LAst week, students across Alberta started heading back to the classrooms. For students in Golden Hills, they may see some new faces teaching them this year.
    Golden Hills School Division saw a few retirements over the summer and are welcoming 25 new teachers across the division.
    “We have a number of new staff members across the district and we have some orientations planned. I think we have about 25 new staff participating in the orientations. We’re excited to have them join us,” said Golden Hills Superintendent Bevan Daverne. “We’re very much looking forward to the new school year.”

Bevan Daverne...
Superintendent of Golden Hills School Division

    In addition, students may start to notice a change in the way they are taught, as the division changes its overall teaching style.
    “We’re continuing to work on instruction and changes to instruction. We’re concerned students are prepared for a world where it’s important to be connected and collaborate with people from all over and who are creative,” “Employers are looking for people who are creative, can problem solve, and work well with others, so those are skills we have been working on teaching to our students,” said Daverne.
    “It’s a shift to classrooms that are much more project oriented, where you collaborate with others, are creative, and encourage the use of technology.”
    Student enrollment is projected to remain consistent with previous years.
    “Our projections are student enrollment will be about the status quo. We have growth in some areas and other communities are declining a little bit,” said Daverne.
    However, the largest development in Golden Hills, the proposed Wheatland East School, will have its fate determined tomorrow at a meeting of Wheatland County Council. The new school is meant to combat declining enrollment and resources in Wheatland County’s rural schools.
    “We have a redesignation hearing on August 29. We’re looking forward to that decision. If we have a positive response from them, then we will get going on construction and other items. We’re hoping to be open in September 2016. Parents across the area have been commenting and, I think it’s fair to say, they’re anxious for us to get going. We are too,” said Daverne. “It’ll be great to have a new school serving the communities in east Wheatland.”

It appears Drumheller residents and visitors are going to be a little more connected in the very near future with wifi in the downtown core and major facilities.
    According to Corporate Services director for the Town of Drumheller, Byron Nagazina, the town has inked a deal with Shaw to install free wireless Internet at the Badlands Community Facility, the Drumheller Memorial Arena and other locations in downtown Drumheller.

Byron Nagazina, Director of Corporate Services
Town of Drumheller

    With this, people with laptops, tablets or smart phones can connect to the Internet free of charge. 
    “There were 10 communities they singled out for launching the services and we were one of them,” said Nagazina. “It is free of charge to the Town.”
    “They are even talking about having it out on the streets. The whole idea is so people can get connection to wifi wherever they are.”
    He says the agreement is for 10 years. Shaw is in the process of finalizing the plan including where it will be installed.
    Mayor Terry Yemen is excited for the step forward. When a person connects to the wifi network, it will take them to the Shaw website and then to the Town of Drumheller’s home page.
    “That way we can put in all of our events on the page. It will be good next year with all the tourists coming here and they can see what we have to offer,” said Mayor Yemen.