Fitchett teaches a grade 4/5 multi-age class at Senator Buchanan Elementary School. The award recognizes beginning teachers that demonstrate exemplary dedication and commitment in the field of Education.

“Aaron is a remarkable teacher, who works hard to engage not only students, but their parents and his colleagues,” said Heather Hadford, Principal of Senator Buchanan Elementary School. “Aaron is exceptionally skilled at building rapport and establishing a learning environment where all members of the school community feel safe to take risks and accept new challenges.”

Sponsored by the ASBA, each school jurisdiction was invited to submit the name of one beginning teacher as its nomination for the Edwin Parr Award. Fitchett was selected as the Lethbridge School District nominee for the Zone 6 Award Ceremony.

“We are extremely proud of Aaron for being awarded the Edwin Parr Award for Zone 6,” said Mich Forster, Chair of Lethbridge School District. “Being awarded the Edwin Parr Award is recognition of Aaron’s commitment to provide engaging and positive learning experiences for his students.”

Representatives from each of the ten school jurisdictions in Zone 6 were acknowledged as their jurisdictions’ Edwin Parr Award nominee at the banquet. In his address to the audience, Fitchett paid tribute to the support he has received from his parents, his administration team and colleagues at Senator Buchanan as well as appreciation to the Board of Trustees and Education Centre staff.

“Celebrating the evening with my family, colleagues, and leaders in School District No. 51 is a memory I will cherish throughout my career,” said Fitchett. “I had the pleasure of knowing several of the other nominees, which added another level of celebration since I was among friends.”

He noted that it was especially gratifying to receive the award as a teacher from the school he attended as a student.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be teaching at the school I attended as a child. The names and faces have changed, but the same spirit of community, encouragement, and camaraderie persists,” added Fitchett. “I am humbled to be the recipient of the Edwin Parr Award for Zone 6.”

Fitchett and five other teachers from across Alberta will be acknowledged as their zones’ Edwin Parr Award representatives at the fall general meeting of the ASBA in Edmonton next November.

Em Pijl Zieber and Klaas Vanden Beld will receive their awards May 8 at Chinook Regional Hospital. The scholarship was established this year by the Alberta Registered Nurses Educational Trust (ARNET) using funding from Executive Links/Nursing Links, a Calgary provider of nursing education.

This scholarship serves as a memorial to the contributions of Wendy Lipinski, a registered nurse who practised for 18 years in Lethbridge and area. She died of cancer last December at 59 years old. Executive Links owner Terese Fleming wanted to honour the nursing contributions of Lipinski, a lifelong friend.

“I am a nurse myself and, if I was ever in a position where I would need to receive health care, Wendy was the type of nurse I would want caring for me,” Fleming says. “She was such a kind and caring nurse, so gentle and patient.”

Pijl Zieber and Vanden Beld receive scholarships worth a total of $5000. They were chosen by an ARNET allocation committee on the basis of academic merit in their graduate-level studies.

Pijl Zieber, 44, teaches community health nursing theory and clinical courses in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge. She is enrolled in doctoral studies at the University of Alberta and has a special interest in nursing in marginalized populations.

“It’s an honour to receive this scholarship,” Pijl Zieber says. “It will help me continue with my research, which is focused on how well nursing students are prepared for registered nursing practice. The nursing profession can make even greater contributions to the health of Canadians by enhancing community health clinical education and by mobilizing students to make a difference in their communities. That could have a positive impact on the health of everyone.”

Vanden Beld, 48, is enrolled in a Master of Nursing program through Athabasca University, in the family nurse practitioner stream. This week, he begins a four-month women’s health practicum at a women’s clinic in Nanton – the first of five practicums that include adult, older adult, paediatric and comprehensive care. He will graduate at the end of 2014. Family nurse practitioners can work in primary care and family care clinics, and in home care.

“If there’s one thing I’ve really learned through the years with nursing is you mentor other people and you take care of your own,” says Vanden Beld, who returned to Alberta two years ago after practising in the U.S. for 20 years. “Through scholarships and funding, it’s really evident that nurses take care of nurses and that’s huge. The pay-it-forward aspect of that sits very deeply with me now – it’s a scholarship with some serious meaning and intention behind it.”

