Category Archives: School News

Unity Music Festival scholarship and award winners

A number of scholarships and awards were handed out to students who played, sang and recited at the 88th annual music festival in Unity, Saskatchewan, the week of April 7 to 13. Participants were from Unity, Wilkie and Cut Knife.

PIANO

Primary, 8 and under, Cut Knife CWL, $50 – Molly Orobko; primary, 10 and under, Unity Ladies Legion Auxiliary, $75 – Abby Rutley; elementary, 12 and under, Delta Co-operative Association Ltd., $100 – Zenon Orobko; junior, 14 and under, Unity Baptist Church, $125 – Kyra Huber; intermediate and senior (15 and over), Unity Knights of Columbus, $150 – Katherine Ulrich.

Unity St. Peter’s CWL, first year of instruction, $50 – Hailey-Lynn Aldred; Unity Lutheran Church, promising student up to and including age 12, $50 – Susannah Ulrich; Barbara Surine, duet/trio, $100 – Kyra Huber and Jolene Gruber; North West Terminal Ltd., promising student 12 and under, $50 – Ainsley Orobko; Joyce T. Smith Memorial, promising student 13 and over, $50 – Kabri Rutley.

Wilkie CWL, recital class 12 and under, $50 – Zenon Orobko; H.N. Wismer Memorial, recital class 13 and over, $50 – Jacelyn Stabbler; Wilkie CWL – test piece 12 and under, $50 – Abby Rutley; Wilkie Kinsmen, contemporary pop, 13 and over, $50 – Jolene Gruber; Saskatchewan Culture Centennial Legacy Scholarship (Sask. composer), $50 – Isaiah Mamer; Dr. M. Ashing Memorial, Canadian Class (12 and under) Award – Zenon Orobko; Wilkie Kinsmen, Canadian Class (13 and over) $50 – Jolene Gruber.

Unity Music Festival Association, Bach/Baroque (12 and under) Award – Owen Keller; Unity Music Festival Association, Bach/Baroque (13 and over) Award – Kyra Huber; Unity Music Festival Association, Sonata/Sonatina (12 and under) Award – Sophia Ulrich; Unity Music Festival Association, Sonata/Sonatina (13 and over) Award – Katherine Ulrich.

Myrtle Cleall Memorial Cup and keeper award, both donated by Battlefords Registered Music Teachers Association, $50 – Tyrell Kuhn; Wilma DeBelser Memorial Scholarship to a promising piano student, $100 – Jolene Gruber; Kathleen Keesey Memorial Scholarship, $100 – Katherine Ulrich; Dr. Fred and Evelyn Weeks Trophy and keeper award – Anthony Witzaney.

VOCAL

Primary, 8 and under, Cut Knife Royal Canadian Legion, $50 – Kaybree Spendelow; primary, 10 and under, Unity Elks Lodge, $75 – Ainsley Orobko; elementary, 12 and under, Cut Knife Elks Lodge, $100 – Rheanne Hofmann; intermediate, 14 and under, Unity Royal Canadian Legion and Unity Ladies Legion Auxiliary, $125 – Kyra Huber; senior, 15 and over, Unity Lions Club, $150 – split between Alison Kuhn and Rachel Mamer.

North West Terminal Ltd., first year of instruction, $50 – Jorja Gumpinger; Butch and Judy Boskill, musical theatre, 12 and under, $50 – Megan Bazley; Unity Order of the Royal Purple, musical theatre, 13 and over, $50 – Alison Kuhn; Cut Knife Elks Lodge, duet/trio, 12 and under, $100 – Ainsley Orobko and Rheanne Hofmann; Barbara Surine, duet/trio, 13 and over, $100 – Alison Kuhn and Rachel Mamer; Unity United Church Choir, sacred solo, $50 – Brooklyn Gray.

Glassford’s Funeral Home, recital class $50, Rachel Mamer; Unity Queen Esther OES No. 31, Canadian, $50 – Iza Belle Lucenio; Saskatchewan Culture Centennial Legacy Scholarship (Sask. composer), $50 – Megan Bloder; Barry and Chris DeRoo-Davisson, promising student, $50 – Molly Orobko; Unity Music Festival Association, folk song/ballad (12 and under) Award – Jenifer Deuchar; Unity Kilwinning Lodge, folk song/ballad (13 and over) – Katherine Ulrich; Wilma DeBelser Memorial Scholarship to a promising vocal student, $100 – Rachel Mamer.

