News | DrumhellerMail - Page #849
09202024Fri
Last updateThu, 19 Sep 2024 5pm

Comstock earns prestigious teaching award

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    A young Drumheller man followed his dream of becoming a teacher and is excelling in his field.
     Nathan Comstock, son of Craig and Tina was just awarded the  Edwin Parr Award. This is a prestigious award presented by the Alberta School Board Association (ASBA) to an outstanding first-year teacher.
    “I decided to go into teaching in Grade 9. Ms. Bzdel kind of inspired me and made education fun and something I  looked forward to every day,” said Comstock. Before that, I was kind of struggling in school.”
    He found success in learning and also helping his friends when they were in school.  This motivated him to pursue studying education.
    Comstock graduated from St. Anthony’s School and went to the University of Lethbridge to study Education and History. He completed his teaching practicums in Brooks, Tilley, and Raymond. After graduation, his career brought him to Brooks Junior High School where he teaches language arts and social studies. He has also taken an active role in coaching sports teams.
    “I also teach an option called Activity Option where the kids get to play and learn a variety of sports and sportsmanship,” he said.
    He is one of six teachers in the province selected for the award, and he will be presented his award at the ASBA  Fall General Meeting in November.   
    Comstock will be returning to Brooks Junior High School in the fall.


Emergency Services respond to single vehicle crash

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Emergency Services responded to a single-vehicle collision on Highway 10 Friday night.

Around 7 p.m. on June 5 the Rosedale Hall and the Drumheller Hall of the Drumheller Fire Department responded to the scene at the intersection of Highway 10 and 56 near Rosedale.  RCMP and EMS were also on scene. 

The 3-ton water drilling rig was traveling north on Highway 56 and rounded the corner heading west on Highway 10, when it left the road, ending up on its side in the south ditch.  ATCO Electric responded to repair a downed powerline.

Two occupants of the vehicle were taken by EMS with undetermined injuries. RCMP are investigating.

Canadian Sports Hall of Fame inductee has Drumheller ties

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    One of this year’s inductees to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame has a local connection.
    Duncan Campbell was inducted as a builder in Wheelchair Rugby. Duncan is the son of Mary Campbell and the Nephew of John Mckenzie of Drumheller. Mary lived in Drumheller during the war years, married an RCAF pilot, and settled in Winnipeg.

    “He has a very neat story,” said Mckenzie, of his nephew who now resides in Vancouver.
    Campbell grew up in Winnipeg and when he was 17 became a quadriplegic after a diving accident. While doctors told him he would never live independently again, he was determined and began working out at a local gym with others with physical disabilities.
    According to the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame website, one day in 1976, he and his group that worked out together began tossing a volleyball around and crashing into each other with their wheelchairs. This was the birth of wheelchair rugby, although, in the beginning, they called it murderball.
    Since then, Campbell became an avid player and worked to create modern wheelchair rugby, now one of the most popular para-sport in the world.
    It debuted as a demonstration sport at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta and achieved full recognition in 2000. Duncan at the time was the High Performance Manager for Team Canada.
    “I am so very proud of how far this Canadian made game has come from its humble beginnings in 1977,” he said. “It has been fantastic to experience this development from the start until now.”
    Today more than 30 international teams compete. Canada won the World Championship in 2002 and claimed silver at the 2004 and 2012 Paralympic Games.
    Campbell currently sits on the Development Committee of the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation and has served as the National Development Director for the Canadian Wheelchair Sports Association.
In 2004, the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby National Championship trophy was renamed the Campbell Cup in his honour, and in 2013 he was awarded the International Paralympic Order, the most prestigious award in para-sports.


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