Alumni Scholarship – Emily Downey

Emily graduated from École Secondaire Notre Dame High School in 2017 and is currently an undergraduate of the Bachelor of Health Sciences at the University of Calgary. In June 2019, Emily will depart with the Cumming School of Medicine’s Global Health Team and head to Mbarara, Uganda to gain hands-on experience orientated around community development and health promotion in low-middle income countries. This field school is in partnership with the University of Calgary, Mbarara University of Science and Technology and Healthy Child Uganda.

Through this endeavour, Emily will experience the importance of putting faith into action. She is dedicated to helping build capacity and foster community development through embodying the eight characteristics of Catholic identity.

Grow Boys 2020

Grow Boys is a full day leadership conference for Grade 5 boys in Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools and Red Deer Public Schools. This event includes sessions on physical activity, mental health/wellness, trades and technology. Students benefit from learning new skills and are exposed to positive role models throughout the day. This initiative has been allocated $2,000.

Go Girls 2020

Go Girls is a one-day event that promotes health and wellness to all Grade 5 girls in Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools and Red Deer Public Schools. This event focuses on physical activity, healthy eating and mental wellness. Students benefit by gaining new skills and knowledge while building new friendships. This initiative has been given $1,500.

Middle School Faith Week

Grade 6-9 students will have the opportunity to watch and learn from singer, songwriter and storyteller, Steve Angrisano. The division’s youth ministry team will travel with Steve to all middle schools so students can build their spirituality in their own community setting. This initiative has been allocated $4,000.

École Secondaire Notre Dame High School – Sea-can Conservation Project

Students in the Career and Technology Services program will have an opportunity to transform a sea-can into a tiny home. This project facilitates cross-curricular and inquiry-based learning to students and has been allocated $2,500.

St. Thomas Aquinas Middle School – Faith Retreats

Students will have the opportunity to participate in grade-specific faith retreats where they will learn about living and proclaiming their faith. This project has been allocated $6,000.

St. Teresa of Avila School – Outdoor Adventure Club

The Outdoor Adventure Club is a group of targeted, at-risk students that participate in a variety of outdoor activities they otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience. The Club encourages students to gain an appreciation of God’s creations in a faith-filled, natural setting. This project has been given $1,950.

Testimonial:

St. Teresa of Avila School – Kind Kids Club

The Kind Kids Club is made up of Grade 4-5 students that have expressed an interest in becoming a leader within the school. In response to high demand, the school has developed a Kind Kids Junior Club for Grade 1-3 students. These clubs will meet regularly to discuss and create activities to promote faith, kindness, acceptance and positive mental health in the school community. This initiative has been given $750.

Testimonial:

The funds were used for craft/activity supplies, repurposing of club t-shirts to include mindfulness components of our school goals and supplies to make thank you cards & small gifts for presenters for our school-wide Mindfulness Matters afternoons (giving back to community members allowed students to feel the benefits of giving). Students were excited to come to our meetings each week and were eager to start new projects! Thank you  for providing this opportunity for our students to grow through their faith and kind acts.

St. Teresa of Avila School – Health Champion Retreat & School-wide Activities

Leadership Club students known as Health Champions will grow in their faith at a retreat at Sacred Heart Parish. These students will become school-wide faith-filled leaders that will model, encourage and promote mental/physical/emotional health. The school community will benefit from their leadership and various activities throughout the school year. This project has been allocated $900.

Testimonial:

Staff and student leaders had the opportunity to gather at Sacred Heart Catholic Chruch for the morning and participated in mass, as well as leadership activities. Bridging faith and leadership are essential in our schools as we hope to foster lifelong leaders that truly reflect on how their faith can be integrated into daily life.

The funding provided by the Red Deer Regional Catholic Education Foundation was used for activity supplies, food that students prepared with a dietitian from Alberta Health Services and sub costs for staff leaders. The preparation of food is a key component to our retreat as we focus discussions on thankfulness, prayer and family mealtimes. Students were positively impacted through the sessions by creating purpose-filled time for discussions, engagement and reflection to ensure that they understand their roles as leaders for the school year. Our goal is to create student leaders that enhance the authentically Catholic environment at our school.

 

St. Patrick’s Community School – Faith Retreats

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