Central Collegiate is mourning the loss of Scott Williamson today.

Williamson, a long-time teacher, was principal at the Moose Jaw high school, but spent the last several months fighting a battle with cancer.

Williamson passed away Friday, with word spreading over the weekend.

"For both students and staff it's a pretty sad moment," said Central Vice-Principal Lonny Holmes, who explained steps have been taken to help those who are struggling with the news of Williamson's passing. 

"We made sure the counselling pieces were in place," Holmes stated. "We just try to treat every individual student in a way that suits their needs. It's different for every student and every teacher. We're just trying to manage as well as we can."

Central fielded football and soccer teams for the first weekend of high school athletics on Saturday, with Holmes saying he was proud of the efforts put forth under the circumstances.  

Williamson passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer (photo courtesy: Central Collegiate/Twitter)

"They're a little unsure how to react because it's always in the back of your mind," he said. "But Scott was a student-first person, and they understand he would want them to continue on and battle as hard as they can."

In the spring, a series of fundraising events were held, and t-shirts were sold, under the moniker "#TeamScott" - with all proceeds earmarked for a scholarship under Williamson's name.  Holmes says those efforts will not end. 

"The Team Scott legacy, hopefully we can continue on and look at focusing on the scholarship and the students the same way Scott did in his career," he explained, adding "we're going to look at spending time with Scott's family and discuss what the qualifications (for the scholarship) are. We are hoping to award it come spring, for grad 2018."

According to the school, a celebration of Scott's life will be held September 17 at the Hildebrand Chapel in Caronport.