UNews - Lethbridge Collegiate Institute

High school students meet the challenge of university coursework

caroline.zentner — Mon, 09 May 2016 20:56:12 +0000

The high school students in Deborah Jarvie’s Systems and Supply Chain Management class are well on their way to being ready for university-level coursework, thanks to the dual credit initiative (DCI) between Lethbridge Collegiate Institute and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

The class was the second DCI course; Liberal Education 1000, offered in the fall semester, was the first. The DCI is currently a pilot program being funded by Alberta Education. The students don’t pay tuition fees but have full access to U of L facilities and resources. The program allows high school students to earn high school and university credits at the same time.

High school students taking Systems and Supply Chain Management posed for a photo with their instructor, Deb Jarvie, wearing a red scarf, following their recent final presentations.

Jarvie has been teaching at the post-secondary level for about 20 years so she wasn’t sure what to expect when she began teaching Grade 11 and 12 students.

“They were such a lovely group of students. They were really eager to participate in everything we did. They dived into their project work like nobody’s business,” she says.

The class incorporated everything from inventory and procurement of materials to facility management and customers and suppliers. Supply chain management looks at all aspects of management, from the raw materials in the ground to the final consumer and, eventually, to recycling.

One of the main objectives of the course was to give students an understanding of the technical aspects of supply chain management and have them apply that understanding to the world around them. They saw theory at work when they took a field trip to Haul-All Equipment Systems, the corporate sponsor for the class. The students toured the manufacturing plant and saw the steps involved in the manufacturing process.

Gerald Rogers, a Grade 12 student, says the trip to Haul-All was a high spot of the course because he could see the principles he learned in the classroom put into action.

“Another highlight of the course for me was learning about the processes involved in creating a product. For tech businesses, a mineral that goes into a computer can start in Africa and end up in the phone in your pocket,” he says.

Like students in any university course, what they took away from the course depended on their interests going in. Megh Patel, a Grade 11 student, took the course because of his interest in business and he knew he would learn a lot in the process.

“I learned just how complex businesses can get when they’re growing and how companies have to work and change their supply chain in order to find success,” says Patel.

“I want to go into politics and I felt like this course would help me. A lot of politicians today don’t really know how business works,” says Anthony Castillo. “This course helped me learn how everything’s not separate; it’s all interconnected.”

Jarvie says the course gave students the opportunity to explore what learning is like at the post-secondary level, where students have to be more self-directed and independent in pursuing coursework.

“There wasn’t a teacher pushing me the whole time. It was more myself — I have to finish this project; I need to meet up with my group. I think it’s a good lesson to get ready for university, to get mentally prepared for the challenge, but I’m really excited for it,” says Paul Dumont, a Grade 11 student.

“High school courses are all so structured and the curriculum is straightforward — this is what you’re going to learn. But in this class, she gives you the textbook, she gives you the discussions in class but then you go through it yourself and you talk about it with your group and you apply it to other things. It makes so much more sense; you can apply it everywhere. It was cool,” says Allie Edwards.

The students recently gave their final presentations in a U of L lecture theatre. The topics included retailing, Coca-Cola’s distribution system, starting a student-focused laptop company, and outsourcing and its effects on manufacturing. In the audience was Don Lacey, a trustee with Lethbridge School District No. 51.

“The dual credit initiative is something that should expand,” says Lacey, adding he expects it will be funded on a more permanent basis in the future, thus allowing post-secondary institutions to develop courses and plan several years ahead.

“Overall, I think it’s a fantastic program. I’m really happy that the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ decided to go down this road,” says Jarvie. “I’m thrilled I was able to be a part of it. It was an honour to work with this group of students.”

Edwards says she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the course to other high school students.

“Definitely take it. It was a really good opportunity; it was lots of hard work but I enjoyed it,” she says.

Dual credit initiative introduces high school students to university coursework

caroline.zentner — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 18:01:24 +0000

Twenty-seven high school students at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute are earning both high school and university credits through a dual credit initiative (DCI) with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge that began in September.

