Lakeland Link: April 18, 2011

April 18, 2011

The

www.lakelandcollege.ca

A publication of Lakeland College

Vermilion • Lloydminster

Our MISSION To inspire our learners to realize their individual potential. Our VISION To achieve educational excellence in a people-centred environment. Our VALUES are Respect, Safety, Trust, Pride, Ethics, Quality and Accountability.

Upcoming Events Lloydminster campus Monday, April 18 • University transfer program orientation session. BK 112. 6 to 9 pm. More sessions will be held May 3 & 26 and June 3.

Tuesday, April 26 • Federal election all candidates forum.

Cafeteria. 6 pm

Friday, June 3 • Campus convocation. Vic Juba Community Theatre. Ceremony begins 1:30 pm.

Vermilion campus Thursday, April 21 • Lakeland Regional Skills Canada Competition. Featured events are auto service, carpentry, electrical wiring, cabinet making, culinary arts and welding.

Wednesday, April 27 • Federal election all candidates forum.

Alumni Hall Theatre. 6 pm

Saturday, May 14 • Lakeland Runaway. Vermilion Provincial Park. Register by May 1 and save $5. For more information go to www. lakelandcollege.ca or call 780 853 8474.

Friday, May 27 • Campus convocation. Vermilion Regional Centre. Ceremony begins 1:30 pm.

is published biweekly from September to May by the department of Advancement for staff and members of the college community. Submissions regarding college news and initiatives are welcome and published at the editor's discretion. The deadline for submission is Thursday at noon prior to the publication date. The Lakeland Link is available in Outlook's Public Folders and online at www.lakelandcollege.ca/link.

Lakeland's Randy Hobbis and Catherine Rumjan stand with Annette Trimbee, assistant deputy minister from Alberta Advanced Education & Technology, and Raymond Massey, chairman of the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Branch at the awards banquet in Edmonton on April 8.

Lakeland claims multiple top apprenticeship honours at provincial awards banquet It was a high-powered event for Lakeland College at this year’s Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Branch awards banquet in Edmonton on April 8. Lakeland instructor Randy Hobbis received the Top Instructor (North) award, and recent Lakeland apprenticeship graduates Catherine Rumjan and Claude Forseille were named Alberta’s top student apprentices in the parts technician and heavy equipment technician (off road) training programs respectively.

This is the fourth consecutive year that a student who took apprenticeship technical training at Lakeland received a major award from the provincial apprenticeship training branch. The award is presented to the person who achieves the highest overall mark in their final period of training and receives a strong recommendation from their employer.

For Rumjan, who began her training at the age of 36 and is a mother of three, the award is recognition for hard work, determination and a commitment to the field and her employer. She works for Finning Canada Ltd. in Fort McMurray. When she joined the company in 2005 she worked in the company’s warehouse at its Mildred Lake site.

She eventually worked her way to secure a parts technician position and began her apprenticeship training at Lakeland College in 2008.

“I really enjoyed my training experience at Lakeland. I was also very happy to hear that Randy Hobbis received the Top Instructor award,” says Rumjan. “His tests were challenging but they prepared us well for the provincial and Red Seal exams. At the continued on page 2

Lakeland receives provincial top apprenticeship honours continued from page 1 job site, there are often times when I encounter a certain situation that I think back to how Randy would have explained it. He just had a certain way with his students.”

Forseille, Lakeland’s second student winner, is also a very deserving award winner, says Lakeland instructor Don Henry.

“Claude was a pleasure to have as a student on campus,” says Henry.

“He was excellent with fluid power (hydraulics) and because he works at a limestone mine, he contributed some very interesting information during class about the unique maintenance problems that could occur in that type of mine.”

While he was a student, Forseille lived in the campus’s residence village during the week and travelled home to Hinton for weekends.

Forseille is employed with Leigh Inland Cement at the Cadomin Quarry near Hinton, Alta.

This is the second time a Lakeland instructor has received the top instructor provincial award. It recognizes excellence in classroom instruction and commitment to apprentices. For Hobbis, the award was very unexpected.

