Division News Article

Good News: Looking back on the school year

June 25th, 2021

As the 2020-2021 school year comes to a close, we want to pause and acknowledge the challenges our staff and students faced throughout the year. Navigating through a pandemic has taught us all how to manage challenges, including restrictions such as facemasks, social distancing, sanitizing and quarantine. This year student absences increased significantly due to positive cases requiring isolation or quarantine. While it certainly was not business as usual, many of the schools told us that for the most part, school felt pretty normal—a sentiment that was echoed by many students and parents. 

But we don’t want to focus on all of that. We want to talk about some of the good things that happened this year. So we reached out to our schools for their stories. 

Barrhead Composite High School

Barrhead Composite staff and students endured multiple pivots between learning at school and learning at home. Principal Darcie Eamor credits her staff for going above and beyond to maintain consistent learning experiences for their students. Notably, program assistants made one-on-one phone calls or had Meets with students to support them while learning at a distance. Students expressed their appreciation to Mrs. Eamor for the creativity teachers demonstrated in the lessons.

One little thing that everyone learned was the subtleties of how to “read eyes.” Masked faces meant that teachers’ reliance on reading expressions of understanding or confusion, and the “a-ha’s” that tell teachers so much about their students, were limited to the eyes. Mrs. Eamor also expressed gratitude for the level of engagement and focus that students maintained. She says, “While patience sometimes gave way to frustration, students demonstrated qualities of resilience and persistence as they dealt with all the difficulties of this COVID year.” 

A unique highlight was their virtual Talent Show. Students who might not have wanted to perform in front of a live audience submitted recordings of their talents and got to express themselves without the added pressure of a gym full of friends watching them. And another drive-by graduation was celebrated with a cacophony of horn blasts and cheers – something we don’t see and hear in a traditional indoor ceremony!

Barrhead Elementary School

According to Principal Dale Bujold, the best thing that happened this year was the way the staff supported each other. He says, “Staff leaned on each other. They encouraged each other and helped one another carry the load when extra things piled on. We were able to give extra release time as needed to make it through.” 

There were times when positive cases emerged in the school population and many students pivoted to learning from home while others continued to learn at school. When this happened, staff in the different grade groups planned and helped each other to coordinate both at-home and in-school learning. Program assistants were also very flexible as their assignments often changed depending on which students were in school or temporarily at home. 

Another major highlight for the year was the arrival and construction of the new play structure on the south lawn. There was no opportunity for field trips so the play structures were very popular with each grade group. The brand new playground was enjoyed by many students this year and others in community.

Busby School

Principal Angie Bachand highlighted some of the good things that happened at Busby School this year, including the benefits of being outside more and taking advantage of their natural surroundings. This year their parent council built garden planters in which students planted and have been maintaining their gardens. 

Although they miss their parents and community volunteers, the school has continued to receive strong support from them. Although students didn’t have any off-site field trips, they did some virtual field trips and really made great use of their playground and other things in their community. 

Bachand also described the way staff supported each other and worked together all year. She says, “COVID really shone a spotlight on the relationships we have here in Busby. We’ve become closer because of all the barriers we had to overcome.”

Colony Schools

Prakash Raju, Principal of Pibroch Colony School and Sunny Bend Colony School says, “Although it was a real shift for students to work with COVID restrictions, they listened well and adapted quickly.” If a student was feeling down, the staff was always there to help bring their spirits back up.

Staff worked together all year long to come up with creative ways to make sure that students were able to do all of the things they have done in past years, just a little bit differently. For example, instead of having a Mother’s Day tea at the school, students made paper tea cups and filled them with bags of tea to share with their mothers, so they could have tea together one evening.

Raju says, “Our parents are incredible! Our schools have tremendous support from the colony parents. They consistently give staff members words of encouragement and give their appreciation tangibly by giving us gifts of things made at the colony.”

Dunstable School

Dunstable School Principal Tammy Tkachuk says they were able to do many of the things they would normally do while still working in cohorts and following health guidelines. 

