Middle School

On November 5, Grade 7 students took part in a special No Stone Left Alone ceremony to honour the sacrifice and service of Canada's military. Students placed poppies on headstones in the Field of Honour at the Okotoks Cemetery. Through this experience, students became deeply aware of the selflessness and bravery of those who served to defend our country and gave the ultimate sacrifice.

On Friday, November 5, the STS Middle School Debate Club participated in the first Canadian Nationals style debate competition of the season. 12 STS Middle School students participated in the Masters Autumnal Invitational Debate tournament in both the beginner and open divisions. Our debaters were well-prepared and handled their debates with great finesse and strategy.

Both Grade 7 and 8 Social Studies classes recently participated in peer assessment activities in class. Peer assessment helps students to evaluate other students’ work in accordance with the Middle Years Programme (MYP) rubrics. Students were asked to locate evidence in student work that reflects the various strands in the MYP Rubrics.

Last week Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School students and employees took part in numerous activities for the 37th annual celebration of Marti McKay Week. Founded in 1984, Marti McKay Week promotes the creative arts, honouring the memory of Marti McKay, an STS student and gifted poet who passed away in 1981.

On October 8, 12 STS teachers across all three grade divisions attended a workshop at Dodginghorse Ranch on Tsuut’ina Nation. Facilitated by Sonya Dodginghorse, teachers engaged in meaningful learning, collaborating, and sharing that focused on Indigenous culture and diversity awareness.

The 2021 Spartan cross country season has come to an end, and what an exceptional season it was! Both the Middle and Senior School teams demonstrated determination, commitment, enthusiasm, and leadership throughout the season. This season provided opportunities for the Middle School students to train with the Senior School students, allowing them to improve and put themselves against tougher competition.  

STS is actively and empathetically exploring, designing, and developing different pedagogical approaches to learning about the legacy of Canada’s Residential Schools and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. STS faculty have been helping students make sense of Canada’s history and are pursuing opportunities to engage in practices that facilitate reconciliation within the school community.

‘Adapt and adjust (and stay healthy while doing so)’, that has become my mantra for the past 19 months. Amidst the many challenges have been many opportunities and some blessings in disguise.

Thank you to the STS student and staff community for your participation in our class runs during the week of September 20 – 24, 2021.  It was an amazing demonstration of caring, encouragement and fun! The STS Terry Fox Run is a part of one of Canada’s biggest displays of solidarity against cancer while setting an example of compassion, fostering school spirit, and encouraging physical activity! Our participation over the past 37 years exemplifies our dedication to supporting Terry Fox. 

50 years ago, it all began with an idea. In 1971, a group of forward-thinking, courageous leaders and educators broke ground on a new campus in a remote, rural area just south of Calgary, Alberta. Little did they know that this tiny school with big ideas would go on to become the gold standard of independent private education in Canada − and around the world. The STS of today is the result of five decades of vision, hard work, commitment, and love.

One of the words that I believe most describes STS is community. The close-ties and overarching feeling of community at STS can be described as nothing short of extraordinary. Although there are many amazing things from my time at STS so far, the things I will remember the most are the people I have met.

Nevada Maier '24 recognized as CTV Calgary Inspired Albertan using his daily Peloton bike rides to raise funds for the Heart Beats Children's Society of Calgary.

Are you a kid who has always wanted to fly a drone across 220-acres of open space just to explore the landscape from 300-metres in the air? Or maybe you’re a student who’s watched the Royals playing the complex sport of polo on TV and wondered what it’s like to ride a pony while trying to hit a ball with a mallet. Or a parent thinking that if your child loves those darned video games so much maybe they should try to program one.

Last week, Emma M. ’22 participated in the Canadian National Public Speaking Championships held virtually from St. John’s Ravenscourt School in Winnipeg, Manitoba representing Alberta and STS.

STS Student, Michael S.'21, has designed a car stick shift to help those with arthritis drive manual cars.

Last week, 11 Middle School students participated in our in-house Interpretation of Poetry Speech Tournament demonstrating personal interpretation of their selected poem.

It was quite an atypical year to say the least! STS worked hard to encourage student engagement and reduce feelings of isolation during several months of RAPID (Remote Alternate Program Instructional Delivery), due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From themed days like crazy hat day and bring-a-stuffed-animal-to-zoom, to our own version of the newscast 'Some Good News', students had opportunities to connect and have a good laugh. 

For more than 115-years, Strathcona-Tweedsmuir School (STS) has been a proud member of the Calgary and Foothills community — and community is at the centre of all we do. It inspires us, shapes us, and motivates us every single day — especially in the STS enrollment office. 

This past fall STS offered a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) programs again for students in Grades 3-9. A number of Grades 7-9 students signed up for the Level I and II Python coding workshops.