Connect Charter School
Outdoor Education. Citizenship. Technology. Inquiry.
Field Experience Centre
Hear From Students and Parents
Apple Distinguished School
Our Charter
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What is a Charter School?
Welcome from the Principal
Welcome to Connect Charter School. As a publicly funded charter school, we have a
responsibility to provide innovative educational programming for our students. Our vision is to
prepare our students to be extraordinary citizens, and our approach to achieving that goal
begins with understanding the value of deep inquiry; instilling in our students the confidence to
ask difficult and challenging questions and then think critically about how to reach solutions
and solve problems in meaningful ways. Inquiry at Connect is supported by the integration of
technology into learning, as well as through a robust outdoor education program and a focus on
connecting learning to the ‘real world’ through experiential education. Students enter Connect
in grade 4 from across the City of Calgary, and leave at the end of grade 9 with skills and
attributes that prepare them to be contributing and empathic members of our community.
Dr. Phil Butterfield
Principal
Meet our Superintendent
Chris Gilmour joined Connect Charter School (CCS) in the summer of 2018 as the Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer and is the 5th Superintendent at Connect since opening in 1999.
Prior to arriving at CCS, Chris was the Superintendent of Schools with the Beaufort Delta Education Council in Inuvik, NT. Chris worked in this board for 16 years in a variety of roles including as a teacher, school administrator, board consultant, Supervisor of Schools and finally as the Superintendent. As superintendent, Chris designed and implemented school improvement plans that resulted in improved student achievement. He worked collaboratively with local indigenous organizations and leaders to design the remote synchronous online learning platform that, for the first time, provided smaller, remote communities, with access to 10-1, 20-1 and 30-1 (high school) level courses. The success of the program resulted in an expansion throughout the entire Northwest Territories, with the headquarters remaining in Inuvik.
Chris is passionate about the programming and opportunities Connect Charter School offers. He believes the acquisition of the Field Experience Center at Sibbald Lake, combined with the innovative institutional mindset at the school makes the Connect difference.
Chris holds a B.A. from Mount Allison University, a B.Ed from Acadia University, a M. Ed in Critical Studies from the University of New Brunswick and a M.Ed in Information Technology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. His wife, Tara, works in the education department at Mount Royal University. Chris and Tara live in the southwest region of Calgary with their three daughters Lexi (12), Karis (13) and Olivia(15) and two cats.
Prior to arriving at CCS, Chris was the Superintendent of Schools with the Beaufort Delta Education Council in Inuvik, NT. Chris worked in this board for 16 years in a variety of roles including as a teacher, school administrator, board consultant, Supervisor of Schools and finally as the Superintendent. As superintendent, Chris designed and implemented school improvement plans that resulted in improved student achievement. He worked collaboratively with local indigenous organizations and leaders to design the remote synchronous online learning platform that, for the first time, provided smaller, remote communities, with access to 10-1, 20-1 and 30-1 (high school) level courses. The success of the program resulted in an expansion throughout the entire Northwest Territories, with the headquarters remaining in Inuvik.
Chris is passionate about the programming and opportunities Connect Charter School offers. He believes the acquisition of the Field Experience Center at Sibbald Lake, combined with the innovative institutional mindset at the school makes the Connect difference.
Chris holds a B.A. from Mount Allison University, a B.Ed from Acadia University, a M. Ed in Critical Studies from the University of New Brunswick and a M.Ed in Information Technology from Memorial University of Newfoundland. His wife, Tara, works in the education department at Mount Royal University. Chris and Tara live in the southwest region of Calgary with their three daughters Lexi (12), Karis (13) and Olivia(15) and two cats.
Chris Gilmour
Superintendent