As the school year comes to a close, so do the careers of many Lord Selkirk School Division (LSSD) staff members. Each has spent years dedicated to improving the lives of students, and many retirees worked with the division for more than 20 years. In total, 24 retirees are leaving the division with an average of 21.8 years of service.
Scott Gurney
Scott Gurney retires after 36 years of service with the division. He began his career as a teacher at Lockport School before moving into a three-decade role as a physical education teacher and eventually becoming physical education department head and athletic director at Lord Selkirk Regional Comprehensive Secondary School.
Influenced by his own teachers and coaches while growing up, Gurney spent his entire career with LSSD.
From his first year of teaching, he still remembers the names and faces of his first students, noting they are “still strongly imprinted in my memory.”
Over the years, he has enjoyed many highlights, including co-organizing Grad in the Park during the pandemic, running the Royal Rumble on the Rubber track meet for 21 years, seeing students become excited about new sports and fitness activities, and helping lead teams to three provincial championships in cross-country and track and field.
Throughout his career, it was others who contributed to his success.
“The enthusiasm of the students and athletes plus the commitment of Lord Selkirk’s teachers and coaches is what kept me motivated all this time,” he said.
The biggest changes, he said, have involved technology. When he began teaching, the only computers were located in the computer lab. Today, nearly everything is available on phones, something Gurney said is both beneficial and challenging as students interact face-to-face less frequently.
In retirement, he is looking forward to finishing a book before it needs to be renewed and cooking nice meals for his family. He also plans to train for a destination race, enjoy more downtime with family and friends, continue coaching cross-country and track and field at the Comp, and substitute teach with the division.
Arlene Kinden
Arlene Kinden has been a staff member with LSSD since 1999. She worked as a resource and reading recovery teacher at Ruth Hooker School from 1999 to 2003, then as a lead teacher and Understanding the Early Years co-ordinator at the board office from 2004 to 2013, and most recently as a learning support teacher at Happy Thought School from 2013 to 2026.
Before joining LSSD, she also worked in God’s River, Oxford House and Peguis.
She remembers her first year of teaching as challenging but worthwhile. After graduating with an education degree specializing in high school social studies in Newfoundland, she was offered a Grade 1-2 teaching position in God’s River following an interview with Indian and Northern Affairs. She accepted the position and flew to Winnipeg four days later.
“Everything happened very quickly,” she said. “Not only was I out of my comfort zone moving to Grade 1-2, but all the students spoke Cree.”
One of her proudest accomplishments as an educator was helping lead the Understanding the Early Years project, a federally funded initiative designed to better understand the needs of young learners.
She explained the project involved collaboration with people from other provinces and said she is proud of the work that connected preschool families and young children with local programming opportunities.
Throughout her various positions, Kinden enjoyed coming to work and advocating for her students. She has also witnessed significant changes in education, particularly with technology.
“From chalkboard to whiteboard to smart board, there have been many changes,” she said. “There was no technology when I started teaching, so I have seen a wide range of new technology introduced since the beginning of my teaching career.”
She is looking forward to permanently shutting off her 5:30 a.m. alarm clock and relaxing. In the fall, she will move back to Newfoundland, where she plans to travel, reconnect with friends and enjoy peaceful walks along the ocean.
Charlene Henrikson
Charlene Henrikson retires after a 22-year career with the division, including the last 18 years as a full-time hairstyling teacher at the Comp.
“It was my dream job right until my last day,” she said. “Teaching in the same space where my passion for hairstyling began and coming full circle in the LSRCSS hairstyling classroom from being a student to teacher is just an incredible feeling.”
Before becoming a hairstyling teacher, she was a substitute teacher—a stage of her life she said helped build the confidence of the teacher she is today.
She had also been a hairstylist for more than two decades. What led her to become a teacher was a simple lunch date with a friend who made the suggestion.
“Did I want a second career? Did I want to work with high school students? Did I want to share my passion for hair with teenagers?” she asked herself at the time. “Absolutely I did—so I started my schooling and didn’t look back.”
Noting the steep learning curve from her education classes to the actual classroom, she said she thoroughly enjoyed her time teaching the next generation of hairstylists.
Over the years, she discovered that relationships matter more than perfect lesson plans, adaptation is key, and her job is as much about learning as it is about teaching.
“My students were amazing and the reason I walked through the door with a smile on my face every morning,” she said. “They may not remember what you taught them that day, but if you greet them with a smile, they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
With many highlights from her career, seeing her students grow into kind, caring and courageous young adults is something she is proud to celebrate—characteristics that do not necessarily come from lesson plans.
“As vocational teachers, we take great pride in acting as role models for our students,” she said. “Having spent time in industry before becoming teachers, we can help students not only with the technical training portion of their schooling but also essential employability and problem-solving skills for today’s work environment. Seeing our students develop these skills as they grow and then carry them on into their work environments when they leave us is wonderful to see.”
The biggest shift she has seen over the past two decades has been in learning styles, moving from a lecture-based environment to a more student-led, critical-thinking approach, as well as the increasing role of technology.
“Everything is now technology driven—it’s been a continuous learning curve as my teaching years evolved,” she said. “My students definitely got used to me saying, ‘Can one of you please help me?’ With the introduction of artificial intelligence, there is definitely a shift in how we teach. I think teachers are just beginning to navigate a balance of using it as a tool.”
Henrikson was also heavily involved in several extracurricular activities, including Selkirk Parents for Safe Grad, female hockey, the Grad Fashion Show and basketball. She said saying “yes” to these opportunities expanded her horizons and made her a better person, teacher and friend.
Entering retirement, she looks forward to spending more time with her family. She still plans to substitute part-time, saying, “It’s hard to shut down a career that has been a huge part of your life and helped to shape who I am.”
She also wants to give back to the hairstyling industry by staying involved with Skills Manitoba.
“My career as a vocational teacher at LSRCSS has been nothing short of rewarding. It takes a collective community of individuals in the school to educate our students, and we have the best in LSSD,” she said. “Teaching is not something you can do on your own and I’m grateful to every person that has helped myself and our students find success.”
Additional retirees
• Gord Dehn, 29 years of service
• Cindy Harris, 28 years of service
• Dulcie Sinclair, 21 years of service
• Lisa-Marie Zuchowicz, 28 years of service
