BARRHEAD - A retired Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) teacher is the first person to throw his name in the ring to become a Pembina Hills School Division (PHSD) trustee.
Gary Frederickson announced last week that he would be seeking the PHSD seat for the West Ward 3 Barrhead in the municipal/school trustee elections in October.
Frederickson ran for PHSD trustee for the first time for the Barrhead seat in 2021.
"I have a unique skill set for this particular situation and place in time, so " I know Pembina Hills School Division, having almost 20 years of experience working in the division," he said, adding his experience extends in and out of the classroom.
Fredrickson came to Barrhead in 2006, most of which he spent working at ADLC.
From 2006 to 2021, he worked as a Career and Technology Studies (CTS) teacher. From 2015 to 2018, he also served as a learning network liaison, a school services coordinator from 2013 to 2015, and as the CTS department head from 2009 to 2013.
Since the closure of ADLC in 2021, Frederickson has been semi-retired, serving as a substitute teacher, mainly at the high school level.
Before coming to Barrhead, he was an educator in Saskatchewan, teaching at both a small rural school for eight years and a large comprehensive school for 12 years.
Frederickson also has a long amateur coaching career in basketball, having coached his first game in 1969 and continuing to the present, with the last team he coached being the Barrhead Composite High School (BCHS) junior varsity girls' squad.
"I know the kids, and I know the issues, and I know online learning, VISTA Virtual and the resources we have available," he said. "It gives me a unique perspective on where we are and where we need to be."
Frederickson suggested that online resources could become an important tool in the immediate future to help BCHS students as the school undergoes a major modernization and rightsizing project, which is scheduled to begin this summer and is expected to take three years to complete.
"There are going to be students who don't want the distraction and chaos, and we have an online learning option. We must leverage that and make it available," he said, adding that currently, students are allowed to enrol in one class for free. "We need to get rid of that cap for Barrhead Composite students during the renovations."
Frederickson said, as a coach, he also understands how challenging it will be to continue the school's extracurricular activities during the construction.
Frederickson also added that, prior to embarking on a career in education, he spent considerable time in business, having worked as a jeweller for 12 years before operating a bowling alley.
"So, I understand balance sheets and what it takes to make the system work," he said.
Issues facing education and the school division
One of the issues and challenges facing Pembina Hills and its students presently, Frederickson said, is the lack of substitute teachers and educational assistants.
He added accountability could also be improved, saying the education system still hasn't fully recovered from the pandemic in terms of student expectations.
Frederickson also stated that the decrease in classroom support, most notably educational assistants, due to budget cuts will also negatively impact student learning.
"Does that mean we go without EAs, or do we look at parent volunteers or look to find other creative ways to solve some of these problems," he said.
Frederickson said while not criticizing this or previous slates of trustees, boards needed to be infused with new blood.
"Get people in there with different ideas and perspectives every once in a while to keep the creative juices flowing," he said.
For more information on Frederickson and his platform, visit his website at www.garyforkids.ca.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