SCHOOLS AND CHOIRS

Division I

Don and Marilyn Wildeman Award and Unity Order of the Royal Purple, $50 – Unity Public School Grade 2

Division II

Louis and Grace Sloboda Award and Unity Lutheran Church, $50 – Unity Public School Choir; North West Terminal Ltd., choral speech, $50 – Unity Composite High School Grade 7; Len and Audrey Boxell Memorial Trophy and Scholarship, best school chorus, $100 – St. Peter’s School Choir; Vivienne Cantelon Memorial, deserving children’s chorus, $100 – ‘In Harmony’ Choir; Joyce M. Demerchant Memorial Children’s Choir Award and North West Terminal Ltd., $50 – St. James Junior Choir.

BAND

Unity Lions Club, open, $50 – St. Peter’s School Band, Grades 5 and 6; Unity Arts Council, open, $50 – Tyrell Kuhn (trumpet).

OPEN SCHOLARSHIPS

Wilkie CWL, $50 –Kyle Parker, piano; Wilkie Knights of Columbus, $50 – Anthony Witzaney, piano; Cut Knife Royal Purple, $25 – Adam Stifter, piano; Cut Knife Royal Purple, $25 – Wesley Shanner, piano; Cut Knife CWL, $50 – Shevaun Feser, vocal; Unity St. Peter’s CWL, $50 – Madison Gilbert, vocal; Wilkie United Church, $25 – Rachel Cey, vocal; Unity Kilwinning Lodge, $25 – Danielle Irons, vocal; Unity Queen Ester OES No. 31, $25 – Owen Keller, piano; Unity Queen Esther OES No. 31, $25 – Sophia Ulrich, piano; Unity Eureka Rebekah Lodge No. 58, $25 – Kaybree Spendelow, piano.

Unity Music Festival Association, Most Outstanding Performer of Festival trophy and keeper – Alison Kuhn.

Unity Music Festival Volunteer of the Year – Irene Thiessen-Campbell

Growing Up Digital – advice for parents

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Three main themes emerged from Ramona Stillar’s presentation to parents who attended the first Growing Up Digital presentation at St. Peter’s School in Unity, Sask., Feb. 27 – we have to teach kids not to share too much, kids will make mistakes which need to be forgiven, and the opportunity the Internet gives kids to change the world.

(If you missed this one, you can still come to the next session, Thursday, March 27, 7 pm, at St. Peter’s School where Stillar will walk parents through a variety of specific social networks. Bring your phone, tablet or laptop!)

Part of being safe online relates to life skills. Stillar spoke about the seven Cs – competence, confidence, connection, character, contribution, coping and control. For example, it takes confidence to not share too much online. Learning how to cope with stress, such as a fight with a friend, might include not posting derogatory things online about that friend.

Stillar pointed out sometimes children will forget about setting privacy settings. As a result, they may not be sharing information or photos with who they think they are.

Everyone needs to understand the online audience is real and includes many more people than actual friends.

Stillar asked how many parents knew someone who, when younger, had mooned people on the street from a car or school bus window. The only difference today is the size of the audience. Yesterday it was the people on the street at that point in time; today it can be thousands and even millions of people.

“Kids will make mistakes! And we have to forgive them … How would you deal with it if it wasn’t online?” The behaviours are the same; it is the bigger audience that is the difference.

Another example Stillar raised was drinking at university: “We all know kids have been doing that for decades.” She hopes adults, including university officials and future employers, understand “that is not what that kid is going to do forever…. A mistake online, even though the audience is larger, shouldn’t be game-changing for them.”

Part of growing up is making mistakes and learning from them. Parental forgiveness is important.

Young people are digitally fluent. They know their way around the Internet and how to find information, images and videos. The focus though tends to be looking at what others have created.

Stillar said, “Right now most of us are consumers of information on the Internet. The vast majority of us need to start thinking more in terms of producing … because that’s where the power is.”

She urged parents to help kids understand they can create and produce content for an audience we as parents never had the ability to reach. They can control what goes online and they can influence world-wide change. Marc and Craig Kielburger, We Day founders, are great examples.

Asked about specific social media sites, Stillar said, “I can guarantee you that as soon as parents are on Snapchat, kids will be off it and on to the next thing. You do have to realize as parents that you can arm yourselves with all the information, you can get yourselves on all those social networks, you can start leveraging them and using them for your businesses and the work that you do but, at the end of the day you will never, ever be able to keep up with all the other apps that are going to come out.”

That’s why teaching children how to be safe online, and do well in life generally, is so important.

Stillar’s next presentation will be March 27, in workshop format as parents learn to use some of the most popular online social media sites. An April session will focus on cyberbullying.

Students learn about workplace bullying

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After guest speaker Blake Fly of Toronto, Ont., concluded his presentation to assembled students from Unity Composite High, McLurg High, Luseland and Macklin schools, Feb. 4, a panel discussion on bullying, harassment and the use of social media in the workplace took place.

