He will be taking over for David Keohane, who headed the school division for 11 years.
Moroziuk, who has worked as the division's assistant superintendent for the past two years, inherits a school board in flux this summer due to the constantly changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on Alberta's schools.
Before his appointment, GSACRD had initiated a plan called Faith in Our Future as a way to cut costs throughout the system by reorganizing numerous schools.
"Faith in Our Future is on hold. School re-entry is the current priority," Moroziuk told the Gazette this week – school re-entry this fall is the division's main priority. Ecole St. Marguerite d'Youville (ESSMY) is still moving its French immersion high school program to St. Albert Catholic High School as of this September, though.
"In terms of any other reorganizing, that is on hold for the time being."
He plans to work closely with the board of trustees to find which elements of the transition can still be enacted throughout this school season.
"We're going to have to look at what part of the consultation went well, what parts might have been improved, and determine a direction to go forward."
Moroziuk explained the current plan to send kids back to school in September has been developed by Alberta Education. They've consulted with parents around the province and Alberta's chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, to arrive at what they call Scenario 1 – a "near-normal" restart to regular schooling.
Moroziuk understands, however, some parents may be hesitant about sending their children back this soon.
"We got into online learning very quickly in the spring and staff did an excellent job hopping right in ... We did the best we could under the circumstances," he said.
"I know that some parents are interested in online learning at this point as well. We're certainly going to be having more conversations around how we meet peoples' needs as best as possible."
With the help of Dr. Moroziuk and the board of trustees, GSACRD has developed a school re-entry plan detailed on its website.
The school board plans to distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) and disinfectants for use by both students and staff. "We need to ensure that hands, as well as any high-contact areas, are being disinfected as frequently as possible,” said Moroziuk.
School staff will head back to class a few days before students do so they can be properly oriented on how to work effectively with health restrictions in place. The division is making an effort to lessen the amount of time students spend in large, disorganized groups, such as in hallways between classes. Instead of two semesters this school year, high school classes will be divided into a four-quarter system. Additionally, instead of students taking four classes a day, they will only take two, and each class will be longer.
Catholic identity
Moroziuk also has big plans for the spiritual side of GSACRD.
"Faith is the value proposition of Catholic schools. One thing we're really going to be focusing on is the promotion of Catholic identity and Catholic spaces in an online environment," he said. "We can always look for ways to improve or add value.
“Catholic identity in online learning spaces is something we'd like to focus on in the fall.”
This will include virtual versions of the school masses and assemblies that had taken place before COVID-19. Last school season's year-end staff mass was held with only a handful of people in attendance at a local church, while the mass was also broadcast live on the internet for others to participate.
“Whatever we do, we'll have to do in compliance with any guidelines from the Catholic Archdiocese."
St. Albert's newest superintendent added he believes the “rur-ban” standing of his jurisdiction – which includes the towns of Morinville and Legal – is the perfect place for a professional of his qualifications to call home.
He has a Bachelor of Education from the University of Alberta, a Master of Religious Education from Newman Theological College, a Master of Arts in Education from the University of Phoenix and a Doctorate of Education from the University of Calgary.
Before joining GSACRD, he spent four years as the director of human resources for Elk Island Catholic Schools.
Moroziuk grew up in Mundare and began his teaching career in rural Alberta, before relocating to Sherwood Park with his family. He still lives there with his wife and two daughters, driving to St. Albert every day.
While he's worked in several different rural and urban communities over the last couple decades, he plans to stay where he is for the foreseeable future.
"I really have enjoyed my couple of years (in) St. Albert and I look forward to working in St. Albert for many more years. It's a wonderful school jurisdiction," said Moroziuk. "We have great families and excellent staff and I'm blessed with a fantastic board of trustees to work with, so I really hope that I'm able to be here for many years to come."
If you have any questions or concerns about the GSACRD's re-entry plan for this September, you can call the district Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 780-459-7711.
