The Drumheller Mail

Delia School unveils new science lab and teacher in new year

    It’s been two weeks since schools in the area opened their doors to students. Both students and teachers have since been settling in to another year.
    Students in Delia have witnessed a few changes with Delia School over the summer, including a new teacher and  a brand new science lab. For parents, the new year also marks a new initiative to help parents stay on top of what’s happening in the school.

New teacher joins school
    Delia School welcomed a new part time elementary Phys. Ed. teacher in Jeffrey Stel, who comes to Delia from British Columbia.
    Stel and his wife, who is originally from the area, moved here earlier in the summer. When not teaching, Stel will be hard at work farming.
    “I think they’ll do well here and we look forward to having them,” said Delia School principal Steven Nielsen.

Science lab gets a huge makeover
    The school is proud to unveil their new science lab to students this year. Work had begun at the end of the 2011/2012 school year and was completed over the summer.
    The renovation is the brainchild of teacher Laraine Hess and facility director Kent Spath.
    “They worked together to design the room to meet the students needs. It’s quite impressive. There’s between $40,000 and $50,000 worth of renovations,” said Nielsen. “It’s been a long time coming. Everything is more accessible.”
    The lab has been completely modernized and among its new features boasts a teacher station at the front of the room so that teachers may demonstrate procedures for their students.

Improving communication with parents
    One the school’s main focuses this year will be to improve the way it connects with parents after seeing the results of the previous year’s accountability surveys, which are mailed out to parents.
    “It’s always one of the areas we need to try to improve when we do our accountability surveys,” said Nielsen. “We’re really trying to improve the way we communicate with parents.”
    The school already uses a Facebook page to help improve communication. They will also be introducing a Twitter feed to give parents another source for school news.
    “It’s basically a method where we can let the parents know what’s going on in the school and teachers can post notes on what’s happening,” said Nielsen. “The traditional way of sending papers home isn’t as effective as it needs to be.”
    To help parents become Twitter literate, the school will be hosting an information session on October 10 to teach parents the basics of Twitter, such as creating an account and following the school’s Twitter feed.
    The school will also be putting a sign up on Main Street which will display some news for the school.

    Even though there have been several changes this year, the school isn’t done yet.
    Apart from the new science lab, the school is also investigating the possibility of adding some track and field features to the schoolyard.
    “We’re always trying to improve the school any way we can,” said Nielsen. “We’re currently looking at forming some sort of track facility at the school. A track and a long jump pit, for example. We’ve been investigating trying to find funds to do that.”
    School has just begun for the 125 Delia School students, but it already is shaping up to be an exciting year for the school.

Mountain View Credit Union awards $13,500 in Scholarships (OLDS)

    Recognizing that it takes both hard work and financial support for students to pursue a post-secondary education, Mountain View Credit Union is pleased to award 13 scholarships totaling $13,500 to local high school graduates.
    Recipients included Kory Bremer and Julie Primrose of Morrin and Teesha Parker of Carbon.
    Recipients were chosen from our 11 communities to help these students as they attend college or university this fall.
    In keeping with the credit union’s values of service, local ownership and community commitment, the scholarships are awarded annually based on a number of criteria including academic results, leadership and volunteerism.
    Bob Marshall, President & CEO of Mountain View, says “supporting the communities we serve is a key value of our organization. We are proud to support these young adults who not only excel academically, but have also demonstrated their community involvement as well.”

Teesha Parker, right, of Carbon was one of 13 students awarded a scholarship by Mountain View Credit Union. Presenting her award is Angel Sawchuck, Carbon Branch Manager.