Golden Hills School Division has gone forward with their plan to close the Grade 9 programs at Rockyford School and Hussar School.
    At the Board’s January 27 meeting, they made the motion to close two of the programs and have them transferred to other Golden Hills School Division schools. Unlike a school closure, which is defined as the closure of three or more grades, there are no more public meetings to discuss the changes. Come next school year, there will no longer be Grade 9 programs in Hussar or Rockyford.
    “There is no further requirement other than to meet with the parents directly impacted and that will occur,” said Golden Hills board chair Ron Kenworthy.
    He says transfers in the past have followed the same procedures, and to remain fair these transfers would follow the same protocol.
    “We felt there has been an awful lot of consultation about this, and there has been discussion with the last three or four boards,” he said. “We knew what people felt…in the letters, faxes and the e-mails we received, we hoped there might be some solution people had, but there was nothing that impacts the solution.”

A Drumheller coach is taking the next logical step in his career accompanying the Canadian Special Olympic Ski team to the Special Olympic World Winter Games.
    The Special Olympic World  Winter Games are in Boise, Idaho from February 7 to 13. Martin McSween was selected in May of 2008 as an alpine skiing coach, and this coming Monday, will be on his way to the games.
    “I’m excited, I’ve never been to this scale of competition before,” said McSween. “It has been fun so far… and the athletes are pumped.”
    The Team Canada contingent includes 133 athletes, coaches and support staff. They will join upwards of 3,000 athletes from 100 countries to compete in winter sports that include alpine skiing, cross country skiing, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoeing, snowboarding and speed skating. McSween leaves Alberta with team members with a police escort on Monday to join the Western Canada team in Vancouver. They will rally, and then be joined by the Eastern Canadian athletes before they head to the games.