“I was very surprised when I received the letter notifying me about the award.

Of course, we all try to do a good job in the classroom but when a student takes the time to submit a formal nomination, as an instructor, it makes the recognition even more special and appreciated,” says Hobbis.

And while the award may have been a surprise to Hobbis, his students are quick to pinpoint several ways that make him an effective instructor. Kelly Wagner, who completed her training at Lakeland in December and who nominated Hobbis for the award, explains.

“Randy is very deserving of the Top Instructor Award as he was instrumental in helping me and other students achieve journeyman tickets,” says Wagner. “His classroom has a great atmosphere and I looked forward to going to class every day. Nominating him for the award was just a small way to say thanks for everything he has done for me and for others.”

Marc Bennett, who also completed his training in December and is employed in Lloydminster at First Truck Centre, echoes Wagner’s sentiments.

“Randy is very patient with his students

Claude Forseille and his son Cody stand with Bert Samuelson and Don Henry from Lakeland College's School of Trades and Technology.

and has a naturally optimistic attitude towards them and his job. It really shows,” says Bennett. “As a student, I really appreciated that he recognized my efforts and made me feel good about it. He has a great sense of humour. He takes the time to explain concepts and ensures that his students know them well. His previous field experience, his natural way of teaching students, his ability to make course material relevant, and his knowledge of the community and industry prepared us well for our exams and careers.”

Hobbis joined Lakeland as an instructor in 1986 and helped develop and build the parts technician program together with colleagues Ron Smith (now retired) and Chris Noster. He stays current on industry trends and developments and is presently incorporating the new provincewide parts technician learning modules into the training program. He also is part of a provincial individual learning module peer review group.

Another special moment at the apprenticeship awards banquet occurred when Morgan Rockenbach, a 1997 Lakeland alum, received the Chairman’s Award of Excellence. The award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding dedication and commitment to their trades and to the principles of apprenticeship through service in the industry network system.

During his acceptance speech, Rockenbach acknowledged and thanked Hobbis, one of his former instructors, for his contributions to the field and to his career.

Two other Lakeland trades instructors, Bob Cameron (welding) and Curtis Cassibo (carpentry), were also nominated for top instructor awards this year.

Lakeland alumnus Morgan Rockenbach and Raymond Massey, chairman of Alberta's Apprenticeship & lndustry Training Branch.

Social media 101: Lakeland & LinkedIn Did you know there is more than one Lakeland College? When linking yourself to Lakeland College on a social media site, please ensure you’re linking to the correct one.

As an example, when you search companies on LinkedIn you’ll find two Lakeland Colleges. We are identified by Lakeland College CANADA. If you have a LinkedIn account and are not sure of which Lakeland College you are currently connected to, simply click on your profile.

It will state your title and the company you work for. If Lakeland College CANADA does not appear as your employer (company), you are promoting the Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

If you need to edit your employer on LinkedIn, click on edit profile, and type in “Lakeland Col” --we will appear in the selections menu. If you just type in “Lakeland”, it is the Lakeland College in Wisconsin that appears first.

As well, you may choose to join the Lakeland College Canada LinkedIn group. The group provides a way to hold discussions. This pre-dates the company option.

If you’d like to join the group, please do.

It’s closed, so your membership must be approved once you ask to join. There’s also a closed alumni group.

Benefit rate changes & news Premium rate changes Effective May 1, 2011, Life Insurance premiums increase by 3.57 per cent for all employee groups. Also May 1, long term disability premiums for administrative and AUPE staff will also increase by 15.97 per cent. For faculty, LTD premiums will decrease by 9.99 per cent.

Premiums to SunLife are paid a month in advance, therefore changes to employees pay will be reflected in April 2011.

If you have questions, contact Human Resources at ext. 8406.

LAPP retirement planning sessions LAPP member service representatives are offering one-on-one information sessions to participants to discuss retirement plans and pension options May 26 at the Wainwright Provincial Building.