Jeni Halowski will be the new assistant principal for G.S. Lakie Middle School. At the beginning of her career, Halowski taught for one year at G.S. Lakie, prior to moving to Winston Churchill High School, where she teaches and is a learning coach. She has served as the curriculum leader for math at Winston Churchill and has earned level B assessment certification. At the provincial level, she has participated on the Math 9 Provincial Achievement Test Advisory Working Group and Test Standard Working Group.

Halowski studied in the university transfer program at Mount Royal College then completed a combined bachelor of science and bachelor of rducation degree from the University of Lethbridge. She will be completing her master’s of education in neuroscience and inclusive education at the University of Lethbridge next year.

Halowski’s instructional leadership, ability to develop strong relationships with colleagues and all students, and her strong work ethic will serve her well as a member of the G.S. Lakie administration team.

Wilson Middle School’s new vice principal will be Broc Higginson. Higginson is a principal at Noble Central School in Nobleford. He has previous administration experience as principal of Enchant School and vice principal at R.I. Baker Middle School in Coaldale. He has taught primarily at the secondary level, beginning his teaching career at Chamberlain School in Grassy Lake. As a teacher and administrator, Higginson has advocated for providing athletic, fine arts, and student leadership co-curricular opportunities for all students.

Higginson earned a bachelor of arts degree in social sciences at the University of Lethbridge and subsequently a bachelor of education degree at Queen’s University. He completed a master’s degree in leadership and administration at Gonzaga University.

Higginson’s experiences in all aspects of administration, his skill in developing community partnerships and his ability to build strong relationships with students and staff members will be assets to the administration team at Wilson.

The program is designed to give CTS students aged 15–19 a taste of the possibilities available when choosing a career in residential construction with real hands-on experience at a job site.

The first step of this program was to orient the students in safety on the job site. Workplace Safety hosted a session to give the students an understanding of the importance of Personal Protection Equipment, how to behave on a job site, and the importance of respecting the equipment they work with. For each job site, the students will be on during this pilot program, PPE will be donated by KB Heating and the CHBA.

The first session will take place at Zero Gravity Cranes & Rigging Inc. on 7 May 2013 from 8:30 to 11:30. At this session, some of the information students will learn is centered on proper techniques for cranes, hoisting and lift calculations. Students will be able to operate the equipment during this session. After completion, students will earn a certificate of work experience to use in their pursuit of career after high school.

The second session will be later in May at Kodiak Mountain Stone, and the third will take place in early June at KB Heating & Air Conditioning.

For the past month, Rowntree has served as acting principal for WCHS. He has been part of the Winston Churchill administration team since 1997, and has played a role in all aspects of school administration since that time.

After beginning his teaching career for one year with Yellowhead School Division, Rowntree joined Winston Churchill. He has taught the complete range of science and math courses, including International Baccalaureate (IB) courses.

Rowntree earned his bachelor of education degree from the University of Alberta and his master of education degree from the University of Lethbridge.

“I am confident that Carey’s experiences and relationships with the entire school community, combined with his commitment to provide an outstanding learning environment for all students, will ensure the legacy of Winston Churchill High School will be maintained,” said Barry Litun, Superintendent of Lethbridge School District No. 51.

During the session, district board members will discuss the roles and responsibilities of a trustee and will respond to any specific questions.  The event is being held to encourage community members to become involved and to consider running for the position of school board trustee.

The School Board Trustee general information session will be held in the Board Room of the Education Centre located at 433 15 Street South.

The Alberta School Boards’ Association has provided a number of resources online for those who are considering running for the position of school board trustee. The resources include speeches, advertisement templates and newsletter article templates.These resources are available for download from the ASBA website.

Girls Rockin’ the West and Western Boys Rock are for all grade 5 students from Nicholas Sheran Community School, Mike Mountain Horse Elementary School, and Dr. Probe Elementary School. Both conferences will offer students the opportunity to connect with community partners through an exciting line-up of demonstrations, speakers and activities, all geared toward promoting total health .

