Celebrating Shawn Mani

Shawn Mani is a model of servant leadership as teacher, athletic director, and social media coordinator at Abbotsford Middle School.

In the classroom, Shawn is a caring and compassionate advocate for all students in his class. Parents of previous student come back years later to share their awe of his dedication to teaching and his open communication with them. They speak of feeling included and involved in their children’s education because of his inclusive and open communication style shared by his teaching partner, Shelley Putman.

Most middle schools struggle to field coaches for school sports, but at Abby Middle, with Shawn leading the way, we have 44 staff who have committed to coaching teams at Abby Middle. This is due to Shawn’s solid relationships and the generous nature of our staff. As one of staff shared “it is much easier to commit to something when he has our backs.” In addition, Shawn builds school community and culture, creating a sense of pride and belonging among the students with the sale of school spirit wear, using any additional proceeds to include all students and enrich the sporting experience for all.

Shawn’s seamless communication is seen throughout the school community, through his posting on the @abbyhuskies social media sites as he constantly promotes the students, staff, and culture of our school in with fun, timely and important school events. As administrators, we are often checking the @abbyymiddle site to see what is coming up at the school!

It is a privilege to work alongside such a positive and thoughtful servant leader like Shawn Mani!

Submitted by Jasbir Singh, Principal, and Graeme Kemp, Vice-Principal, at Abbotsford Middle School.