If you’re within three years of retirement you’ll want to take part. To book an appointment time, call 1 877 649 LAPP, email memberservices@lapp.ca or visit mypensionplan to register online.

Lakeland's Margo Hines presents Glenn Charlesworth with the Queen Bee, his prize for winning the Lloydminster Spelling Bee. The event was co-hosted by the Lloydminster Learning Council and Lakeland College April 8 at the LloydMall to support Adult Learners Week (April 2 to 9). Lakeland's Taylor Dyer also competed in the spelling bee along with other community representatives.

A word from Glenn's office I got the music in me. It'd be impossible not to with the many dance festivals taking place at the Vermilion campus's Alumni Hall Theatre. Last week, the Ukrainian dancers filled the halls with their colourful costumes. These events bring plenty of visitors to the college and it’s wonderful to be able to show off our facilities.

The last two weeks have been eventful starting with a meeting with past board member Stan Fisher. He is recovering from hip surgery and is now up and around and as energetic as ever. Fisher brought a wealth of experience to the board and I truly appreciated his insights and advice (not to mention his sense of humour).

I spoke with members of Vermilion’s Library board, the mayor and a town council member about the future of the public library. We will attend an upcoming council meeting to discuss potential partnerships for library services and what that may look like. We'll also discuss the future of the pool as it is showing its age Milt Wakefield, our board vice-chair, and I met with Allan Markin, chair of CNRL, to talk about our proposed heavy oil expansion. He is well aware of looming labour shortages in the oil industry and is very interested in helping Lakeland develop our training capacity. Thank you to Milt for setting this up.

Also thanks to Margo Hines and Kara Johnston for hosting the Lloydminster Spelling Bee. This was done on very short notice and they did a great job.

Lloydminster's hospitality students also deserve two thumbs up for their hosted lunches.

I met with Saskatchewan MLA Tim McMillan last week to talk about our heavy oil expansion project. We asked for $6 million from the Saskatchewan government for this project and we are in the process of developing the business case. While McMillan expressed his support, there is nothing in the current Saskatchewan budget to support this project. We hope to have the $6 million allocated in the next budget to allow us to promptly complete the expansion and open for students in 2013 as labour shortages continue to worsen in the oil industry.

Finally I had an excellent meeting with Bob Allen, superintendent of Buffalo Trail Public Schools. We talked about student assessment, video conferencing capabilities, dual crediting and other items of mutual interest. I expect there’ll be many opportunities to work together. Allen will come to Vermilion in the next few months to address our Deans meeting about changes in student assessment in the public system.

The next couple of weeks include a conference in Calgary, a meeting with board member Mike Kotelko and a tour of his bio-energy operation, the April board meeting and the candidate’s debate.

Have a Happy Easter everyone.

Lakeland’s B.Ed students set to begin teaching careers The next “first day of school” will have a whole new meaning for 14 students who this month completed a two-year bachelor of education after degree program at Lakeland College’s Lloydminster campus.

Come fall, all of them hope to walk into their own classrooms as teachers.

The students attended Lakeland College to take the after-degree B.Ed program that was offered thanks to a collaborative project between Lakeland College and the University of Calgary. The project was also supported by teachers and schools within Lloydminster’s Catholic and public school divisions, Buffalo Trail Public Schools and East Central Alberta Catholic School Division.

All students accepted into the program had previously graduated from other bachelor degree programs. Several of them also had also years of experience working in other careers. Some of them have already been hired to teach in area school divisions.

One such student is Stephanie Pike. As a relative newcomer to the Lloydminster area, the program gave her a new opportunity to pursue a lifelong dream. She’s already been hired by the Lloydminster Catholic School Division to teach grade 8 and 9 subjects at Holy Rosary High School.

“I moved to this area three years ago from Newfoundland. I worked in a number of different jobs but I didn’t feel as though I was putting my previous education (a bachelor’s degree in English) to good use.” If this opportunity had not come along at Lakeland, I would have had to move back,” says Pike. “Now I am so looking forward to my new teaching career. This is something that I’ve always wanted to do. I can’t wait to get started.”

