Community gathers to say farewell

Friends, co-workers, former and current students, and students whose parents were students gathered at a retirement tea in honour of Jasper Jr./Sr. High School principal Dale Karpluk on June 14.

Emcee and former vice-principal Don Ross touched on some of the myriad memories of Karpluk’s 41-year career in education.

Some were humorous, like the time Karpluk tried to show a movie in class, forgot to put the 15mm film into the take-up reel and found it in a pile on the floor when she turned the lights back on.

“That for me was one of the funniest stories in education,” Ross said. “It’s when she finally decided to go into administration.”

That day, Karpluk called on former teacher Rose Wickstrand for help.

“It took ages to wind it all up again,” she said, laughing. “You could say she’s technologically challenged.”

Some memories were touching, like vice-principal Sandy Cox’s recollection of Karpluk’s calm, positive demeanour.

“She always believed in the best of everyone,” she said. “If you went into her office as a student, parent, teacher upset, you left feeling like you could carry on.”

Son Ryan Karpluk, who works for CN, said he didn’t always get away with what he thought he could, having his Mom as a principal.

Once, when a teacher put him out in the hallway for misbehaving, Ryan knew his mom was on patrol.

He went back in and said to the teacher, “I can’t sit in the hall, because Mom’s making her rounds!”

Geoff Fraser started teaching science at the Jr./Sr. High School in 2004, and in the few years he worked with Karpluk he was impressed by her interest in out-of-school experiences.

Karpluk and Fraser chaperoned a group of students on a trip to Montreal, to take part in a language exchange program.

“She’s all about cultural experiences,” Fraser said. “Either bring them in, or send the students out.”

Judy Grigat, chief deputy superintendent of the GYRD, recalled Karpluk’s dedication.

“The thing about Dale that strikes you is that it was always to do with something good for the kids,” she said. “That was always at the heart of what she did.”

Finally, Karpluk took to the podium to share some of her fondest memories, like the time a student brought a dead mouse in for show and tell or when Don Ross retired and said the last thing he wanted was a tea.

“But I wanted a tea and this is just perfect,” she said. “I’m having a wonderful time.”