<p><meta charset="utf-8"></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">For Sarah Abouali, Akram Jomaa (AJ) School is more than a place to work. It is home.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">A former student who attended the school from kindergarten through high school, Abouali has returned to teach in the same classrooms where she once learned. Today, she works alongside some of her former teachers and remains part of a school community that shaped her life.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“AJ has always been a part of my world,” she shared. “My family is connected to the school, and now coming back as a teacher feels really special.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Although in her first year as a certified teacher, Abouali brings several years of experience working with youth through camps, programs, and volunteer work. Those experiences helped guide her decision to eventually pursue a career in education.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I always knew I wanted to study English because of my passion for literature,” she said. “As I gained more experience working with youth, I realized I loved teaching. It just made sense to teach what I love.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">At AJ School, Abouali teaches Grade 9 Humanities along with English Language Arts for Grades 10 and 11. Her classroom is structured and welcoming, with students beginning each class with quiet reading or reflection before moving into lessons that encourage discussion, critical thinking, and real world connections.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I love hearing students’ perspectives,” she said. “Those conversations and connections are what make teaching so rewarding.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">She is also involved in school life beyond the classroom, supporting weekly student gatherings, supervising athletics, and helping lead an upcoming student exchange trip. She also teaches a journalism course where students work together to create a digital school newspaper.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Like many new teachers, her first year has come with challenges. Learning new curriculum areas and managing a full teaching schedule has required strong organization and adaptability. She is also mindful of the responsibility that comes with the role.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“You are preparing students for their future, and that is always on my mind,” she said. “It is a lot of responsibility, but it is also what makes the work meaningful.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">She credits her colleagues for creating a supportive environment where staff share ideas, resources, and guidance.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">When she learned she had been nominated for the Edwin Parr Teacher Award, she was both surprised and grateful.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“I did not even know what the award was,” she said. “I feel very grateful. It is nice to be in a place where there is so much room to grow.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Principal Ramy Elhamalawy says Abouali stood out early in her first year.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“Sarah brings a level of care and intention to her teaching that is not common for someone in their first year. She builds strong relationships with students and creates a classroom where they feel comfortable sharing their thinking and taking risks in their learning.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">“She is reflective, open to feedback, and always looking for ways to improve her practice. Combined with her strong connection to the school community, those qualities made her an easy choice for this nomination.”</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">The Edwin Parr Teacher Award, presented by the Alberta School Boards Association, recognizes outstanding first year teachers across the province. Each school division selects one nominee who demonstrates excellence in teaching, strong relationships with students, and the potential for a successful career in education.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">CIS Akram Jomaa Campus, along with sister school CIS Omar Bin Al Khattab Campus, joined Prairie Rose Public Schools last summer. The Calgary based schools serve approximately 1,600 students.</span></p><p style="line-height:1.38;margin-bottom:12pt;margin-top:12pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="background-color:transparent;color:#000000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:11pt;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:400;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap;">Abouali has been named Prairie Rose Public Schools’ nominee for the 2025 to 2026 Edwin Parr Teacher Award and will represent the division at the Zone 6 award banquet on May 20 in Taber.</span></p>