In October, they ran COVID safe Halloween activities for cohorts to participate in. In November, the Grade 4-6 cohort travelled to the cemetery at Our Lady of Lourdes and placed homemade wreaths at the graves of those who served in the Canadian military. In December, they had a ‘Hallmark Christmas’ sort of day, with Camp Nakamun giving sleigh rides pulled by a team of horses.

Concerts and ceremonies continued, although recorded. In the absence of division events, they held their own track meet. While the district science fair was virtual, the school also held their own science fair. 

On the afternoon of June 21st, students also participated in Indigenous Games in recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day. To wrap up the school year, they are bringing Ryan’s Mini Putt to the school to set up a mini golf course for grade groups to play. 

Early Learning

2020-2021 was a year of changes in the division’s Early Learning programs, on top of COVID related restrictions. But what stood out for the team was the innocent resilience of the youngest students. They just took everything in stride as they continued to learn with each other through play and social interactions. While it might have been challenging for adults to learn new routines, the little ones taught us so much about being adaptive to change.  

Principal Kelly Ferguson was very thankful that they were able to maintain programming even when older students had to learn at home. “This continuity really helped kids progress and was probably way easier on families struggling to balance work and child care.”

The Early Learing team is very excited for next year, having ironed out many of the kinks that were caused by changes in provincial funding. Next year’s pre-school children will be learning in a variety of in-school early learning programs in PHSD. The staff will celebrate all the wonder, curiosity and excitement their mighty learners bring!

Eleanor Hall School

Principal Nadine Marchand explained that one of the positive outcomes of the pandemic was that the students have a new level of appreciation for school. “They were very happy and appreciative of being at school this year. They enjoyed spending time with their friends and they appreciated being at school with caring staff.”

Cohorting classes and sanitizing rules meant that many things had to be done differently. Things that used to be commonplace became a little more special and appreciated. For instance, even though the science classes looked very different this year and experiments were usually demonstrated by the teachers, a little creativity and planning from the teachers meant that they were able to complete some group projects. The students thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on opportunities to explore science concepts with their peers. 

Fort Assiniboine School

Principal Lorna Hiemstra says, “Despite COVID disruptions we continued to have Fun at the Fort.” She shared some of the highlights of the year with us. Junior high students participated in a virtual Youth Energy and Climate Leadership Summit on March 18. They placed 2nd out of 25 Jr. and Sr. High Schools around Alberta in an energy audit challenge. The class also applied for an A+ for Energy grant to build a hydroponic garden for next year, and they won a grant for $4,154. Watch the video at https://vimeo.com/558240170

Mr. Wyman’s Grade 9 students successfully built two solar ovens that reached internal temperatures of 315℉. Involving parents, community members and other classes in their journey, students were able to build on their understanding of climate change and renewable energy technologies as well as share their learning with others. Even on a 5℃ day, the students were able to put their ovens to use and bake some delicious brownies! 

Neerlandia Public Christian School

NPCS Principal Brett Seatter says it was actually fairly normal during the school day, other than a small stretch between spring break and the provincial shut down in May. Otherwise, most students and parents commented that the school was not only safe, but it was a welcoming and comfortable environment to be in. It felt “near normal” and we enjoyed the year.

While after school sports were not allowed, the school had noon hour intramurals for most of the year. Seatter says, “It was important to have some fun games and tournaments for students to participate in the absence of after-school sports. Fit Ninja also came to the school to do an obstacle course for all the students.”

Highlights of the school’s fundraising efforts include:  

  • Grade 3 students raised $1,645 for a charity in Uganda (to purchase bibles) through a cookbook fundraiser, which featured their own recipes
  • Grade 9 students donated their own money to raise $600 for missionaries in Pakistan
  • The school raised $1,705 for the local Foodbank at Christmas this year

Pembina North Community School

Principal Raime Drake was pleased to hear from most parents and students that school felt pretty much normal. Staff worked hard to keep things as normal as possible, including rethinking events such as CTF options and school-wide activities. 

Although they were unable to go on the usual field trips to Jasper and Drumheller, they did participate in some virtual field trips. Instead of the typical Christmas concert, they held a winter carnival for K-9 students, keeping them in outdoor classroom cohorts. 

