Catch up with John Schutte on all things Education Forms
Central to their strategy is the use of Student Aware, a real-time digital monitoring tool designed to identify early signs of student distress, including potential self-harm, school violence, or other concerning behaviours. This case study outlines how WCDSB effectively integrates technology into its well-being framework to ensure safer and healthier learning environments for all students.
🧘🏽 Daily Wellness Practices: WCDSB incorporates calming routines, mindfulness techniques, and stress management strategies into the school day to normalize mental wellness as part of everyday life.
🤝 Collaborative Support Network: A multi-disciplinary “circle of support” includes school staff, counsellors, mental health professionals, and external agencies, ensuring that no student falls through the cracks.
🫶🏼 Safe and Supportive Schools Strategy: WCDSB has clear protocols for conflict resolution, immediate response to incidents, and structured follow-up, all contributing to a safe and inclusive school climate.
“We are really grateful to have another way to reach and secure the safety, well-being, and integrity of our students - whether they are in front of us or behind a screen.” – Judy Merkel, Superintendent of Education at WCDSB
"The use of the Student Aware program at WCDSB has significantly strengthened our commitment to student safety and well-being. By identifying potentially concerning online search activity, the program allows school staff to respond early and connect students with appropriate support. This is not about monitoring for discipline; it’s about protecting well-being, preventing crisis, and ensuring every student knows they matter. We are proud of the work we do in partnership with Student Aware; it is not an exaggeration to say that this program can be lifesaving." – Alison Messmer, MSW, RSW | Student Aware Coordinator, WCDSB
“Students that would not have been on our radar - now we know they are safe and getting the support they need.” – Judy Merkel, Superintendent of Education at WCDSB
Students identified through Student Aware receive a supportive response by Administrators that includes mitigating risk, engaging parents, recommendations to access community-based mental health support, referral to school social worker and hospital intervention for those presenting with suicidal ideation. Between September 2024 and April 2025, 32 new referrals to school social work resulted from a student awareness flag. This compares to 25 during the 2023-2024 school year. These are students who received supportive interventions that might not have been identified otherwise.
WCDSB’s approach to student well-being is a leading example of how policy, practice, and technology can come together to create safe, supportive, and responsive school environments. Student Aware plays a pivotal role in this success by providing the actionable insights needed to detect risk early and empower staff to intervene effectively. This model offers a replicable framework for school districts nationwide seeking to enhance student mental health outcomes through innovation and collaboration.
“At first we thought this would be more for school safety - and it does help there - but we’ve found it now fully supports our mental health and well-being initiatives.” – Judy Merkel, Superintendent of Education at WCDSB
Hear from Judy Merkel, Superintendent of Education at WCDSB, to learn more about their approach here: Community Connections | Judy Merkel | Waterloo Catholic District School Board
You can also check out our recent Community Connection roundtable conversation called Connection Before Correction with Erin Schreiter and Nikki Stewart from WCDSB, and Scot Gillam from Limestone DSB here: Connection Before Correction | Discussion Panel Recording
Educators are often expected to respond to student behaviour as isolated incidents – an outburst, a disruption, a defiance. But behaviour is communication. It reflects how students are coping, connecting, and engaging with the environments we create for them – and the ones they come from.
Over the past few years, our Student Aware community districts have seen the impact of reframing their approach to student behaviour – from punitive reaction to supportive partnership. While a consequences-first mindset may offer short-term resolution, it rarely addresses the root causes. In fact, it can deepen disconnection and hinder long-term growth. As educators and leaders, our role is not to control – it’s to understand, support, and guide.
All behaviour makes sense with enough information.
This shift isn’t always easy. But it’s necessary.
Traditional discipline models – like suspensions or detentions – can feel effective in the moment. But research and experience tell us a different story. These methods often alienate students, escalate behaviours, and disproportionately affect those already marginalized.
A supportive approach, on the other hand, focuses on:
It requires collaboration among educators, mental health professionals, families, and students themselves. When we lead this way, we don’t just improve individual outcomes – we create safer, more inclusive learning environments for everyone.
At Limestone District School Board in Ontario, for example, these principles are becoming embedded in school culture. It’s not about avoiding accountability – it’s about anchoring it in care.
Limestone has made intentional, system-wide shifts to how they respond to student needs. Some of the key strategies making a real impact include:
These aren’t quick fixes. They require sustained effort and cultural change. But this work is transforming how educators show up for students – and how students show up for themselves.
