Education
Alexa Swenson honoured as 2021 LTCHS Valedictorian
LTCHS valedictorian reflects on her high school career
Setting a goal to achieve well academically has landed Alexa Swenson a top honour as she gets ready to walk across the graduation stage.
Alexa has been named the valedictorian for the Class of 2021 at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.
“I was so surprised when I learned I was this year’s valedictorian! Mr. Good called my mom ahead of time and came to my doorstep with balloons. It was awesome,” she said. “It’s really a great acknowledgement of my achievements.”
Graduation ceremonies for Lindsay Thurber will take place on June 25 at Bower Ponds.
Finishing high school during a global pandemic was no easy feat, and Alexa said her class was hopeful that their Grade 12 year would have been more like a normal year.
“As the year went on it became obvious that we probably wouldn’t get all of our grad events – we had lots planned and then canceled,” she said. “Motivation was the hardest factor. It’s been really hard to go from in-person to online over and over again because you’re learning strategies have to shift. It’s about being self disciplined and making sure you are doing the work because it’s really easy to fall behind if you’re at home.”
Alexa credits a strong support system for helping her achieve her goals.
“My family is awesome and I have two younger siblings who have also been doing online school in our house as well. We check in with each other and make sure everything is going okay,” she said. “My friends were great as well. Each of my classes had a group chat where we could talk and make sure we all knew what was going on and discuss any questions we had with each other.”
Reflecting on her Grade 12 year, Alexa said one of the highlights was taking part in the activities in her Outdoor Ed class.
“One of the best parts was being given the opportunity to go on some trips,” she said. “We were able to go skiing a couple times and we just did a mountain bike trip. We were able to really bond as a class by going on these trips together.”
Looking ahead, next year Alexa will be making the leap to the University of Victoria to complete her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
“I’d like to go into healthcare, maybe in rehabilitation as an Occupational Therapist or a Speech Pathologist,” she said. “I love being around people and last year I volunteered with Healing Through the Arts at our school. We would do art as rehabilitation for people who had a stroke or people who had an amputation. I thought it was really fulfilling and I enjoyed getting to know everyone involved.”
Chris Good, Principal at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, said they are proud to have Alexa represent the class of 2021 as valedictorian.
“Alexa is a great student whose hard work has paid off with excellent academic achievement all four years she has been at Lindsay Thurber,” he said. “Alexa is not only a great student but a great person. She is kind to everyone, participates and leads school activities and has been a member of the volleyball team. Alexa goes out of her way to make other students feel welcome and included, she represents the resilience and kindness of our 2021 grad class and embodies what it means to be a Lindsay Thurber Raider.”
Blackfalds
New Catholic Elementary School for Blackfalds
News release from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools
RDCRS receives full construction funding for new Kindergarten to Grade 5 school in Blackfalds
On Monday, March 4, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) received full construction funding from the Government of Alberta to construct a new Kindergarten to Grade 5 school in Blackfalds.
“The full construction funding for the new Kindergarten to Grade 5 school in the vibrant growing community of Blackfalds marks a significant milestone in our government’s commitment to providing state-of-the-art education infrastructure for our communities. This investment illustrates our dedication to meeting the evolving needs of our students and ensuring they have access to modern, innovative learning environments,” stated MLA for Red Deer North and Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange.
RDCRS appreciates the construction funding provided by the Government of Alberta. Over the past several years, Blackfalds has seen tremendous growth. RDCRS’ current Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 9 school located in Blackfalds, St. Gregory the Great Catholic School, has grown by 64% since its establishment in 2017.
“We are very pleased to receive full construction funding for a new Catholic elementary school in Blackfalds. The funding will allow the division an opportunity to build a much needed new school and meet the learning needs of our Blackfalds students,” said Board Chair Murray Hollman at Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools.
The schematic design for the new school has progressed smoothly since RDCRS received design funding from the Government of Alberta in March 2023. The plans look excellent and work is ongoing between Alberta Infrastructure and the Town of Blackfalds to ensure the steps to secure the land in the new development are completed. The land needs to be ready for construction according to the timelines and criteria established in the P3 project.
“We are pleased that the progress achieved thus far has demonstrated the collaborative efforts necessary to warrant this full funding announcement, “ added Board Chair Hollman.
The new school is expected to be ready for occupancy in September 2027.
Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools serves over 10,650 students in 21 schools in Red Deer, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail, and Olds. It also supports the learning of over 850 students in a Home Education Program. The Division is committed to serving children and parents with a complete offering of learning opportunities delivered within the context of Catholic teachings and within the means of the Division.
Education
Negotiations between ATA and Red Deer Catholic Schools go public
It may be a simple misunderstanding, but it also may be a negotiating tactic. Either way, the Alberta Teachers Association has issued a news release claiming Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools may be considering a lockout. Less than a day after that release came out, Red Deer Catholic Schools issued its own release to clearly explain the situation to the public as they see it.
