Horizon School Board meeting briefs from Jan. 30

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Vauxhall Advance

By Heather Cameron
Vauxhall Advance
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The following are selected briefs from the Horizon School Board meeting that took place on January 30.

Presentation to the Board

Carolyn Johnson, Rick Anderson, and Natasha Morgan from the Barnwell School Council attended the meeting because they wished to thank the Horizon School Board for their willingness to partner with the community of Barnwell to expand the scope of the Barnwell School Modernization. The community fund, according to the school board, raised a significant amount of funding and were able to enhance the size of the school gymnasium and connect a community library and community weight facility to the school, and the board also aided the community with bridge funding to ensure the enhanced scope was able to proceed given the tight timelines involved.

Policy Approval – second and final reading of Policy JC – Gifts and Donations

The board did second and final reading of Policy JC – Gifts and Donations and motions were made to approve both readings and both motions were carried.

Policy IEB – Entrance Age – First Reading

The board discussed how there were some changes to the Education Act over the last number of years, so the board reworded Policy IEB to mirror the legal documents. Ultimately, a motion was made to pass first reading and the motion was carried.

Study of Film Course

The board discussed how Lomond School is looking to acquire a Study of Film course that was developed by the St. Albert School Division instead of the film studies course that Horizon School Division already has as a locally-developed course. The course from St. Albert, the board said, is a three-credit course that will look at film studies in literature and the requirements within the course are that participants need to have film studies 15, 25 and then go to 35 while the prerequisites for the course are English 20-1 or 20-2, and in this course, the prerequisites can be waived. During the discussion, it was mentioned that there are hundreds of locally-developed courses, and Horizon School Division goes through a process every year of sharing those with principals and then they get to notify if they would like to acquire that course. Wilco Tymensen, superintendent of Horizon School Division, said that Lomond School reached out to him and expressed a desire to have use of the film course, so a request was set forth. A motion was made to approve for Lomond School and carried.

Superintendent’s Report

Wilco Tymensen, superintendent of Horizon School Division, reported that Bryan Pritchard, former principal of Warner School, has transitioned to being an off-campus teacher and his role was filled by the former vice-principal of W.R. Meyers, Adam Hughes. Coral James, the Division’s early learning coordinator, Tymensen said, has also become the new principal of Central School while Shea Mellow, former principal of Central School, moved on to a role at the University of Lethbridge. Tymensen added that Amber Kallen, principal of Chamberlain School, filled the role of early learning coordinator for the Division and there was an acting principal put in place at Chamberlain, Terryn Gutfriend. 

Tymensen also stated that all the principals are currently working on their calendars for the next school year, and they all have not only their regular school calendar with all of their timetables and schedules, but then from that, they all have kindergarten calendars and early learning calendars as well.

Facilities Meeting Report Highlights – Bruce Francis

Bruce Francis reported to the board that they completed 182 work orders and requests and that IMR projects are underway, 25 per cent of the total projects are complete and the CMR projects are near completion with 64 per cent complete with the expectation that by the end of February they’ll be done with 100 percent of the CMR projects. 

Francis also shared that there was continuous monitoring of the boiler systems and they were affected by a number of weather factors. Boilers, Francis said, had issues in Grassy Lake, Warner, and Vauxhall, and fire sprinklers had issues in Barnwell due to the cold temperatures. 

Horizon, Francis said, has engaged the services of the division’s BMS contracted program ventilation systems to run when outside temperatures dip below the set threshold, that threshold being -20, so those ventilation systems will be running 24/7 when that situation occurs. 

Francis also reported that the capital project that is happening down in Milk River is proceeding well, change orders have been approved and are progressing on schedule. The biggest change order, Francis said, will cause a three-month delay because the structural integrity has been marginalized because of asbestos walls and certain walls will need replacing due to that issue.