Barrie Sketchley, longtime Rosedale Heights principal, dies at 85
The founding principal led the Toronto arts school for 34 years. Students and parents had rallied to keep him there after a proposed transfer.
Barrie Sketchley, founding principal of Rosedale Heights School of the Arts in Toronto and the Toronto District School Board’s longest-serving principal, has died at 85. His death was reported Wednesday, October 14, 2026. The school plans to honour the man who led it for 34 years.
The Toronto Star reported that an unidentified illness had kept Sketchley from coming to work since May. The reports do not establish a cause of death.
Sketchley’s 34 years at Rosedale Heights
Sketchley led Rosedale Heights from its founding, according to Global News and the Star. Global News reported that he spent 42 years in administration at the Toronto District School Board. He also worked at a vocational business school for girls and the Urban Studies Centre, according to Global News.
School principal Joseph Ghassibe described Sketchley’s kindness, compassion, tenderness and charisma in a statement to the community, Global News reported. The Star’s account of the school’s statement also cited his sense of humour. Parent council co-chair Tasha Kheiriddin called him an inspiration and a model of caring leadership, according to the Star.
Student Fouad Bensouda told the Star that students saw Sketchley being pushed in a wheelchair. Bensouda said they were able to speak with him and express their gratitude.
How students opposed his proposed transfer
In June 2025, the board announced that it would transfer Sketchley to Harbord Collegiate Institute, Global News reported. According to the Star, the Rosedale Heights community organized petitions and a social-media account, and students staged a walkout after the transfer was announced. The board later relented.
Before the 2025–26 school year began, the board announced in August that Sketchley would remain at Rosedale Heights until his planned retirement in June 2026, Global News reported.
Rosedale Heights plans a November memorial
Rosedale Heights plans a celebration of life in November, with the date to be announced later, the Star reported. The school will name its library after Sketchley. At the front of the school, a space called Barrie’s Corner contains his desk, chair and memorabilia for students to use, according to the Star.
Sources and context
- Longest-serving Toronto principal, Barrie Sketchley, dies at 85Global News
- Barrie Sketchley, TDSB’s longest-serving principal, dies at 85Toronto Star
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