Here are the two releases:
From the Alberta Teachers Association
Teachers Worried about Red Deer Catholic Moving towards Lockout
Recent actions to sidestep the third-party independent mediator in Red Deer Catholic (RDCRS) teacher negotiations are a troubling sign of things to come. RDCRS board negotiators have taken the unusual step of asking the mediator to remove herself from bargaining even though two dates for mediation were already scheduled.
By asking the mediator to write out, the board has kicked off a two-week cooling off period that lapses on March 12, and opens the door to the board locking out teachers.
“Our desire has always been to reach an agreement without a disruption to schools. Fifty-eight of 61 school divisions have a deal, so we know an agreement is very much achievable if we just use those other settlements as a guide. We strongly believe the mediator will be helpful in getting the parties to a settlement.”
—Sara Lambert, president of Red Deer Catholic Local No 80
While teacher representatives have agreed to bargain on the scheduled mediation dates, they are worried that the board, absent the mediator, is planning to waste time and thwart a settlement. Bargaining will be held on March 7, but teachers have only agreed to continue meeting on March 8 if it is clear that the board is prepared to make meaningful progress on the first day.
“If the board intends to get down to the business of bargaining, we can get a deal done this week. That is what we want. However, if it looks like the board is wasting our time, playing games and ignoring the trend set across the rest of the province, there is no point continuing.”
—Sara Lambert, president of Red Deer Catholic Local No 80
Red Deer Catholic teachers are looking for a settlement that reflects the agreements reached in other jurisdictions, which includes improvements on issues related to substitute teachers and school administrators. The solutions being proposed are low cost and reasonable.
Collective bargaining for teachers in Alberta is a two-phase process where matters of significant cost and broad impact are negotiated at a central table, followed by local negotiations between individual school divisions and ATA bargaining units on other more locally specific matters.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association is the professional association of teachers in Alberta and acts as the bargaining agent for all teachers employed in public, separate and francophone school divisions. The Red Deer Catholic School Division employs approximately 700 contracted and substitute teachers in Catholic schools in Red Deer, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail and Olds.
Reply from Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools
Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Reacts to Recent ATA Media Release
For immediate release – March 6, 2024
The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) announced, in a surprise media release late yesterday, that Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) is sidestepping “the third-party independent mediator … in teacher negotiations”. Nothing could be further from the truth.
On February 26, 2024, in an email from the mediator to both the ATA and RDCRS, the mediator stated,
“Further to my phone calls with each of you on Friday, I understand that the Employer reviewed the “binary choice” in Sean’s email of February 15, 2024, and agreed the next step should be for the mediator to write out and let the cooling off period begin. However, I understand the Employer is willing to meet with the ATA, without the mediator, on March 7 and 8, 2024 during the hours previously discussed (evening and day).”
The mediator further stated in that email correspondence,
“I have decided to not issue recommended terms of settlement at this time as I feel the parties are too far apart in their current positions. Attached is the letter confirming this decision”.
The email the mediator is referring to on February 15, 2024, came from the ATA chief negotiator, Sean Brown, in which he referred to a “binary choice” as follows,
“Given the results of the meeting and the sentiments shared by members, I believe the next step is a binary choice:
-
The employer bargaining team returns to the table and listens to its teachers. Furthermore, that the employer be prepared to move on the items that members need. (Our preferred option), or
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The mediator will need to write out and the two-week cooling off period will commence.
We hope to hear back that the employer will return to the table. If not, then they will leave teachers with few options.”
Vice Chair Dorraine Lonsdale states, “RDCRS believes that factual reporting of events, activities, and matters pertinent to our local teacher negotiations with the ATA is now necessary for our communities to understand what is involved in these local teacher negotiations. To this end, RDCRS has opened a section of our website to report to our communities on our local teacher negotiations. Information will be shared on a regular basis as we continue to negotiate with the ATA.”
The bargaining team for RDCRS will attend the scheduled meetings on March 7 and 8, 2024 and bargain with the ATA to reach an agreement that is mutually acceptable to both parties.
“It is the intention of RDCRS to continue a principled and respectful approach while bargaining the local items tabled by both parties. The school division highly values its teachers and in addition, we are responsible to students, parents, and our communities,” Vice Chair Lonsdale continues. “RDCRS has a duty to preserve our programs and services, to manage our complex education system and to be financially accountable for our decisions. These three pillars extend also to our bargaining of collective agreements affecting our employees. RDCRS takes these responsibilities seriously, and these responsibilities always remain an important part of our considerations.”
The Division is committed to serving children and parents with a complete offering of learning opportunities delivered within the context of Catholic teachings and within the means of the Division.
Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools serves over 10,650 students in 21 schools in Red Deer, Sylvan Lake, Rocky Mountain House, Innisfail, Blackfalds and Olds. It also supports the learning of over 850 students in a Home Education Program. The Division is committed to serving children and parents with a complete offering of learning opportunities delivered within the context of Catholic teachings and within the means of the Division.
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