Rocky View Schools' board trustee Don Thomas was reprimanded for voicing his concern over a board decision

Rocky View Schools (RVS) trustee, Don Thomas, was found to be in violation of the code of conduct after drafting a ‘letter to the editor’ voicing his disapproval of a board decision concerning portables for schools in Cochrane and Airdrie.

Highlighted in the letter, which was printed in Rocky View Weekly’s April 6 publication, was the fact that the board had approved, or as Thomas wrote, ‘prioritized,’ the addition of portable units for Chestermere’s Prince of Peace Lutheran School, but neglected to address similar student-population issues in Cochrane and Airdrie.

Currently, Prince of Peace stands at 99 per cent occupancy, and Thomas indicated in his letter that there are four schools in Airdrie and one in Cochrane at the same population level, and that extra modular classrooms have been requested from Alberta Education but have not been approved.

Thomas did say that Alberta Education had indicated that eight portables currently at Langdon School could be moved to Airdrie or Cochrane to account for growth.

“The problem is that the majority of the students who presently attend Prince of Peace,” Thomas wrote, “and a majority of the students who will make up next year’s growth reside in the City of Calgary. RVS is not required to provide space for them, whereas by law, RVS must provide space for students in Airdrie and Cochrane.”

Thomas also cited a policy of RVS, which states that schools over 85 per cent capacity should not register out-of-area students because of accommodation difficulties. Thomas’ belief that the board of trustees has put the needs of Prince of Peace ahead of those of Airdrie and Cochrane is clear, which is what spurred the RVS board to call a special meeting on May 14 to deal with the matter.

RVS trustee Helen Clease said that the board found Thomas in violation of article 6.1, which states, ‘Without limiting the right of trustees to express their own personal views, when interacting with the public, media or other entities, trustees shall accurately represent and support the corporate decision of the board once that decision has been made.’

“The board issued a formal letter censuring trustee Thomas,” said Clease. “No sanctions were imposed that should impede the work of Thomas or the board…it is our intent to move forward in collegiate manner, keeping the best interests of our students at heart.”

Three trustees voted in favour of the motion to censure Thomas — Bev LePeare, Norma Lang and Colleen Munro — while along with Clease, Sylvia Eggerer voted against. Thomas did allude in his letter to the difficulty trustees had in making the decision ‘on the principle of whom RVS should serve first.’

“For my opinion,” Thomas concluded, “RVS has been diligent at accommodating new students, but it cannot be at the expense or inconvenience of those students we are required by law to serve.”

Thomas is one of two trustees for the City of Airdrie, where a public meeting to address student accommodation will take place the evening of May 23.

RCMP officers conduct a checkstop at the entrance to Maclean Creek May 20

Cochrane RCMP were happy to report an uneventful May long weekend, with respect to campers, all-terrain and off-road drivers in popular nearby recreational areas, including Ghost Lake, McLean Creek and Waiparous.

Previous years have seen rowdy campers and extensive damage to the wilderness, particularly in the trail-laden back country areas of McLean Creek and Waiparous.

Corp. Brad White of the Cochrane RCMP attributes the peaceful weekend past to an increased presence of RCMP, with the assistance of Alberta Forestry, fire service outlets and Fish and Wildlife officers in previous years.

“I think people who come out now know we’re going to be there,” said White, adding that RCMP Highway Patrol held random check stops and spot checks in the respective areas surrounding the hot spots.

Cochrane RCMP also had quad patrols out, ensuring users were being respectful.

“Most people were respectful, even liquor consumption was reasonable.”

White said that numbers were way down in the McLean Creek area — which saw about half the amount of campers as May long weekend 2011.

“The Waiparous area seemed pretty steady for campers and quaders out and about,” said White. “But it was pretty quiet around McLean Creek.”

The RCMP corporal said he was surprised to see fewer campers and users than in previous years, considering that the weather was decent and the province-wide fire ban was lifted; the fire ban prohibited fires in back country areas, or in portable or built-on-site fire pits.

The activity on Ghost Lake and the river was also quiet.

Continuing his mission to educate on the importance of a transportation service in Cochrane for those with special needs, Rocky View Regional Handibus Society general manager Paul Siller pointed to a lack of funding as the main hurdle his organization, along with others, must overcome moving into the coming years.

