School Notes: yoga classes and health conferences

Yoga class

St. Albert Catholic students will learn how to teach others yoga as part of a pilot program taking off next year. Greater St. Albert Catholic parents are invited to come to an information session at École Secondaire Sainte Marguerite d’Youville this Dec. 5 on a new yoga instructor course being offered to Grades 9 to 12 students next year. District surveys showed that students and parents wanted schools to offer more health and wellness options such as yoga, said ESSMY principal Sheila Glebe. While schools had previously offered yoga classes, they had never offered classes on how to become yoga instructors. “This is a different opportunity that allows students to explore different careers.” Lisa Babiuk, owner of Soul Fitness Mind Body Studios in St. Albert, said the idea for this new course came out of her work as a yoga instructor for the district’s sports academy. The course is based on a similar one she offers at her studio. “Yoga is becoming very, very popular,” she said, and is something many students could teach part-time. The proposed course would have students learn about yoga history and philosophy, anatomy and physiology, and teaching methodology over 200 hours, Babiuk said. Students would also get hands-on experience teaching yoga to others in the district’s sports academy program. Completing the course would make students accredited yoga instructors through Yoga Alliance International who could then seek jobs in the industry. The district hopes to have 30 students sign up for a three-day pilot course that would run during professional development days and teachers’ conferences this February and March, Glebe said. If there’s enough interest, they’ll roll out the full course next fall. They have yet to determine the fees for the class. Yoga gives you strength, flexibility, and endurance, and allows you to exercise while also relaxing, said Glebe, herself a former yoga teacher. It’s also something you can do at any age, and can encourage lifelong physical activity. “If (students) really enjoy it, it may become a career path for them.” The information session is at 7 p.m. Call the school at 780-459-5702 for details.

Healthy active conference

St. Albert student and teachers will learn how to bring some art into their lives next week as part of a regional health conference. About 160 students and teachers from St. Albert, Morinville, and the rest of the capital region will be at Edmonton’s North Pointe Community Church Tuesday for the region’s annual Healthy Active School Symposium. The educational event, now in its 11th year, is organized by Ever Active Schools, an offshoot of the Alberta Teacher’s Association funded by the provincial government. Similar conferences ran throughout Alberta earlier this year. The event aims to teach students about healthy eating, activity, and mental well-being, and to take what they learn at the conference back their schools to teach others, said Tamara Rosnau, spokesperson for Ever Active Schools. This year’s session will focus on building student leadership through the arts and creative expression. Arts education inspires creative and critical thought in students, and helps them build perseverance, confidence, and dedication, Ever Active Schools reports. Students at the conference will share ideas, attend presentations and create action plans for the school year. Rosnau said to expect a lot of dancing and art projects, including a co-operative piece involving a large peg-board and plenty of string. The conference runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon this Nov. 28. Visit everactive.org/hass for details.