When this school year comes to a close so too will a teaching career that's spanned more than 30 years.

Highwood High School Principal Bryan Branford has decided to retire.

He started out teaching and coaching the perennial Tier 4 football champion Drillers.

"I have fond memories of Oilfields High School and particularly the football program there, we had some pretty good success but probably the biggest thing is I'm still in contact with a lot of those people, both parents and ex-players, so they go from players and families that I know to lifelong friends, that's probably the biggest deal," he says.

Brandford says considering what happened after the 2013 flood and the last year-plus with COVID students and parents are almost used to having a wrench thrown into the works when it comes to graduations.

"I think all the staff, grad is just about as important to the staff as it is to the students and parents and it's been difficult for everybody, just a roller coaster ride because the grad at Highwood is such a special event, using George Lane Park and being out in the sun and having everyone together and the goodbyes and the emotional part of it, it's been a real struggle that we haven't been able to do that," Brandford says. "On the flip side we had great feedback from last year particularly with our drive-in and we're hoping to be able to do that again this year."

He says while it's not the same it still allows teachers and students to get together and say their goodbyes and let the students know how they feel about them and to wish them luck.

Brandford says he's enjoyed his time teaching and has been in every school in the division in one way or another.

"My time at Oilfields was super special for me and my family, my kids essentially grew up there when I was coaching and teaching there, and then I came here (Highwood High School) as a vice-principal and my son came to school here while I was here and I had a chance to coach him in football and see him graduate and my time as a vice-principal was really memorable here with the staff and I still have some very special friends from that time, he says. "Then going to OJ (Okotoks Junior High) my experiences at the junior high that was an eye opening experience for me but again created some great friends and got to know the student coaching and then of course the big time back as Highwood has been exceptional for me."

Brandford says the school will be left in some very capable hands.

"MR. Dave Roberts has been here, we'll he was here when I got here six years ago and he has a great relationship with the parents and great staff and student relationships, knows the way everything's going fairly well right now and he's got some ideas to improve our school which is exciting so he is just a super guy and the schools being left in good hands with him," he says. "Then Michelle Alberts, she's been an acting vice-principal this year, she's been in our phys-ed lead department for a number of years now and she is an exceptional, young administrator and moving into a VP role for her here our staff and students are just in love with her and then we're fortunate enough to get a lady by the name of Debbie Reid who's coming back, she was in our division and she'd been working at Alberta Ed for the last two years on secondment and she's coming back with some great knowledge."

Brandford says for now he'll remain involved in Football Alberta as its President but he and his wife will sit down and decide what the future holds.

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