(For more information on Fly’s presentation, see the February 10th issue of the Unity-Wilkie Press-Herald or http://unitystories.com/judger-or-nudger/)

Panel members were local lawyer Ken Neil; human resources personnel for both the Unity Credit Union, Alan Zimmer, and Living Sky School Division, Brenda Vickers; Lana Mabbett from Heartland Health; local business owner Mike Wismer; RCMP Cst. Eric Macdonald; and Living Sky’s superintendent of schools, curriculum and instruction, Brian Quinn.

UCHS student Zoher Rafid-Hamed posed questions to different panel members in turn. Responses and comments made by panel members included the following.

Quinn talked about a specific incident in a Living Sky school where an inappropriate comment was made to a student and other students immediately stepped in to tell the offending student it was inappropriate. “No tool is as powerful as peers stepping in,” he said, telling the students that, more and more, “who” you are is more important than the talents or skills you have.

Zimmer reinforced that statement when he explained that, even before someone is hired at the credit union, they try to weed out people who will not fit in. For example, a potential new employee will be asked specific questions about how he or she deals with conflict.

Vickers echoed Zimmer’s comments about the hiring process. She added that, at the school division, reference checking is done not only to confirm skills and abilities but also to ask questions about relationships and how a person solves problems.

In any organization, Zimmer said, “you have a responsibility to everyone in that organization.”

He was referring to workplace bullying and harassment at the time, but that responsibility holds true to the use of social media as well – no matter whether an employee is at work or at home.

Vickers said, even when at home, if you are talking about someone from work online, the employer can take action. Mabbett added, even when you are off duty, you still represent the place you work.

Mabbett cautioned students to establish a positive digital footprint or they may even find themselves not being able to be licensed in the field for which they studied. She gave the example of seeing a photo of a surgeon drunk at a Saturday night party – would she want that doctor operating on her Monday morning?

A video of the panel’s entire presentation is available online at http://streaming.lskysd.ca/, under the heading Social Media and Respectful Relationships.

Judger or nudger – which are you?

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Blake Fly came from Toronto, Ontario, to Unity, Saskatchewan, to motivate, inspire, challenge and encourage.

Fly, author, speaker and music maker, spoke to Grade 7 to 10 students from Unity Composite High, McLurg High, Luseland and Macklin schools, at Unity Comp, Feb. 4. He had students clapping, hissing to imitate a snare drum, making suggestions, cheering and listening intently during his presentation on how to make going to high school a better experience.

Fly used his own high school experiences to illustrate his lessons.

One lesson was to focus on quality of friends, not quantity. Having at least one really good friend is especially important today. “There is no separation between life at school and life outside of school because your online life trumps both.”

Fly talked about surrounding yourself with nudgers as much as possible. Nudgers are people who encourage you to move towards your dreams and goals; judgers stomp on your dreams. Hanging out with judgers “makes for stress and drama and stuff you don’t need.”

Surrounding yourself with nudgers, on the other hand, makes you feel good and can help you achieve your goals. Peer pressure can be amazing “as long as you are pressuring amazing things,” Fly said.

He encouraged the students to become nudgers. “If you want to make your life in school about getting attention and hurting people in the process, okay, I can’t stop you. But … you can still get attention but make people feel amazing in the process. And with technology, when you add that into the mix, that is like just this massive machine to make people feel special if you choose to use it that way.”

Fly asked the students if there was something they loved to do outside of school that could contribute to school. Change and improvement doesn’t have to be all at once.

“When you want to start something, it’s not so much about like changing the world and getting everybody on board. Rather it’s about getting somebody’s attention in some small way, even if it’s totally random, and then doing something with those people – moving them towards something that might improve their own school experience, their own social life, their own outlook on this thing called life.”

When you start to share your passions, “people start to pay attention and then they connect you to opportunities so you can do more of it and maybe actually get some credit for it.”

Fly gave students a specific example of how to be a nudger, how to get attention for making people feel good rather than bad – by converting prank phone calls into thank phone calls.

“Pranks are awesome, some people think, but they often come back to haunt you and they hurt someone in the process,” he said. Making a “thank” phone call, on the other hand, still lets the caller be excited about surprising someone, but by making someone else feel good instead of bad.

After the students voted on who he should call, Fly demonstrated a thank phone call, calling his girlfriend Amanda on speaker phone. The call went to voicemail and he left a message thanking her for being his girlfriend and letting her know how much he appreciated and loved her.

“You can get attention by making people feel amazing, not just by putting people down,” he concluded. Even something as simple as a second of eye contact in the hallways, instead of always looking at your feet or your phone, can help someone feel validated and recognized – “so they know you know they exist.”

The video of Blake Fly’s presentation is online at http://streaming.lskysd.ca/ (copy and paste link into your browser bar).

