SD76 proudly showing off the Hat this week
Medicine Hat’s SD76 is hosting the Public School Board Association of Alberta’s summer conference this weekend, with trustees coming from across the province.
“It gives us as trustees a chance to see what other centres have for facilities, programs and services,” said SD76 board chair Rick Massini.
“It also helps us develop an appreciation for the kinds of challenges they face in delivering those.”
The conference began Thursday, as guests were taken to see the upgraded Medicine Hat High School, Saamis Teepee, Police Point Park, as well as Medalta, IXL and more.
“I wanted to showcase as much of Medicine Hat as I could, but also to show off our community classroom projects that we have,” Massini said, adding this is why visitors were taken to Police Point and Medalta, where SD76 runs programs throughout the year.
“The idea is to give students first-hand experience with things that we have here that relate back to the curriculum.”
Maddy Daniels, chair of the school board at Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement, was the trustee who travelled furthest to be in the Hat.
“I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve lived in Alberta all my life and never been to this beautiful city,” said Daniels.
“The people are wonderful. The tours that we’ve had have been wonderful. It’s got so many natural resources here — the valley (and) the coulees. I’m just so impressed with it.”
She also called Hat High “incredible,” which could serve as a model for the upcoming modernization of Paddle Prairie School.
Daniels said she was particularly impressed by the “amount of community development” that went into Hat High’s upgrade, with funding assistance from parents and teachers, as well as the government and SD76.
“It gave me hope in our own small communities that it is really communities that make a school successful, not just the government or school boards,” she said.