Education
Lacombe Teacher Receives Prime Minister’s Award
Government of Canada News Release
Steven Schultz, a Grades 10 – 12 Mechatronics-Robotics teacher at École Secondaire Lacombe Composite High School has been awarded a Prime Minister’s Award, Certificate of Excellence.
Mr. Schultz will be celebrated at an awards ceremony with the Prime Minister on May 28 in Ottawa.
The Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence honour outstanding and innovative elementary and secondary school teachers in all disciplines. Recipients are recognized for their leadership and exemplary teaching practices as well as for their commitment to help the next generation of Canadians gain the knowledge and skills they need for future success in a world inspired by ideas and driven by innovation.
From robotics to beekeeping, Mr. Schultz shares his wide-ranging passions with students and engages them through hands-on projects and activities that have inspired a surge of interest in STEM fields in central Alberta.
The Prime Minister’s Awards, offered at the Certificate of Excellence (national) and Certificate of Achievement (regional) levels, carry cash prizes of $5,000 and $1,000 respectively. Each recipient receives a letter and a certificate signed by the Prime Minister.
Certificate of Excellence Recipient
General Science, Chemistry, Electro-Technology, Agriculture, Green Certificate
Beekeeping, Mechatronics-Robotics, grades 10–12
École Secondaire Lacombe Composite High School, Lacombe, Alberta
“Steve is helping to shape Lacombe one child at a time. His energy and drive are matched only by his sincere commitment to helping his students.”
— President, community environmental association
Steven Schultz started a robotics program 15 years ago, that has since involved hundreds of students at 10 schools. He shares his project-based approach, and STEM and robotics activities, with teachers and students in schools and orphanages around the world.
Teaching approach
A great listener, Steven finds the positive in any situation, encouraging students, regardless of ability, race or gender, to pursue their passions and strengths. Inspired by multiple intelligences theory, he uses project-based learning strategies to help students gain confidence and improve performance.
In the classroom
- Goes beyond the curriculum with EcoVision environmental projects—building a tropical greenhouse, establishing a two-acre garden and launching a composting program—that allow students to develop leadership, communication and innovation skills not possible in the classroom.
- Pioneered a robotics team for young people to learn programming, design, mechanics and electronics skills; has led to considerable interest in STEM subjects in central Alberta.
- Integrates technology to enhance teaching and learning: computer-assisted instruction supplements classroom time in electro-technology and robotics course; Netflix and YouTube videos sustain beekeeping course over the winter, when students can’t access the hives.
- Leads international trips to extend learning: students learned about recycling, biodiversity and Indigenous culture in Costa Rica, and developed lesson plans in Kenya.
Outstanding achievements
- Secured partnerships with a college leading to mechatronics and robotics program for high school students, and another college to develop the first-of-its-kind high school Green Certificate beekeeping program; students then launched the urban beekeeping program with municipality.
- Has been part of Science 30 curriculum development team for Alberta Education for 25 years, developing and testing innovative diploma exam questions, and reviewing and marking exams.
- Classes are continually above provincial averages; less than one percent of students have failed his courses over 25 years, including diploma-level courses in chemistry and science.
- School named Canada’s Greenest School in 2018 (tied for first); robotics team regularly earns spot in world championships; Steven named 2018 Citizen of the Year by local chamber of commerce.
Alberta
Parents in every province—not just Alberta—deserve as much school choice as possible
From the Fraser Institute
Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents.
This week, the Smith government in Alberta will likely pass Bill 27, which requires schools to get signed permission from parents or guardians prior to any lessons on human sexuality, gender identity or sexual orientation.
It’s a sensible move. The government is proactively ensuring that students are in these classes because their parents want them there. Given the sensitive nature of these topics, for everyone’s sake it makes sense to ensure parental buy-in at the outset.
Unfortunately, many school trustees don’t agree. A recent resolution passed by the Alberta School Boards Association (ASBA) calls on the Smith government to maintain the status quo where parents are assumed to have opted in to these lessons unless they contact the school and opt their children out. Apparently, the ASBA thinks parents can’t be trusted to make the right decisions for their children on this issue.
This ASBA resolution is, in fact, a good example of the reflexive opposition by government school trustees to parental rights. They don’t want parents to take control of their children’s education, especially in sensitive areas. Fortunately, the Alberta government rebuffed ASBA’s demands and this attempt to abolish Bill 27 will likely fall on deaf ears.