Speaking to Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce’s ‘Lunch and Learn’ attendees on May 16, Siller highlighted an array of ridership statistics to emphasis what he feels is a valuable benefit the Handibus provides to many in the community.

The main theme of Siller’s presentation, however, was the Handibus’s ‘return on investment’ and how municipalities, along with the province, must step up to the plate to help fund the service.

“Our overall return on investment is 50-60 per cent,” said Siller, “which is one of the best in Canada. Things start getting better when we double-up on rides.”

Siller explained that the Handibus yields a 10-20 per cent return on their short and long trips, but it’s their 100 per cent return on education-based transportation that boosts the overall number.

But it is the lower return on investment on short and long trips the Handibus provides to Cochrane and area residents that troubles the general manager.

Apart from the service they provide to Rocky View Schools, Siller said the Handibus’s total operating costs are $720,000 a year and with lower-than-desired funding from some municipalities, they are forced to engage in an extensive fundraising campaign just to stay afloat.

Siller compared the 11 largest similar service providers to the Handibus in Alberta, saying they accumulate a total of $60 million in expenses between them each year, while saving the province anywhere from $200-$300 million, yet there is no funding provided by the province to these transit businesses.

“We need to educate the province,” said Siller, “there’s a big chunk here that’s missing.”

Some of the areas Siller said the Handibus helps ease the financial burden on the province included allowing people to ‘age in place,’ giving hospitals the opportunity to discharge patients early and providing residents with access to dialysis — which on its own, Siller claimed saved the province $480,000 a year per patient.

Thus far, the Town of Cochrane has approved $40,000 from its 2012 budget to be provided to Handibus, but Siller said this is not enough to continue offering service into the future.

Siller said anywhere from $160,000-$200,000 total funding would be ‘just fine,’ explaining that they are looking for standardized municipal funding in the amount of $4.50 per capita (with Cochrane’s approximate population at 17,500, this would equate to nearly $79,000 in funding).

“I think this is a municipal service,” Siller declared. “We’re doing who has to go, can we expand it to who wants to go?”

Handibus is also attempting to fundraise $240,000 for the purchase of four new buses in their effort to have eight in total running from 5:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. servicing six municipal partners by 2013.

Handibus does a total of just over 18,000 trips each year.

Education tallies the majority of mileage with 12,355, leaving medical trips at a distant second at 3,231.

Cochrane is the leader with 182 registered passengers; Rocky View County is second at 76.

Medical appointments in Calgary are the main purpose of travel for Cochranites.

Rocky View Schools

Rocky View Schools (RVS) has their new itinerary for the 2013-14 school year.

The RVS board of trustees approved the calendar during their May 3 meeting.

The RVS’ Calendar Development Committee drafted the new calendar after receiving input from teachers, parents and community members on what they would like to see in the coming years.

Some of the highlights that are part of the new itinerary include: The first day of school for Grades K-8 will fall on Sept. 3 with June 26 being the last day; Grades 9-12 will conclude on June 27; there will be a two-week break for Christmas, starting on Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 6; a one-week break following the holiday season (Family Day) will run from Feb. 17-21; and the final week break will coincide with Easter and go from April 17-28.

Teachers will begin their school year on Aug. 26 and there will be a total of 198 operational days.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, the maximum amount of instructional days teachers can work is 200.

RVS superintendent Greg Bass emphasized the importance for teachers to be well prepared.

“Much like a doctor or any professional,” he said, “you expect them to be trained.”

Teachers will be given 10 professional development days in 2013-14. Bass said the number of instructional hours for students remains the same as previous years.

The board was given three alternative options to consider during their meeting.

Local cowboy Sam Edge gets thrown off of Skyhook during bull riding at the 2011 Alberta High School Rodeo at the Lions Rodeo Grounds

For members of the Devils Head Mountain Rodeo Team, based out of Cochrane High School (CHS), this highly anticipated weekend is not to be taken lightly.

The Division 1 Alberta high school rodeo team will be competing May 26-27 at the Lions Rodeo Park in the final event of the season.

This is the last chance for Cochrane rodeo kids to qualify for the Alberta High Schools Rodeo Association (AHSRA) finals, which will be held in Ponoka June 7-10. There are four AHSRA divisions in the province.

“Our rodeo is the last rodeo of the year,” said CHS vice-principal and club director, Murray Arnold, adding that the kids who do well in the Ponoka finals will qualify for the Nationals High Schools Rodeo Association finals, which will be held in Rock Springs, Wyo., July 15-21.

