New Parkside School an incredible opportunity for students and community

Commentator/Courier Photo Submitted by Samantha Johnson. INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY: Parkside School Principal Jonn Baird, Dennis Rathwell, and PRPS Ward 3 Trustee Pam Cursons.

By Samantha Johnson
Prairie Rose Public Schools Content Writer

Pam Cursons is in her second term as Trustee of Ward 3 for Prairie Rose Public Schools (PRPS). She is one of two representatives for the three schools in Redcliff, Prairie Mennonite Alternative School and Eagle Butte High School.

Having grown up in a small, rural community with a graduating class of 13, school was limited primarily to core subjects. Children of other family members who attended schools in larger centres were able to take options it was impossible to offer at Cursons’s small school. This formed the basis of wanting to become a trustee, to advocate for rural communities and students to have equal opportunity and access to some of the better options and newer programming.

She currently intends to run for a third term so that she can see the new Parkside School built. From advocating to get Parkside School to the top of the PRPS Capital Plan, to the creation of the Redcliff Solution and then the modernization, which quickly changed to a new build. Cursons feels one of the benefits of the new school is that students get to remain in the original Parkside while construction is happening.

“It has been a goal for many years now and I really want to see that through for Redcliff,” stated Cursons. “I think it will be a fantastic opportunity for community members as well as the students because we hope to have the community use the facilities. It will give Redcliff another gymnasium, and this one will be full-sized.”

There have been many changes this past term and she feels her eyes are much wider open to how global situations, such as the pandemic, can alter life so drastically. “It was a huge learning curve and altered my perspective on what can be done. I could not grasp how moving all students to online learning was going to be managed. The executive team took that and did an amazing job with it.”

Going into different schools and seeing the various courses offered and how excited the students are is one of the highlights of being a trustee. There are many more options available to students at all schools since Cursons first joined the board, such as Try New Things (TNT) at I.F. Cox, that both students and parents are excited about. “Parkside has an unbelievable number of options available that weren’t there when I first became a trustee. The whole turnaround of providing kids with experiences and options so they can see what is out there and watching new program development is probably the most exciting part,” said Cursons.

Cursons has worked at the SPCA in Medicine Hat for the past 11 years, starting off working the front desk and moving through various positions. Currently, her primary role involves gathering statistics, scheduling and fundraising/receipting. The SPCA recently received a grant for education and have developed a course, which has been piloted in a few schools.

“Animals excite kids,” explained Cursons, “and we are basing the program on the book May I Pet Your Dog? We talk to kids about how to approach unknown animals and when not to approach. We are currently focusing on students in K-3 around education and public safety. We usually bring in some kittens as they are the biggest hit with the kids.”

Throughout her career, Cursons has always worked with seniors, children and animals. As a huge animal lover, she feels it’s important to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves along with educating the public about animal care, particularly regarding getting pets spayed and neutered.

“When my son was in school, I was always a parent volunteer in the classroom and was on parent council. I also drove a school bus for many years. After he graduated, I felt I had some experiences I could bring in as a trustee that would be helpful and relatable. I think we make a difference, working on a provincial level and advocating government to promote rural education and protect public education” concluded Cursons.