After five years at the helm of S-hXiXnu-tun Lelum Primary School and Stu”ate Lelum Secondary School in Ladysmith, principal Len Merriman is embarking on a new journey to central BC.
Merriman resigned from his position last Monday and will serve his last day with Stz’uminus First Nation on July 20.
“It’s been awesome,” he told the Chronicle. “I’ve really enjoyed my time here, and this decision is all about family and about supporting my wife’s desire to regain her language. She hasn’t been home for 30 years, and it’s time for her to go home.”
Merriman said he is looking forward to teaching alongside his wife at a First Nations primary school in Tache, where he has accepted a position as principal. He also has immediate family in the area.
“We work in our First Nations communities, and it’s all about connecting,” he said.
In the last five years, Merriman has been involved with the construction of two brand new schools for Stz’uminus — the primary school and the secondary school, which will open its doors officially in the fall.
When asked if he has accomplished all he set out to do in the past five years, Merriman said he felt that Stz’uminus is continually raising the bar of education.
“As you set one bar, you keep setting the bar higher, so no, I haven’t accomplished everything because you never do,” he said. “But what I think that we have done in both schools [is] we have raised the bar so that our students see ourselves as learners. Now we’ve got students there that are graduating youth, graduating with English 12, good solid marks, plus bio 12, physics 11, chem 12; we’ve got students graduating with all their sciences.”
Merriman said he wanted Stz’uminus education director Charlotte Elliot to be recognized along with chief and council for their exceptional foresight and leadership. He added he is confident that the future of education in Stz’uminus is being left in great hands.
“It was very clear when I came in what my job was — my mandate was ‘we want our students to meet and exceed grade level expectations,’ and in the primary we’re 95 per cent there,” he said. “The one thing that is excellent about Stz’uminus is the support from chief and council in Stz’uminus towards education is exemplary and is not found everywhere in the province.”
