Education
Red Deer Polytechnic recognizes achievements of graduates at 2023 Convocation
Friday, Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) celebrated the Class of 2023 with families, community members and employees attending its 59th Convocation Ceremonies.
“Convocation is the most important day of the academic year, when we come together as a community to celebrate our graduates and all they have achieved,” says Stuart Cullum, President of Red Deer Polytechnic. “I congratulate the Class of 2023 and wish them every success as they start the next chapter of their lives.”
More than 620 of 1,470 eligible RDP graduates from 2023 attended the ceremonies in the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre. Little Buffalo Drum Group welcomed the graduates into The Fas Gas – On The Run Gymnasium with an Indigenous Grand Entry Song, which was performed to acknowledge and celebrate significant achievements in life.
This year is the first graduating classes of RDP’s Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, Business Certificate, Business Diploma, Business Certificate Skywings and Bachelor of Applied Arts in Film, Theatre, and Live Entertainment – Film Production.
Brittany Parker received the Governor General’s Academic Medal (Collegiate Bronze Level), achieving the highest academic standing among all graduates from Red Deer Polytechnic’s diploma-level programs. Parker completed an Occupational and Physical Therapist Assistant Diploma, earning seven grades of A+ and a GPA of 4.0 during the 2022/2023 academic year.
“To earn the Governor General’s Academic Medal takes hard work, commitment and effective time management,” says Dr. Paulette Hanna, Interim Vice President Academic. “Brittany has demonstrated these important skills throughout her time at Red Deer Polytechnic and we are very proud of her accomplishments. We wish Brittany well as she embarks on her career.”
Parker and the entire Class of 2023 now join an esteemed group of more than 80,000 RDP alumni who are key contributors to industry and communities.
This year, Red Deer Polytechnic granted Honorary Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies Degrees to both Dr. James Barmby and Dr. Russell Schnell for providing meaningful impact in Alberta and around the world. They were formally acknowledged at the Convocation Ceremonies.
Dr. Barmby is a respected post-secondary educator and leader who has made significant contributions provincially and nationally. His expertise and advocacy for higher learning have contributed to student success for almost 40 years. Along with his ongoing community involvement, Dr. Barmby is currently Co-chair of the Minister’s Advisory Council on Higher Education and Skills. Dr. Barmby, who was an Art and Design student at the Polytechnic, transferred to university before completing the program. At Convocation, he was also granted a Visual Art Diploma.
Dr. Schnell was recognized for his global contributions to environmental sciences. He was a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that was a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. Dr. Schnell discovered biological ice nuclei, which are effective initiators of natural precipitation, while working on the Alberta Hail Project. In recent years, he has built Little Free Libraries out of recycled materials and donated them to communities in Alberta and around the world to inspire youth.
Dr. Barmby and Dr. Schnell join a prestigious group of nine other individuals who have also received Honorary Degrees from Red Deer Polytechnic. The Polytechnic first began bestowing this honour in 2014.
More details about RDP’s 59th Convocation, the institution’s second as Red Deer Polytechnic, are available at: rdpolytech.ca/convocation.
Education
Support a young reader through the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie campaign
Smile Cookies are coming to a Tim Hortons near you!
We know you missed those delicious chocolate chip cookies with the big blue eyes and bright pink smiles! And we are so thankful Tim Hortons is bringing its Smile Cookie campaign back next week!
Helping struggling students become readers of potential is exactly what local Tim Hortons stores want as proceeds for its Smile Cookie campaign, which runs April 29 – May 5, will be directed to Reading College, a project of the Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools.
“We set up this amazing and fun summer program for kids in Grade 2 where they learn to love reading, and gain the skills to continue their growth as learners. Reading is the foundation for success in school and life. If we can help further develop their skills and instill a love for reading, it creates a lifetime of difference for that child. It will make a difference for them, make a difference for their families and make a difference in their life experiences. That’s the beauty of Reading College,” said Superintendent of Schools, Chad Erickson. “Last year, we had 67 graduates of the Reading College program who were incredibly engaged and able to excel and improve their reading abilities over the month of July, setting them up for further success.”
“The Smile Cookie Campaign is a great opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of literacy. It really does create life chances for students. Reading College is made possible through great support from our community and Tim Hortons – we could not operate it without this support,” said Kristine Plastow, Foundation Board Chair. “I encourage the community to get out there and buy their cookies next week!”
From April 29 – May 5, Tim Hortons restaurant owners in Red Deer will generously donate proceeds from sales of a special smiling chocolate chunk cookie to support the Reading College program through The Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools. The $1.50 treat helps community programs across Canada in the cities where they are sold. This year, 10% of funds raised from Smile Cookies will support the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps, of which more than 100 students from Red Deer Public Schools will attend.
