FROM THE BRANCHES
FROM THE BRANCHES
NEARTA Presents the ARTA Volunteer Award
PAUL BOISVERT
The North Eastern Alberta Retired Teachers ’
Association ( NEARTA ) held its fall meeting on September 18 with Marilyn Bossert , ARTA Vice-President , in attendance to present Laverne Wilson with the ARTA Volunteer Award certificate that recognizes him as NEARTA ’ s 2017 Volunteer of the Year .
This is how Lorne Young , a long-time friend and colleague of Laverne ’ s described him :
Laverne has done many things throughout his life but there have been two prevailing constants that have guided him to this day : He has always worked and he has always volunteered his time to any person , group or organization that needed a helping hand .
Throughout his entire teaching career , he always believed that serving the school community extended well beyond the school day and it meant serving the needs of all people . For Laverne , this meant coaching kids , helping prepare the sports fields , fundraising for so many great causes , taking seniors to medical appointments , flooding ice on skating rinks , judging 4H speeches and so much more .
Although Laverne technically retired from teaching in 1993 , he has never , to this day , stopped working or volunteering . In the twenty-four years since he first retired , he has been a director of education , has been a principal twice more , and continues to substitute when he isn ’ t busy working at the Co-op or acting as a job coach for a disabled adult ( my son Jeffrey ). He works bingos and casinos for several organizations and continues to chair the Elk Point Library Board .
Above all , Laverne has been a mentor to many students and even more teachers and community members . His quiet leadership , his always-friendly demeanour , and his desire to serve his community have made Laverne a role model to so many . And in that lies Laverne ’ s greatest strength as a volunteer : his ability to inspire others to get involved and make their community a better place for everyone . �
MHADRTA ’ s Clarence M . Goldade Memorial Scholarship
ANNITA PINDER
On October 6 , 2017 , Donna Mae Goldade and Mel Deydey , President of Medicine Hat and District Retired Teachers ’ Association ( MHADRTA ), presented the Clarence M . Goldade Memorial Scholarship of $ 500 to Eagle Butte student Lara Stockman . This is the fourth and final year for the scholarship . It has been presented annually to a student learning to become an educator . We were fortunate to have both the recipient and her mother present . � 20 | arta . net
Marilyn Bossert , Laverne Wilson , Larry Lambert
Mrs . Stockman , Lara Stockman , Donna Mae Goldade , Mel Deydey .