September is an exciting time for students as well as teachers. As students get back into routines and parents prepare for the busyness of another year, school boards, administrators and teachers also have new and exciting changes they prepare for.
Chestermere High School (Grades 10-12):
At Chestermere High School (CHS) they are experiencing the largest Grade 10 population ever with over 250 students. The total school population is now close to 750 pupils. According to the New Principal Jorden Fenton, CHS continues to provide excellent opportunities in fine arts, culinary arts, athletics and academics.
CHS is looking forward to planning an exciting new event open to the public which will be after a football game on Friday night, September 20. The game will be under the big lights between the Chestermere High Schools Cowboys and their league rival, The Springbank Phoenix starting at 7:00pm.
After the game, they will turn out the lights and host a family movie night under the stars. The school has a new inflatable screen which they will set up on the field. Families are invited to come out, bring a lawn chair or blanket and enjoy this unique experience.
There will be a small admission price which will be used to help support the athletics program. Fenton says they would like this to become an annual event for the school.
St Gabriel the Archangel (Grades 6-12):
St. Gabriel the Archangel (SGA) has experienced some big changes over the summer, both physically and in programming. SGA was previously a K-12 school however; the K-5 student population has now been relocated to Our Lady of Wisdom. This has allowed SGA to focus on the Junior and Senior High levels so that they may offer their students more specialized and diverse programming.
Renovations to the school which were completed in the summer months turned the once elementary classrooms into spaces more suitable for the higher grades. The library saw the addition of 24 new computer stations and with 20 new ipads, the school is proud to be technology focused. Any class can sign out these devices for a variety of uses including multi-media and diverse learning needs.
SGA is one of the newest schools in the Calgary Catholic School District to offer the Hockey Canada Skills Academy program in both the Jr. and Sr. High levels. In this program, which is a part of the sports performance curriculum; students work primarily on individual skills but also work on some team concepts.
Students spend approximately 2 times a week on the ice, and depending on the grade level, they will be in the fitness room 1-3 times a week working on dry land training and conditioning. According to SGA Vice Principal Dan Gojmerac, students are excited about this specialized opportunity and the school was happy to draw in some new students because of it.
Chestermere Lake Middle School (Grades 6-9):
Chestermere Lake Middle School (CLMS) is already excited about the annual Terry Fox Run. They are gearing up to walk on September 13th to raise money for Cancer Research.
CLMS is also continuing with their popular breakfast program which is running for its 4th year. Run entirely on grants and donations, it serves approximately 100-150 students. According to the school’s Principal Tammy Rahn, it is a very valuable resource: “It is great for students that may have been rushed in the morning and didn’t have time for breakfast; for students that came in early for sports or even for students that want to pick up a snack to have at recess.”
Rainbow Creek Elementary (Grades K-5):
Rainbow Creek Elementary School (RCES) in Rainbow Falls has a vision to be a “nurturing dynamic community fostering learning and citizenship.” According to the school website, the administration and staff are committed to establishing leadership opportunities for all of the students and are excited to be a “Leader in Me” school.
The website states: “This is a program that was developed by Dr. Stephen Covey, the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. As a staff, we continue to participate in ongoing Professional Learning related to this program and look forward to the program continuing to grow and develop throughout our school.”
Our Lady of Wisdom (Grades K-6):
“Accept, Achieve, Aspire” is the motto at Our Lady of Wisdom (OLW).
OLW staff and school council welcomes returning families as well as many new families for another great year at their annual Welcome Back BBQ. The BBQ is run in conjunction with the Meet the Teacher night on September 12. With the closing of the K-5 program at SGA, OLW has seen tremendous growth this year and has almost doubled its student population.
According to the school website all their students will enjoy a variety of exciting activities throughout the year including Spirit Days where they get the opportunity to show their school spirit.
Prairie Waters Elementary (Grades K-5)
Over at Prairie Waters Elementary (PWE) they are also experiencing a lot of growth. With an approximate student population of 750 students (75 more than last year) they have had to get creative with classroom spaces. As stated in the school newsletter, they are committed to keeping class sizes as low as possible and are dedicated to creating the best learning environment for their students.
PWE will once again be participating in this year’s Country Fair Parade being held September 14 with student volunteers riding on a float.
With so many great options for our youth and because of the dedicated educators it would seem the students in Chestermere have every opportunity for a bright future ahead of them.
