Provincial government, town and Red Deer Regional Catholic school division officials helped open Holy Trinity School during a ceremony last week featuring the premier as keynote speaker.
Ed Stelmach said the students present at the school are now embarking on a journey that will transform them into tomorrow's leaders.
“We don't realize it at this particular time, the students that are with us today are really taking an incredible journey … as they progress through school discovering at a very young age who they are and what they are passionate about. The school here offers such an inviting atmosphere,” he said.
Stelmach said the power the students will unleash is due to the teaching staff at the school.
“They are obviously very committed instructors to help prepare students to take the leadership role in our community in the years to come,” he said.
Stelmach said while Alberta has always been a place where people are free to explore their passions, they have often had a helping hand along the way – often teachers.
One of Stelmach's early influences was a principal he had from Grade 1 through to Grade 12.
“He was very observant in his classroom and he recognized that I was very interested in world events,” he said, adding that as a result he went to many different conferences, including a trip to Winnipeg.
“Through him I became very interested in governance and in student union (governance). The most important lesson I learned from him … is that you have a responsibility … to play an active role in your community,” he said.
Stelmach said on a recent visit to Massachusetts a former Harvard professor told him that Alberta has the best education system in the world.
“It also gives us the responsibility that we are the best and that we continue to be the best,” he said.
With a good education system, Alberta is building great community leaders. Students have donated profits of various fundraisers to the recovery of Slave Lake and many other worthy causes.
“There is no question that this school is strong. It's also a spiritual place, with students, teachers, staff and parents sharing a goal – and that goal is ensuring that the next generation of Alberta leaders builds our province in a continued spirit of generosity, capacity and hard work,” he said.
Liam McNiff, representing the board of trustees of RDRCS, said through the perseverance of board members, what started out as an idea in 2004 came to fruition.
“Indeed, it was a long and difficult journey, from the selection of the site, to the design of the school … to the school we have today. Let's thank those who worked so hard to build us this incredible facility,” he said.
One of those board members was Gord Bontje, chair of the board of trustees when the idea of a school was first raised in Olds. In an interview, Bontje said he was glad to be able to help the process along.
“The people of Olds had to come together to decide they wanted a Catholic school, so we helped them do that … and the second part was we worked with (the provincial government) to secure funding for this building. It's a wonderful day and even though I'm no longer involved in the board, I came here because it's such a wonderful occasion,” he said.
Principal Blake Krause said although a lot of hard work by a lot of people went into the building of the school, he was glad to celebrate.
“For us, it's a big celebration. It's maybe a chance to take a breath because we've been working really hard to get the building open and operational and it's a really good reward for the parents and the kids who have been with us. It's an important early step in the journey of this structure as we continue to serve our community here,” he said.
Enrolment continues to climb, with 96 students registered at the school as of last week, up from about 80 students projected for September. Within the next two to three years, Krause estimates that every grade will have a full student complement.