Liberal Education 1000 is being taught by ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge professors Dr. Bruce MacKay, co-ordinator of the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Liberal Education program, Dr. Lance Grigg, a Faculty of Education professor who teaches critical thinking skills, and Aaron Stout, a social studies teacher at LCI. The course is a version of the same one that’s been offered at the U of L for years.

At the front of the classroom, Dr. Bruce MacKay, at left, and Dr. Lance Grigg are providing Lethbridge Collegiate Institute students with the opportunity to earn university credits while still in high school.

The students — most are in Grade 11— get together for two lectures and three labs each week. In addition, the students receive several workshops with U of L librarian Nicole Eva to develop their information literacy skills and introduce them to doing library research. The course explores knowledge across disciplines, including the sciences, the social sciences, the humanities and fine arts. For the DCI, the question students are examining is ‘What should we eat?’

“They are using tools, skills and attitudes associated with critical thinking to read articles in natural science, social science, humanities and arts to develop their own arguments and make their own reasoned judgments addressing that question,” says Grigg.

“We ask the students to think about what we should eat from a scientific perspective and for health. We ask them to consider how we should feed the population on the planet, and whether industrial farming or local, organic farming is the best way to go,” says MacKay. “Like the course on campus, the students are writing tests on the content of the material, they’re doing a series of smaller exercises for grades that lead up to a final project. The final project is their answer to the question ‘What should we eat?’”

The course came about after Alberta Education opened its doors to dual credit program proposals and approved the joint LCI-U of L submission. After two years of planning, the three-year pilot program launched in September. Since Alberta Education is subsidizing the program, students don’t pay tuition fees but they have full access to U of L facilities and resources.

Students have responded positively to the dual credit course and have shown themselves to be eager learners.

“One of the things I’m really happy with is the critical thinking. Just over the last few months, it’s changed how I think about things. Before, I’d look at things and make decisions based on everyone around me. Now I can take a step back and look at things critically,” says Daniel O’Connor, a Grade 11 student.

“We cover a lot of different topics. We just finished the science aspect and now we’re doing social sciences,” says Jhanvi Mehta, a Grade 11 student. “So it’s nice to see how that all ties in with our overall question, which is ‘What should we eat?’”

“I enjoyed learning about the different kind of arguments and the proper ways to argue. Plenty of politicians argue and you realize they’re not always doing it the right way,” says Aurora Gray, a Grade 12 student. “It makes you think about how to show your information and prove what you’re saying.”

The professors and Stout agree the course is going well and they’re impressed with how the students are engaging with the material and asking pertinent questions.

“It’s really exciting for me to see what high school students, when brought into a different context, can actually do,” says Stout.

Another component of the course is a partnership with industry. WestJet is the official partner for the course. Stout says a WestJet representative will be presenting to the class as a way to illustrate how critical thinking skills apply in the world of business. In addition, Precon Manufacturing has indicated its willingness to show students the link between critical thinking and its industry.

The students will gain credit for a locally developed course at the high school level and three university credits. The LibEd 1000 course will wrap up in December and another dual credit course in systems and supply chain management will be taught next year, with Haul-All as the industry partner.

Summer time is research time for six local high school students

caroline.zentner — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:03:15 +0000

Summer time usually gives high school students a break from learning, but six local students have spent most of their summer getting educated about research instead.

The Heritage Youth Researcher Summer (HYRS) program, funded by Alberta Innovates Health Solutions (AIHS), gives students in Grade 11 the chance to spend six weeks participating in health-related scientific research labs and research centres at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

Grace Forster, who will be entering Grade 12 at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute in September, is one of six HYRS students at the U of L this summer. She applied to the HYRS program because she enjoys the sciences and thought the program would help her find out if she enjoys laboratory work and whether she wants to study science after high school.

She began working in Dr. Gerlinde Metz’s lab on July 8, analyzing data from a research study into the effects of travel stress on mice.

