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Former ADLC teacher to run for Pembina Hills school board

Gary Frederickson worked for Alberta Distance Learning Centre over 15 years and has long background in education, business and sports
New Pembina HIlls Sign
School board elections will take place alongside municipal elections this October, and while many municipal candidates have stepped forward, some school board candidates are also making themselves known. One such example is Gary Frederickson, who is running to represent the Barrhead electoral ward.

BARRHEAD – A former teacher and employee of the Alberta Distance Learning Centre (ADLC) for the past 15 years is now planning to run in the upcoming Pembina Hills school board election, specifically to represent the Barrhead electoral ward. 

"People thought, ‘OK, ADLC’s closed, you’re going to move back to Lethbridge,’” says Gary Frederickson, who lived in the city for over a decade. “I was like, no, Barrhead’s our home. We’ve made a commitment to the community.” 

As noted earlier, Frederickson served in various capacities with the ADLC over the past decade and a half, including working as a CTS (Career and Technology Studies) teacher from 2006 to 2021, a learning network liaison from 2015 to 2018, a school services co-ordinator from 2013 to 2015 and the CTS department head from 2009 to 2013. 

His education background also include working as a technology co-ordinator and an IT department head at a high school in Weyburn, Sask., as well as a seasonal lecturer at the University of Regina. 

In addition, Frederickson also has a very extensive history with school sports, coaching several teams to provincial championships in Saskatchewan and serving as the president and director of Basketball Saskatchewan. (Locally, he also founded the Barrhead Minor Basketball Association.) 

It's worth noting that he also has a business background, such as operating a bowling alley and mini-mall. 

Frederickson does stress, however, that while running various businesses put food on the table for 20 years, his passion lies in education. (Frederickson’s full resume can be found at his personal website, www.garyforkids.ca.)

So why run for school board? Frederickson said he believes that he has something to offer, particularly now that the ADLC has left a void. In particular, he has some thoughts on how Vista Virtual School, Pembina Hills’ own distance learning program that was unaffected by the ADLC’s closure, can step up to help fill that void. 

“We have a great gift with Vista Virtual, and if we nurture it right, if we make sure that it thrives, then that’s going to be a lot of extra revenue coming into the schools in Pembina Hills, not just Barrhead.” 

Recognizing that Pembina Hills is in for some challenging years funding-wise, he also has some ideas regarding public-private partnerships that Pembina Hills could be part of, such as establishing a rodeo academy out of Barrhead where the students get the academic part of their schooling through Vista Virtual. 

He noted that the ADLC had many similar ventures, such as partnering with a private organization to bring forestry simulators into schools around Alberta, some of which had little connection to forestry. 

“There tons of partnerships out there today that would bring if not cash directly into Pembina Hills (but also) learning opportunities into Pembina Hills for the kids there,” he said, noting that there are also great opportunities with dual credit programs like the Health Care Aide program. 

Frederickson said he also sees Pembina Hills as having an adversarial relationship with the provincial government. 

During the time he lived in Weyburn, he noted the former mayor was knowing for being the first to shake hands with the minister of whatever department was responsible for municipalities. And as a result, Weyburn was informed of a lot of cash being made available through government programs. 

“I just haven’t seen those conversations take place, probably as long as I’ve been with Pembina Hills. And that’s been with three different governments, so you can’t say it’s a single government issue.” 

Curriculum update 

Frederickson did say he opposed the province in one regard: the new K-6 curriculum, which the province is set on piloting in the 2021-2022 school year and then updating for other grades in future years. 

Noting that the CTS curriculum has remained unchanged since 2006, Frederickson said curriculum updates need to occur probably more frequently than they currently are. 

However, there are concepts in this elementary curriculum that even adults would struggle with, and this upcoming school year is going to be challenging enough with kids experiencing gaps in learning. 

“I don’t think this is a great time to push through with a curriculum nobody wants,” he said, pointing out that 99 per cent of Alberta teachers passed a non-confidence motion against the Minister of Education earlier this year over the matter and virtually every school division — including Pembina Hills — has rejected using it. 

He noted that other provinces are even mocking Alberta for pushing forward with a new curriculum without the input of teachers, as evidenced by recent marks made by the Saskatchewan Education Minister to the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation. 

“I think curriculum change should be ongoing … but you can’t ignore the people who are going to implement it.”

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com


Kevin Berger

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