Tools like Student Aware play a critical role in helping districts operationalize their safety and well-being goals. This isn’t about surveillance – it’s about insight. The right information, at the right time, empowers educators to act with clarity and compassion.
When patterns are visible – across students, staff, and systems – we can respond proactively. We can prevent harm rather than react to it. In this way, technology becomes a bridge between data and care.
Student Aware helps districts connect the dots. But it’s the people – their relationships, their judgment, their presence – who truly make the difference.
This work is ongoing. We’re learning, adapting, and growing alongside our district partners. But one thing is clear: punitive models alone don’t foster well-being or prevent serious incidents like school violence or self-harm.
To our fellow education leaders – this shift doesn’t require perfection. It starts with commitment. With the courage to reimagine responses/consequences not as punitive, but as an opportunity to teach, guide, and connect.
When we lead with care, we model the very values we want our students to carry into the world.
Let’s keep moving forward – together.
"Agility is the ability to adapt and respond to change ... agile organizations view change as an opportunity, not a threat."
Jim Highsmith, Agile Development Pioneer and Author of the Agile Manifesto
In today's dynamic K12 landscape, adapting to ever-changing and emerging classroom needs is essential for educators to succeed.
Historically, large, legacy providers have been the go-to choice for school boards looking to deploy solutions for mission-critical tasks like student planning, content management or online student safety. However, rising costs, aging tech stacks, and lack of flexibility have driven school boards to find a new path.
At Imagine Everything, the search for a different way is a goal that we share with each of our district partners and are proud to facilitate with a collaborative, community-driven approach to design and development.
"There is a different way. We don't have to do the age-old process of going to market and just buying something off the shelf."
John Schutte, Director of Information Technology, Calgary Catholic School District
As an Agile team, we've had the privilege of working alongside the largest school boards in the country to build a suite of tailor-made, enterprise-grade platforms.
Despite this track record, we are often asked if teams like ours can keep up with the demands and stay responsive.
In a recent chat with John Schutte, Director of Information Technology at Calgary Catholic, we asked for his perspective, and he pointed out that, "I think a lot of people would assume, because you're a smaller team, you won't be able to respond or keep up. But, actually, the opposite is true."
Based on our discussion with John and our experience over the years, here are six reasons (in no particular order) to consider an Agile team for your next K12 software solution.
Legacy providers often offer one-size-fits-all solutions, which may not fully address your school board's unique challenges and requirements. Even if traditional solutions can be modified, customizations take a long time and come with a hefty price tag.
On the other hand, Agile development teams embrace change and nimbly apply the latest technology and best practices to prioritize and deliver individualized solutions.
Central to the Agile approach is the idea that individuals and their interactions with a tool are more important than the tool itself. To achieve this, every aspect of a platform should consider and involve the input of teachers and administrators to craft tailored solutions.
Feedback and constant iteration are core tenets of the Agile method. Teams like ours see people before process and prioritize responding to emerging needs over following a predetermined path.
This mindset results in a level of flexibility that is not achievable for large legacy providers. Instead of being bound by bureaucracy and outdated mindsets that make it difficult to make rapid adjustments or enhancements, Agile teams see the opportunity that change brings and build solutions and processes to welcome and facilitate continual progression.
"There are less hoops that you have to jump through. Having a small team allows us, for example, to send an e-mail directly to the product owner or directly to the developer that built the solution, and we get a response right away."
John Schutte, Director of Information Technology, Calgary Catholic School District
If you ever feel that traditional support teams don't want to hear from you or deal with your request, you might be right!
Support often exposes areas of a business or solution that need to be changed or improved. And, whether blocked by an inflexible tech stack, seeing support as a revenue opportunity, or being buried in red tape, legacy providers are often unable to rise to the occasion.
For an Agile team, the support process isn't just something we have to do - it is an essential way to gather the boots-on-the-ground feedback required to consistently improve and deliver continual value.
This mindset provides a distinct advantage that leads to forging and maintaining close relationships with users and an unparalleled level of personalized support.
Additionally, in an Agile team's constant pursuit of feedback, they are incentivized to work through support requests quickly and efficiently to keep the iteration engine running at peak performance!
"They are more responsive. They understand our needs a lot more ... we are dealing with the people who actually touch the keyboard. As a result, fixes, enhancements and improvements happen much more quickly."