Fundraising highlights of the year include:  

  • Terry Fox Run – students raised $625
  • Scare Away Hunger raised $1,611 for the food bank
  • Skate a Thon raised $9,446 for the Dapp Community Council

R. F. Staples Secondary School

Principal Wayne Rufiange reflected on the year, recognizing that the number of positive cases in the school certainly made it challenging for teachers to manage. Through it all, he says his staff were willing to step up and do whatever they could to help—whether it was making lesson plans, getting ready for classes, helping find subs and just generally supporting each other. He notes that overall parents and the community were understanding and supported the school and staff through the year. 

After some extended at-home learning periods, the students have developed a new appreciation for being in school, with their friends. In their graduation message, many students spoke of the disconnection they experienced this year, which made them realize the importance of human connection. While students missed being together at times during the year, they also learned to not take it for granted.

Student achievements in Skills Alberta and Skills Canada was definitely a nice highlight on the year as well. R. F. Staples students brought home five medals from Skills Canada Alberta and two medals from Skills Canada Nationals. 

Swan Hills School

Principal Slade Sekulich commented on how students found their personal resilience and were able to continue learning in spite of their changing classroom circumstances throughout the year. Teachers rallied to provide classroom content online, maintaining robust Google Classrooms for any students who might be required to be away due to isolation or quarantine. 

Some students required unique programming to address their needs, and teachers went above and beyond to help students remain successful. All the while, teachers delivered full, in-person lessons in their classrooms each day while rising to the challenges presented by this year’s ever-changing difficulties. Support staff worked with students in-person and online, supporting needs in the bricks-and-mortar classroom as well as at a distance.

Sekulich says, “Staff experienced a great deal of professional and personal growth this year. Many teachers stretched themselves by immersing themselves in new technologies, learning with and for their students throughout the year.”

The school also offered a Junior High Options class called Strategic Games, in which students play games that require them to use critical thought in order to win or even complete their tasks. This class ran all year, with different numbers of students enrolling, in the gyms and outside when weather permitted. This and many other classes ran mostly as envisioned, despite COVID restrictions.

Vista Virtual School

Vista Virtual School Principal Mike Loitz commented on the sheer volume of students that they had this year. “Once again we served more than 10,000 students.” With additional support from staff from other parts of the division, they managed a turbulent September as families worked through their concerns about face-to-face learning and perceptions of what at-home learning would be like. Some students started online and realized it wasn’t for them. Others found their at-home rhythm and flourished in the VVS environment which allows for individual pacing.  

Many families chose to try distance learning because of COVID and many students realized that they are very well suited to this style of delivery. For these students, COVID moved them into a style of learning that they did not know before. Thanks to the experience and talent of the Vista Virtual team, many students will continue with the school next year.

Vista Virtual is the only Pembina Hills school to run a summer school. This summer’s registrations have been very high. It seems like students from all over Alberta are seeking efficient ways to upgrade, catch up, add a few courses, or get a head start on their high school programs. The flexibility and the quality of instruction at VVS continues to set a high standard for online teaching and learning.

Westlock Elementary School

Like several other schools, Westlock Elementary experienced several instances when groups of staff and students had to isolate and learn from home. But staff and students didn’t let those times define their year. Instead, they focused on the learning and were happy to be together as much as possible. Hands-on activities continued in different ways. For instance, when the Grade 3 class studied the Rocks and Minerals unit, the students created these soapstone carvings of the culmination of the life cycle of a butterfly.

The new realities of a pandemic world also made possible some pretty cool experiences. With Zoom and Google Meets having become so ‘normal’ now, guest speakers can be almost anywhere. So when Colton Parayko, a defenceman with the St. Louis Blues was part of the guest list for the school’s Reading Blitz in March, COVID pressures were forgotten for a while and everyone just enjoyed being ‘close’ to someone famous. See the short clip here.

Looking ahead

While it was a year of change, adapting, learning and growing, everyone is looking forward to another great year. We want to thank all our staff, students and parents for your cooperation, patience, and diligence in getting through the year. But first – to all our staff, students and families – enjoy a great summer! 

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