Province announces school in Wheatland, Three Hills
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- Published on Friday, 03 May 2013 10:49
- Written by Pat Kolafa | © DrumhellerMail.com
After years of waiting, Golden Hills School Division is very excited to hear the announcement from Premier Redford and Minister of Education, Jeff Johnson of two new area schools.
Over the past number of years, the communities in East Wheatland of Hussar, Standard, Rockyford and Gleichen have been experiencing challenges with respect to shifting student populations and quality of school facilities.
Last year, in order to provide solutions to this problem, a working group of parents representing each of those four school communities was formed to explore possible solutions for education in the area. After an involved process of collaboration and consultation that extended broadly to all four communities, this Working Group proposed closure of those four community schools and consolidation of all the students in the area to one K-12 centralized school.
The GHSD Board of Trustees endorsed this proposal and with this announcement, the province has made the decision to support this area and these four communities with a new consolidated school to support all the students in East Wheatland.
Bevan Daverne…
Golden Hills superintendent
“We are very excited with today’s announcements. I can’t say enough about the Working Group and the excellent job they have done in moving this whole situation forward,” said Golden Hills superintendent Bevan Daverne. “Truly, this is a solution that not only is good for students, but is also a model for rural sustainability. For the province to recognize that work and support all the communities in East Wheatland with a consolidated solution and to fund a state of the art facility where all our East Wheatland staff and students are able to work and learn together is fantastic news for all of us!”
The second school announcement impacts the community of Three Hills, where, for the past eight years, the Prairie Christian Academy’s campus has been split between multiple campuses in a variety of leased space. This announcement provides funding to take the elementary campus and right-size it for the entire K-12 student population.
The addition of teaching spaces would include support for high school program courses as well as a new gymnasium suitable for senior high athletics. This announcement will mean that all PCA students and staff will be able to learn and work together in a modern board-owned facility.
Board chair, Dave Price, stated, “This is a wonderful announcement today for the community of Three Hills and parents, staff and students at PCA. From an educational and financial perspective – for the culture of that school community, this is an excellent solution and we are very appreciative of the support we have received from the province on this situation.”
The projects are part of Premier Alison Redford’s promised investment in education infrastructure and the second major capital announcement this week.
“We made a commitment to build new schools and we’re doing just that,” said Premier Redford. “This is about more than bricks and mortar — it’s about building strong communities so all our kids get the best possible start in life. By investing in schools today, we are investing in ourselves, and our province.”
Mountain View Credit Union Awarded Alberta Credit Union of the Year Honour
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- Published on Saturday, 27 April 2013 12:05
- Written by submitted
Owners really do win at Mountain View Credit Union. The credit union was named Alberta Credit Union of the Year at Credit Union Central Alberta Limited’s Annual General Meeting, held last Thursday evening, April 11, in Calgary.
Graham Wetter, President & CEO of Credit Union Central Alberta Ltd., recognized Mountain View Credit Union for their achievements in 2012, particularly:
•Financial Performance: Mountain View Credit Union posted a net income (before taxes and patronage rebates) of over $3.2 million for the 2012 fiscal year;
•Credit Union system leadership: Bob Marshall, Mountain View Credit Union President and CEO, has played an integral role in an initiative to review debit and credit card payment options for credit unions throughout Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba;
• Innovative collaborative efforts, through the creation of a InStride Resources Ltd, a cooperative shared-resource business solution established with 1st Choice Savings, Lakeland Credit Union and Mountain View Credit Union;
• Winning two Achievement in Marketing Excellence Awards from the national Marketing Association for Credit Unions (MACU) organization.
“We were surprised by this honour,” said Bob Marshall, Mountain View Credit Union President and CEO. “The credit union system is strong in Alberta, and to be recognized by our peers for our 2012 performance, strengths and system leadership is a significant achievement. Our employees can all feel proud that they have contributed to this win, and feel confident that by focusing on the rewards and benefits that are of value to our owners, we are building a successful organization.”
Mountain View also won for best ROA (Return on Asset) Growth for our Peer Group, for 2012 over 2011 results.
Mountain View Credit Union is a member-owned, community-based financial institution with 12 branches incldung Delia, Carbon and Morrin, and assets of $560 million. Mountain View serves over 17,000 personal, business and agriculture members in 12 communities. The credit union opened its first branch in Cremona in 1943 and now employs 110 people throughout Central Alberta.
Charlebois embodies volunteer spirit
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- Published on Friday, 26 April 2013 12:00
- Written by Michael James | © DrumhellerMail.com
It takes volunteers to build a community.
Sixty-four year old Carbon resident Sam Charlebois is the embodiment of that sentiment. Charlebois is one of Carbon’s most active volunteers, being president of the Carbon and Area Restoration Society, a member of the Legion, and volunteering in any cause that needs help.
“I’m mostly involved with the Carbon and area restoration society, which, originally involved the restoration of the oldest building in town. We try to keep things going, look for grants, and keep the building maintained,” said Charlebois. “Anything that comes along that needs help, we pitch in. We’re here to help promote the community and bring good things back to town.”
Charlebois came to Carbon after retiring from a 25 year career in the RCMP in 1996. Although he was posted in a number of different places, he, and his wife Susan, always made it a point to volunteer as much as they could.
“Helping people has always been my forte, so hopefully what goes around, comes around, and we make things better for everybody,” said Charlebois. “I volunteered throughout my whole career for hockey, baseball, and soccer teams, wherever I was posted, as our kids grew up.”
Charlebois can trace his roots in Carbon back to 1901, when his grandfather made the trek out west.
“Carbon is my home-town. I was born and raised on a farm near here. My grandfather came here in 1901 and my family heritage goes back to 1567,” said Charlebois.
Despite his many efforts, Charlebois feels volunteering and helping the community involves everyone and Carbon is fairly lucky in that regard. He feels, though, for small communities to continue to thrive, the younger generation needs to step up to the plate.
“I think Carbon is a great example of people helping people. We’re certainly not the only ones in the village. There are a lot of volunteers here. It makes for a better community spirit. We try to promote unity and helping each other, because we need it,” said Charlebois. “Volunteers make the difference. Otherwise, things wouldn’t work.”
