Proudly Mentoring the Next Generation

Grande Yellowhead Public Schools are proud to be accredited teaching sites for undergraduate programs in education, guiding and mentoring the next generation of teaching excellence for our students to succeed.

For several years, education students from post-secondary institutions have completed their practicums, also know as field experiences, under the mentorship of experienced GYPSD teachers from kindergarten to grade 12, in all school communities.

Summitview Middle School in Grade Cache was personally recognized this spring from the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary with a gratitude letter and plaque for the school’s “unwavering commitment and dedication in mentoring and hosting our pre-service teachers during their field experience.”

For the 2024/25 school year, the Division hosted seven (7) teacher practicum placements

• Three (3) student teachers at Summitview
• Two (2) student teachers in fall and one (1) in the spring at Grande Cache Community High School (GCCHS), and
• One (1) teacher at Ecole Westhaven in Edson.

At the high school, the students taught a number of classes such as Social 20-1, Grade 9 Social, Foods 20/30, Outdoor Ed 20/30, Math 9, Math 20-1, Math 15, Math 30-1, Math 10C, Math 31, Math 30-2, and Science 14. Even more exciting for Principal Hammer than their ability to cover such a wide variety of topics was the two students are GCCHS alumni!

Other practicum placements this year included two (2) for educational assistants in Edson at Westhaven and Mary Bergeron Elementary, and new this year, the Division hosted an Occupational Therapy practicum student from the University of Alberta who is working on a master degree, Ms. Annie Wei.

This is Annie’s first practicum and she is being supported by the Division’s current Occupational Therapist, Taryn Erickson-Montague, who will work with Annie as they visit students at schools across the Division this spring.