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.

    It’s that time of year when golfers hit the links to support a local cause.
    This Friday marks the 17th annual Drumheller and District Chamber of Commerce golf tournament at the Dinosaur Trail Golf and Country Club.
    Proceeds from the tournament, like previous years, will go towards a worthy cause.
    In previous years, the Chamber reviewed applications from local organizations and chose a cause the tournament would aid. This year, a different direction was chosen.
    “This year the Chamber board and golf tournament committee decided to focus on the youth business initiative, because it’s such a good tie in with what we do,” said Roxanne Clark, projects coordinator with the Chamber of Commerce.
    All proceeds from the day go towards helping Drumheller kids pursue careers in business by helping fund scholarships for students pursuing business degrees in their post secondary education. The remaining proceeds will be donated to Junior Achievement.
    “Junior Achievement joins kids with an entrepreneurial spirit with the business world,” said Clark.
    Junior Achievement runs school programs at the Valley’s three schools. Elementary programs teach students about basic financial skills, such as saving and how to budget. Junior high and high school programs teach the same, but also provide an introduction to the world of business.
    “We’re nurturing tomorrow’s business leaders in our community. It’s a really good fit for us. It’s a youth business initiative and we’re really trying to support what they do,” said Clark.
    The tournament includes a full 18 holes and includes breakfast, dinner, and snacks. Registration is still open for the tournament and can be found online at www.drumhellerchamber.com.
    “We are looking for players. There’s just a basic golf skill required, anyone is welcome to come,” said Clark. “It’s a fun tournament for a good cause and we hope people come out and have a good time.”