Prairie Rose Possibilities opening doors for students at Redcliff’s I.F. Cox

By Samantha Johnson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on December 5, 2023.

reporter@medicinehatnews.com

For K-3 students at I.F. Cox School in Redcliff, there is a new Prairie Rose Possibilities project available called TNT, or Try New Things.

Parents wanted to see broader programs in the school and this project offers opportunities for students to take part in different areas of interest. Another benefit is children engage with different teachers as well as students from other grades while participating in their chosen courses.

The project aligns with kindling hearts by bringing a sense of well-being to both students and staff. It allows staff to offer courses in subjects they are passionate about and gives students a choice of what topics they want to engage in. It also provides an opportunity to bring parents and stakeholders back into the school post-pandemic. It ignites minds by providing high yield strategies, co-operative learning, executive functioning skills and non-linguistic representation.

Additionally, by cultivating wonder, strengthening partnerships with stakeholders and offering prospects for deeper learning, the program is forging futures.

The program started with teaching staff offering courses and has grown to include support staff and a divisional lead. First-year education students from Medicine Hat College, a retired teacher who is a watercolour artist, the Mavericks baseball team, along with men’s and women’s sports teams from the college have all come into the school.

There were 92 parent responses from a survey and 100% were positive, with comments focused on how much they were looking forward to sessions restarting again this year.

Trustee Patty Rooks stated the program was a great way to create a sense of community, and while she is aware it creates extra work for the teachers, it is appreciated.

The school is having a Christmas fair and fun night and many groups have been working on products to sell, such as baked items, ornaments and watercolour paintings. The fair will take place Dec. 6 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. and the school is in the process of choosing a charity to donate all proceeds to.

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