However, there’s an even better safeguard available to Alberta parents—school choice. Out of all Canadian provinces, Alberta offers the most school choice. Not only does Alberta have a fully funded separate (Catholic) school system, it also provides between 60 and 70 per cent operational funding to accredited independent schools. In addition, Alberta is the only province in Canada to allow fully funded charter schools. And Alberta subsidizes homeschooling parents. Simply put, parents who are dissatisfied with the government school system have plenty of options—more than parents in any other province. This means Alberta parents can vote with their feet.
Things are quite different in other parts of the country. For example, Ontario and the four Atlantic provinces do not allow any provincial funding to follow students to independent schools. In other words, parents in these provinces who choose an independent school must pay the full cost themselves—while still paying taxes that fund government schools. And no province other than Alberta allows charter schools.
This is why it’s important to give parents as much school choice as possible. Given the tendency of government school boards to remove choices from parents, it’s important that all parents, including those with limited means, have other options available for their children.
Imagine if the owners of a large grocery store tried to impose their dietary preferences by removing all meat products and telling customers that the only way they could purchase meat is to make a special order. What would happen in that scenario? It depends on what other options are available. If this was the only grocery store in the community, customers would have no choice but to comply. However, if there were other stores, customers could simply shop elsewhere. Choice empowers people and limits the ability of one company to limit the choices of people who live in the community.
Think of government school boards as a monopolistic service provider like a grocery store. They often do everything possible to prevent parents from going anywhere else for their children’s education. Trusting them to do what’s best for parents and children is like assuming that the owners of a grocery store would always put the interests of their customers first and not their own self-interest. Monopolies are bad in the private sector and they’re bad in the education sector, too.
Clearly, it makes sense to require schools to get proactive consent from parents. This ensures maximum buy-in from parents for whatever courses their children take. It’s also important that Alberta remains a bastion of school choice. By making it easier for parents to choose from a variety of education options, Alberta puts power in the hands of parents, exactly where it belongs. Parents in other provinces should want that same power, too.
Alberta
Province investing in support for financial literacy in schools
Financial literacy prepares students for their futures
Students across Alberta will build the fundamental life skills they need to grow into adulthood through support for financial literacy programming.
Saving, budgeting, investing and the ability to make wise financial decisions are fundamental life skills Alberta’s youth need to develop as they grow into adulthood. Alberta’s government is ensuring that students have every opportunity to develop these fundamental life skills by integrating financial literacy into the K-12 curriculum and providing grant funding to three Canadian organizations to offer dedicated financial learning resources for students and teachers.
“We are proud to support financial literacy programming for students. Our on-going support for financial literacy education will help young Albertans navigate their futures with confidence by helping them build the fundamental life skills they need to prosper and secure their futures in today’s fast-moving world.”
In May 2022, Alberta’s government invested $5 million over three years into financial literacy programming to ensure students have the financial knowledge they need to thrive in life. Enriched Academy receives $900,000 per year and the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education receives $500,000 per year to provide students in grades 5 to 12 with financial literacy programming, aligned with the curriculum, to improve their financial knowledge. In addition, Junior Achievement receives $250,000 per year to provide hands-on, experiential financial literacy, work readiness and entrepreneurship education to students in kindergarten to Grade 6.
“Our support for financial literacy programming will set Alberta’s youth up for success. This programming will ensure that Alberta’s youth develop the fundamental life skills they need to manage their personal finances, make sound financial decisions, and grow into adulthood with confidence.”
Free financial literacy webinar
Some of the funding provided will support Enriched Academy hosting a free live webinar for grades 4 to 12 students and teachers on Tuesday, November 26, as part of their financial literacy programming. The webinar will teach students how to build their credit with confidence and will feature an interactive gameshow format to engage and motivate students to learn how credit works and how to manage credit and their personal finances with confidence. Students and teachers who are interested in participating can register for the webinar online.
“Our partnership with the Government of Alberta has enabled us to deliver transformational financial literacy education to nearly six hundred thousand students across the province. As a high school teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand how financial literacy education empowers students, increasing their confidence in money management and preparing them to be financially responsible. Investments in financial literacy are investments in our students’ futures, and I’m already seeing it pay dividends for Alberta students.”
Teachers can also access lesson plans, activities, and interactive tools from all three organizations’ websites to support financial literacy learning outcomes in Alberta’s curriculum.
Quick facts
- Financial literacy programming offered by the three organizations reaches more than 350,000 students annually.
- Alberta’s renewed K-6 curriculum includes an increased emphasis on financial literacy skills, as well as a stronger foundation in financial literacy in all grades.
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