For Crystal Nicholson, vice-principal at E.S. Laird Middle School, Lloydminster has become more than just a home. It’s also a place where her personal and professional life in education blossomed in ways she never imagined.
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Born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Ont., Nicholson’s journey to Lloydminster wasn’t a straight path. After completing her teaching degree and taking some time to live in Jasper, she moved to Lloydminster in December 2010. Her husband’s job brought them to town.
“I moved here … when it was a bitter, bitter cold winter, wondering where I had moved to,” she recalled. “It’s been home since the start of 2011.”
Nicholson’s been busy raising her family in Lloyd, with two children and a stepdaughter.
“If you’d asked me in a million years if I would have Saskatchewan babies, I just don’t know if that was going to be the case,” she laughed.
Her career with Lloydminster Public School Division began with substitute teaching in 2011. That fall, she accepted her first full-time role at E.S. Laird, and she’s never left.
“That has become my home,” she said. “I really have grown up there.”
Nicholson credits much of her growth to the strong sense of community within the school.
“I was surrounded immediately by an amazing community of teachers and people,” she said.
She fondly remembers being taken under the wing of a “mama bear” colleague who helped her navigate both professional and personal life in a new city. Meanwhile, she understands she has been very well cared for, noting her ties with the Hamilton family have became a significant source of support.
Teaching was always her calling.
“Teaching has been my chosen career from day one,” Nicholson said, noting she’s still in touch with her kindergarten teacher. Although she once considered speech pathology, her heart stayed with education.
Community involvement is a cornerstone of Nicholson’s life, with involvement in school initiatives and coaching.
“I have poured my heart and soul into that place (E.S. Laird) for, you know, over a decade,” she said of her volunteer work.
Whether attending students’ sporting events or supporting other community activities, Nicholson believes showing up matters.
“It takes a village,” she said. “Being part of our community and supporting efforts … is very important to creating the kind of city we all want to live in.”
One of her favourite parts of the day is greeting students in the morning.
“I am a morning person,” Nicholson said. “I am very lucky to have a sunny predisposition about me.”
Her love for Lloydminster shines through, especially the way the city supports families.
“I really found … the various opportunities that were available to families in the community,” she said, highlighting everything from the library to family support services.
She’s especially thankful for the friendships that have become like family.
“We have chosen to make this home,” she said.
But like many, Nicholson sees room for improvement.
“Transportation would be a good one,” she said, suggesting a simple bus route along the city’s main highways.
She also hopes to see expanded support for vulnerable populations, especially those facing homelessness or addiction.
“Resources and help that’s available to them … that’s, of course, improvement,” she said.
Nicholson says making a difference is about quiet impact.
“If I can get a true connection and lessons, social lessons more than anything, across to kids … just quietly lead and build capacity and citizenship and character,” she said.
For those considering a career in teaching, Nicholson advises starting early by volunteering and working with kids.
“Camp counsellors are a good one,” she said, stressing the importance of making it a meaningful choice. “Teaching is not for the faint of heart. Our days are long and hard and some are very tough.”
She believes successful teachers need resiliency, commitment and what she describes as, “The ability to reset and value the kids who are in front of you that day.”
When it comes to setting an example for other women, Nicholson draws strength from her own role models.
“I am the sum of all those relationships that I have built,” she said. “Every day I show up for them, even on the hard days.”
In true Nicholson fashion, she will carry on, happy for the recognition, but not let it change her.
“I am just a plain Jane, (a) normal person that gets up and tries every day, just like anybody else,” she said. “I work at it every day to be the best version of myself that I can be.”
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