David McMahon
After nearly four years spent steering Lisgar Collegiate Institute’s staff and students towards success, retiring principal Karen Gledhill officially handed over the helm of the Centretown high school to its new principal, David McMahon, on Feb. 1.
“Ms. Gledhill was an excellent principal,” says McMahon, who comes to Lisgar after leading Sir Robert Borden High School for more than seven years.
“The school is in excellent shape. She just turned over to me a school that’s well run and well received by the parents and the community.”
McMahon said he recognizes Lisgar has a very strong parent base and it’s important that he continues to support parent the involvement of parents and the community at large.
The school is more than 160 years old and he says he’s well aware of its historical significance.
McMahon has only just begun to thoroughly assess the school’s needs. He had to step away from his post mere days after starting the job to mourn the death of his wife, Joyce, who lost her battle against cancer on Feb. 3 at the age of 52.
McMahon returned to Lisgar Feb. 11, eager to find his bearings and get down to work.
“Right now, I’m just happy to be here and happy to start working with the staff and students at Lisgar,” says McMahon.
Al Penney, one of Sir Robert Borden’s vice-principals, has known McMahon for many year and says Lisgar is lucky to have inherited his leadership.
The school is “getting a very, very experienced principal,” he says.
McMahon has served with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board for about 30 years. Before he became principal at Sir Robert Borden, he held the top post at Canterbury High School. Before that he led business departments at Ottawa’s Adult High School and Technical High School.
Records indicate that 35 per cent of Sir Robert Borden students are on the honour roll and at least 80 students graduate as Ontario Scholars each year.
“To think that Dave didn’t have an impact on all of those numbers would be incorrect – he certainly did,” says Penney. “His leadership abilities had an impact on all the staff and all of those kids.”
Penney says McMahon should have no trouble adapting to his new surroundings at Lisgar.
While he might have grown accustomed to Sir Robert Borden’s suburban environment, McMahon is a Glebe resident and quite comfortable with downtown living.
“Downtown is Dave’s milieu probably even more than the suburbs,” says Penney.
McMahon says he has no qualms about the school’s location – in fact, he enjoys being able to walk to work again. Still, he acknowledges its layout has always been a challenge to administration as it includes two separate buildings.
“If there are ways that I can make it more efficient, well I’ll look into that,” he says.
Gledhill left her post in late January, providing a farewell message at the school’s website that praised the school’s “tremendously talented students” and staff members and noting:
“I will always remember fondly the time I spent at Lisgar and I look forward to the next reunion.”
She ended her message with the phrase “Alere Flammam” – Lisgar’s motto meaning “to nourish the flame.”