Alumni

With a career that has taken him from studying gray whales on the west coast to grizzly bears among the peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains, Dr. David Laskin ’95 has witnessed proof of this statement firsthand. As a wildlife ecologist with Parks Canada, he studies not only the immensely complex patterns of nature across landscapes, but also the impact that climate change is having on those patterns. The ability to adapt and evolve applies just as much to his day-to-day job as it does to the natural world.

The STS Alumni Association was first established under the Societies Act of Alberta 38 years ago, on May 9, 1984. In addition to regular meetings, the Association’s responsibilities during its first five years included annual events such as the Christmas Reunion and a Polo Tournament, with the Golf Tournament and Grad Luncheon being introduced in the early 1990s. The Alumni Association was dissolved as a separate entity in 1998, at which time it was restructured under the umbrella of STS with Jack Hay serving as inaugural Alumni Coordinator.

“STS created an environment that inspired me to pursue what I loved: creativity. Whether it was art class, speech day, or launching t he school newspaper, my teachers encouraged my success in this area. Nil nisi optimum has stayed with me to this day. In a highly competitive business that depends on continual creative innovation, ST S has equipped me to see past the obstacles and overcome the challenges of bringing new ideas to life.” 

The outdoors are experiential in nature. Just as every living organism grows in relation to its environment, the same is true of a child exploring the world beyond their classroom. The more our students and teachers learn about the outdoors, the more we all realize just how many vital lessons the beautiful and diverse landscape of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) campus has to offer.

Nil Nisi Optimum and Romance and Rigour are the result of a request for proposal put forth to the STS community in honour of this landmark occasion. We received an overwhelming response from our local artists and sculptors, and the final designs were selected by a formal committee review.

Nil Nisi Optimum was dedicated during a special event held in April 2022, and the official unveiling of Romance and Rigour was one of the highlights of June’s Big Birthday Bash weekend. These events were made even more significant by the fact that these installations were created by three STS alumni and our very own beloved Elementary Art teacher.

Change is the one constant we can rely on; the world is always in flux. In 2019, blindsided with a new pandemic reality, systemic and societal change demanded that educators and institutions pivot again, and again, to navigate the unknown. Educators manoeuvred through curricula on-line, off-line, and everywhere in between and aspired to be the glue that held learning communities together while navigating an ocean of change. While the pandemic continued on wave after wave, strategic vision planning at STS emerged, morphed, and caught traction despite pandemic struggles and triumphs. The moral imperative for all educators, tapped us on our collective backs; the need for continual improvement beckoned. The need for change, an updated vision, and a new STS strategic framework, was stirring to life.

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) and Platform Calgary are joining forces to create unique learning opportunities for students.

A new hybrid program centered around immersing high school students in Calgary’s growing tech scene will give STS students access to a specialized curriculum and mentorship experiences during weekly classes held at the Platform Innovation Centre in downtown Calgary’s East Village. The program will play an integral role in establishing our city as a hub of innovation by inspiring the next generation of innovative thinkers and entrepreneurs.

“I first believed I could achieve things I never thought possible at Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School. With the support of STS teachers, friends, and my family, I began to set personal goals that were beyond my comfort zone and my own expectations. It was then that I realized one of the most critical things that was holding me back was believing in myself – that I could do it!”

Rick Weissenborn ’88 and Linda LeBourveau ’84 have achieved what most would consider a rare form of success — they’ve been able to blend their shared love of skiing, design, and advertising to build an award-winning, industry-leading company with a global customer base.

“I would call Rick a serial inventor,” Linda laughs. “I usually get to work a little after Rick — I get in and he says ‘I just came up with an idea’. I’m like, ‘What? Another one?’ It’s ongoing.”

Claire Hanna’s journey is a testament to the power of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) motto: Nil nisi optimum — Nothing but our best. Following her graduation from STS in 2004, she earned a BA in Political Science with International Relations and a Masters of Management from the University of British Columbia, as well as an esteemed place in the UBC Thunderbirds Sports Hall of Fame for her sporting achievements. She retired as a member of Team Canada with a stunning total of three USports National Volleyball championship titles and took on an entirely new challenge — that of sports journalist.

We started a wonderful Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) tradition a few years ago of giving every new student their first STS school tie as a welcome gift. The gifts are beautifully wrapped, and hand-delivered by employees and parents to each new student’s home. Not only is this our way of showing our appreciation for new students choosing STS, but also the tie symbolizes STS’s rich history and a common bond that literally ‘ties’ all STS family members – past, present, and future – together.

Heard. Smith. Ditchburn. Cross. Atkinson. Waterous. Chernoff. Rose. Kirker. Anderson. Buchan. Burns. Dover. Howard…

These names will no doubt be very familiar to every student, parent or guardian, teacher and staff member of Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS). In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that the buildings, facilities, and traditions by which we honour these individuals and families have provided our literal foundations, and shaped our legacy, for over 50 years. As we celebrate our golden anniversary, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize the lasting impact that these momentous contributions have made on our School.

Renowned coercive interrogation expert, Brian Leslie, has always known where his path would lead. “...ever since I was ten years old I wanted to be a cop. There was no doubt in my mind that’s what I wanted to do.”

With a decades-spanning career that includes a term as Chief of Police, a role working with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) courts of the United States Military, and being retained on some of the highest-profile cases in U.S. history, it’s safe to say that Brian has more than achieved his goals. Now, as founder of Criminal Case Consultants and author of such books as Deception of a Witness and Visual Liar, he is using his unique insight to determine who, precisely, is telling the truth in an investigation.