COMMISSION SCOLAIRE EASTERN SHORES
Appointment of new director general at ESSB

The Eastern Shores School Board (ESSB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Natascha Joncas as Director General effective July 1, 2018.

Ms. Joncas comes to Eastern Shores School Board as a very highly qualified candidate: She obtained a Bachelor of Education from the University of Québec in Rimouski in 1996; Master's in Education in 2006; Graduate Diploma in School Administration in 2007 and both her Civil and Common Law degrees from the University of Sherbrooke in 2012. She is currently enrolled with the University of Laval in a Doctorate in Administration and Policies of Education.

She is a member of the Bar of Quebec and a former member of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Law Society of Yukon.

Much of her career has been dedicated to education. Her path began in 1997 at Commission scolaire du Littoral where she was a French Second Language teacher. By 2006, Ms. Joncas was employed by ESSB as the Principal of Grosse Ile School. She then became Educational Youth Services Coordinator based in New Carlisle.

In 2009, Ms. Joncas left ESSB to explore new options and obtain a law degree. In the years that followed, she maintained her connections with education as the Director General of the Yukon Francophone School Board followed by a three-year stint in Nova Scotia: 2 years as Corporate Secretary for the Halifax Regional School Board and 1 year as Education Consultant for the Department of Education.

The proverb by Bernard Shaw guides Ms. Joncas steps: "In life, there are those who see things as they are and wonder why, and there are those who imagine things as they might be and say why not?"

She is a visionary who sees herself in the second part of this quote and that is the view she brings to the ESSB. For her, student success must be everyone's first concern. Students need to know that we are behind them and that we believe in them, that we stand in solidarity with their efforts and are proud of their achievements.

The Council of Commissioners welcomes Ms. Natascha Joncas back to the Eastern Shores School Board and have every confidence that her experience and qualifications will help the students of ESSB continue to learn and achieve their full potential.