“It’s free admission and this is a hard-working group of kids, so people should come on out,” said Arnold.

Event chair, Claire Meert, said that the club presently has seven members who have qualified for the AHSRA finals and several others not far behind.

“This is very important for those members trying to make the finals,” said Meert. “Only the top 10 in each event can advance to the finals and members are very close.”

The CHS competitors this weekend include Caroline Meert, Shontana Deeton, Shayla Deeton, Dereka King, Keenan Reinhardt, Kylie Scheers, Angela Lowe, Taylor Schiedt and Danielle Tressider; Candice MacDonald from Cremona School, Wren Longeway and Rayna Longeway of Springbank High are also competing.

“Our rough stock events have more entrants this year than we have in the past,” noted Arnold. “And Sunday, after the events, we’ll be giving out our district awards.”

The Devils Head club has been running for 18 years; the club currently has 13 members between Grades 6-12, and youngest member, Eddie Longeway, recently competed in the Junior Rodeo Finals, earning himself a spot with the Alberta team in the National Junior Finals.

“As a club, we are very thankful to all of our sponsors who support us in putting on this rodeo,” said Meert. “We definitely would not be able to do this without the help of the community.”

The 2012 Division 1 AHSRA finals will run May 26, beginning at 11 a.m. and May 27, starting at 10 a.m.; there will be concession food available.

Contact Claire Meert at 403-688-0045 for details.

From left: Tryse Blazina, Sheryl Dhlodhlo, Leandra Wiebe and Lorelei Andrews walk along the river pathways in West Terrace during the Cochrane Christian Academy's charity water walk May 17

More than 100 students in the Cochrane Christian Academy (CCA) abided by the age-old advice to ‘walk a mile in someone else’s shoes’ on the morning of May 17.

Students K-8 participated in a water walk challenge, carrying jugs filled with water on their heads as they made their way through an obstacle course, putting themselves in the shoes of African children living in poverty.

The goal of this pilot program was two-fold: to raise $15,000 for World Vision, to build a community well in an African village and to instill empathy into the children who participated.

Allan Elkin, principal of CCA, said the event was a success, inspired by a staff member’s daughter who is a World Vision representative for Alberta.

“It was part of our chapel theme this year, which was ‘living water’,” explained Elkin. “We’ve been working with our students for a while to get this going.”

Elkin laughed that while the school prayed that it wouldn’t rain, they did get caught in some May snowflakes, through which the kids trudged onwards.

What amazed the Rocky View Schools (RVS) principal the most was how quickly the students surpassed their original fundraising goal.

“We set our goal at $7,500 — enough to pay for half a well,” revealed Elkin. “When we did our tally, we raised more than $13,500, so we’ve left it open to reach the amount of $15,000, so we can have enough money to pay for a full well.”

He added that the children benefited from the practical education component of the program — water education and learning about the significance of providing clean water to a village.

“The way they embraced wanting to serve others was amazing,” said Elkin. “There’s absolutely nothing monetary in this for us at all.”

“It’s about being of service to others,” said Elkin, explaining that the water walk program fits in with RVS’s mandate to foster global citizenship service projects within its schools.

Elkin hopes the community, which has been supportive so far, will help the CCA reach their $15,000 goal in the coming weeks, by visiting worldvision.ca, looking up gift catalogues, group donations and Cochrane Christian Academy.

The CCA can be reached at 403-932-4457.

Claire Young

After 34 years of living in Cochrane, 20 of which have been spent as a victim advocate volunteer with Cochrane and Area Victim Services (CAVS), as well as the last 10 years spent working for Cochrane Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) as a community resource worker, Claire Young is bidding farewell to the foothills.

She is retiring and moving with her husband, Terry, to Prince Edward Island.

Young’s last day at FCSS will be July 13 and she said she will miss all the people who have touched her life and who she has had the opportunity to give a hand up.

“What will I miss the most? The people,” sighed Young. “The people I help as well as the people I work with and the community.

“Being in the position to match up a client’s need with a workable solution for their need at that time is a great reward.”

Through her volunteer position at CAVS, Young has provided support for countless people in all types of crisis situations, with most of her work closely connected with the work of the RCMP.