Join us for Smile Cookie Day May 4
“We invite the community to join us for our Smile Cookie Day on May 4 at the Tim Hortons on Thomlison Avenue in Red Deer,” said Plastow. “We have partnered with the Red Deer RCMP, Emergency Services and the Alberta Sheriffs. Come and sit in a firetruck or police car, meet local emergency responders and buy a delicious Smile Cookie, while supporting a great cause!”
“We are excited to bring back the Smile Cookie campaign this spring. On behalf of all Tim Hortons’ restaurant owners and team members in Red Deer, I would like to thank our fantastic guests for their loyalty, generosity and support of the campaign,” said Tanya Doucette, Tim Hortons Restaurant Owner in Red Deer. “We are thrilled to support The Foundation for Red Deer Public Schools and their Reading College program. With funds raised we are helping students learn to read, which will ultimately help set them up for a lifetime of success. During Smile Cookie Week, we welcome all Red Deerians to buy a delicious freshly-baked Smile Cookie in support of a great cause, which helps benefit children in our community.”
Help us promote the campaign by ‘liking’ Red Deer Public Schools on Facebook and ‘following’ us on Twitter, both under @rdpschools. You can also find us on Instagram @reddeerpublicschools.
Red Deer
Expelled member of Red Deer Catholic School Board will have judicial reviews heard May 1-3
News release from The Democracy Fund
TDF and James Kitchen Defend School Board Trustee Monique LaGrange
Briefs were filed in Monique LaGrange’s case on the week of April 8, 2024.
RED DEER: The Democracy Fund (TDF) has partnered with lawyer James Kitchen to represent former school board trustee Monique LaGrange as she takes The Board of Trustees of Red Deer Catholic Separate School Division to court for kicking her off the Board because they took offence to one of Ms. LaGrange’s social media posts.
Mr. Kitchen filed two applications for judicial review in December 2023, challenging the Board’s decisions to penalize Mrs. LaGrange and disqualify her from sitting on the Board. Mr. Kitchen has now filed his briefs, which lay out in detail how the Board’s decisions are procedurally unfair and unreasonable and should be overturned by the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta.
The two judicial reviews will be heard virtually by a Red Deer judge over the course of a three-day hearing on May 1-3, 2024, starting at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, May 1. Members of the public are encouraged to attend by accessing this link.
In Alberta, judicial reviews are heard on the basis of a record of documents compiled and submitted to the Court by the decision-maker, which is supposed to include everything presented to the decision-maker at the time the decision was made. In this case, Mrs. LaGrange had submitted to the Board 33 pages of emails and letters from Albertans who supported her. At first, the Board failed to provide these supportive emails and letters to the Court, but that changed when Mr. Kitchen filed an application to compel the Board to do so. Redacted versions of these emails and letters, which are also quoted at length in the briefs, can be viewed here, starting at page 113 of 169.
Mrs. LaGrange was democratically elected to the Board in 2021. Despite this, the Board expelled her because she allegedly failed to comply with sanctions imposed on her by the Board in September 2023 for posting a meme to her Facebook account that some people found offensive. The impugned meme depicted two side-by-side photographs, one of children holding swastika flags and the other of children holding pride progress flags. The meme, which drew much support but also some disapprobation from the community, included a caption stating, “Brainwashing is brainwashing.”
The Board asked Mrs. LaGrange to apologize for the meme, which she declined to do because she believed she had done nothing wrong. In speaking to the Western Standard, Mrs. LaGrange stated, “I was elected to stand up and protect our children, and that is what I am doing.” Among other things, the Board, on September 26, 2023, ordered LaGrange to undergo sensitivity training at her own expense for allegedly breaching their code of conduct by posting the meme and to refrain from making public comments about sexual minorities in her official capacity as a Trustee.
The Board subsequently alleged Mrs. LaGrange had breached some of these sanctions and voted to disqualify Mrs. LaGrange as a trustee.
TDF and lawyer James Kitchen have chosen to defend Mrs. LaGrange to defend the free speech rights of all Canadians, especially in the context of statements made by democratically elected representatives.
To support Mrs. LaGrange, please consider making a tax-deductible donation on this page.
About The Democracy Fund:
Founded in 2021, The Democracy Fund (TDF) is a Canadian charity dedicated to constitutional rights, advancing education, and relieving poverty. TDF promotes constitutional rights through litigation and public education and supports access to justice initiatives for Canadians whose civil liberties have been infringed by government lockdowns and other public policy responses to the pandemic.
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