“We do a lot of stress research in the Metz lab. One of the things that isn’t typically controlled very well is shipment stress,” says Forster. “Almost every laboratory gets animals shipped because most don’t have the capacity to maintain breeding colonies that will be big enough. We’re essentially looking at how shipment stress affects basic motor function in adult mice.”

To gauge motor function, Forster took measurements of stride length, distance between the hind feet and rotation of the feet in a sample of travel-stressed mice. These measurements were compared to those gathered from a sample of mice bred in house. Forster spent the first three or four weeks completing the data set, which involved a lot of painstaking hand measurements.

“We found that the shipment-stressed animals had significantly shorter stride lengths, which indicates they would have less postural stability and slower walking speeds,” says Forster. “They would respond differently to the behaviour and motor tests.”

The results show that findings from research studies could be skewed if both in-house mice and shipment-stressed mice are used in the same project. Forster says the results point to a need to use only one kind of mouse in a research project to ensure consistency.

During the HYRS program, Forster helped out with a variety of other projects, too. She learned how to handle mice, weigh pups and mothers and measure their body circumference. In addition, the HYRS students took part in educational tours, attended brown bag lunches with panels and presentations, and heard from university professors and university students about their scientific careers.

“We had the opportunity to visit the gross anatomy lab in Calgary (the cadaver lab at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary medical school), which was very interesting,” she says. “That was one of the coolest experiences.”

The HYRS students also had some fun — Forster’s favourite activity was The Great Escape, a live-action, escape-the-room adventure.

She wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the HYRS program to other high school students.

“I don’t think there’s anything else like this program that can give high school students the type of experience in the sciences that can make an impact on their university education or their careers,” she says.

Other HYRS students at the U of L include Eyram Asem, a Winston Churchill High School (WCHS) student, who worked in Dr. Robbin Gibb’s lab and Kai Bailey, from Chinook High School, who worked in Dr. Bryan Kolb’s lab. Kate Chua, from Catholic Central High School (CCHS), spent time in Dr. Robert Sutherland’s lab and Anileen Pageni, a WCHS student, worked in Dr. Ute Kothe’s lab. Daniel Rocca, a student from CCHS, worked in Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden’s lab.

Journey to academic success doesn't always follow same path

trevor.kenney — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 16:52:25 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge master’s student Richard McLean (BSc ’14) would be the first to tell you that all educational journeys do not follow the same path. In fact, some of the most unorthodox routes can lead to some of the greatest results.

McLean, shown here in the lab, was inspired by the opportunity presented to him in an Applied Studies course.

McLean contributed to a groundbreaking study that was recently published in Nature, the world’s most-cited interdisciplinary science journal, with work he accomplished as an undergraduate student in an Applied Study setting with Dr. Wade Abbott, an adjunct chemistry and biochemistry professor. Given that McLean’s future was headed toward toiling in a kitchen rather than researching in a lab, the magnitude of this accomplishment is all the more impressive.

“At one point I was thinking, this is about as good as it’s going to get,” says McLean of his work as a cook in a variety of local restaurants before he decided to return to post-secondary studies. “Ultimately, my dad talked me into it and I thought maybe I should go back.”

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Man., McLean moved to Lethbridge at age 12 and excelled academically. A strong student out of Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, he went directly to the U of L following his high school graduation. After two years, his GPA sagging along with his interest level, McLean left to “do my own thing”. He and his family eventually realized he was destined for bigger things.

Working with Dr. Wade Abbott, standing, McLean contributed to a major international study that was recently published in Nature.

“Going from cooking in a kitchen where it doesn’t matter how hard you work, you don’t really see any rewards, to coming in here where everybody you work with is really invested, is working toward the same goal and is passionate about what they are doing – it’s a refreshing change,” says McLean.

He got his big break shortly after coming back to the U of L, when Abbott presented him with the chance to work in his lab.

“As soon as I gave him that opportunity, he worked like nobody I’ve ever seen,” says Abbott, one of the co-lead authors on the Nature paper, Human gut Bacteroidetes can utilize yeast mannan through a selfish mechanism, that was published Jan. 8, 2015. The study discovered that certain strains of bacteria in the human gut – Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Bt) – have developed a taste for yeast, which may hold the key to strengthening the immune system in both humans and livestock.

