Local Education
St. Joseph High School gets a head start on college degree
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From Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools: Student receives Certificate of Achievement in dual credit from Bow Valley College
Bria Lajeunesse is the first student from St. Joseph High School to receive a Certificate of Achievement in Dual Credit from Bow Valley College in Calgary. This award will be presented to her during the graduation ceremony.
Dual credit programs allow high school students to take a post-secondary course or a series of courses and earn both high school credits, as well as college/university credentials. The Certificate of Achievement in Dual Credit is awarded to students who have completed four post-secondary courses during high school.
āBria is an amazing young lady who has worked extremely hard to achieve this honour. We are very proud of her and wish her the best of luck as she pursues her goals at university,ā said Principal, Graeme Daniel at St. Joseph High School.
Lajeunesse began dual credit courses in Grade 10 and completed four courses connected to practical nursing throughout her time in high school. Ā She averaged 91% in these four courses. āBria is an outstanding student. We wish her the best of luck in her continued studies, whereĀ IĀ know she will excel,ā said Dual Credit Lead Teacher, Tracey Millar at St. Joseph High School.
Education
Catholic school board members oust fellow trustee for opposing LGBT agenda, talking to media
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From LifeSiteNews
One of Monique LaGrangeās fellow trustees said she ‘violated the Trustee Code of Conduct by speaking to the media about what the Board did and about gender ideology.’
A Canadian Catholic school trustee opposed to extreme gender ideology and who compared the LGBT agenda targeting kids to that of ābrainwashingā Nazi propaganda has been ādisqualifiedā from her position after her fellow board members voted her out because she spoke to alternative media.
On Tuesday, the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS) board of directors voted 3-1 to disqualify Trustee Monique LaGrange. As a result of being voted out, LaGrange later resigned from her position.
LaGrangeās lawyer, Alberta-based attorney James Kitchen of Liberty Coalition Canada, told LifeSiteNews that the RDCRS voted to kick her out āpursuant to section 87 of the Education Act (disqualification).ā
Kitchen said that one of LaGrangeās fellow trustees āsubmitted a second complaint that Monique had violated the Trustee Code of Conduct by speaking to the media (specially Laura-Lynn and Talk Truth) about what the Board did and about gender ideology.ā
On September 26, the RDCS passed a motion to mandate that LaGrangeĀ undergoĀ āLGBTQ+ā and holocaust āsensitivityā training for her social media post.
One of her fellow trustees had complained that because she spoke to the media against gender ideology, after she was ordered to undergo the training, she should be ādisqualified.ā
LaGrange said that her being disqualified shows that āAlberta has an abuse of power happening, beginning at the lowest level of politics,ā in comments made to alternative non-legacy media.
She added that she hopes her removal āmotivates Albertans to step up and replace these woke boards in our province.ā
LaGrange said she will continue to āmove forward and defend our families, our children and our freedom.ā
LifeSiteNews contacted LaGrange for additional comment and will later provide more information on her ousting.
In aĀ media statementĀ yesterday, the RDCRS said that LaGrange had violated āsanctions issued on September 26, 2023, and further violations of Board Policy and the Education Act.ā
āAs a result of the disqualification, as per Section 90 of the Education Act, LaGrange resigned from her position this morning. Effective today, Mrs. LaGrange is no longer a member of the Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools Board of Trustees,ā the RDCRS noted.
The RDCS did not specify which sanctions LaGrange had violated.
LaGrange initially came under fireāÆwhen she postedāÆto social media in September an image showing kids in Nazi Germany waving swastika flags during a parade, with the bottom of the post showing an image of kids waving LGBT āprideā flags along with the text, āBrainwashing is brainwashing.ā
After her post went viral, calls for her to step down grew from leftist Alberta politicians and others. This culminated inĀ her removalĀ as director of the Alberta Catholic School Trusteesā Association (ACSTA).
LaGrange was elected in 2021 and said about being kicked out of the ACSTA that it was āunfortunate that ACSTA decided to make a rash decision to remove me, refusing to acknowledge that the heart of my message was to protect our children and to nourish their God-given identities.ā
LaGrange to fight her removal
Kitchen told LifeSiteNews that as far as the next steps for LaGrange, they are looking to have her disqualification reviewed by a court.
They want a āJudicial review application to the Alberta Kingās Bench,ā Kitchen said.
āWe will be doing that here in December,ā he said.
