possible so every student who comes here feels safe, welcomed, and cared for. He really enjoys the Ukrainian Bilingual program so far. He is Dutch and has a strong connection to his cultural heritage so he really admires this program.