Mayor Dean Murdock meets a lot of great people in the course of his duties, but if pressed to come up with the name of a person who has impressed him more than most, he will tell you about Diana Wigen.
“There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of families that she has touched during her time as a preschool leader,” said Murdock. “I met her years ago when my son was in her preschool program, Kiddie Capers.”
“People would line up on the day of registration at Commonwealth Place so they could get a spot in her program,” said Murdock. “I count myself among them. I remember being there at 4 a.m. with a couple of cups of coffee. But the program was just that good, and everyone wanted to be a part of it.
Wigen started working in Saanich in April 1991 and was one of the first hires when Commonwealth Place opened. It wasn’t long before the administrators there realized that Wigen was one of those special employees who truly loved her work.
“She started with a parent and child and preschool program and also had some adult craft workshops, and the people just loved her,” said Ruth Smith, a programmer at Commonwealth Place. “She was one of those people that could just connect with people. She cared about the people in her programs, and it showed.”
“She has the best laugh,” Smith added. “It was contagious and when she laughed, you just knew that she loved being with the children. It showed.”
When COVID hit and many programs were forced to shut down, Wigen was not deterred. Instead, she pivoted to an outdoor classroom concept which evolved into a program called Kiddie Capers Forest Classroom. That program featured circle time, crafts, educational field trips, seasonal events and a host of other activities that allowed children to continue their preschool adventures.
“Diana designed a program that allowed children to learn through hands-on exploration, shelter building, forest play… all sorts of stuff,” Smith said. “When COVID ended, we decided that people loved the program so much that we’d stay outdoors.”
It was those COVID years when Wigen’s affection and caring was brought into focus in other ways.
“During COVID she still celebrated Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and other special events. She would drive through and give the children things through her car window because she felt the kids needed that connection,” Smith said. “And she did it all on her own time.”
Wigen was forced to retire in May at the age of 67 due to medical issues. Her retirement was attended by more than 500 people who overflowed the venue as parents and past participants in her program lined up to give their best wishes to the person who had had such an impact on their lives.
“She had such an impact. There were teenagers and parents of children who are now in the program who had themselves attended preschool with Diana,” said Smith. “She’s going to be missed, for sure, but her staff learned so much from her that the program will always be better for her having created it and having showed her staff how to make a difference.”