“The aim of the conferences is to promote the importance of overall health,” said Cathy Kitagawa, teacher-counsellor at Mike Mountain Horse and Nicholas Sheran Community School. “The activities include social, emotional and physical components such as dealing with change positively, coping with stress, presenting a positive self-image, and building confidence.”

Building on the success of last year, this is the second year for Girls Rockin’ the West and the first year for Western Boys Rock. The conferences will happen simultaneously with the grade 5 girls attending Girls Rockin’ the West  at Mike Mountain Horse Elementary School and grade 5 boys attending Western Boys Rock at Dr. Probe Elementary School.

“We’re excited about the conference,” said Wayne Flipenko, teacher at Dr. Probe and organizer of Western Boys Rock. “This a great event for students to learn to  express themselves, as well as  learn ways to treat ourselves and others with respect.”

Dr. Cheryl Currie, an assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Lethbridge, collected data from almost 400 Edmonton-based Aboriginal Canadians. The study results, recently published in Social Science & Medicine, suggest Aboriginal cultural practice is associated with reduced prescription and illicit drug problems for urban Aboriginal adults.

“More than half of all Aboriginal Canadians live in cities”, says Dr. Currie, lead investigator of the study. “In fact, Aboriginal peoples are urbanizing rapidly around the globe, yet we know little about factors that support Aboriginal health and well-being in cities.”

Results suggest Aboriginal adults with strong ties to traditional activities had higher self-esteem, and this helped explain why engaging in cultural traditions was protective.

“But statistically, increased self-esteem did not explain the protective effect entirely” says Currie. “Aboriginal culture was also protecting urban Aboriginal peoples through additional mechanisms that remain unknown.”

Determining what these additional mechanisms are in collaboration and partnership with urban Aboriginal communities in Alberta will be a key focus of Currie’s future research.

“To improve urban Aboriginal health, we need to start asking different questions and to start looking for different answers that are grounded in the knowledge of the community itself.” Currie says.

When asked what it meant to practice Aboriginal culture in a city, those in the study described participating in Aboriginal ceremonies and cultural events; valuing spirituality and family; and respecting oneself, others, and the earth. As stated by one study participant: When one returns to the Red Road one has a community, one has an identity, one feels the Creator working in their life – spirit heals.

The journal publication, “Illicit and prescription drug problems among urban Aboriginal adults in Canada: The role of traditional culture in protection and resilience,” can be found at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953613002013.

Open to the public, the Connecting with Community Charity Yoga Fundraiser will be a 50-minute yoga class!taught by certified yoga instructor, Kevan Bryant, in the CHS main gym. Entry fee is a $10 donation, and participants should bring their own yoga mat or beach towel.

The CHS Grade 9 students will host the Connecting with Community Charity Yoga Fundraiser with the proceeds of the event going towards the building of a new classroom for the Let Us Shine Girls School in Ghana. Over this school year, students have worked to raise money and awareness for the Let Us Shine Girls School, and this is their last activity of the year.

Those interested in participating in the fundraiser can get the registration form online from the CHS website or pick one up at the CHS main office. To guarantee a spot, participants must return the registration form and the $10 donation to the CHS main office before May 13.

Lethbridge College’s International Wind Energy Academy (IWEA) will host Grade 9 to 12 student teams from across southern Alberta in Canada’s Second Annual BMO KidWind Challenge.

The event runs from 9:00 until noon on 17 May 2013 at the University of Lethbridge on  the track surface in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness. This year’s event takes place during the Canada Wide Science Fair. This KidWind challenge gives students the opportunity to take part in friendly competition and learn about  wind technology in a hands-on format. Students design, build and test their two-foot wind turbines in a fabricated wind tunnel.

Judges from Lethbridge and area who have a background in engineering, wind, and renewable energy will evaluate the student’s work  based on how much energy their turbines produce, unique designs, as well as reports and their knowledge on wind energy.