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Mayor, principal interviewed about leadership

By Greg Nikkel Mayor Marcel Roy and principal Dean Loberg were questioned by the two Grade 2 classes about how they provide leadership and take care of their responsibilities in the community.
St. Michael principal

By Greg Nikkel
Mayor Marcel Roy and principal Dean Loberg were questioned by the two Grade 2 classes about how they provide leadership and take care of their responsibilities in the community.
The classes were studying all about leadership, and compiled a list of questions which were posed one at a time to each leader in two different sessions, with each one asked how they do their job, and how they became leaders.
Asked what a mayor does in his job, Mayor Roy replied, “I’m only one vote. You put up your hand to make your choice. I have six other people on council, and they’re also elected. Ideas to vote on are brought forward and we make a decision as to how to proceed. Everyone gets to talk, and once everybody has said as much as they want, we have a vote.”
Asked how he is a leader in the community, the mayor said part of his job is to represent council in the community, and outside of Weyburn, he represents the city to other places in the province or country.
Loberg was asked what he likes about being a principal, and he said, “I love being a principal, because I get to come and hang out with 498 of you.”
He added he likes high-fiving students and staff in the hallways, and seeing their smiling faces each day.
Asked what are good ways to be a leader in the community, Loberg said, “The number one way is to lead by example. Live your life and do things you think other people should do, such as being helpful.”
The mayor was asked if he has fun in his job, and Mayor Roy replied, “There are always interesting people who come to council and bring ideas, and I’m meeting government people all the time.”
As to what he did before becoming the mayor, he noted he was a police officer in Weyburn for 30 years, plus he owned and ran an oilfield safety company that took him to places around the country and outside of Canada, such as to Madagascar.
When asked why he wanted to be the mayor, Roy said, “I had a vision that Weyburn has so much potential. This is a very wonderful city, and I just wanted to do my part to make what we have more wonderful.”
Loberg was asked if there is any part of being a principal he does not enjoy, and he pointed out sometimes students are not nice to other students, and if they misbehave, “they come to me and I have to work with them so they don’t do it again.”
As to how long he has been a principal, Loberg noted he spent about two and a half years as principal at Stoughton, and then at St. Michael, for a total of five years, and before that was a teacher for five years, and five years as an assistant superintendent for a school division.
Wondering what work a principal does, Loberg said he makes up the timetables for the classes at St. Michael, he works with staff members and does “a lot of paperwork” as an administrator, along with working with students and parents.
Asked why he wanted to be a principal, Loberg said he was a high school science teacher, and discovered that he had a knack for the administrative side, and so he sought out a position on that side of education.
As to whether he had always wanted to be a principal, Loberg admitted he had not wanted to be a teacher, but found it was a profession that he enjoyed.
Asked who inspired him, Mayor Roy noted that former Regina mayor Pat Fiacco inspired him, and a former mayor of Weyburn, Don Schlosser, also did.
The mayor was asked what his strengths are, and he replied, “I think I’m good at meeting people and talking to people, and to be open to what they have to say. That’s part of what a leader does, is listening to other people’s views.”
He also explained that many other people help in making decisions, including the staff at City Hall, led by the city administrator, along with the other members of council.
Asked for examples of decisions that might impact Grade 2 students, Mayor Roy noted one example was council’s approval of a new waterslide at the swimming pool, and a few years ago, when council decided to proceed with the second spray park, located at River Park. He also noted there are decisions around the Humane Society about assisting them with getting a new shelter building.
In giving the Grade 2 students advice on how they could be leaders, the mayor told them, “Do what you’re doing, and get a good education. Make sure you stay in school, read the papers and watch TV about what is going on in the world around you. You have to know what’s going on, and get involved, like in sports. Be active, and be part of the community.”