“That’s one of the things that makes the U of L such a great school. Before I dropped out, I had kind of lost interest so my GPA was nothing to get too excited about, but I still had the opportunity to get into the lab,” says McLean. “At a lot of other schools you have only the top of your class struggling to get a position in a lab, so I feel quite lucky.”

His first task was to try and unlock the structure of a specific enzyme, something that Abbott and his colleagues had been unable to accomplish.

“It was the first time I’d tried the technique and all these other guys have tons of experience. I jokingly said that I probably did something wrong and that’s why it worked,” says McLean. “Sometimes the conditions are just right and everything falls into place.”

It proved to be an important part of the study and earned McLean his first publishing credit. Since then he has graduated and begun work, also with Abbott and Dr. Steven Mosimann, on his master’s degree. He’s now working on a project that is attempting to eliminate food-born pathogens, something he intends to transition into PhD studies down the road. His ultimate goal is to become a research scientist.

“I felt that Wade had given me a real opportunity to come and work in his lab so I really wanted to prove myself,” says McLean. “He rolled the dice on me and I wanted it to pay off for the both of us.”

It already has, and from the goals that McLean has established going forward, the journey is far from over.

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge partners with Lethbridge School District No. 51 to present Dual Credit program

caroline.zentner — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 18:06:55 +0000

A first-of-its-kind partnership between the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and Lethbridge School District No. 51 promises to create new learner pathways for high school students and better prepare them for the transition to post-secondary studies.

The Dual Credit program will see high school students have supervised access to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus, facilities, instruction and other resources.

The creation of a Dual Credit program will allow students to take university courses as part of their usual high school schedule, earning credits at both the high school and post-secondary level. The program began as a three-year pilot project in September 2014, with planning taking place in the first year, and will initially involve students from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI).

“We feel that the relationship the students build with the course content, rigorous classroom environment, university instructors and the university itself will strengthen the likelihood that our students will see university as a potential learning pathway after high school,” says Dr. Cheryl Gilmore, Superintendent, Lethbridge School District No. 51. “We hope that through this program our students examine their future career planning and post-secondary possibilities, including the many programs at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.”

Two courses will be offered at the outset of the program, Supply Chain Management 1850 and Liberal Education 1000. Students will meet with a university faculty member two times per week at LCI, and have an additional four hours per week of study time dedicated specifically to their class. Students will also have supervised access to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus, facilities, instruction and other resources.

“This partnership is an excellent opportunity to engage local high school students with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and our outstanding faculty,” says ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President (Academic) Dr. Bob Boudreau. “One of the fundamental philosophies of the U of L has always been to provide access to a quality post-secondary education and this is another way of creating these pathways for students. The program also creates a comfort level for students with the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and the demands of a post-secondary environment, which can only lead to greater success in the future. Both of the courses offered will provide students with basic skills and knowledge to help them succeed in any extended learning or career choice.”

Funding for the Dual Credit program is from a variety of sources, including the Alberta Government Dual Credit Tri-ministry Council, consisting of Alberta Education, Alberta Innovation and Advanced Education and Alberta Human Services. The U of L and Lethbridge School District No. 51 are supplying funds, while industry partners Haul-All and West Jet are also on board with their support for the program, as it furthers the process of preparing students for their eventual entry into the workforce.

“We are pleased to be partners in this exciting initiative,” says Kevin Neufeldt, chief operating officer of Haul-All Equipment. “Through this innovative approach to educating high school students, industry partners are able to support students in understanding the need for extended learning in order to succeed in future careers. We can directly provide students exposure to our industry, outline the skills and education we are looking for in future employees and present them with career opportunities.”

Haul-All and West Jet will host field trips and provide in-class guest speakers to further highlight to students industry overviews, needs and opportunities.

A total of 40 students are expected to take part in the pilot program in the first year of instruction.