Tyler Venaas of Dewberry shares Pike’s enthusiasm. As a young local cattle operator he wasn’t able to relocate to a city to pursue an education degree. But thanks to the program being delivered at the Lloydminster campus, he is ready to pursue a career in a school setting close to his farm.

“I enjoy working with young people and I’ve coached hockey for a number of years. Working as a teacher in a community school will give me another way to get involved in the community.”

Jessalyn Lastiwka, a 37-year-old mother of three who has also been hired to teach English and Christian Ethics at HRHS, has nothing but praise for everyone who helped bring the program to Lloydminster.

Students completing the bachelor of education after-degree program at the Lloydminster campus are (front row) Jessica Caverly, Lesley Howland, Stephanie Pike, Kerrie Lowrie, (second row) Jill Williams, Jennifer Kondrat, Lenora Hobbs, (third row) Lori Young, Jessalyn Lastiwka, Devan Arsenault, Sheen Pankratow, (back row) Trevor Venaas and David Heculuck.

“This was such an amazing program.

We’ve learned so much from all our instructors, our partner teachers at our schools, and everyone else who has been part of the program. We’ve also learned through the hours of presentations, classroom discussions and practical in-class experiences, that to be effective

World champion hoop dancer at Lakeland Dallas Arcand from the Alexander Cree Nation near Edmonton was at the Lloydminster campus Friday to perform. He is a world champion hoop dancer and motivational speaker. From an early age, Arcand exercised his artistic talents through Pow Wow, Hip Hop and Métis dancing. Coincidentally, his Aboriginal name, Nimihto Paskwa Mostos Napew, which was given to him at birth means Dancing Buffalo Man. Lakeland College co-hosted the event with Holy Rosary High School.

teachers, we also must continue to learn.”

Students completing the program will hold a B. Ed degree from the University of Calgary but they will also be able to participate in the Lakeland College convocation ceremony to be held at Lloydminster June 3.

Corporate recreation passes fit "every body"

Practical nurse student Vanessa Huber with senior Kay Lake at the Hemstock Residence.

Nursing Communications Practical nurse students are getting to know seniors at the Dr. Hemstock Residence and the Pioneer Lodge in Lloydminster thanks to a class assignment.

As part of their first semester nursing communications course, students are partnered with a senior at one of the residences and visit monthly with that person. They help with small tasks, play games, and get to know one another.

“These students will spend a large portion of their career with seniors and often we, as nurses, tend to forget that not all seniors are in facilities where total care is needed,” says instructor Marg Mickelson. “These seniors live quite independently, only requiring minimal assistance with daily living tasks.”

This is the fourth year practical nurse students have been going to the residences. The program has grown in popularity, with many seniors asking to be paired with a student.

Students have also enjoyed the assignment and say it’s a great learning experience.

“Students have remarked that they’ve not had the opportunity to get to really know a senior before and they are surprised to discover seniors are the same as they are, just a little older,” says Mickelson.

Looking to shed your winter weight?

The recreation department is offering a discounted facility pass to staff members and spouses who do not qualify for a fulltime or permanent staff recreation pass.

The discounted facility pass, $175 per person per year, will grant passholders access to: • Weight rooms on both the Vermilion and Lloydminster campuses • Racquetball/squash courts on the Vermilion campus • Gymnasiums and equipment at both campuses • Swimming pool access during public and fitness swim times as well as aquacise classes at the Vermilion campus The discounted pass offers a 58% savings from the full-facility rate. To get your pass or if you have questions, contact the recreation department at ext. 8472.

Book your spa treatment Time is running out for booking your relaxation or therapeutic massage treatment in the student-run public clinic at the Lloydminster campus.

The cost for a one hour massage is $20.

Bookings will be taken until April 29.

The public clinic is located in Lilac Landing in the Residence Village.

To make an appointment, call 780 871 5715. More information can also be found at www.lakelandcollege.ca.