When it comes to LaGrangeās social media post, which has been removed,Ā she said that the post was about protecting kids, not hurting them, saying her meme was ācentered around indoctrination and how children are vulnerable to evil agendas (agendas coming from organizations like Planned Parenthood, the UN or SOGI 123) filtering through culture.ā
āThis meme is not comparing or attacking the LGBTQ community, it is about protecting our children and keeping parents as the primary educators,ā she added.
There has been growing opposition in Canada to the teaching of radical transgender ideology in schools,āÆwhich not only impacts children but also those ināÆeducation who voice their opposition to such teaching.
In recent months, many concerned Canadians have protested LGBT indoctrination in the nationās schools.Ā In September, thousands from coast to coastĀ participated inĀ the Million Person March.
Extreme leftists trying to push their LGBT agenda in the classrooms has led to the conservative-led governments of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick implementing parental consent policies into law.
Saskatchewan, under Premier Scott Moe, recentlyĀ passed a new policyĀ protecting parental rights that states parents must be told if their child changes āgendersā at school.
Moe followed the example of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs, who wasĀ condemnedĀ earlier this year by LGBT activists for reviewing the provinceās āgender identityā policy that allowed schools to hide studentsā ātransgenderā status from parents.
Under theāÆnew policy, teachers need parental consent to use different names or pronouns for students younger than 16.
At its recent AGM, members of the ruling United Conservative Party (UCP) under leader Danielle SmithĀ passed a host ofĀ resolutions calling for parental rights to be protected.
SmithĀ toldĀ 3,800 UCP members that she unequivocally defends parental rights, saying society depends on āstrong and nurturing familiesā and parents are the āprimary caregivers and educatorsā of their children.
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) leader and MP Pierre PoilievreĀ recently blastedĀ what he called āradical gender ideologyā targeting kids in public schools.
While LGBT activists have gone after the likes of Higgs and Moe for their slight pushback against gender ideology, a recentāÆLeger pollāÆhas shown that Canadians in general favor parental rights in education, especially regarding the material being shared with children.
Education
Jessica Snyder honoured as 2021 Gateway Christian School Valedictorian
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Gateway Valedictorian to become a teacher to make a difference
Following in her motherās footsteps after seeing the difference she has made in the lives of students is Jessica Snyderās goal in becoming a teacher after she graduates from Gateway Christian School this month.
Jessica has been named the Gatewayās valedictorian this year. Graduation ceremonies will take place June 29 at Canyon Ski Resort.
āI was so excited to learn I was named valedictorian. I was so happy!ā said Jessica. āItās such a huge honour that I get to address my class and congratulate them.ā
She added being named valedictorian has been a goal of hers since middle school.
āIt took a lot of hard work and I had to be very dedicated to my work. It took a lot of strength especially through COVID,ā said Jessica. āMy family and friends really helped me to keep going and keep learning. Itās all a learning experience, so that was a motivator to me – the more I devoted myself to my work, the more I learned.ā
Completing high school in a global pandemic has presented a number of challenges, but Jessica didnāt let that stop her from achieving her goals.
āIt has been hard. The biggest thing that has helped me this year has been the support of my family and the Lord too – just praying for the strength to get through it and find the best path for me and my family to navigate this,ā she said. āHaving that steady anchor of my family and the Lord has definitely helped me keep committed and keep going.ā
Looking back at her time in school, Jessica said there were many highlights, but itās the small moments that stand out to her the most.
āMost people like to remember the big things that happen like school trips, which were so much fun. But I think the real moments where I bonded with my class were the small moments like sitting and playing Uno at lunch, and if itās a hot day outside, we go and play at the park. Itās those small moments which meant the most to me.ā
As for her future, Jessica will attend Red Deer College next year as she has been accepted to the Bachelor of Education program.
āI am going to go with the secondary route, which means I will be teaching in the higher grades,ā she said. āMy mom is a teacher, so I have taken after that just seeing the impact she has had on studentsā lives. Growing up in a family with a teacher has definitely helped shape my life, so I think it would be great for me to follow in her path and make it my own.ā
Jessica added she is excited to address her fellow classmates during graduation.
āOver the past couple of years weāve had to show a steadfast character – being loyal and committed, devoted and dedicated whether thatās with our relationships or working towards finding a job,ā she said. āI want to encourage my class to keep going with that because it helps us get to great goals like achieving our graduation.ā
Chris Kooman, Vice Principal at Gateway Christian School, said he is extremely proud of Jessica.
āJessica is a hard working student with attention to detail and a love of learning. She takes her studies seriously, working diligently to excel in every area,ā he said. āShe cares about her classmates, is fun and energetic, and works on relationships as much as her studies. Jessica’s willingness to help others, improve herself, and constantly improve are qualities that will take her far in life!ā
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