Horns swimmer McAllister honoured with Queen's medal

trevor.kenney — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 18:14:14 +0000

At only 20 years old, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns swimmer Zack McAllister received one of Canada's highest honours recently when he was presented with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his accomplishments representing Canada on the international swimming stage.

Created in 2012 to mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, this commemorative medal serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

McAllister joined the ‘Horns swimming program in January of 2012 after graduating from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. He advanced through the Lethbridge Amateur Swim Club (LASC), and represented Canada at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

“Zack often downplays the significance of his accomplishments,” says Pronghorns head swim coach Peter Schori. “This recognition is a great opportunity for him to see how proud the community is of his world class performances and the inspiration he offers to other athletes and non-athletes.”

In London, McAllister’s best finish was sixth place in the 400-metre individual medley, and he put together a pair of exceptional performances enroute to that finish. McAllister knocked six seconds of his then personal best time to qualify for the finals and in the finals he swam another four seconds faster to finish sixth.

McAllister has also represented Canada at the Para Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mex. in fall 2011, and after enrolling at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge in January 2012, attended meets in Los Angeles, Colorado and Sheffield, England. McAllister’s disability is a condition by which he has too many bones in his limbs, thereby restricting growth and range of motion in both his arms and legs.

High school iGEM team best in the world

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 20:23:42 +0000

A team of Lethbridge high school students has been awarded the coveted Green Brick grand prize at the iGEM High School Jamboree – an international competition for young synthetic biologists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, MA.

The team was judged on its efforts to create a longer lasting form of Oxytocin – a hormone most-commonly known for its use in aiding childbirth. Oxytocin, unfortunately, has a very short half-life meaning the hormone degrades quickly and soon becomes unstable, making it expensive and difficult to store.

The Lethbridge High School team together with their ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge undergraduate student and graduate student advisors and their faculty advisor, Dr. HJ Wieden, successfully developed a genetic circuit (BioBricks) to reprogram a harmless laboratory strain of the common bacterium Escherichia coli to express a stabilized variant of Oxytocin. Details about their project and the team itself can be found on their project website (wiki) http://2013hs.igem.org/Team:Lethbridge_Canada

In addition to being named the top team at the competition, the Lethbridge team also was awarded prizes for the "Best Bio Brick" and "Best Wiki". A total of 30 international teams competed at the event last weekend.

The iGEM Foundation fosters scientific research and education through organizing and operating the iGEM Competition, the premier student synthetic biology competition. It also facilitates scientific research and education by establishing and operating the Registry of Standard Biological Parts, a community collection of open source biological components.

The organization promotes the advancement of science and education by developing an international open community of students and practitioners in schools, laboratories, research institutes and industry.

"One of the real values of the U of L's commitment to the iGEM program is that it is building bridges between high school and university experiences," say Dr. HJ Wieden, a U of L synthetic biology researcher who served as an advisor to the team. "These exceptional students will be the innovators and entrepreneurs who will add tremendous value to Alberta's economy and quality of life in the future."

Students from the Lethbridge team represented various Lethbridge high schools including Chinook High School, Winston Churchill High School, Catholic Central High School and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. The team has successfully applied for funding from Alberta Innovates Technology Futures (geekStarter) to support their project.

"This result is absolutely exceptional, though I am not surprised. Previous iGEM competitions have placed ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge undergraduate and our Lethbridge high school teams among the best in the world on multiple occasions," says U of L President and Vice-Chancellor Mike Mahon. "The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has a strong track record of attracting world-leading faculty like Dr. Wieden and we are committed to partnering with the community through programs like the iGEM High School Jamboree. It also illustrates that our local high schools are producing some incredible young scientists."

The Lethbridge high school team plans on continuing its Oxytocin project next year.

Alumnus Anderson takes pride in being No. 1

trevor.kenney — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:11:50 +0000

It is one of those things that really shouldn't be a big deal. After all, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ ID number is just a simple sequence of digits and every student has one. Why is it then that years after graduation, when we have occasion to remember that long forgotten string of integers, do so many of us wax nostalgic?

