Michael James
| inSide Drumheller

    With kids no longer there, the field of the old St. Anthony’s School site has stood silent for over half a year. A developer is hoping to give new purpose to the field.
    Elektra Holdings, the company who currently owns the site land and building, are close to applying for and subsequently building houses on the empty field.
    “There are 2.54 acres that will be developed into 15 lots,” said Art James, an agent of Elektra Holdings, while addressing Town Council. “The subdivision will be applied for right away. We’re ready to go.”
    The original application to develop the field was made in late 2010. At the time, no definite plan was presented and it was suggested high-density housing, such as apartments, would be built.
    However, the plan now, explained James, is to build 15 houses at the site.
    At the October 22 meeting of Town Council, the future of the site was debated in light of new factors regarding it.
    Since the original application was made nearly two years ago, Hope College and Clinic have moved into the school. One of the main concerns from the Drumheller Municipal Planning Commission was there would not be enough parking for students and staff. As a result, parking would overflow to the surrounding streets.
    “If Hope College goes, there wouldn’t be enough parking and people would have to park on the street. I’ve talked to residents and they feel the parking would be in front of their houses,” said Councillor Doug Stanford. “I want to see a subdivision over there, but I want to make sure we have enough parking before it goes through.”
    Elektra Holdings feels, with some work, there could be enough parking at the school if the portable on the northeast corner and the playground on the south side were removed. By doing so, roughly 70 stalls would be available to the college.
    “It assumes that Hope College would be in full swing tomorrow. Even if it would start tomorrow, they may only have in their first year, according to projections, 50 or so students. It’s not going to be a case where you’re going to have 400 students in the first year,” said James. “The parking needs are met on site.”
    At the council meeting, a decision to extend the deadline for application of the subdivision was granted, with Councillors Stanford and Sharel Shoff opposed.
    The next step for Elektra Holdings will be to apply for the subdivision of the land. After that, public input would be required on the project.
    “When we make formal application...at that time, the subdivision will have to advertise for public input,” said James.

    The marks are in for the 2011/2012 year and it looks like divisions in the area are ahead of the curve.
    In Prairie Land Regional Division (PLRD), students met or exceeded the provincial average in Language Arts 3, Math 3 and 6, Science 6, Social Studies 6, Biology 30, English 30-2, and Social 30-2. The division met or surpassed the provincial average at the acceptable standard in Language Arts 6, Science 9, and Social Studies 30-1.
    “One thing we were really happy with was the level of participation. In many instances, we’re in the mid to high 90’s. It means we run inclusive environments, where students who may have some struggles can continue to take part and learn with their peers,” said Wes Neumeier, superintendent of PLRD.
    Areas identified for improvement are achievement at the standard of excellence, Chemistry 30, and Math 30 Pure. Professional development is being offered to teachers so they may better teach and test to the curriculum.
    Overall, the provincial achievement test results were down for PLRD. However, Morrin and Delia Schools boast high numbers.
    “Morrin School results have actually been going up over the past few years, for both the achievement test and satisfaction surveys. Delia, for awhile now, has posted strong results and a strong indication of satisfaction around the culture of the school. It’s one of our highest performing schools,” said Neumeier.
    In Golden Hills School Division, a trend of increasing provincial achievement test results has been observed,
    “Overall, we’re pleased with our continued improvement in all the Grade 3, 6, and 9 provincial test results. We continue to have an upward trend,” said Bevan Daverne, superintendent of Golden Hills School Division.
    Golden Hills met or exceeded the provincial standard of excellence in Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Math 30, and Physics 30.
    At the elementary level, the number of students achieving the standard of excellence increased over the previous year in six of the ten achievement tests.
    The biggest factor, according to Daverne, has been changing how teachers teach their students.
    “Our classrooms operate very differently than how they did ten, or even five years ago. We’re following a model that looks more at assessment of learning, with more of an inquiry approach in the classroom and more students engaged in what’s going on,” said Daverne.
    Christ the Redeemer School Division also boasted strong results this year. In terms of the provincial average, on the pass rate and the standard of excellence, Christ the Redeemer was higher in ten out of ten provincial exams.
    For diploma exams, Christ the Redeemer beat the acceptable standard in all nine exams, and the standard of excellence in eight out of nine tests.
    “We had a great year. We’ve come to expect that kind of performance. We have hard working teachers and good students,” said Scott Morrison, associate superintendent with Christ the Redeemer.
    The division isn’t resting on their laurels. They’ve implemented two new programs designed to help adolescents who are delayed readers and english language learners.
    “In the area of pass rate, you want to make sure no students are left behind. We have three programs, two which are new, targeted to help students that are delayed readers,” said Morrison.
    For more about the provincial achievement test results, visit www.plrd.ab.ca, www.ghsd75.ca, or www.redeemer.ab.ca.