Luseland v. Unity – junior girls’ basketball

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The Luseland School’s junior girls’ basketball team, the Lords, came to Unity January 24 and 25 to compete in the UCHS girls’ home tournament. Girls from Major also play on the Lords team, and there are a couple of photos of them, along with Unity players, in the February 3 issue of the Unity-Wilkie Press-Herald.

Following are some additional photos from action during the games between the Luseland girls and both the Unity A and the Unity B teams.

Unity Composite High School Warriors were undefeated in the tournament.

UCHS Junior Girls Basketball

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The junior girls’ basketball team at Unity Composite High School hosted their home tournament January 24 and 25. A last-minute cancellation by a visiting team had the Junior Warriors fill in the hole in the schedule by breaking up into two teams. Enjoy the photos from the all-Unity game!

The junior girls’ coach is community volunteer Darren Stifter.

For the Unity A vs. Unity B game, injured player Daphne Boser filled in as the second coach.

Senior Boys`Basketball – Luseland vs. Unity

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Shots from the senior boys’ league basketball game between the Luseland Lords and the Unity Composite High School Warriors, January 14, 2014. UCHS won the game. See the January 20th Unity-Wilkie Press-Herald for more photos from the game.

Senior Girls’ Basketball – Luseland vs. UCHS

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Shots from the senior girls’ league basketball game between the Luseland Lords and the Unity Composite High School Warriors, January 14, 2014. UCHS won the game. See the January 20th Unity-Wilkie Press-Herald for more photos from the game.

Monday’s paper

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The second last edition of 2013, articles and photos in the Monday, December 16 issue of the Press-Herald include:

a heart-warming story on a local boy awarded a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation;
a story on Unity’s long-standing Secret Santa program;
story and photos from the busy downtown activities at Unity’s Winter Wonderland event Dec. 5;
a look at this winter’s weather; and
the UCHS drama nights, the Miners’ report and more.

The Singing Grandpas: Peter Sieben of Kerrobert, Ben Schneider of Tramping Lake and Gabe Kohlman of Major provided cheerful background music for the pleasure of Sunrise Wellness Spa visitors and shoppers during Winter Wonderland events in Unity Dec. 5.

Warriors’ year-end football banquet

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Year-end awards for the 2013 football season were handed out at the UCHS football banquet Dec. 2. Team members, parents, coaches and other supporters of the Unity Composite High School Warriors football team attended the banquet and awards presentation.

The Warriors had what Coach Pat Orobko called a “very successful” year. The team made it into provincial playoffs as one of the top eight teams in the province in their category.

The students played a video with each player introducing himself and giving his number and position or positions played. Many players made the most of their opportunity to ham it up a little in front of the camera.

A video of highlights from the Warriors’ 2013 football season followed. Coach Pat Orobko commended Jonah Kopp and Darby Bisson on putting the video together.

Blake Robertson, Darby Bisson and double award winner Nick Anderson, in the back row and Ryan Donald, Jonah Kopp and double award winner Justin Gerein show off the awards received at the UCHS Warriors year-end football banquet.

The first award handed out went to Darby Bisson as most improved player. Orobko said Darby “took his game to a new level this year.”

The top offensive player was quarterback Blake Robertson, who was commended for his “football sense” and the use of both his arms and legs.

There were two recipients for the Heart & Soul award. Orobko listed qualities of “leadership, desire, motivation and the ability to inspire others” before he called up Justin Gerein and Nick Anderson to receive the award.

Justin returned to the stage to receive the MVP award. Orobko said he was “the player you need on the field as much as possible and the player you miss the most when he’s not on the field.”

Coach Martin Berg went to the microphone to announce the defensive awards, calling up Nick Anderson as the top lineman of the year. Berg noted Nick won the same award in 2012 and said he was “a noticeable presence in every game.”

Ryan Donald, a Grade 11 student, was named rookie of the year, with his versatility particularly noted. In the final game, Ryan was on the field not only with the defence as a linebacker but also filled in on the end of the o-line when the offence was on the field.

Jonah Kopp won the top defensive player award, with Berg saying Jonah had “really stepped up his game the last two seasons.”

After the awards, graduating players Ridge Klotz, Adam Wallace, Nick Anderson, Jonah Kopp, Darby Bisson and Justin Gerein, were recognized for their contributions to the team.

Unity Stories

The latest on Unity happenings and business

Category Archives: School News

Unity Music Festival scholarship and award winners

Judger or nudger – which are you?

Luseland v. Unity – junior girls’ basketball

UCHS Junior Girls Basketball

Senior Boys`Basketball – Luseland vs. Unity

Senior Girls’ Basketball – Luseland vs. UCHS

Monday’s paper

Warriors’ year-end football banquet