<h2 class="deck" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.5rem;margin-block:16px;margin-inline:0px;margin-top:16px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;" lang="en">Rural school counsellor drives thousands of kilometres each week</h2><div class="byline" style="-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;align-items:center;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(84, 84, 84);display:flex;font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.25rem;margin-block:16px;margin-inline:0px;margin-top:16px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="bylineDetails"><span class="authorText" data-cy="author-text">Collin Gallant</span> <span class="bullet">· </span>CBC News <span class="bullet">· </span><time class="timeStamp" style="display:inline-block;" datetime="2026-03-26T11:00:00.000Z">Posted: Mar 26, 2026 5:00 AM MDT | Last Updated: March 2</time></div></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(62, 62, 62);font-family:articulat-cf, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">CBC online/video story here: <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rural-schools-counsellors-9.7141814">Country schools, modern problems and the long haul to help kids | CBC News</a></p><p>---------</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(62, 62, 62);font-family:articulat-cf, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Slush pushes Sophie Wheeler's compact car back into the lane as she passes a snowplow during an early March snowstorm.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">It's 7:30 in the morning as she pulls out of Medicine Hat toward Oyen, a 190-kilometre drive she makes three times a week, part of a new attempt to bring support to some of Alberta’s most remote schools.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">That distance doesn't buffer the challenges students experience there — bullying, social-emotional issues, anxiety, depression, aggression, self-harm and even thoughts of suicide. These have been increasing since the pandemic.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"I think it's definitely a misconception that everything is easier [in rural areas for kids],” said Wheeler, leaning forward in the driver's seat, her eyes fixed on the road.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"It's just the way that the schools cope with it is a little bit different."&nbsp;</p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.3;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Rural complexity requires 'creative' strategy</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Teachers in schools across Alberta have been reporting increased complexity in their classrooms — more students who need more help to catch up, or who are struggling with interpersonal and other challenges since the pandemic.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The problems are no different in rural Alberta, but the solutions have to be.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">In this case, it’s a roving team of experts, one of whom puts in 1,200 kilometres a week on the roads.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">In southeastern Alberta, the Prairie Rose School Division stretches from the Montana border, 250 kilometres north to Oyen, with 18 town schools, plus 18 more on Hutterite colonies. It’s a land of farmers and cattle grazing leases and wind turbines, as close to Saskatoon as it is to Calgary.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The population is so sparse, the roughly 5,000 people who live within 100 kilometres of Oyen wouldn't fill the lower bowl of the Saddledome.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Officials with Prairie Rose started to notice an increase in complexity and aggressive behaviour from students five years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Working for a school district in an isolated area, they knew community members would turn to them for help. There just isn’t much other support around.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"It's hard to access services — physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health, physical therapists, occupational therapists," said Lisa Lindsay, the assistant superintendent of Prairie Rose. "And so we, the school, in those municipalities, we are everything to everybody."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The district increased the size of its wellness team to 10 positions two years ago and tried to hire a counsellor for Oyen who lived in the area.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">But without any qualified applicants, it redefined the position as a hybrid travelling counsellor, and Wheeler was hired last fall.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Wheeler lives in Medicine Hat. Her route to Oyen parallels the Saskatchewan border, a two-lane highway dotted with dead patches of cellphone service.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">On the day CBC News joined her, Wheeler arrived late at Oyen Public School, slowed by whiteout conditions and stopping to check on a division bus that hit the ditch.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">She checks in with staff, then heads to South Central High School, tucked beside a farm equipment dealership two blocks away. On the teens heading to class, cowboy boots are as common as sneakers, along with boot-cut jeans and ballcaps from tractor brands and seed distributors.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">High school principal Dawn Peers lives two minutes out of town, but has a sofa bed in her office in case roads close. Every student who rides the bus is paired with a town kid or billet family to have a place to stay during a blizzard.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Peers and Wheeler chat about specific students. Wheeler lets the principal know there’s a bit more to the story behind why one child is struggling, and they make plans to speak again.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Wheeler greets kids by name as she walks the halls.