School enrolment strong in Morinville

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Notre Dame teacher Cathy Laliberte showing the students the emergency doors and providing a tour of the school on Tuesday morning. – Lucie Roy Photos

by Lucie Roy

Enrolment in Morinville schools seems to reflect the growth in the community’s population. When school bells rang for the end of the first day of school Sept. 2, Morinville schools had tallied some 2100 students registered for the 2014-2015 school year.

École Notre Dame Elementary School has more than 500 students ranging from preschool to Grade 4, and are anticipating the arrival of a portable by the end of September. Until that time Earl Victor’s Grade ¾ French class has their desks set up in the school library. The Preschool team of two classes is no longer at the Parish Hall and were welcomed into the school Tuesday.

New to Notre Dame this year is Principal Raymonde Roulston, Vice-Principal Lisa Kleparchuk, Learning Support Facilitator Jennifer Wiley, Counsellor Joel Pukalo, and Educational Assistants Sherri Large (from the Parish Hall) and Andrea Pautonnier (from Georges H. Primeau). Also from the Parish Hall are teachers Kim Shymr and Diane Hofman, Occupational Therapist Vicki Anderson, Shannon Mah, Nicole McDougall and Natalie Wint.

Morinville Public Elementary School has more than 536 students this year from Kindergarten to their newly added Grade 7 class. The school held their first assembly Sept. 2 for Grade 4 to 7 with words from Principal Wayne Rufiange and Vice Principal Kari Morgan. enrolment numbers are up considerably from the approximately 200 students enrolled in the fall of 2012.

École Georges H. Primeau Middle School has more than 450 students in Grades 5 to 8. Principal Allan Menduk said the school has six new staff, which includes five teachers and one Educational Assistant. New teachers include Grade 6 teachers Zoie DeAgostini and Denise Groten, Grade 7/8 teacher Scott Robertson, Grades 6/7/8 teacher Briana Foster, Learning Support Facilitator Leisa Michael, and Educational Assistant Lorna Gialet.

Morinville Community High School Principal Todd Eistetter said they are holding fast with more than 580 students from Grade 9 to12. They have more than 40 new students and have welcomed three new staff members: Ryan O’Gorman and Sandee Blackburn from Primeau, and Siobhan Elder from Elk Island Capital.

Morinville Christian School has than 35 students, including nine new students, mostly in the Kindergarten class. Principal Lou Brunelle said this is the fourth year there is no change in staff, which he said brings continuity and stability to the school. The school has Kindergarten to Grade 10 this year and a Home School Contingent of more than 1200 students.

The Morinville Learning Centre is an outreach school that offers courses for students who are working towards achieving their high school diploma (Grades 10-12) or upgrading their high school marks in an alternative school setting. The school offers all courses that a student would need to achieve their Alberta High School Diploma. Offered courses are module based and geared toward independent study; however, students also have the benefit of working one-on-one with their teacher. The Centre also has a part-time counsellor on staff offering personal and career counselling to their students.

Student numbers in all Morinville schools are subject to change due to late registrations.

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Dacie Allen in her first day of Kindergarten on Tuesday at MPES.

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Primeau Principal Allan Menduk at his desk.

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MCHS Principal Todd Eistetter cooks up some dogs during a back-to-school barbecue Tuesday.

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Morinville Christian School Principal Lou Brunelle at his desk.