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Highland Dancer Twins Share ASDC Athlete of the Month honours

Published

3 months ago

December 20, 2018

Alberta Sport Development Centre

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The Alberta Sport Development Centre – Central (ASDC-C) is pleased to announce that the ASDC-Central Athletes of the Month for December 2018 are Brianna and Gwendolyn Kehler. Brianna and Gwendolyn are 14 year old twin sisters, Red Deer residents and competitive Highland Dancers. Brianna and Gwendolyn are Grade 9 students at Hunting Hills High School, and they dance with the Red Deer School of Highland Dancing with teachers Jacquie Munawych and Kimberly Biggelaar.

This past summer, the largest Highland dancing competition in the world, the ScotDance Canada Championship Series, was held in Calgary. At this event, Brianna won first overall in the Highlands Dances (precise and sharp, Highlands dances have military roots and were traditionally only performed by males), and Gwendolyn first overall in the National Dances (more fluid and graceful, derived from Scottish and Celtic folk dances), for their age grouping in the Intermediate category. Since moving up into Premier level (the highest level of Highland Dance) this past summer, both girls have been holding their own, with top-three placings in the three competitions they have competed in as Premiers dancers to date. Their current goal is to qualify at the Alberta Provincial Championship to represent Alberta at the Canadian Closed Championship and the World Highland Dance Championships in August.

Both Brianna and Gwendolyn have high academic standing in Hunting Hills High School’s Advanced Placement program. With Briana and Gwedolyn’s strong work ethic, their undeniable athletic abilities and their training experiences with ASDC-Central and Red Deer School of Highland Dance, the Kehlers will surely continue to grow, develop and succeed in her Highland Dance careers!

ASDC-Central thanks Tom Bast Sports for celebrating the ASDC-Central Athlete of the Month recipients by the provision of commemorative apparel for each recipient.

ASDC-Central Female Athlete of the Month – Brianna and Gwendolyn Kehler

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Alberta Sport Development Centre

The main purpose of the ASDC network is to coordinate and enhance services available to Alberta's emerging athletes and coaches. These regional centres provide services to athletes and coaches residing in rural and urban areas allowing athletes to develop and train at a high level without leaving home.

Community

Students Celebrate Reading in a big way at St. Thomas Aquinas

Published

23 hours ago

March 23, 2019

Duane Rolheiser

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From Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools

St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School celebrated literacy this week (March 18-22) to build community through reading, writing, fine arts and special guests. This special week is celebrated annually to remind students about the importance of literacy.

“Along with our faith, literacy is the foundation of everything else we do. This week we have been promoting literacy in a more community-minded way. Students from Grade 6-9 have been invited to interact through a variety of activities throughout the school during classes and at lunch. Nine guest readers have been brought in to read to each of the classes, as well as an author to do writers workshops with our keen and budding authors. Other activities included graffiti, book art, word games and book donations all culminating with a Pajama and Flashlight Day,” Assistant-Principal, Leo Chauvet at St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School.

“Literacy week has affected me because it taught me how to be a better author in the Writer’s Workshop and also showed me some ways that I can use old books for different crafts in Recycled Book Art,” said Grade 8 student Janelle Constantino at St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School.

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Elementary students work with local home builder to design a model house for the homeless

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2019

Duane Rolheiser

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School Assignment Helps Students Understand Homelessness in Red Deer

As a kid, you’re often asked by adults, “so what do you want to be when you grow up?” We often hear familiar responses – firefighter, veterinarian, pilot, ballerina, Spiderman or Wonder Woman among the top career choices. It’s rare to hear someone say they want to be a home builder when they grow up. And we agree, being Spiderman would be WAY cooler!

So, it was exciting for us when a teacher at Father Henri Voisin Elementary School in Red Deer reached out to us and gave us an opportunity to work with his grade five class to showcase all the great things about being a builder. He had a great idea to put the class to work for an amazing cause.

Mr. Strome, Mr. Jackson, and Mrs. Barrow’s goal was to educate the students about the difficulties experienced by the less fortunate in Red Deer, and what it means to give to those in need.

The focus of the “Home is Where the Heart is” is for the students to construct their own model house designed specifically for those who need it most. The students get to decide all the features and benefits of the home to create a functional, but practical, dwelling. Along the way, the assignment helps the students learn about the challenges faced by homeless people, and what could be done to help them and truly impact their lives for the better.

fifth-grade-student-custom-home — **One Example of the Student’s Hard Work**

“This is such a fun way to showcase how home design and construction can be a fun career option, while also educating the students on ways to help people in need,” said Nate Rempel, Partner with Alair Homes Red Deer. “The assignment is especially meaningful, as the students have been asked to consider what makes a house a HOME, and include these elements when planning their designs. It really helps to inspire them to consider others and how easily it is to take advantage of the luxuries in life when so many people don’t even have shelter.”

custom-built-homes-project — ***Collaborating to Design Custom Built Homes for the Homeless***

Fundamentally, teaching the kids about community involvement, caring for the less fortunate and “giving back” sends a powerful message; learning how they can potentially make a difference in the lives of this vulnerable population is invaluable.

engaged-students-hard-at-work — ***Engaged Students in the Early Stage of Project Design***

We will be returning to the school to check on the progress of the custom homes and see what they have taken away from this project. We were impressed by the consideration the students demonstrated, by asking thoughtful and relevant questions. (To be fair, there were also a lot of questions about swimming pools!)

Partnering with the school has been such a pleasure. This has been a valuable learning opportunity for us as well, and we enjoyed spending time with Mr. Strome, Mr. Jackson, and Mrs. Barrow’s grade 5 class.

We look forward to seeing their creations!