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The school serves kids with all types of needs in the same classroom; one student who is non-verbal eats his lunch with an aide in the cafeteria. Wheeler greets him with a wave.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">On an average day, Wheeler meets one-on-one with students — or virtually as required — to discuss issues ranging from friendship problems to self-harm, or to follow up on coping strategies. She also connects parents with additional help and advises teachers.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Prairie Rose students have access to a class specifically focused on mental health programming but only in Medicine Hat.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"Some days you kind of feel like I could spend every day up here," said Wheeler.</p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><p><i><strong>Prairie Rose School Division's boundaries reach from the U.S. border to central Alberta. It operates 38 schools over hundreds of kilometres:</strong></i></p></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Later, the 10-person Prairie Rose wellness team will meet to debrief, talk through problems, share successes and support each other, she said.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">“It can be heavier work.”</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Peers walks with Wheeler past rows of graduation photos. The principal has spent her 30-year career in the Oyen area. She speaks with pride about graduates, a new baseball academy and the school's place at the heart of the community.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Peers says the school benefitted from the division's focus on adding educational assistants — there are four for South Central High School's student population of about 200 — and now Wheeler and wellness counsellors add "another set of eyes."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"Every minute that she's in this building, there's a long line of students who want to access her," said Peers. "She's sparked a new interest this year, and students are seeking her out.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"We could use more of that."&nbsp;</p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.3;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Rural teachers 'burnt out trying to juggle' complex classrooms, CBC survey finds</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">When CBC News surveyed teachers across the province in January, more than 400 out of the 6,000 respondents were from rural and remote areas. They told a tale similar to their urban counterparts' of struggling to maintain classrooms and meet all the needs of their students.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"I love all my kids, but I'm burnt out trying to juggle everything all at once," wrote one rural teacher in an unnamed district.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"No amount of 'raising my pay' will increase capacity or time," wrote another rural teacher. "It's just not sustainable."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">In these rural and remote areas, teachers often described smaller classes — 20 students or less — but with a high percentage of children who require dedicated attention or are disruptive.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">As well, many teach split classes, which require them to cover multiple grades and provincial curriculum outcomes in one classroom.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Teachers stressed the need to negotiate for more support to deal with this complexity.&nbsp;</p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.3;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">New provincial complexity teams won't reach Oyen</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">After the strike, the province announced $143 million in funding for complexity teams —&nbsp;a teacher and two educational assistants —&nbsp;for nearly 500 elementary schools showing the highest level of complexity.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Prairie Rose received funding for one team for a school near Medicine Hat. But that doesn’t help its small rural schools, so the division is trying to replicate the "complexity team" concept in a roving format available to more than one school.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Recruitment will be a challenge, as it is for employers throughout the region — not just for schools.&nbsp;The municipality is currently running an advertising campaign for teachers, as well as nurses to work at Oyen's Big Country Hospital. A staff shortage caused the 10-bed facility to close briefly in 2023.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The division recently spent two years advertising for a position like Wheeler's, and will be competing with school boards across the province as everyone tries to hire for the new teams.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"Recruitment is probably the biggest obstacle we have at this point,” said Lindsay, Prairie Rose's assistant superintendent. “I think if we could find the people, we will fund it [a roving team], especially in our northern communities where we're seeing significant rise in complexity."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Oyen is a small town where kids grow up feeling known by all the adults around them. That fosters a sense of belonging. It can be hard to attract new people to a place so far away from the main centres, but many who grow up here choose to stay.