Tigers on tour Members of the Vermilion Lakeland College Bantam Tigers learned more about the college during a campus tour on April 6. Lakeland College is the team’s jersey sponsor. The Tigers had a very successful year, winning the NEAHL Bantam Tier 1 League and provincials. The team is coached by Lakeland alumni Durwin Selte and Shannan Brodbin.

Peer tutors thanked for their support of students Students who served as peer tutors were honoured during two wind-up events hosted by the Vermilion and Lloydminster campus Learning Centres on Feb. 28 and March 31.

The peer tutors were recognized for their dedication and commitment shown to fellow students over the past year. Thirty-six peer tutors received a Lakeland College Certificate of Recognition for attending the ten training sessions offered throughout the year. Fifteen also received a College Reading and Learning Association certificate to recognize both their training and a minimum of 25 hours of tutoring completed. Congratulations!

High school trades skills competition Let the competition begin.

This Thursday, 48 high school students will be at the Vermilion campus to showcase their talents during the 2011 Lakeland Regional Skills competition.

Following a brief opening ceremony at 8 am in the Trades Centre, the students will get to work. They’ll spend most of the day competing in one of the following events: auto service, cabinet making, carpentry, culinary arts, electrical wiring and welding.

The competition ends at 4 pm with the awards ceremony at 4:30 pm.

Students from Lloydminster, Mannville, Camrose, Vermilion, Kitscoty and Athabasca will participate in the event.

The top performers will qualify for the Provincial Skills Canada Competition in Edmonton May 11 and 12.

The Lakeland Regional Skills Competition is one of nine regional competitions scheduled in Alberta this year.

Lloydminster peer tutors: Adelle Peters, Jenn Cholin, Grace DeJong, Janelle Tkachuk, Elissa Lyttle, Andrew Longman, Troy Lyster, Jason Mandes, Simon Stilgoe, Stephanie Stypula, Dawn Elphick, Therese VanderHoorn, Maurice Cuny, Cosette Gilmour, Brandi Leavitt, Holly Weir, April Goodfellow, T.J. Dmyterko, Juanita Joe, Kyle Parker and Launa Burgess.

Saluting volunteerism at Lakeland

Vermilion peer tutors are Rebecca Joseph, Erin Lang, Chanelle Amundson, Roxanna Maron, Jessica Mewis, Amy Wolff, Carri Zeller, Lisa Horne and Hannah Scott, Krista Maksymchuk, Douglas Pratch, Christian Swiggum, Morgan Husereau, Jayda Michielsen, Marie Morrill, Dawn Buscholl, Melissa Harke, Tim Tillotson and Jennifer Uttley.

Staff who volunteer to make the many events, projects and clubs on campus successful were officially celebrated and thanked during National Volunteer Week (April 10 to 16.) Last Tuesday, 186 students and 123 staff received a big blue button in appreciation. Above, Darlene Barr, a familiar volunteer face at several Lakeland functions, receives her badge of honour from Tony Neilson at the Vermilion campus. Tony is also a member of the volunteer division of the college's centennial steering committee.

Pre-employment program helps Calgary resident start instrumentation career For more than a year, Devin Danielson tried to get into the instrumentation field, but companies wouldn’t hire him because he didn’t have experience.

The 34-year-old was working in safety in the oil patch, a job that kept him away from home half the year. He wanted a change and thought instrumentation would be a great fit. “I talked to people in the industry and they said there are lots of different career paths and every day is different and challenging. It really appealed to me,” he says.

But no one would hire him as an apprentice, so the Calgary resident went looking for training but couldn’t find anything in his hometown or even in southern Alberta. Eventually he found Lakeland College’s pre-employment instrumentation program and enrolled last fall. After 12 weeks in class at the Vermilion campus, he returned to Calgary and spent four weeks completing a practicum at Tarpon Energy Services.

“When companies see you have taken pre-employment training, they’ll take a chance on you,” says Danielson. He made the most of his chance. After his practicum, Tarpon Energy Services offered him a full-time job.

Devin Danielson works through an assignment with instructor Wayne Jeffrey in the instrumentation lab at the Vermilion campus.

