Education
Alexa Swenson honoured as 2021 LTCHS Valedictorian
LTCHS valedictorian reflects on her high school career
Setting a goal to achieve well academically has landed Alexa Swenson a top honour as she gets ready to walk across the graduation stage.
Alexa has been named the valedictorian for the Class of 2021 at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School.
“I was so surprised when I learned I was this year’s valedictorian! Mr. Good called my mom ahead of time and came to my doorstep with balloons. It was awesome,” she said. “It’s really a great acknowledgement of my achievements.”
Graduation ceremonies for Lindsay Thurber will take place on June 25 at Bower Ponds.
Finishing high school during a global pandemic was no easy feat, and Alexa said her class was hopeful that their Grade 12 year would have been more like a normal year.
“As the year went on it became obvious that we probably wouldn’t get all of our grad events – we had lots planned and then canceled,” she said. “Motivation was the hardest factor. It’s been really hard to go from in-person to online over and over again because you’re learning strategies have to shift. It’s about being self disciplined and making sure you are doing the work because it’s really easy to fall behind if you’re at home.”
Alexa credits a strong support system for helping her achieve her goals.
“My family is awesome and I have two younger siblings who have also been doing online school in our house as well. We check in with each other and make sure everything is going okay,” she said. “My friends were great as well. Each of my classes had a group chat where we could talk and make sure we all knew what was going on and discuss any questions we had with each other.”
Reflecting on her Grade 12 year, Alexa said one of the highlights was taking part in the activities in her Outdoor Ed class.
“One of the best parts was being given the opportunity to go on some trips,” she said. “We were able to go skiing a couple times and we just did a mountain bike trip. We were able to really bond as a class by going on these trips together.”
Looking ahead, next year Alexa will be making the leap to the University of Victoria to complete her Bachelor of Science in Psychology.
“I’d like to go into healthcare, maybe in rehabilitation as an Occupational Therapist or a Speech Pathologist,” she said. “I love being around people and last year I volunteered with Healing Through the Arts at our school. We would do art as rehabilitation for people who had a stroke or people who had an amputation. I thought it was really fulfilling and I enjoyed getting to know everyone involved.”
Chris Good, Principal at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School, said they are proud to have Alexa represent the class of 2021 as valedictorian.
“Alexa is a great student whose hard work has paid off with excellent academic achievement all four years she has been at Lindsay Thurber,” he said. “Alexa is not only a great student but a great person. She is kind to everyone, participates and leads school activities and has been a member of the volleyball team. Alexa goes out of her way to make other students feel welcome and included, she represents the resilience and kindness of our 2021 grad class and embodies what it means to be a Lindsay Thurber Raider.”
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
One Manitoba school division is proving phonics works
If students don’t learn how to read in school, not much else that happens there is going to matter.
This might be a harsh way of putting it, but it’s the truth. Being unable to read makes it nearly impossible to function in society. Reading is foundational to everything, even mathematics.
That’s why Canadians across the country should be paying attention to what’s happening in Manitoba’s Evergreen School Division. Located in the Interlake region, including communities like Gimli, Arborg and Winnipeg Beach, Evergreen has completely overhauled its approach to reading instruction—and the early results are promising.
Instead of continuing with costly and ineffective methods like Reading Recovery and balanced literacy, Evergreen has adopted a structured literacy approach, putting phonics back at the centre of reading instruction.
Direct and explicit phonics instruction teaches students how to sound out the letters in words. Rather than guessing words from pictures or context, children are taught to decode the language itself. It’s simple, evidence-based, and long overdue.
In just one year, Evergreen schools saw measurable gains. A research firm evaluating the program found that five per cent more kindergarten to Grade 6 students were reading at grade level than the previous year. For a single year of change, that’s a significant improvement.
This should not be surprising. The science behind phonics instruction has been clear for decades. In the 1960s, Dr. Jeanne Chall, director of the Harvard Reading Laboratory, conducted extensive research into reading methods and concluded that systematic phonics instruction produces the strongest results.
Today, this evidence-based method is often referred to as the “science of reading” because the evidence overwhelmingly supports its effectiveness. While debates continue in many areas of education, this one is largely settled. Students need to be explicitly taught how to read using phonics—and the earlier, the better.
Yet Evergreen stands nearly alone. Manitoba’s Department of Education does not mandate phonics in its public schools. In fact, it largely avoids taking a stance on the issue at all. This silence is a disservice to students—and it’s a missed opportunity for genuine reform.