&nbsp;</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Elementary school principal Deanne Smigelski grew up in a small hamlet north of Oyen, and returned to the town to teach and raise her family.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"I'm very thankful for that every day," she said, describing the community as close-knit, with supportive families.</p><h2 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:1.625rem;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.3;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Reflecting on a long drive home</h2><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">At the end of a school day in Oyen, students brush the snow off their trucks or settle in for long bus rides.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The two sides of a budding high school romance each take a bus, but in different directions. They live hours apart, with no real chance to hang out away from school.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"That social isolation piece is quite big with our rural kids," Wheeler said. "They rely on phones a lot to communicate with friends, which can … bring connection but doesn't replace in-person connection."</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">For kids with responsibilities and farm chores at home, the bus ride is also a chance to get homework done, and sneak in some down time.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Without reliable cell service on her journey home, Wheeler usually downloads and listens to course material for a master's degree in counselling.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Despite all the driving, it’s a job she enjoys.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"I love it," she said. "You get to really see kids authentically — their personalities —&nbsp;and I see a lot of resilience in these kids.</p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);color:rgb(34, 34, 34);font-family:&quot;Radio Canada&quot;, sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin-bottom:28px;margin-top:0px;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">"To see what these kids go through and [still] coming to school every day … it's rewarding."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p data-start="178" data-end="441">Ralston School has been approved as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Candidate School for both the Primary Years Program (PYP) and Middle Years Program (MYP). The school is now in the candidacy phase as it works toward full authorization as an IB World School.</p><p data-start="443" data-end="655">As part of this phase, Ralston School will begin implementing the IB approach to teaching and learning for students in Kindergarten through Grade 9, bringing an engaging, inquiry based experience into classrooms.</p><p data-start="657" data-end="984">IB is more than a curriculum. It is a way of teaching and learning that encourages students to ask questions, think critically, and understand their role in the world around them. With a focus on curiosity, communication, and global awareness, the program supports students in becoming thoughtful, caring, and capable learners.</p><h3 data-section-id="1o3hsv3" data-start="986" data-end="1032">What Learning Looks Like at Ralston School</h3><p data-start="1034" data-end="1172">Students at Ralston School will continue to learn all core Alberta curriculum subjects, including math, science, literacy, art, and music.</p><p data-start="1174" data-end="1312">These subjects are enhanced through IB’s approach, where learning is often connected through larger questions and real world applications.</p><p data-start="1314" data-end="1488">In the early years, learning is transdisciplinary. This means subjects are taught together through central themes or questions. Classrooms are active and collaborative, with:</p><p data-start="1490" data-end="1624">➡️ Group work and meaningful discussions<br>➡️ Hands on, practical learning experiences<br>➡️ Opportunities to present and share ideas</p><p data-start="1626" data-end="1807">As students move into junior high, they continue with subject specific learning while also exploring interdisciplinary projects that build independence and real world understanding.</p><h3 data-section-id="1eesan4" data-start="1809" data-end="1849">A Focus on Inquiry and Communication</h3><p data-start="1851" data-end="2083">At the heart of IB is inquiry based learning. During the candidacy phase, teachers are building this approach into daily classroom experiences. Students are encouraged not only to learn information, but to explore it more deeply by:</p><p data-start="2085" data-end="2220">➡️ Asking thoughtful questions<br>➡️ Understanding why learning matters<br>➡️ Applying knowledge to real world and community situations</p><p data-start="2222" data-end="2293">Communication is also a key part of the program. Students learn how to:</p><p data-start="2295" data-end="2404">➡️ Share ideas clearly<br>➡️ Engage in conversations and debates<br>➡️ Present their thinking with confidence</p><p data-start="2406" data-end="2511">These skills begin in the early years and continue to grow throughout a student’s time at Ralston School.</p><h3 data-section-id="21d7hu" data-start="2513" data-end="2555">Unique Opportunities at Ralston School</h3><p data-start="2557" data-end="2653">In addition to the IB program, Ralston School offers a variety of engaging learning experiences:</p><p data-start="2655" data-end="2972">➡️ Ag Pro programming with hands on opportunities<br>➡️ Business and graphic design learning<br>➡️ Student projects that give back to the community<br>➡️ A developing farm program with animals such as cows and chickens<br>➡️ Expanded French programming beginning in September<br>➡️ Opportunities in drama and visual arts</p><p data-start="2974" data-end="3073">These experiences allow students to explore their interests while connecting learning to real life.