Year in Review: Students, schools make strides despite challenges

By BRENDAN MILLER on December 20, 2025.

bmiller@medicinehatnews.com

As the Medicine Hat Catholic Board of Education celebrated delivering 115 years of education in 2025, the school division held an official groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for its new Holy Trinity Academy K-9, expected to welcome students in 2027, and launched a unique academy toward careers in policing and firefighting.

Earlier in May the community gathered for an official ribbon-cutting and turning of the sod ceremony for a new K-9 school being built at the location of St. Francis Xavier, adjacent to Monsignor McCoy High School.

The new school is designed in collaboration with Monsignor McCoy High School to expand and improve programming offered throughout the school division, and the design features modern wheelchair access, drop-down tables and braille along the wall, and is designed to be the most accessible school in the province.

Likewise, education spaces within the school have been designed to accommodate large groups or learning activities to allow educators more rooms and flexible spaces for a variety of purposes that include multi-use rooms with walls that can fold up and open.

The new school will boost a 380-seat full theatre with additional seating for special needs, two full-sized gymnasiums and several dedicated classrooms for science, dance, woodworking and art, as well as a food lab with the ability to host a concessions stand during events in the theatre or gymnasium.

Superintendent Dwayne Zarichny says progress on the school is on schedule and MHCBE is hopefully welcoming students from St. Francis Xavier, St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s into the new school by September 2027.

“It’s very exciting, they have the walls up for the theatre, so we know what our theatre is going to look like,” said Zarichny. “So that project continues to stay on schedule and we’re very pleased.”

In 2025, the division also launched its First Responder Academy offered to Grade 11 students that aims to give students the experience, skills and prepare them with necessary attributes, physical fitness and mental-health supports.

The collaborative program works with local police officers and firefighters to train students who are serious about careers in both fields, and students in the first year of the academy have been training at the Medicine Hat Police Service detachment building, in the classroom and working with high-tech simulation technology to gain the skills necessary to find employment as a first responder.

“This academy really is geared for students who want to become professionals in those areas,” explains Zarichny. “Professional police officers, professional firefighters, professional EMS and so it’s not really about students gaining an experience in it as much as these programs are designed to either move students along in terms of training and the timelines and be able to engage in those careers.”

Students also gain a foot in the door as they learn and train side-by-side with local first responders.

“It’s not just about sampling a career,” explains Zarichny. “If a student enters the program in Grade 10, they’ll have three years of relationships already built, either with the police service, the fire service or the EMS service.”

Currently the academy offers training in police and fire, however the division expects to offer EMS and medical training next year and open the program to students in Grade 10.

Heading into the new year, Zarichny wishes all students, staff and families seasonal well-wishes.

“We wish all of our parents and students and staff all of the blessings of Christmas and look forward to seeing them in the new year and to be bringing in that new year together.”

The Medicine Hat Public School Division welcomed its new superintendent Tracey Hensel, who took reins effective in 2025 replacing previous superintendent Mark Davison, who departed Medicine Hat in June 2024.

Notable highlights from 2025 include the introduction of new subsidized childcare programming, expanding dual-credit opportunities for junior and high-school students, inspiring students through outdoor sports and a week-long educational event to provide students an opportunity to learn about the traditions of local Indigenous Peoples.

In 2025, families with kindergarten-aged children were able to access affordable childcare grants and subsidies by enrolling their children into the Medicine Hat Public School Division’s Play and Learn program, which allows the student to stay in their school throughout the entire day.

Public high school students interested in skilled trades jobs now have more opportunities than before to enrol in apprentice programming after the division partnered with several local post-secondary institutions, including Medicine Hat College and Olds College, to offer students a variety of dual-credit programs aimed at exposing students to skilled trade jobs while providing high school and post-secondary credits.

Within the division there are two different program pathways available to students.

Students can enrol in a single course that runs for approximately 12-16 weeks and provides the opportunity to earn five Grade 12 credits as well as three college or university credits.

These semester-long courses include health care and nursing, e-sports and technology, sports management and performance, criminal justice and police, veterinary and animal health, business and agriculture.

During the summer, more than 100 local students were taught how to ride the rough and smooth terrain around Medicine Hat in disciplines like cross-country, downhill and trail riding in the Red Rock Mountain Bike Club.

The mountain bike club is open to public school students in middle and high school and was taught by eight certified instructors who supported students while they improved their athleticism and friendship through a sport that is not traditionally offered in schools.

In May students had the opportunity to celebrate Black Foot, Cree and Métis Peoples as well as step inside traditional Cree Tipi structures for an immersive experience on Indigenous Culture and traditions during the division’s week-long educational event KisKihkeyimowin, held throughout schools and at Medicine Hat College.

Heading into the new year trustees are expected to make a decision around the closure of two elementary schools.

This month the division held two public consultations with families and guardians as MHPSD considers closing Southview Community and Webster Niblock as it faces budget challenges.

A decision is expected Jan. 6.

Of note, all local schools were also impacted in October from Alberta Teachers’ Association strike, which led to the UCP passing its controversial Bill 2: Back to Schools Act to force teachers back to work.

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