“I absolutely loved my volunteer work over the last 20 years,” said Young. “It’s been an honour to be there and to be entrusted with their stories and have been there to help them heal.”

Cindy Kovalak worked with Young, as the executive director of CAVS for four years, departing last month.

“She has given 110 percent since the day she started in Victim Services and could always be counted on to be on call and work tirelessly with victims. She will be sorely missed,” said Kovalak.

Since her volunteer work has been closely connected with her work at FCSS, Young said she has enjoyed her varied experiences in community service, including job matching, family violence, food bank referrals and homelessness, to name a few.

“Any daily client intake for any social, emotional or financial need,” explained Young, whose job is to help a client get to where they need, in the way of getting their lives back on track or being connected with the services they require.

“Cochrane is probably one of the best communities to work in,” said Young, adding that the community has always been generous.

“Claire has helped thousands of people over the years,” said Susan Flowers, director of FCSS. “Whether Claire is matching someone with an Activettes food hamper, helping out in a domestic violence situation, planning our yearly Jacket Racket program or getting children referred to summer camps, she has given it her all day after day, year after year.”

4-H on Parade

The largest annual gathering of Canada’s 4-H clubs takes place at the Calgary Stampede and Exhibition grounds from June 1-3, in commemoration of the Centennial Calgary Stampede, which runs July 5-16.

The 4-H on Parade offers youth from the Calgary area clubs the opportunity to showcase their projects.

“Whether it’s being tasked to raise the charity steer or lamb or decorating cakes, there is something on display for every kind of enthusiast,” said Big Hill West Light Horse Club (Cochrane) assistant leader, Marie Whitmarsh.

“The Big Hill West Light Horse Club has 11 of our 24 members registered to participate in the two-day horse show,” explained Whitmarsh.

“Members will compete in showmanship, Western and English classes.”

Last year, the Cochrane 4-H club won first prize in the stall decorating contest at the 4-H on Parade event, with an elaborate ski hill and lodge theme.

The annual parade showcases various animals in competition, including rabbits, bovine, horses, dogs and sheep, as well as other activities.

Learn more at 4h.ab.ca.

Ryan Portello

Cochrane’s Ryan Portello has been selected to join the 10-man Alberta freestyle moguls team.

The 14-year-old Cochrane High School student spent the past season on the Southern Alberta freestyle team with coach Jay Vaughan. His selection to the provincial team caught Portello by surprise.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Portello said. “I wasn’t expected to get on this year.”

While he may be ahead of schedule, it’s due largely to his results this past season. He finished first at the Alberta Winter Games in his age category.

“I actually had a really good season,” he said. “I was really happy with it.”

He also spent a lot more time training this year, including work on his back flips off a practice jump that lands into an air bag. Inverted aerials are expected in the mogul’s event at the level Portello now skis at. He also has a 360 he throws into one of two jumps on the mogul’s course.

“You have to be able to do that to compete with everybody else,” the Grade 9 student said.

It’ll be a busy summer for the young skier. He’s just returned from three weeks of training in Whistler and will spend most of the summer at Whistler training.

“I’m going to be doing some mogul training and do some training on ski-jump ramps that go into a pool,” he explained. “I think I’m going to get a lot better but I’m in an older age category now, so it’s going to be harder to compete with everybody.”

Emma Duffy playing Alice and James Stead as the White Rabbit

The Cochrane High School (CHS) drama department is putting the final touches on their spring production of Alice in Wonderland, which runs today through May 25 in the CHS lyceum at 7 p.m.

The drama department is separate from the performing arts department, which ran Legally Blonde March 14-17.

“It’s so exciting to see students do this project on their own,” said drama teacher Tammy Christiansen. “There are so many students in this class who want to do well.”

The cast and crew, some 30 kids between Grades 10-12, have only been rehearsing for five weeks and Grade 10 director, 15-year-old Rachel Robitaille, said she is amazed at her hard working thespians.

“I’m definitely going to remember the dedication of our actors,” said Robitaille, who re-wrote the script to suit a better demographic — taking elements from both the Disney and Tim Burton versions.

“We wanted something that would appeal to elementary and high school students,” she explained, adding that everything — from the performances to the set and costumes — is coming together steadily.

“I want to encourage people to come to the show,” said Robitaille, adding that her first experience directing is giving her ideas for future studies beyond high school.

Tickets are $5 and are available at the door or at the CHS front desk.