</p><h3 data-section-id="lygya2" data-start="3075" data-end="3120">Supporting a Diverse and Mobile Community</h3><p data-start="3122" data-end="3249">Ralston School welcomes families from many different backgrounds, including military and civilian families who move frequently.</p><p data-start="3251" data-end="3416">As an IB Candidate School, Ralston is building a program that provides consistency and continuity, with a focus on skills that transfer across schools and countries.</p><p data-start="3418" data-end="3542">At Ralston School, this approach is part of the experience for all students. Every child benefits from this way of learning.</p><h3 data-section-id="4z0llr" data-start="3544" data-end="3581">Preparing Students for the Future</h3><p data-start="3583" data-end="3657">The IB approach helps students build important lifelong skills, including:</p><p data-start="3659" data-end="3793">➡️ Independent thinking<br>➡️ Strong communication<br>➡️ Confidence in presenting ideas<br>➡️ Adaptability in new learning environments</p><p data-start="3795" data-end="3864">These skills support a smooth transition into high school and beyond.</p><h3 data-section-id="122bz08" data-start="3866" data-end="3890">Open to All Families</h3><p data-start="3892" data-end="4003">Ralston School welcomes students from the community of Ralston, the Village of Suffield, and surrounding areas.</p><p data-start="4005" data-end="4146">Families do not need to live within the immediate district to attend. The school is open to anyone interested in the IB approach to learning.</p><h3 data-section-id="cnbbt" data-start="4148" data-end="4171">Supporting Families</h3><p data-start="4173" data-end="4250">Ralston School offers additional supports to help meet the needs of families:</p><p data-start="4252" data-end="4427">➡️ Daycare available for children as young as three months during school hours<br>➡️ Before school care starting at 7:30 a.m.<br>➡️ After school care available until 4:30 p.m.</p><p data-start="4429" data-end="4496">These options provide flexibility for families with busy schedules.</p><h3 data-section-id="1m3omo7" data-start="4498" data-end="4512">Learn More</h3><p data-start="4514" data-end="4602">Families are encouraged to learn more by watching the video and visiting Ralston School.</p><p>➡️ Watch the video here: <a href="https://vimeo.com/1178612739">Ralston School Approved as an IB Candidate School</a></p>

<p data-start="157" data-end="302">Parents and community members are invited to take part in upcoming telephone town halls focused on Alberta’s 2026 Education and Childcare Budget.</p><p data-start="304" data-end="482">These sessions provide an opportunity to learn more about how Budget 2026 supports students and classrooms, and to ask questions directly about regional investments in education.</p><p data-start="484" data-end="504"><strong data-start="484" data-end="504">Town hall dates:</strong></p><ul data-start="505" data-end="674"><li data-list-item-id="e6f4c8aa29370393f00fec52b2636f726" data-section-id="qwrtma" data-start="505" data-end="559">Calgary: Tuesday, March 24, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m.</li><li data-list-item-id="e85e8d7f74ea296ed2af2300bb2a718c2" data-section-id="1ymzlyd" data-start="560" data-end="614">Edmonton: Monday, April 13, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m.</li><li data-list-item-id="eab8ce4a937a9fa9e4669c44931407408" data-section-id="1exk0id" data-start="615" data-end="674">Province-wide: Monday, April 20, 2026, from 6 to 7 p.m.</li></ul><p data-start="676" data-end="833">Participants who register in advance will receive a phone call just prior to the start of the town hall and can choose to join the conversation at that time.</p><p data-start="835" data-end="913">To register, visit: <a href="alberta.ca/education-and-childcare-budget-2026-town-hall">alberta.ca/education-and-childcare-budget-2026-town-hall</a></p><p data-start="835" data-end="913">Read the letter from the Minister of Education: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SANXFeZyGfP3_Q377cnCk5OTXUasR5LM/view?usp=drive_link">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SANXFeZyGfP3_Q377cnCk5OTXUasR5LM/view?usp=drive_link</a></p>

<p data-start="51" data-end="414">Prairie Rose Public Schools is proud to be part of strong community partnerships that bring innovative opportunities like the <i>Wheels of Opportunity (WOO)</i> program to Southeast Alberta. Through collaboration with Safety Buzz Campus, industry leaders, and local organizations, students have access to unique, hands-on learning experiences that extend beyond the classroom.</p><p data-start="416" data-end="696" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Programs like this provide meaningful pathways for students to explore careers, build real-world skills, and prepare for future success in our region and close to home. We are grateful to work alongside partners who are committed to supporting students and strengthening our communities.</p><p data-start="416" data-end="696" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Read the full announcement from Safety Buzz: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cy6wRYRWhDinwoFSe3XO-W0rQmL3wHEF/view?usp=drive_link">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Cy6wRYRWhDinwoFSe3XO-W0rQmL3wHEF/view?usp=drive_link</a></p>