Parents and students gave their feedback to members of the Golden Hills School Division, but the decision to close the high school program at Carbon School has yet to be made.
    “We had mixed feedback. There are some parents who feel that closure is not something they would choose, but something that is inevitable, given the number of students. There was a group that wanted to see the high school program continue,” said Golden Hills Superintendent Bevan Daverne.
    Over 90 people attended the meeting. The night opened with a brief speech by Daverne, where he described the situation the school faces and why the closure is being considered.
    “Over the last ten years, the high school program in Carbon has had a regular decline,” said Daverne. “Ten years ago we would have had about 50 students, now we have 24.”
    Daverne went on to explain that 40 per cent of the eligible high school students in the Carbon area attend other schools, such as in Acme, Three Hills, or Drumheller.
    “Our enrollment is at the point where parents are making the choice for their kids to go elsewhere,” said Daverne.
    Parents are choosing other schools, because of the lack of options,  programming, and career training. Other factors include students sometimes having to rely on distance learning to cover their courses and blended courses.
    Afterwards, the attendees broke into ten groups and were tasked with answering several questions.
    The first was what should happen to the high school program. Reactions varied from it should remain open to closed and have the students go to Acme or have parents/students choose their own school.
    The second question focused on, if the program were to cease, whether to send students to Acme or redraw the school zone boundaries and have students go to their closest school. Some respondents felt keeping students together was best, others were of the opinion it would be easiest if parents/students chose their school.
    The last question was what should be the priorities for high school programming. Responses included options, career training, field trips, more fine arts, and some felt the core courses were enough.
    “We got a lot of feedback over the course of the night,” said Daverne. “All of that information will go help the board make their decision.”
    The motion to consider closing the Carbon High School program was first tabled in the Golden Hills School Division board meeting in February.
    The feedback from the meeting on April 19 can be viewed on the Golden Hills School Division website, www.ghsd75.ca.
    The final decision will be made at the Golden Hills School Division board meeting on May 29.
    “The board has not made a decision to close the school,” said Daverne. “We’ve been collecting information and the decision will happen in the May meeting,”

    It’s been a surreal experience for Drumheller residents Cameron White and Megan McLauchlin. One moment they were two of the thousands of fans waiting to see the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the next they were surrounded by media and thrust into the national spotlight.
    During the TNG Exposed event at the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo, Saturday evening, Cameron asked Megan for her hand in marriage, while dressed in  Star Trek uniforms.
    “I had my mother’s ring in my pocket. We were in Star Trek uniforms at TNG Exposed. I felt it was the perfect time. I wanted to make it our own, but I didn’t expect it to get as crazy as it did,” said Cameron.
    “I’m telling everyone that it was the biggest surprise of my life. I had no idea, I never saw it coming,” said Megan. “When he got down on one knee, that moment happened where you think ‘is this for real?’ Then he did it."
    Attendees in the area began to cheer the couple. Soon, the cheers had spread throughout the building.
    Almost immediately afterwards, they were surrounded by media and the Twitterverse and Facebook erupted with comments about the couple. Emily Expo, the face of the Calgary Expo even took a moment during a speech to congratulate Cameron and Megan. Afterwards and during the following day, strangers would come up and congratulate the two.
    This is their second year volunteering at the Expo. Leading up to the weekend, Cameron attempted to arrange something special for the proposal, but felt that this way was the best for them.
    “I was thinking about it, but not really sure how to do it,” said Cameron. “I figured it was a special event and I wanted to make it special for us.”
    Both grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation.
    “I grew up with TNG and watched them religiously with my parents. Star Trek is one of those things that’s always been a part of my ‘geekism,'" said Cameron.
    “I watched TNG after school everyday and loved it,” said Megan.
    However, they caution they are not as zealous as some other fans.
    “Whoever reads these stories will probably think we’re the biggest Star Trek fans ever, but if we are asked even basic questions, we might not know the answers. We just really enjoy the shows,” said Megan.
    They didn’t even have the uniforms they wore before the Calgary Expo. The uniforms were bought on Friday afternoon.
    The two first met almost 15 years ago while teenagers in Kamloops. They dated for a long time and moved to Drumheller nine years ago to work at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.
    “We first met through music, we both played in bands,” said Megan. “We dated for a long time. Moving to Drumheller was the first time we lived together.”
    One of the most asked questions they were asked was if the wedding would have a Star Trek theme. Sorry to disappoint, there won’t be any Trek uniforms at this wedding (or a Betazoid wedding for that matter).
    “There will be a little hint of Star Trek. Some people will pick up on it, some won’t. It’s going to be a bit different and creative,” said Megan. “We won’t make people dress up.”