After successfully challenging his first period apprenticeship exam and completing enough hours at work, Danielson is back at Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus taking his second period of instrumentation apprenticeship technical training.

“I’m comfortable here, the class sizes are great and I like Vermilion, but the main reason I came back to Lakeland is because of the instructors. They’re really

good and they’re very helpful. They’ll stay after class and give you a hand,” says Danielson.

When he completes the second period of training the end of April, he’ll return to his job in Calgary but he does hope to be back at Lakeland again one day. “Right now Lakeland doesn’t have the third period of instrumentation but if they get it, I’ll come back. It’s been great here.”

Hot & cold flashes The Emergency Training Centre's (ETC) training field opened April 4 but spring-like conditions were nowhere to be found. ETC staff spent five days pushing snow off the training field props and getting water and fuel systems running for the year's first training contract with Albian Sands. While ETC has opened with temperatures below zero before, there have been few spring openings with so much snow as this year.

Other activities underway at ETC include updating the dangerous goods pad and other structures with help from Wayne Girven from Blairmore.

Pictured left is a training exercise on the snow-covered field with participants from Albian Sands.

Lakeland & U of A students join forces for dairy challenge On Tuesday, April 12, 13 Lakeland students in the dairy management class welcomed 11 University of Alberta students to the Vermilion campus to team up and take part in an Alberta Dairy Challenge.

The competition was based on a similar intercollegiate dairy challenge held in the United States. Lakeland’s event was a condensed version and allowed student teams to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the college's dairy unit.

Teams, composed of a mix of Lakeland and U of A students, were given dairy herd improvement production and reproduction data, and ration and forage analysis data.

Following a tour of the dairy unit and a question and answer period, the teams had less than two hours to put together their presentations. Students were not allowed Internet access but were able to use pictures taken during the farm tour for their presentations.

Judges for the competition were Lakeland faculty members Geoff Brown, Larry Bingham and Blair Dow, Student Managed Farm student advisor Ken Murray and Dr. Reza Khorasani, Dairy Research and Training Centre manager

Finishing in top spot in the Dairy Challenge event was the team of Lakeland College students Katrina Wiggans, Stacie Kartz, Daniel Kramer and U of A students Heather Fleck, Jacob Onschuk and Christine Czapski.

with the U of A. Following the leadership of the University of Alberta students who were familiar with the National Dairy Challenge, the teams followed a structured approach to analyze the farm and develop their presentations. Topics included a farm overview, benchmarking, a SWOT analysis and recommendations.

U of A dairy professor Dr. Tom McFadden and Lakeland’s Dow, coordinated the competition.

Congratulations to the winning team of U of A students Heather Fleck, Christine Czapski and Jacob Onyschuk and Lakeland College students Katrina Wiggans, Stacie Kartz and Daniel Kramer.

Bison, birds, bugs & more First-year wildlife & fisheries conservation students toured the Royal Alberta Museum's (RAM) non-public collection March 21. Curators Bill Weimann (birds) and Gary Erickson (mammals) showed students flycatcher species that can be identified mainly by song, and an in-depth survey of prairie province rodents. Students also saw vast bird and mammal collections that included mounts, skulls and bones of Canadian wildlife and extinct animals (e.g. mammoth) from around the world.

The students are pictured above at the RAM with a mounted bison.

Lakeland alum donates $2,000 for rodeo team awards Brittany Schuk, a Lakeland College alumnus, donated two $1,000 awards to the Lakeland College Rodeo Team this year and asked that they be presented to students who compete in multiple events.

“When you’re in three or more events, it takes a lot of effort to prepare and a lot of determination to do well throughout the year,” says Brittany. The 23-yearold knows what it's like to compete in numerous events. For years she competed in pole bending, breakaway roping and team roping as a member of the college’s rodeo team.

She also knows a lot about determination.

In the fall of 2005, Brittany enrolled in the animal science technology program at Lakeland and joined the rodeo team.

That December she and her sister Patricia, a student and rodeo competitor at NAIT, were traveling back to their home in British Columbia when they were involved in a motor vehicle collision that severely injured both of them.

