The Northern Lights School Division is recognizing the positive impact an international organization has had on students right here in Cold Lake.
The Northern Lights School Division is recognizing the positive impact an international organization has had on students right here in Cold Lake.
Classroom Champions, a group that partners professional athletes with classrooms in the United States and Canada, was presented with a Friends of Education award at the division's system day in Bonnyville on Aug. 26. Annually the award is given out to individuals or organizations that have made special contributions to education with NLSD.
"It's amazing. It adds the credibility to the organization that, as a young organization, we really do need. It means a lot for a school district to recognize the work that we do, now other school districts will take another look," said Steve Mesler, co-founder and CEO of Classroom Champions. "To be recognized for our work in the education sectors really just substantiates it, and substantiates all the hard work Kate puts in."
Classroom Champions was nominated for the award by Kate Pereira, a teacher at Cold Lake Elementary School and one of the first teachers to try out the program in Canada two years ago. In the first years, Pereira's class was paired up with Olympic and World Champion speed skater Lucas Makowsky. After a successful first year, last year her class welcomed Paralympian snowboarder Michelle Salt.
Each month, the Olympian teaches the students a different life lesson such as goal setting, healthy living or leadership. The class then would make a video for their mentor showing them how they put that lesson into practice and what they learned.
"What I was seeing was (the students) just wanted to keep trying. All of those character virtues that teachers try to teach mean so much more coming from an Olympian," said Pereira.
She added, "Last year I had some parents telling me for example, that (the students) were on play dates and while they were on play dates with each other they were talking about our mentor Michelle Salt and talking about perseverance. I had a little girl beg her mom to text me over the Christmas holidays because she snowboarded down the hill for the first time and she wanted me to so badly show Michelle."
In their first year in Canada during the 2013-'14 school year, Classroom Champions only had about 25 classrooms across the county. Last year, that number jumped to 80 classrooms and this year they were up to 90. Between the United States in Canada, the organization has 155 classrooms that athletes will be connecting with over this school year.
"When I started this with my sister almost six years ago now, we never would have imagined that it would have the impact that it does today," expressed Mesler, who is a former Olympian himself.
Mesler has high hopes for the organization moving forward, hoping to be in more than 800 classrooms and supporting over 20,000 students within the next couple of years.
"When you look at the budget of the organization now, compared to two years from now, we should be able to increase our budget by 150 percent. At the same time, we'll be able to increase the amount of kids and classrooms we support by 500 percent."
To ensure the program reaches rural communities of all size throughout Canada, Classroom Champions donates a flat screen television, iPad and an Apple TV to the class. Whether the class is in New York City, Toronto or Cold Lake, the students all get to have the same experience through the program.
Locally, Pereira said Classroom Champions has left a positive impact on her students - something she wanted to share with everyone in the division.
"Classroom Champions is a charity so the more people that know about it the better. Steve Mesler wanted Olympians to make an impact, and I wanted Classroom Champions to know that they're making an impact. They're making a difference and I just felt that they needed formal recognition."
Pereira added, "It's changing the future of education because it's bringing the kids together with all the technology, we had our mentor Skype us from the Sochi Olympics. When are they ever going to get that chance?"
Cold Lake Elementary School will once again be partnering with Classroom Champions this year to pair a class up with another athlete mentor.
In addition to Classroom Champions, the Naim and Arabi families, along with the Lac La Biche RCMP were also presented with 2015 Friends of Education awards.
Nominations forms for the 2016 Friends of Education Awards are available at www.nlsd.ab.ca. A nomination can be submitted by NLSD staff, students, parents or even the public before the deadline of Feb. 25, 2016.