John Schutte, Director of Information Technology, Calgary Catholic School District
To be Agile, teams must stay current with the latest trends, technologies, and methodologies. The same is true of educators and K12 leaders when facilitating student success.
You are the experts in Education, and we are great at building solutions. When our expertise is combined, the outcomes are not only new but powerful and able to meet emerging challenges and pain points head-on.
Innovation doesn't happen in a vacuum.
In our experience, there has been no better way to understand the needs of school boards and to drive purposeful innovation.
A successful Agile team is marked by their ability to gather insights, collaborate and provide tangible solutions. Time and time again, we've seen the positive impact this cycle can have on the experiences of teachers and support staff and, in turn, the experiences of students, parents and the community at large.
Agile development teams offer cost-effective solutions in an era where budget constraints are a constant concern for school boards.
We don't have the bloated overhead costs that larger organizations do and can deliver high-quality products and services at a fraction of the price. Our collaborative model also extends to pricing as we've chosen a "divide the price and conquer" strategy that takes the target off a school board's back to treat them like partners and investors.
Our carefully curated development team grows in lockstep with community growth and is directly governed by school board leadership to keep us on track and to ensure our costs are manageable.
As any practitioner of Agile development knows, collaboration and the direct involvement of users to build things the right way should always supersede strict contracts and unnecessary negotiations.
It's hard to build relationships and exceptional solutions with a cloud of extra costs hanging overhead!
It's your community; we supply the code.
If you've followed us for any amount of time, you have likely encountered our concept of community-driven development. It's at the heart of everything we do and is a great way to wrap up these six points!
Taking the ideas of collaboration, feedback, and continual iteration that define the Agile development process to every aspect of Imagine Everything, we seek to apply the wisdom, guidance, and imagination of the K12 community to deliver and refine the most dynamic and affordable solutions in EdTech.
“Partners like Imagine Everything are there to provide solutions that are customized and pointed to the problems we have. We can do a lot better for parents and students, and there are partners out there that can help us along the way.”
John Schutte, Director of Information Technology, Calgary Catholic School District
If you'd like to explore the benefits an Agile team can bring to your next software implementation, be sure to drop us a line! We're always happy to share what we've been working on.
Note: This article was prepared as a follow-up to our interview with John Schutte earlier this month! Catch the full conversation here – https://lnkd.in/gGiauZSx.
Hello, job seekers! We received a staggering 880 applications in just a single week for our recent software developer role. It seems safe to say, we’ve seen it all when it comes to blunders and unrealistic expectations in the application process. So, we’ve decided to spill the beans – here are nine of the most common mistakes people make when applying. Grab your coffee and let's dive into the wild world of job hunting faux pas!
Vancouver and Toronto folks – I get it; you have dreams of grandeur and expect big city salaries. The cost of living there is huge. But here's the deal: we're fully remote and we hire all across the beautiful Canadian landscape! Consider swapping those high-rise dreams for a cozy suburb or an adventure town to keep your salary expectations competitive with other applicants. Besides, your bank account, commute time, and mental health may just thank you.
Don’t write your resume as though you were text messaging a friend. Attention to detail matters, folks. Take the time to proofread your application. Trust me, recruiters notice when you can't tell "your" from "you're." Imagine dropping a Slack message to your peers during an on-site visit letting them know lunch is ready: “Time to eat people” compared to “Time to eat, people” – whoopsie.
If your resume looks like it was written by a confused squirrel on a coffee high, how can we trust you with being involved in eight enterprise projects? Or, communicating complex information to our school board partners? Color, negative space, typeface, and arrangement, all play a factor in the readability of your resume. A well-structured resume speaks volumes about your organizational skills and keeps you surfing on the top of the huge digital resume stack.
Picture this: a hiring manager opening up LinkedIn only to find your auto-generated snooze-fest message slammed up against the other 750 people who did the same thing. If you’re serious about us, stop the sloth! Say something remarkable, thoughtful, taking time to craft a personalized message that demonstrates interest and capability.
One year here, two years there. Are you a commitment-phobe? Chasing the easiest salary gains? Or, failing to perform any due diligence on companies to whom you might work? Frequent job changes raise eyebrows, regardless of your reasons. Be thoughtful before accepting a position and it will show future employers you're serious about your career by having a clean history. Pro tip: being promoted inside the same organization is like a firework going off when we check out your resume.
