News & Events

It is our pleasure to announce that Jeffrey (Jeff) Kahane ’89 has been chosen as the recipient of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honour bestowed by STS upon its alumni.

This award was established in 2003 to recognize eminent alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to our school. Each year, STS showcases a former student who has stimulated new ideas or developments, shown exceptional dedication, creativity, or leadership, and who has truly represented the spirit of STS – Nil nisi optimum. 

Welcoming a First Nations Elder and Knowledge Keeper to our campus is a cornerstone of our commitment to reconciliation. It is creating profound opportunities for our students and teachers to learn, grow, and connect. This special relationship is a beautiful example of how Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) is actively working towards a more equitable and inclusive society.

Students in every grade, K-12, in a multitude of subjects and activities, had the opportunity to spend time with and learn from Saa'kokoto throughout the 2022-2023 school year. After a wonderful inaugural year, we look forward to continuing this beautiful partnership long into the future.

Even though Ben Mercer ’95 is responsible for a walking path used by tens of thousands of Calgarians every single day, he admits that he didn’t see his own journey leading to a career in landscaping and construction.

“I was a bit of a late bloomer and hadn’t figured out what I wanted from life by the time I graduated from STS. In high school, I worked for a landscape company, and then I went to the University of Calgary and studied philosophy for law.”

It is our pleasure to announce that Mr. Todd Worsley ’88 has been chosen as the recipient of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award – the highest honour bestowed by STS upon its alumni.

This award was established in 2003 to recognize eminent alumni who have made an outstanding contribution to our school. Each year, STS showcases a former student who has stimulated new ideas or developments, shown exceptional dedication, creativity, or leadership, and truly represented the spirit of STS – Nil nisi optimum. 

Rosalind Jackson Roe ’16 has always had a penchant for storytelling. 

“In fifth grade, I did a piece from Anne of Green Gables for Elementary School Speech Day. I remember having this gingham dress, my little riding boots, and my hair in two braids – for Anne, of course. Stepping out onto that stage, I felt an intoxicating connection between the words coming out of my mouth and the living responses of the audience. It was that moment when I knew this was what I needed to be doing.” 

Dr. Jay Cross '80, who is now celebrating more than 20 years as a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary (U of C), recalls that he never considered a career in the sciences - not initially, at least.

Dee van Zyl ’18 is bravely forging her own path in the wake of an immense personal tragedy and using her artistic talents to bring healing - and a vital awareness - to an underrepresented sector of society. 

Mountain Glow Co. founder Jake Baverstock ’21 has always believed that his passion for the outdoors could lead to something bigger. “I’ve always had a love for making things, and a really big love for policy change in terms of protecting the environment.”

Where is digital technology headed over the next 10 to 20 years? Grace Walker ’12 is the one to ask. A graphic and web designer by trade, she has become a leader in user-friendly web design solutions that are helping entrepreneurs and companies to grow their businesses. 

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.