New Students from Mexico
by Joseph Duplisea (Grade 7)

Diego Garza & Gilberto Perez-Pena

River Valley Middle School is excited to have two students from Leon, Mexico. They are Gilberto Perez-Pena, moon walk champion (RV Halloween dance) and Diego Garza, golf pro. Both boys are in grade 6. They are best friends and decided together to come to New Brunswick to learn English. When asked why they came to New Brunswick, out of all the places in the world they could have gone, Gilberto simply said they didn’t have a choice.  Although it wasn’t hard to leave Mexico they are finding their new home to be very different. “The weather, school, food, and the environment here are so different,” said Gilberto. But despite all the differences between Mexico and Grand Bay-Westfield, it hasn’t been hard for the boys to make friends here at River Valley.

New Principals At River Valley Middle School
By Miranda Dickie and Karlie Melanson (Grade 6)

This school year started with two new faces here at River Valley Middle School (RVMS), Ms. McGrath, principal and Mrs. Savoie, vice principal. We had a chance to sit down with the new administration and get to know them a little better.

Before coming to River Valley, both Ms. McGrath and Mrs. Savoie used to work at Forest Hills School. There, Ms. McGrath, was a vice principal and Mrs. Savoie, often filled in at the office when she wasn’t teaching Resource. They have also worked at many other schools teaching various subjects such as math, grade two and guidance.  Prior to her school career, Mrs. Savoie was a chef. She made delicious cakes and other pastries. Ms. McGrath however, has always been a teacher of some sort. Ms. McGrath wanted to come to RVMS because she likes working in middle school and heard that this is a really good school that is very welcoming.

Ms. McGrath and Mrs. Savoie feel that not a principal but a homeroom teacher has the most difficult job in the school. Principals do a lot of paperwork, they get lots of emails and they also have to keep track of the spending of school money.

We are pleased to have our new principals at River Valley Middle School! And we give a big RVMS Raider welcome to them!

Retiring Karen Walsh & Eric Estabrooks

River Valley Middle School staff, students and friends had the chance to congratulate and thank retiring Principal Eric Estabrooks and Vice-Principal Karen Walsh at a reception at the golf course on June 8th. Estabrooks has been an educator for 35 years, the last 9 as principal at River Valley. He summed up his feelings by repeating what he told a group of principals in 2003. “I’m a middle school principal in the twilight of my career and I’ve found the perfect school, with the perfect staff and the perfect community and the perfect kids and I’m going to stay here until I retire.” In retirement Eric plans to chair the Canadian Association of Principals and keep serving the profession in that capacity.

Karen Walsh started teaching 36 years ago. She was one of the original staff members when River Valley School opened in 1976. Walsh says she is most proud of the former students she now meets as adults. “They come and say hello and introduce me to their family and they’re happy, productive adults and that’s really what I’m most proud of,” she says. “That’s the reward in teaching.” Her family is going to keep Karen busy in retirement. Her daughter is getting married this summer and her son and his wife are expecting their first child, the first grandchild for Karen and her husband. She plans to do something in the future working with kids because she says, it keeps you young.

In September Trudy McGrath of Grand Bay-Westfield becomes the new Principal at River Valley Middle School and Melissa Savoie becomes the new Vice-Principal. They both come to River Valley from Forest Hills School.