Patricia lost a leg and Brittany’s body was crushed, leaving her with 16 broken bones. After 91 days in hospital, Brittany was released. Her sister left the hospital two weeks later and shortly afterwards the duo attended the Canadian National College Finals Rodeo in Wainwright.

“We both watched the finals in 2006 from our wheelchairs and we set a goal to get to the nationals the next year,” recalls Brittany.

Seven months later the sisters competed in the team roping event at Lakeland's Fall Classic Rodeo. "We took Patricia's prosthetic leg and I added a piece of pipe so she could ride. We won a team roping go-around with a time of 7.5 seconds," says Brittany, who returned to Lakeland to take the pre-employment welding program in 2007 and apprenticeship technical training in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

The sisters achieved their goal of making it to the national finals in 2007, both competing in breakaway roping. That wasn’t the last appearance they’d make in the finals. Patricia competed in breakaway roping in 2008 and breakaway roping and team roping in 2009. Brittany qualified for nationals in pole bending and breakaway roping in 2008, pole bending, breakaway roping and team roping in 2009, and breakaway roping in 2010.

Now employed as a welder at Leading Manufacturing Group in Vermilion, Brittany continues to spend a lot of time at Lakeland watching her younger sister Holly rodeo. Holly, an environmental conservation and reclamation student, competed in four events and for the second year in a row, advanced to the national college finals. She was also the recipient of one of the awards Brittany donated. The other award was won by Scott Guenthner.

“Another reason why I decided to give out these awards was that during the years

Brittany (left) and Holly Schuk

after the accident, I received a lot of help and encouragement from the staff of Lakeland College and the community of Vermilion. I wanted to do the same for the current students so that they can follow their educational and rodeo dreams.

Hopefully these awards will help them along the way,” says Brittany.

Holly was surprised but thrilled to win the award. “It’s very special to me to win Brittany’s award,” says Holly. “My sisters were both very good at rodeo and I want to be as good as them. They’re amazing people.”

Lots to celebrate for this year's rodeo team Rodeo club members had lots to celebrate during their awards night April 7.

“This year went very well. Everyone worked together to make this team and club successful,” says Lee MacMillan, equine and rodeo operations manager at Lakeland College.

The team attracted more student-athletes than the previous year and community support was strong. Nineteen people qualified for the Canadian National College Finals Rodeo in Edmonton and Steph Denham won the barrel racing title while Pete Lowry was the team roping champion. Scott Guenthner was named Cowboy of the Year.

More than $9,000 in student awards was presented to during the year end event.

“Last year we had three $1,000 awards so this is a huge increase,” says MacMillan, adding that the total didn’t include three entrance awards that Jesse Lawes, Casey Lawes and Coleman Watt received earlier in the year.

Support from ATB, Lakeland alumnus Brittany Schuk, and Northlands accounted for the increase.

Lakeland received a $3,547 bursary from Northlands in recognition of the team’s effort to sell online CNCFR tickets and its commitment to rodeo.

Congratulations to the Rodeo club members with a $3,547 cheque from Northlands following award winners: Katie Craig–Lakeland ($1,000); Holly Schuk–Rodeo Club AllCollege 3D Award; April Warrilow– Around Hand Award.

Primrose Livestock 3D Award; Jocelyne Wagner–Northlands Bursary Finals MacMillan’s attention has already MVP; Steph Denham–Northlands turned to preparing for the 2011-2012 Bursary Finals MVP ($1,182); Pete intercollegiate season. “Next year will Lowry–Northlands Bursary Finals be exciting. We’re improving our cattle MVP; Nicole Haughian–ATB Rodeo and bucking-horse stock and there are Team Performance Award; Kayleigh many people interested in competing Schmid–ATB Rodeo Team Performance for Lakeland. We want to keep getting Award; Malorie Guenther–Rodeo Team better and keep improving our reputation.

Performance Award; Scott Guenthner– I like the direction we’re headed,” says Rodeo Club All-Around Hand Award MacMillan.