Clearview report card shows enrolment increase RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter Battling to see growth in the number of students in classes in the past few years, Clearview School Division has recorded a one per cent increase in official enrolment for 2013-14. That was boosted most significantly at Coronation School, with 303.5 full-time equivalent students. “This is great news for the entire division,” said Ken Checkel, who chairs the board and represents Coronation. “Support that we are receiving from our communities and the excellent work done by our school staffs have a lot to do with the increased enrolment.” For the official enrolment on Sept. 30 to calculate provincial funding, the Clearview School Division registered 2,350 students
(full-time equivalent). Coronation School saw the largest increase in student enrolments, with a year-to-year increase of 21 students, or seven per cent. Those increases have been attributed to students from nearby Consort, located outside of the school division, coming to Coronation School as a school of choice, and new businesses in the area that are bringing in new families. Coronation — 303.5. Gus Wetter — 222.5. Brownfield — 37. Byemoor — 27.5. Clearview already expected a slight increase of nine students over last year. With the new enrolments now calculated, the public school division saw a 12-student increase to projections done last spring and an increase of 21 students
over last year. “We are very pleased that the community and division staff are able to work together in identifying these students,” said John Bailey, superintendent of schools. “The earlier we can provide supports for a student that needs additional help, the better their successes will be in achieving their full potential at the end of Grade 12 and beyond. “This is a keystone to the beliefs Clearview public schools has had for many years in providing an inclusive education for our students.” Enrolment for other Clearview schools includes: William E. Hay — 519. Stettler Elementary — 445. Stettler Middle — 282. Erskine — 117. Big Valley — 80.
Donalda — 59. Botha — 56.5. Stettler Outreach — 35. Balance of the enrolment is students in Hutterite colonies. The largest increase was in the prekindergarten programming, or early learning program. Starting with a spring projection of 15 students based on last year’s enrolments, the division actually enrolled 39 students, representing an increase of 160 per cent. The school division did not see the growth hoped for in the Stettler Outreach School, which originally projected 61 students, and instead largely maintained their enrolments from last year at 35 students. Outreach enrolments typically continue to grow and increase throughout the year, and the school is optimistic it will meet its projections by year end.
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County contends it is clean RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter
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YOUTH MOVEMENT — Nine-year-old Cody Morris receives direction from Big Valley firefighter Jeff Klassen during the Stettler Regional Fire Department’s open house last Saturday. See more photos on Page A2.
Food drive marks end of Willis era RICHARD FROESE Independent reporter Just in time for the Thanksgiving season, Stettler and District Food Bank was replenished during the annual community food drive Monday night. “The community has always been so generous and supportive of the food bank” said Kathy Willis, who plans to step down at the end of this year after 16 years as the managing director of the food bank. “I just can’t say enough about the community.” Over the past five years, the food bank has provided food hampers for 400 families and households each year, she said.
“They’re so grateful for the hampers,” Willis said. Each month, the Stettler food bank distributes an average of 114 hampers, as donations have flourished in recent years. In previous years, the food bank monthly distributed 112 hampers in 2011, 125 in 2010, 120 in 2009 an 93 in 2008. For the recipients of the hampers, 54 per cent are for households with children and the rest for adults only. Shelves of the food bank are restocked from donations during the annual food drive held the first Monday of October, with help from Stettler Regional Fire Department and ATCO Electric. “Our food bank is fortunate that we don’t have to organize any food drives or campaigns,” Willis said. “The community and local groups initiate them for us.”
KATHY WILLIS With the long-serving managing director departing, the food bank society is seeking a successor, and more volunteers and a director for the board. “Kathy has done every job there is to do in the food bank and she has gone above and beyond,” said Betty Birch, president of the food bank society. Along with a new
director, the society is putting out a call for more volunteers. “We need volunteers to work in the food bank, people to pick up bread and groceries each week, and we need more people on our board,” Birch said. Stettler food bank relies on residents in the region to donate food and funding, because provincial and federal government funding doesn’t support food banks. Food donations can be made at Sobeys and NoFrills grocery stores in Stettler. Fresh vegetables and fruit are accepted, but not canned food or wild meat. Monetary donations help purchase products such as milk, eggs and meat. Cheques can be mailed to Box 1492 in Stettler. For more information on the food bank, phone Birch at 403-742-0732.
After being accused by the Wildrose Party of using taxpayers’ money to support the provincial PC party, the County of Stettler has released information that it says clears the current council of any wrongdoing. “The current council and administration remain committed to avoiding any partisan political events and we will continue to work hard to build relationships with all levels of government in order to best serve our residents,” Reeve Wayne Nixon said in a news release Friday, a couple of weeks before the Oct. 21 municipal election. “We take the allegations made against us very seriously, and because of that, we conducted a thorough financial investigation within our organization.” After searching through records dating back almost a decade, the county found instances in the past in which the county has paid for staff or councillors to attend politically-associated events, all of which happened prior to 2009 with the ruling Progressive Conservatives. Over the past decade, the county paid more than $3,440 for councillors and $3,100 for staff to attend Tory events. “Unfortunately, at the time, it was not uncommon for municipalities to attend political events in order to have face time with ministers and other government officials,” Nixon said. “County council at that time was trying to build relationships that have benefited our community in many ways, including the rural water distribution system, Fenn Road and other important community infrastructure. “However, the most recent council has put a stop to such partisan behaviour and no expenditures on these types of events have been made since our council took office in October 2010.” The county has released the results of an internal investigation, which follows on the heels of recent and repeated Freedom of Information and Privacy requests from the Wildrose. The opposition party allegeded that the county communications director used county time and email to create a Facebook page to promote former county reeve and Progressive Conservative cabinet minister Jack Hayden, who went on to lose to Rick Strankman in the April 2012 provincial election. “The internal review, of which will be made available to both the public and to the Wildrose Party as part of our obligation under FOIP, does confirm that all contributions to political causes happened prior to the current council taking office,” Nixon said. The county said the list of contributors is available for viewing at the county office, but that it wouldn’t release the list outright. During the internal investigation, administration also found the Wildrose allegations about erecting election signs and the use of employee time to create a partisan Facebook page to be untrue, the county contends. “There was no evidence to suggest that either of those activities have or are currently taking place,” said Tim Fox, the chief administrative officer for the county. “They also made allegations that we have stopped using email, which is also a baseless accusation. We rely on email to keep our office running productively and efficiently.” Serving as reeve under the previous council, Earl Marshall said the county had often purchased tickets to political events and required councillors to reimburse the county before such events. “There were some deadbeats on council who wouldn’t reimburse the county for tickets, so we fixed the problem,” Marshall said. Soon after, council approved a policy that all tickets had to be prepaid to the county before events, he said.
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