Sun West Adopts New Mission, Vision, and Core Values

At its regular meeting on February 24, 2026, the Sun West School Division Board of Education adopted a new mission statement and a new vision statement as well as a new set of core values.

The development of these statements is part of the process of developing a long-term strategy for the division being undertaken by the Board of Education in consultation with Sun West’s senior administrators.

“We started the process of developing our long-term strategy by creating the new mission, vision and values because they will become the foundation of decision-making in our division going forward,” explained Sun West Board Chair Michele Whitfield. “Before we decide what we should do it is crucial to consider why we are doing it,” she added.

The Board and senior management developed draft vision, mission and values during a workshop in November and distributed the draft to Sun West stakeholders including students, parents, staff and community members in December asking them to provide input and their ideas through a survey.

“There was overwhelming support for the new mission, vision, and values with 93% of over500 respondents favouring the new statements,” pointed out Chair Whitfield.

“The reason our new mission statement, which is: ‘To cultivate a learning community that empowers, innovates, and inspires all learners to thrive in a changing world,’ resonated so well with stakeholders was the way it reflected both the agricultural foundation of our communities and how Sun West prepares young people for the challenges of life and career,” asserted Chair Whitfield.

“Our new vision statement: ‘spark curiosity, ignite possibility’ captures the excitement of education,” she declared, adding “being curious is where learning starts and it is that spark that ignites a world of possibilities for our students.”

Along with these inspiring statements, ten core values were identified. These are: accountability, collaboration, courage, creativity, curiosity, empathy, integrity, leadership, respect, and responsibility. “These are the qualities we seek to instill in our students and strive to live up to as trustees, administrators and staff,” emphasized Chair Whitfield.

“These statements and values will now provide the basis for developing the Sun West long-term strategy but more than that they will be what we return to when we make any decision,” maintained Chair Whitfield. “They will not sit on a shelf and be forgotten, we are going to all staff, students, and parents and asking them how these statements can live and be a part of the daily operations of our schools and all our activities,” she concluded.