Perhaps the answer lays not so much in the numbers themselves but in the memories they have come to symbolize, memories of friends and professors, great marks, not so great marks and the ultimate realization of an incredible accomplishment.

At the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, the first two numbers on a student's ID represent the year that a student begins studying there. If you know a bit about the history of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ, you might guess that the first student ID started with the number 67. Wayne Anderson (BASc '73), the first student registered at the U of L, however, tells a little different story of ID number 00057001.

"When I graduated from high school in Picture Butte in 1957, Kate Andrews was the chairman of the board that was starting up a college in Lethbridge. Because our school district contributed funds to the building of the college, the college gave us the opportunity to go in and start as first year university students," remembers Anderson. "I started out in education. There was a big need then for teachers, so for incentive to get us enrolled, our tuition was only 100 dollars for a semester. Although we were within the college, we were actually the first ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students."

Wayne Anderson, here at the Aperture sculpture, will be on campus in May to receive his Fiat Lux Alumni Ring.

The first building built with those funds still stands as part of a local high school.

"They built onto the west end of Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. There were rooms there for us to use and as soon as we finished the year we moved out and the Collegiate took over. William Cousins was the dean of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ students there, and that is how we started out in the fall of 1957," explains Anderson.

After his first year, Anderson took a break from school to work at the research station in Vauxhall. He married his sweetheart in 1966 and later moved back to Lethbridge to accept a job at the Lethbridge Research Centre.

"My Mother had gone to grade 11 and in the 1920s that was quite a feat. I did not have a very good showing my first year at the college and my mother was so disappointed that I didn't carry on. I wanted to rectify it and make her proud of me, so I started back at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ," recalls Anderson.

Balancing a full-time job with a young family and part-time studies, Anderson once again pursued a degree, this time in physical sciences. He eventually graduated with a BASc in geography in 1973.

"I aimed toward that degree because I was working in that field and I really loved my job. The courses I took, geomorphology, soils, agricultural geography, research techniques, Russian and Canadian geography, were all somehow related to the research station and its work worldwide. The professors would post our marks on the door. In all those years taking courses I never had a hard time finding mine because the students' IDs started in the 60s and 70s and my ID stood out like a sore thumb because it started with 57," chuckles Anderson.

Anderson continued to work at the research station until he retired in 1991. Not one to sit still long, he began working as a driver for the armoured car division of Loomis before retiring again in 2003. Deciding that retirement was not for him, Anderson began yet another career working for the Commissionaires as Security personnel for the Alberta/Montana transmission line.

Now 75 years young, Anderson loves visiting the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ campus on a regular basis as part of the Walk for Wellness group. On May 29, 2013 he will be on campus to participate in a special ceremony to receive the Fiat Lux Alumni Ring.

"One of my proudest accomplishments is graduating after spending all those years in ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. The ring is something to always remind me of the years I put in and of being a part of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. I feel pretty impressed to see how far the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ has come from when I first started until now. When I see all these students I think, gee it has been a long time since I have been a student here," laughs Anderson. "It is great to be an alumnus!"

GET THE FACTS

· Anderson has been married for 47 years and has two daughters and one son, with one daughter a U of L alumna

· He has been a curler for 50 years and still coaches wheelchair curling in Lethbridge

· An old car buff, Anderson has driven his 1966 Chevy hardtop in the annual Street Wheelers weekend

· He calls the '57 Chevy his favourite vehicle, and briefly owned one after his first year of university

This story first appeared in the April 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Legacy of leaders will live on with Horns' culture

trevor.kenney — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:26:23 +0000

Athletic programs often talk about creating a culture and a unique identity that defines the ideals and goals of the organization. In many instances, that's all it is – talk. For the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team, fifth-year seniors Derek Waldner and Julian Spear Chief-Morris embody Horns' culture.

"They have been cornerstones of transformational change in our program," says head coach Dave Adams. "We went from pretenders to contenders in the time that they were here, and I cannot say enough about the sacrifices that both of them made to push the program to where it is now. Anything that's happened in the program in the last few years has been built on the backs of these guys."

