There is something a little magical about watching more than 400 teachers and educational leaders arrive in one place.

They came from all across British Columbia. Some flew. Some drove for hours. Some packed their bags, left their families, loaded up on coffee and made their way to Kelowna for three and a half days of learning, connecting, laughing, worshipping and growing together.

And then, suddenly, we were all there.

Over 400 people.

One school community.

One conference.

One very full 3.5 days.

And one big question quietly sitting underneath it all:

What happens when we go all in?

Our time together began by returning to the things that hold us together. We were reminded of the mission and vision of HCOS and invited to take a deep dive into our schoolwide goal for 2026/27:

Christ being our Firm Foundation, in every moment through every story.

Not just in the big moments.

Not just in the stories that make it into the newsletter.

Not just when things are going well.

Every moment.
Every story.

That is a pretty big invitation.

And perhaps that is what made this conference feel different.

There were workshops about AI, Seesaw, learning progressions, supporting students, technology and so much more. There were networking opportunities and regional conversations. There were keynote sessions from our Head of Schools that were authentic, heartfelt and inspiring.

There was incredible food.

There were information booths run by our amazing colleagues.

There was laughter.

There were conversations in hallways.

There were people meeting each other for the first time and people reconnecting with colleagues they had not seen in a year.

And there was prayer.

Every morning, I had the incredible honour of leading us in prayer for the day.

We prayed for our students.

We prayed for our staff.

We prayed for our leaders.

We prayed for the stories that we know about and the stories that we don’t.

We prayed for the moments that would happen that day that we could not possibly plan for.

Because that is the thing about being an Educator.

We plan.

Oh, do we ever plan.

But then the real people show up.

And the real stories begin.

Dip your toe in or jump right in?

One of the things I found myself noticing throughout the conference was how differently people experienced it.

Some people were all in.

They asked questions.

They stayed late.

They went to the optional activities.

They introduced themselves to people they did not know.

They went to workshops.

They talked about what they were learning.

They laughed.

They networked.

They participated.

They leaned in.

And they flourished.

Others dipped their toes in.

And you know what?

That is what they received.

A toe dipping experience.

It struck me that this is true about so much of life.

You cannot experience the deep end while standing on the shore.

You cannot build community without being willing to enter the conversation.

You cannot be inspired without being willing to listen.

You cannot grow without being willing to be stretched.

You cannot really experience a conference by simply attending one.

Participation matters.

Engagement matters.

Showing up matters.

Being willing to say, “I wonder what I might learn here today?” matters.

And perhaps most importantly, being willing to say, “I don’t know yet” matters.

There was so much more than a conference

One of my favourite things about these kinds of gatherings is realizing how much invisible work happens behind the scenes in our online school.

A conference like this does not simply appear.

There are months of planning.

There are schedules.

Rooms.

Technology.

Food.

Signs.

Tables.

Workshops.

Speakers.

Names.

Lists.

Emails.

Infrastructure.

And approximately 4,792 tiny details that nobody notices unless they go wrong.

Which brings me to something very important.

Did you know our school has the best maintenance staff in the world?

We never run out of toilet paper.

I mean it.

NEVER.

😂

Friends, that is excellence.

That is infrastructure.

That is leadership.

That is somebody doing their job beautifully behind the scenes so that the rest of us can walk into a bathroom and have absolutely no idea how much thought went into making sure the toilet paper was there.

There are unseen heroes everywhere.

At a conference.

In a school.

In a family.

In a church.

In our lives.

Some people stand on stages.

Some people pray in basements.

Some people lead interactive workshops.

Some people organize regional dinners.

And some people quietly make sure there is toilet paper.

All of it matters.

And then the sun went down…

Because apparently 3.5 days of professional learning were not enough.

We also had a family BBQ.

Mini golf.

Watercolour painting.

Trivia night.

Disc golf.

Regional dinners scattered throughout Kelowna.

More food.

More conversations.

More laughter.

More stories.

And this is where I think the magic really happened.

Because learning is important.

But belonging is powerful.

There is something about sitting around a table with someone you have only ever seen on Zoom.

There is something about discovering that the person who always has the perfect answer in a staff meeting is actually hilarious.

There is something about painting with watercolours together.

There is something about cheering when someone sinks a mini golf putt.

There is something about sitting across from a colleague at dinner and realizing that their story is much bigger than the role they play at work.

We were not just learning together.

We were becoming a community together.

Firm foundations

As I drove home at the end of the week, I kept thinking about our theme.

Christ being our Firm Foundation, in every moment through every story.

A foundation is not usually the part of the building people notice.

You don’t walk into a beautiful house and say, “Wow. What a foundation!”

But everything depends on it.

And maybe that is the invitation for this year.

To build our work on something deeper.

To remember why we do what we do.

To notice the story underneath the story.

To pray before we plan.

To listen before we respond.

To champion the people around us.

To be curious.

To make our work visible.

To care about the unseen things.

To show up.

To lean in.

To go all in.

Because our students are going to bring us their stories this year.

Some will be beautiful.

Some will be messy.

Some will surprise us.

Some will stretch us.

Some will break our hearts.

And every single one of them deserves to be met by people standing on a firm foundation.

So, here’s to the 2026/27 school year.

Here’s to the teachers who jumped in with both feet.

Here’s to the ones still standing at the edge, wondering whether they are ready.

Here’s to the leaders who planned for months.

Here’s to the people who prayed.

Here’s to the people who stocked the bathrooms. 😂

Here’s to every story still waiting to be told.

And here’s to remembering that beneath all of it, holding all of it, is the One who is our Firm Foundation.

Christ in every moment.
Christ through every story.

And maybe that is enough.

Thanks for joining me here. I have a feeling this next chapter is going to be a good one.

Have an amazing September long weekend folks.

Love what you do.

xoxo Joanna