When asked what words immediately come to mind about our former Head of School, Dr. William (Bill) Jones, responses include: ethical, visionary, focused, student-centered, excellence, and a wicked sense of humour. On June 30, 2018, Dr. Jones retired from Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) after 11 years of dedicated service as Head of School.

The Youth Council is a new committee of the Calgary Foundation that hopes to inform and empower youth. The idea for the Youth Council emerged from the success of the Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) Primary Years Programme (PYPx). Having just completed its third year, the PYPx has been very successful in teaching youth about vulnerable people in our community and empowering them to advocate on behalf of those groups. The project has had a profound impact not only on the community and the school, but also on the Calgary Foundation itself.

Moving into the new Elementary facility this past January has provided our community of students, educators and families with truly unique opportunities. The professional learning that our faculty embraced during the past years served us well as we transitioned from more traditional classroom spaces to a learning community model of education.

Dr. William Jones, Head of School, retired June 30, 2018. The STS community greatly appreciates Dr. Jones’ extraordinary efforts during his tenure at the School. In his 18-years at STS as Senior School Principal, then Head of School, he created an environment in which students, faculty, and staff, flourished. The STS community sincerely thanks Dr. Jones for his extraordinary service and wishes him well in his future endeavors. 

Two of our esteemed alumni have been awarded honorary doctorates this month from the University of Calgary.

On Saturday, June 9, the SV Rugby team was defeated 25 – 14 by Banff Community HS at the Calgary Rugby Union and finished with a silver medal at the ASAA Tier III Rugby Championship.

We are proud of our team because we learned about a problem, decided how to take action and worked as a team to pack over 500 snack bags!

Senior School Debate came to an end the weekend of April 20-22 with two national tournaments that were both held on the rock in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Grade 10 student, Zaki Lakhani ’20, represented Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School and Canada with excellence at the World Individual Debating and Public Speaking Championships (WIDPSC),  held from April 9-14 at Bishop’s Diocesan College located in Cape Town, South Africa, accompanied by STS speech coach, Mr. Fink. We are delighted to announce that Zaki was named the World Champion in the Category of Interpretive Reading and placed 4^th overall out of 160 competitors from 12 countries.

While STS has been using momentum to move forward, Michael McNeil Forbes '94 has created a different kind of momentum in the scientific community - a negative-mass fluid, where forward momentum can mean moving backwards. 

This past week our students have enjoyed a wide variety of activities celebrating the diversity within our school community.

What can an 11-year-old do? Strathcona-Tweedsmuir’s Grade 6 students have proven that 11-year-olds can be the leaders of today’s generation through their achievements of the Primary Years Programme Exhibition.

As Founder and President of REAP (Respect for the Earth and All People), a Calgary-based business association focusing on improving communities and the environment, STS alumna Stephanie Jackman '90 is working to create a greener and brighter economic landscape in Calgary, one business at a time. 

In celebration of International Mother Language Day, the STS Senior School Round Square created an initiative that recognizes the rich culture and diversity within our global community.

On February 21, a group of nine elementary-age students (seven being from STS) participated in a local FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Lego League, where they learned about robotics, team work and real-world problems

Private school funding has gained some attention recently with criticism from a group called Progress Alberta and a motion by the Edmonton Public School Board to defund private schools. This seems to be an annual occurrence which coincides with the provincial government allocating their budget for the upcoming year. Thankfully the Minister of Education, Minister Eggen, has clearly stated to the media that, “We continue to support the critical role parents play in their children’s education, which includes their ability to choose the school they feel will best ensure their child’s success”.

On March 1, 2018, 10 STS delegates from the school’s Model UN Program travelled to New York City to participate in the National High School Model United Nations for only the second time in the program’s history. This is one of the largest, most esteemed Model UN conferences in North America and one of the ‘most international’ with delegates from over 50 countries in attendance.

Pink Shirt Day highlights what we are promoting at STS – the power of the bystander.  The silence of bystanders gives power to the bullies.  No bully is strong enough to withstand the unified resistance of their peers.

Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School revealed its brand new $24-million, 100% donor-funded learning facility expansion on Friday, February 23 together with STS alumni, faculty, staff, donors and contractors.