Another Drumheller resident who has shown great dedication to the community has been honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
    Martin McSween, who has coached Special Olympic skiers for many years, from the local level all the way up to international competition, received the award in Canmore at the Canada Special Olympics Training Camp in late November.
    He was presented the award by multi-Olympic medal winner and Honorary Special Olympic Team Captain Catriona Le May Doan and the Special Olympics Chef de Mission for Team Canada Jennifer Campbell.
    “It was a really great opportunity to be up close and personal with sports royalty and I’m still, after a week, grasping the honour bestowed my way with the award,” said McSween.
    The Drumheller Mail reported in May of this year that McSween had been selected as a coach for the Canadian Special Olympics alpine ski team heading to the World Games in Korea. Members of the team were in Canmore on the weekend of November 23-25 preparing for the competion.    
    “We had a great training camp and wonderful output from our athletes in preparation for the World Games, January 29-February 5, 2013, in South Korea,” said McSween.

Martin McSween, centre, received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal from Catriona Le May Doan, left, and Canada Special Olympics Chef de Mission Jennifer Campbell in Canmore.

    “Man plans and God laughs,” chuckles Tim Gregorash, principal at St. Anthony’s School, summing up his entry into the profession of teaching.
    This is a career that spans 33 years, 32 of which were at St. Anthony’s School in Drumheller. This coming January, Gregorash will be handing over the reigns to a new, yet to be selected, principal.
    “After 33 years I am starting to look for a change” said Mr. Gregorash. “I have done what I wanted to do, I got the new school started and running and I feel we are in a great position for someone else to come in and take over with their vision of the school and lead it for the next few years.”    
    Gregorash studied at the University of Lethbridge and began at St. Anthony’s School teaching primarily Junior High science and math courses.  Like most teachers, he has gone on to teach everything from religion to building construction. In 1994, he became vice principal and then principal in the new millennium.  He was at the helm when St. Anthony’s reintroduced its high school program.
    With the high school came the need to expand, and it warranted the new school. Gregorash was part of this process from the design stage to the opening of the school. The school continues to steadily grow.
    It has been a great vocation,” he said. “Working with the kids has kept me in the profession for so long. It has been a dream, a lot of fun.
    “They say a good teacher will touch a child’s heart, but they never tell you how the kids will touch your heart.”
    This may be the most difficult part to leave behind.
    “I am going to miss the kids and the people I work with. We have an incredible staff, our parents are a great group of people, and that will be the one thing I will definitely miss,”  said Gregorash. “The school is strong and heading in a good direction. It is time for someone to come in and take it forward.”
    Christ the Redeemer School division has advertised to fill the position and the closing date is January 7. Gregorash will stay on until his replacement assumes the position. He is tight lipped on his future plans.
    “I’ll be taking a little time off and then I’ll be looking for something else to do. I feel I am too young to retire and will have too much time on my hands,” he said.
    For once in his life his schedule will not be signaled with a bell.
    “It is one profession that everything is so regimented in time… it is going to take a little getting used to, but it shouldn’t be that hard. When summer holidays hit I find it pretty easy to eat when I am hungry or sleep when I’m tired.”