Olds High School (OHS) teacher and counsellor Louan Statchuk has received the Canadian Student Leadership Association (CSLA) Leader of Distinction award for Alberta.
The award was presented earlier this fall during the CSLA annual meeting in Edmonton.
Statchuk says the award is especially meaningful for her because those receiving it are nominated by their colleagues -- their fellow teacher-leaders.
"Being able to share that with your colleagues who are all doing the same thing that you do, and being nominated by them was a great honour -- very humbling," she said during an interview with the Albertan.
Statchuk has served on the advisory board for the CSLA as its Alberta rep.
She said she accepted the award not only for herself but for those she has worked with -- students and fellow staff members involved in leadership at OHS.
"It's not just a one-person job," Statchuk said.
"I've been very fortunate to have wonderful people to work with that allows me to do what I love to do -- work with students, and just try to help them see that they can make a difference in the community, in their school, globally through projects that are going to give them some skills and help other people."
Statchuk has been involved in student leadership since the '80s when she was a student in her home province of Saskatchewan.
She went to the very first Canadian Student Leadership Conference as a Grade 11 student and continued in student leadership when she began teaching at her first school in 1991.
"I got involved as a leadership advisor and haven't quit since," Statchuk said.
She's especially proud of three projects the student leadership program has undertaken at OHS: hosting the Canadian Student Leadership Conference in Olds in 2009 and the Alberta Student Leadership Conference in 2015 as well as organizing a fundraiser for schools affected by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash last spring.
In regard to the 2015 ASLC, "it made me really proud to be from the community of Olds because we billeted the majority of the student delegates. And the community came forth -- businesses, service clubs," Statchuk said. "It was a fantastic conference and you still hear about it at ASLC."
She enjoyed helping organize the 2009 CSLC as well."I got to work with (former OHS teacher) Sandy Dorowicz and Sandy was definitely one of my mentors," she says.
Last spring's Humboldt Broncos fundraiser was also very memorable.
The pancake breakfast and silent auction, primarily organized by Grade 9 student leaders, raised $750 which was distributed to nine schools that lost a student in the April 6 Humboldt Broncos bus-semi trailer crash. That collision claimed 16 lives and injured another 13.
"It was just amazing to see those Grade 9s," Statchuk said. "I had students who got there at 5:30 in the morning and they were just ready to go."
Statchuk was asked if the leadership team has a special project lined up this year.
"Not yet," she said with a laugh. "But I'm sure we will."
She noted that among other things, the leadership group helps plan Remembrance Day services. They also help out the food bank and the Christmas Angels, who collect toys and food items for the needy at Christmastime.
"Our leadership program is really threefold: one is it's to build individual skills. So skill development for students. Things like public speaking and organization and planning," Statchuk said.
"A second part of that is service -- service to the school, to the community, and just to learn the value of giving back to others.
"And then the third part is student life. Let's make school fun and do things that are going to be fun for the students.
"One of my leadership colleagues had told me once, 'when we give students the opportunity to rise to the occasion, they usually do,'" Statchuk said.
"So yeah, I love doing it. And it's so rewarding to see -- to get to work with students and to get to work with other colleagues."
OHS principal Tom Christensen says Statchuk is "so deserving" of the Leader of Distinction award.
"What makes me happy about it is that her service is always so selfless; it is about bringing those around her up," he said in an email.
"Louan does good deeds because of her ethics, not for any recognition she might receive. There are hundreds of young leaders in Olds and Alberta that have been tutored by Louan Statchuk."
