Students from Wildrose Elementary in St. Albert got an unexpected send-off to the school year last week, earning an award from the Alberta SPCA for a fundraising campaign for the Edmonton Humane Society.
A group of mostly Grade 2 students from school raised more than $1,000 through a cake raffle earlier this year, donating the money to the Edmonton Humane Society. This achievement caught the attention of the Alberta SPCA and earned the class second place in the organization’s annual Humane Hero contest.
“We thought that they did an excellent job,” said education program manager Melissa Logan. “They put in a lot of effort and there were quite a few students involved with the project.
The students received their award last Friday. It included $200, which the class will donate to the humane society.
“They were very excited,” said teacher Linda Wilson. “It’s quite meaningful for the kids to know that their money is going to a worthy cause.”
The fundraiser could earn the school official recognition on the humane society grounds. Humane society spokesperson Shawna Randolph said the specific type and location of the recognition would be determined this summer, but praised the kids’ efforts.
“We’re absolutely thrilled with the job they’ve done,” she said.
High school completion rate rises
Alberta’s high school completion rate rose to 71.5 per cent in 2009, up from 70.8 per cent in 2008.
“Seeing our high school completion rates heading upwards is good news for students, families, communities and the province and shows we’re focusing on the right areas to ensure students are successful,” said education minister Dave Hancock in a press release.
He attributed the increase to joint efforts between government and school jurisdictions to keep students engaged and motivated to stay in school,
Under its High School Completion Framework, Alberta Education works with school jurisdictions to identify barriers to graduation and develop plans to help boost completion rates.
The framework seeks to implement more personalized learning and better tracking of progress. The province has set a completion rate target of 81 per cent by 2012-2013 and 90 per cent long-term.