At the recent Manitoba School Boards Association convention, Evergreen trustees succeeded in passing an emergency motion calling on the association to lobby education faculties to ensure that new teachers are trained in systematic phonics instruction. It’s a critical first step—and one that should be replicated in every province.
It’s a travesty that the most effective reading method isn’t even taught in many teacher education programs. If new teachers aren’t trained in phonics, they’ll struggle to teach their students how to read—and the cycle of failure will continue.
Imagine what could happen if every province implemented structured literacy from the start of Grade 1. Students would become strong readers earlier, be better equipped for all other subjects, and experience greater success throughout school. Early literacy is a foundation for lifelong learning.
Evergreen School Division deserves credit for following the evidence and prioritizing real results over educational trends. But it shouldn’t be alone in this.
If provinces across Canada want to raise literacy rates and give every child a fair shot at academic success, they need to follow Evergreen’s lead—and they need to do it now.
All students deserve to learn how to read.
Michael Zwaagstra is a public high school teacher and a senior fellow at the Frontier Centre for Public Policy.
Alberta’s government is helping students discover their skills and interests today, to help them find careers for tomorrow.
If passed, Budget 2025 will provide more than $100 million over three years for school boards to grow career education programs, including funding for more collegiate and dual-credit programs across Alberta.
“We are working to set students up for success by strengthening job-focused education. This money is helping schools partner with businesses, universities and colleges to create programs that will help students hit the ground running after they graduate.”
Career education helps students gain credits towards graduation while earning hands-on experience in fields like the trades, computer programming, health care, agriculture, culinary arts and more. These career education programs support a strong economy by helping students learn the skills they need to get in-demand jobs.
Collegiate schools
Collegiate schools work with businesses, universities and colleges to offer classes that give students pathways to education and careers in the job of their choice. There are 12 collegiate schools in Alberta, offering many different types of programming for grades 7-12, including aviation, graphic design, trades and more.
If passed, Budget 2025 provides more than $21 million to school boards to help fund special classrooms like carpentry workshops, film and media rooms, science laboratories, heavy equipment simulators and aircraft hangars. Another $6 million is being invested to support the start-up costs for new collegiate schools.
Dual-credit programs
Budget 2025, if passed, also provides $4.6 million in 2025/26 to start new or improve existing dual-credit programs. In partnership with universities and colleges, dual-credit programs give students a head start on rewarding careers by allowing them to earn high-school and post-secondary credits at the same time. Of the $4.6 million, $550,000 is being provided by Alberta Seniors, Community and Social Services for new and improved dual-credit health care aide programs.
“Health care aides play a critical role in ensuring Albertans receive the continuing care services they need to maintain their health, independence and quality of life. Our investments into career pathways for health care aides will provide opportunities for young Albertans to develop the skills they need to build a rewarding career in Alberta’s continuing care workforce.”
Another $1.4 million is being invested to support students participating in off-campus career education programs through CAREERS. This non-profit connects students to jobs in high-demand fields, such as the trades, technology, health, forestry and agriculture.
“Investments in collegiate and dual-credit programming are significant for Calgary Catholic as they further strengthen our collegiate and dual-credit programming. This programming will open opportunities for our students and help them to realize their full potential.”
“Before Fusion Collegiate, I felt lost and wasn’t really sure what to do after high school. Thanks to its career-focused learning and the opportunities through Fusion and The Educational Partnership Foundation, I’m now working as a first-year apprentice plumber with Mr. Rooter. The hands-on trades training, high school credits, safety certifications, and real-world skills I picked up completely changed my life. I’m excited about where my career is headed and really thankful for the support that helped me get here.”
Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta communities with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.
Quick facts
- If passed, Budget 2025 invests $102.4 million over three years to provide sustainable, predictable career education funding, and to increase access to career education for Alberta students.
- This includes $8.4 million over 2026-27 and 2027-28 to raise awareness among students and families of career education programs and pathways available to Alberta students.
- Career education in Alberta includes career and technology courses, Career and Life Management (CALM), dual-credit courses, collegiate schools, apprenticeships and off-campus education programming.
- Since 2013, more than 95,000 high school students participated in at least one dual–credit course.
- In spring 2025, Alberta Education will engage with education partners on best practices to bring more career education opportunities to students.
- Since 2022, education partners and almost 5,000 Albertans have provided their feedback on career education and workforce needs.
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