Start of school about building spirit

By Greg Price
Vauxhall Advance
gprice@tabertimes.com

The halls of Vauxhall High School are brimming with activity as it embarks on another school year.

Coming off the heels of Spirit Week, an assembly introduced new students and school protocol. The assembly also inspired the student body with guest speakers Lowell and Julie Taylor who were contestants on the fourth season of The Amazing Race Canada.

“Lowell is legally blind. He talked of his experiences as a youth to go with perseverance and a positive attitude working towards your goals,” said Todd Ojala, principal at Vauxhall High School.

“He wants to try and qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games (in Tokyo) and represent Canada. He talked of his experiences with the kids and he let them try on some goggles and dribble some soccer balls with his field of view. It was a really good start to the year.”

The first days of school also included dress-up days, the ever-famous Blue Cup flag football game between teachers and community members and the Grade 12 class, and the Vauxhall Jets hosting the PBA in baseball.

With an extra handful of students in tow compared to last year, staffing for teachers will remain the same, although long-time secretary Jen Peterson is leaving for employment with the Enchant Seed Cleaning Plant, with Lindsay Stober coming over from Hays School as a replacement.

“We really like to work on our inclusive education and in particular, our pyramid of support. There’s a new CRM model which is available on dossier, we are going to work with that. It’s a great way to track students to make sure every student gets the help and support they need,” said Ojala. “For the most part, we are going to run the same course with a supportive and welcoming school.”

Vauxhall High School will be hosting its academic awards on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m.

“It’s a great event where a lot of scholarship money is given out,” said Ojala.

Another date on the calendar to be circled is Friday, Oct. 12. Vauxhall High School/Vauxhall Academy of Baseball philanthropist Yukio Kitagawa will be celebrating his 82nd birthday by riding into town from Lethbridge with his 100,000 kilometre benchmark in his Pennies for K’s campaign at approximately 4-4:30 p.m. The accomplishment will later be celebrated with a dinner at 5:30 p.m. inside the school.

There will also be a big bash on Friday, Nov. 9 for the school’s fundraiser with cocktails starting at 5:30 p.m.

“It gives us a chance to meet together as a school community and celebrate Vauxhall junior/senior high school. It’s a great meal, silent auction items, raffle and prize items,” said Ojala. “It gives us a chance to showcase our talent with a fine arts performance. It is also the night we recognize our Wall of Fame recipients.”

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