Year in Review: Students and schools reach new heights in 2024

By BRENDAN MILLER on January 2, 2025.

bmiller@medicinehatnews.com

The Medicine Hat News spoke with the superintendent of schools for both the Medicine Hat Public School Division and the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education to highlight student, staff and overall division successes that occurred in the classrooms throughout 2024.

Medicine Hat Public School Division

The conversation with MHPSD superintendent Tracy Hensel highlighted four universal goals, plus a new sports academy, dual credit opportunities for students and increased mental health support.

Public high school students interested in skilled trades jobs now have more opportunities than before to enrol in apprenticeship programming after the division partnered with Medicine Hat College to offer students a three-year program called ‘Introduction to the Trades.’

“The dual credit program has received overwhelming interest from students. It allows them to get a head start on their post-secondary education while they’re still in high school, so its a great opportunity,” says Hensel.

Introduction to the Trades exposes students to several different trade jobs for a one-month period. The learning structure allows students from Grade 10-12 to gain hands-on experience and training from qualified college instructors in a variety of programs before diving deeper into a specific specialization.

Seven skilled trades are run through during the first year. The first month students learn about mechanics, in month two, welding. The goal is provide students a clear pathway into the workforce they know is right for them through real-life experience. Students entering the third year of the program will hone their skills on a single in-demand trade.

“Work experience continues to allow students to gain those practical skills and I think helping students understand that high school is a stepping stone to the next stage of life,” says Hensel.

Student engagement throughout the division continues to help guide the division on important decisions. Hensel highlighted the work of Medicine Hat High Schools’ Student Senate, whose student-created surveys provided board trustees valuable data to help shape future planning.

This year members of the Student Senate collected feedback from more than 600 students about their experience since cell phones and personal electronics were banned from the classroom to start the school year.

Afterwards members of the Student Senate presented their data to trusses during a public meeting, in hopes the division can develop a cell phone restriction policy that better reflects students needs.

This year the division also celebrated excellence in academics among students as four students scored perfect on their diploma exams.

Notably, Grade 11 Hat High student Fatema Riaz received a perfect score on her Biology 30 and Math 30-1 diploma exams as well as scoring a 98 per cent on her Chemistry 30 diploma exam.

Riaz spent her summer participating in a six-week high school youth researcher summer program at the University of Lethbridge, conducting antibiotic resistance research under a biochemistry professor.

This year the MHPSD entered into its second year of the APPLE Schools innovation focused on promoting healthy schools as well as its second year of the Integrated School Support Program, both supporting student wellness as well as the launch of the CASA classroom that provides mental health treatment for students from Grade 4-6.

Optimal learning, thinking and acting inclusively, wellness and truth and reconciliation are the division’s four universal goals.

In 2024 the division hosted a week-long educational event to provide students an opportunity to learn about the traditions of the Blackfoot, Cree and Métis cultures during KisKihkeyimowin to help foster understand and appreciating of Indigenous cultures.

The school division also launched its new Division 76 Hockey and Ringette Academy aimed for students from Grade 4-9 and recently unveiled its new indoor training space.

Hensel served as acting superintendent for six months in 2024 before accepting the full-time role she assumed Jan. 1.

Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education

The conversation with MHCBE superintendent Dwayne Zarichny highlighted student successes, high parental engagement and boasted a strong student voice and student-led faith leadership groups.

From pre-designs and schematics, contract document and co-ordination, open houses and meetings to tendering the project, 2024 was a busy year for the development of the division’s new school that will replace St. Francis Xavier school.

Construction of Holy Trinity Academy is expected to begin early 2025 and once complete the new school will feature two-full sized gymnasiums, a large accessible theatre and several dedicated classrooms for science, arts, dance and foods.

Throughout the development of the new school the division worked with architects to consider the accessibility needs of all its students and once complete, will be one of the most accessible buildings in the province.

“The design of that building, I think, for me personally, is one of the most exciting things because if a student has needs, we want them to be able to participate in that school and in that playground fully and we believe that this building is going to allow them to do that,” said Zarichny, who says the school’s playground will also be one of the most accessible in Alberta.

“That fulfils part of our obligation as Catholic educators to make sure that we’re educating the whole child and every child.”

Zarichny explains educating the whole child is not just about academics, but includes other facets of their life, including spirituality. This year the MHCBE continued encouraging parental involvement and scored above average in several academic categories, according to the Alberta Education’s annual report.

“I think both parents and students feel that by having that relationship, there’s a comfort level that’s there that doesn’t exist in a lot of other places,” explains Zarichny. “There are a number of families that come to us from different faiths who are really excited that their children can talk about God, or how they’re feeling and it’s a faith based discussion.”

Zarichny says the division’s traditional approach to education is reflected through student Christmas concerts, school plays and ceremonies and involvement in student leadership activities that help influence education in the province.

Zarichny highlighted MHCBE’s recent success in 2024 as 19 of 20 French immersion students passed the DELF exam, a French language proficiency exam that certifies a candidate’s ability to speak, read, write and listen in French, and is administered by the French Ministry of Education.

Students who pass the language proficiency exam are able to study at post-secondary institutions in French speaking communities.

“I think it’s indicative of the effort that parents put in supporting their students, because none of this happens in isolation,” says Zarichny. “This is an all-hands-on-deck situation for our school division to have students be as successful as they are.

“You have to have an incredibly strong staff, you have to have them dedicated to the students. You have to have amazing students, which we do, and you have to have parents that are committed to their success. And so when you have all those ingredients, you can’t help but be successful.”

As well, presented with a unique opportunity to work with a filmmaker from Calgary, several performing arts students wrote, produced and performed in a CFL-themed song and video that is aimed to teach new fans the rules of Canadian football.

Both Hensel and Zarichny wish everyone a great Christmas break and look forward to seeing students back in class in the new year.

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