While each of them took different paths to the Horns' program, and each battled through his own adversity, it was fitting to see them walk off the court together in triumph, checking out of their final Canada West game to a standing ovation from the home crowd, a victory well in hand.

"It's really nice in life, because you don't see it all the time, when people will put in the work and then get rewarded for it and that's happened for both guys," says Adams.

Derek Waldner, left, won the majority of these position battles over the course of his five-year career with the Pronghorns. Photo by Paula Gorman

Neither of the two had an easy road to success.

Waldner, an Okotoks product, admits that the U of L was really the only Canadian Interuniversity Sport program to recruit him out of high school and that he had no promises or expectations about what his role would be when he arrived on campus.

Spear Chief-Morris began his career at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria. A local high school star at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, he chose to head west to play for the nationally-renowned Vikes, but after two seasons in Victoria and an invitation from Adams to come back to Lethbridge in hand, he returned to his roots.

He subsequently had to sit out a transfer season and then early into his first year with the Horns, suffered a devastating knee injury. A year later he was back on the court but it really wasn't until the last few months of his senior season that Spear Chief-Morris was able to play to his abilities.

"I didn't really have basketball in mind when I was recovering, I just wanted to be a healthy person again because I spent a whole summer not being able to run, not being able to jump, having to learn how to walk again," he says. "I just decided I'd worry about getting healthy first and in the end I decided I wanted to play again."

All the while, Waldner was emerging from obscurity to become one of the best rebounders in the country and one of Canada West's top post threats. A double-double machine (double figures in both points and rebounds), he would eventually set the all-time rebounding record at the U of L and lead the CIS in rebounding his senior season.

"It was the goal for me when I came out of high school," says Waldner. "My coach, Sam Aiello, when I graduated he told me to go get that record, because Nick Baldwin, who had the record before me, was his product as well."

The Horns flourished with both Waldner and Spear Chief-Morris in the lineup, but it wasn't only court success that defined their time in blue and gold. Waldner, a biochemistry major, is a four-time Academic All-Canadian, while Spear Chief-Morris, studying urban and regional studies, has achieved All-Canadian status three times.

"I'm a competitive person and anything I do I want to be the best at, so walking into the classroom is the same thing. Why not try and be the best at what you do?" asks Spear Chief-Morris. "That's why I push myself in the classroom, if I'm going to do something I'm going to do it well."

Julian Spear Chief-Morris was a mentor both on and off the court to the next generation of Pronghorns. Photo by Paula Gorman

While he doesn't tout himself as a role model for First Nations teens, he recognizes that his success both on and off the court can serve as a positive motivating factor for the Aboriginal community.

"I don't think I've ever looked at myself as a role model but now that I'm getting older, I've been put in situations where I've been confronted with that," he says. " I think I definitely do serve as a role model in some respects to some of the kids out there on the Reserve. I'm really just trying to live my life the right way, so if people look up to me, that's great."

For Waldner, combining the rigors of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ with athletics was never a question, it's always been a focus.

"It just takes a little discipline, it takes staying in and studying instead of going out with your buddies some times," he says. "Time management is the biggest aspect, and having basketball and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ at the same time has really taught me that life skill where time management will never be an issue for me."

Both Spear Chief-Morris and Waldner have plans to pursue graduate studies, and even may look at professional basketball opportunities should it fit in with their academic ambitions. More than anything though, the two are not content to revel in their glory days as Horns basketball players, knowing this is just a stage in their life plan.

"I'm just excited for what's next," says Spear Chief-Morris. "My time here was wonderful but all things pass and I'm looking ahead."

It's that attitude that Adams says will live on well past their time in uniform.

"What a blessing in a program when you have two guys that not only come into practice and set the work ethic example on the court, but then they back it up by what they do in the classroom as well," says Adams. "Imagine how blessed we are to have a locker room where that is the voice of leadership. It's a fabulous culture that those guys will leave as a legacy in that locker room."