Sorry, folks, but claiming sociology or anthropology as practical experience for a software development or product role won't fly. You’ll score far more points for writing an insanely awesome cover letter and being honest about any lack of experience than fudging a cover up job.
One of our two main mantras at Imagine Everything is “what you don’t know isn’t nearly as consequential as what you can’t learn.” We’ve had people call us out on it in their cover letters – and some of them now work here. Your eagerness and ability to learn are weighted far higher than the absence of a year or two of experience.
Don't leave recruiters struggling to view your resume! Stick to PDF format for maximum viewability. LinkedIn won't let recruiters automatically preview Word documents unless they are using some kind of third-party applicant tracking system (which we detest). If your resume is not immediately viewable, you just landed as a pool of 0’s in the digital void. Scary stuff.
Forget boring job descriptions for your historical positions; show us what you're made of! Highlight your game-changing contributions, jaw-dropping achievements, and that one time you saved the company from an angry stampede of llamas (well, maybe not that last one).
Don't make your cover letter a snoozefest that screams "copy-paste" from the job post. And, don’t send a generic cover letter either. Get personal, people! Certainly, reference the job posting, but share a unique insight about your experience and how it might benefit the required skills noted in the posting. Let your personality shine! Identifying candidates who would be an extremely good corporate culture fit weighs heavily in our books, especially if we believe they learn quickly.
Did you know LinkedIn allows you to add up to three job postings as your top choice? Employers are able to see this before we even see your resume and it helps separate those who are serious about the role from people who applied to 6,543 other jobs hoping to land a lucky interview.
Now that you know the common pitfalls, it's time to spice up your application game. Set realistic expectations, proofread like a pro, and organize that resume like a superstar. Personalize your LinkedIn messages, think twice before job hopping, and be honest about your educational background. Stick to PDF, showcase your impact, and craft cover letters that make hearts flutter. Remember, standing out in the job market takes a bit of creativity, a dash of personality, and a whole lot of determination.
And, one final tip specific to our roles: it never hurts to throw in a Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or other great sci-fi / fantasy reference somewhere in your cover letter or resume.
Good luck, job seekers – you've got this!
Thanks to Imagine Everything, we were able to redesign and launch our new homepage within record time to meet a hard deadline.
We appreciate their support and collaboration and are happy to have them as members of our extended web team.
👊 Crush your communication goals! 👊
With Content Manager, maintaining exceptional school and district websites has never been easier or more affordable.
🎯 Co-developed and continually evolving alongside communication coordinators and administrators, Content Manager is packed with purpose-built features to help your team precisely create, share and manage audience-specific content across all district sites. 🎯
✉️ To learn more, drop us a line or visit https://lnkd.in/gZkx3pk ✉️
⛰ Frontier 2025 is officially in the books! ⛰
Last week, our team gathered in the Okanagan for our annual in-person event. The time we spent together was focused on strategy, collaboration and finding new ways to serve the K12 community.
(🚤 We might have also had a little bit of fun along the way! 🎮 )
One of the guiding philosophies at Imagine Everything has always been that what you don’t know isn’t nearly as consequential as what you can’t learn. Events like these are a solid reminder that when you come together with humility, transparency, and shared goals, good things happen.
🛣️ It's been a great year so far, and we're looking forward to the road ahead. 🛣️
📢 Big shoutout to the Black Gold School Division as they take their digital presence to the next level 📢 !
What started as a collaboration with CLASI and Student Aware has grown into a broader partnership that now includes a new web presence backed by Content Manager. We’re proud to support Black Gold as they continue to lead with innovation, clarity, and a deep commitment to their students and communities.
⬇ Check out their new sites to see the transformation in action. And if you're thinking about levelling up your own school district websites, drop us a line! ⬇
https://www.blackgold.ca/
🚀 We're excited to shout out the recently relaunched Limestone District School Board web presence! 🚀
Limestone emerged as a dream team and quickly became influential members of the Content Manager community. Their collaborative nature, exceptional vision and excitement for the project led to fantastic results and an enjoyable experience for all involved!
⬇ Help us support the Limestone DSB team by checking out the new sites. And, if a website redesign is on your radar this year, drop us a line. ⬇
https://lnkd.in/gJkncq2J
Our team can't wait to show you what we've been up to alongside some of the best minds in Education.