GET THE FACTS

· Both players had their parents in attendance for their final CIS game

· Waldner had 252 rebounds this season to set a new Horns' single-season record and lead all CIS players. His career total of 874 rebounds is also a Horns' record and the fifth highest total in Canada West history

· Both players credited Horns alumni for truly representing Horns culture. "I know that I've played for two universities now and the support, not just from the community but from the alumni is not comparable," says Spear Chief-Morris. "It really is a blessing to have a group of people who honestly care about who you are and your success."

This story first appeared in the March 2013 issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Ondrus gravitates to leading role for Horns rugby

trevor.kenney — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 21:09:37 +0000

Her official title is interim head coach and former head coach Neil Langevin will still be riding shotgun as an assistant, but make no mistake, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns women's rugby team knows who will be calling the shots when the 2013 Canada West season opens this fall.

JJ Ondrus (BSc/BEd '04), who has been with the program since its inception, first as a player, and most recently as Langevin's assistant coach for the past 10 years, is taking the reins of the perennial national contenders.

"This was a goal of mine probably since the first couple of years being an assistant," says the 34-year-old Ondrus as she assumes the head role in the wake of Langevin's one-year leave. "I just never thought Neil would give the position up, I figured I'd have to move to get an opportunity to be a head coach at a university level."

Ondrus is coming full circle with the program she first helped build as a player. A soccer player through high school, she graduated out of Catholic Central High, earning a soccer scholarship at the U of L. She played just one year of high school rugby, having to suit up for rival Lethbridge Collegiate Institute because CCH didn't yet have a team of its own.

Three years into her post-secondary career, Horns rugby was born and she switched sports.

"I was OK at soccer but more of a bench player than anything," says Ondrus. "But in rugby I was pretty much the quarterback as a fly half. I was on the field all the time and we played a kicking game and I was the kicker, so I was important and I loved it."

The Horns new interim head coach, JJ Ondrus, has been with the program since its inception.

In her two years as a Pronghorn she experienced just one win, but it's a memory she relishes, and it was the first brick in the construction of the Pronghorn dynasty that would emerge years later.

"That is still Neil's favourite win, and I have the newspaper clipping where he says that," smiles Ondrus, recalling the team's bronze medal victory over the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia at the Canada West championship tournament. "I still remember him jumping out of the end zone he was so excited, because we were not supposed to beat anybody that year."

Ondrus earned her education degree and started her teaching career at Winston Churchill High School. She also went straight into coaching, both at the high school level and as one of Langevin's assistants. She has never left the program.

Over the ensuing years, Ondrus taught at Nobleford, then Fort Macleod and eventually returned to Churchill, where she is in her fifth year as a science teacher. At every stop she helped build the sport of women's rugby and like her Pronghorn brethren, played a big role in establishing the vibrant rugby culture in southern Alberta.

"If you look around the high school league, I'm pretty sure every program has a Pronghorn player on the coaching staff," she says. "People are surprised when they come to our community and see the level of support we get and especially the balance between boys and girls rugby. To see 12 girls teams to six boys teams really speaks to the strength of girls rugby in southern Alberta."

Ondrus admits she is somewhat overwhelmed with her new position. She is heavy into recruiting for the new season, knowing the Horns graduated six players last season and two others are not returning to the program. She's also acutely aware that the Horns are coming off what is for them a down year, failing to win the Canada West championship for the first time in seven seasons.

"I'll admit it, I'm a little nervous about that but the coaches and players accept that responsibility and pressure to be the best, we set the bar high and set that expectation on ourselves to go to nationals and compete for a national championship," she says.

Having been a part of the program since its outset, it's hard to imagine anyone else better prepared to take over for the only head coach the Horns have ever known. Ondrus is ready to go.

"I've been with the program since it started in 2000, so it is near and dear to my heart," she says. "I am very excited for my new role and cannot wait to bring my energy and ideas to the table. Neil has set the bar pretty high, but I know, as he does, that I am ready!"

This story first appeared in the February 2013 edition of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

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