Recent History – 1999
Dec. 6, 1999, By Charity Wallace, Daily News Staff
Seven Alaska Highway Consortium on Teacher Education (AHCOTE) graduates received teaching certificates and words of congratulations and inspiration at a ceremony Thursday night.
Colin Beecroft, Rona Davies, Robert El-Tantawy, Shannon Henderson, Neil McDonald, Kelly McIntyre and Eileen Schmitt were all members of a program that allowed them to stay in the Peace region to earn their teaching certificate.
The program combines Simon Frasier University, Northern Lights College, the University of Northern British Columbia and School District 59 and 60.
Alice Marquardt, who is involved in the program says it is a partnership.
“The universities and college provide the education and the school district provides the practicum giving them the opportunity to teach,” she says.
The program is locally delivered and there is a six week seminar at Simon Frasier University. There are two entry points in the program; one being after 30 university credits, the program then takes two-and-a-half years to complete, and the other being after 76 credits-a university degree, the program takes only 16 months to complete.
Of the seven graduates one went in with 30 credits and the rest had university degrees.
Speakers included Lannie Kanevsky, from Simon Frasier University, who wished graduates good luck and offered words of inspiration, Casey Sheridan from AHCOTE shared statistics that 90 per cent of graduates find jobs in their field and 75 per cent of those people find them in North Eastern British Columbia.
Charlie Parslow represented School District 59 and stressed that the journey is not easy and that it is important to help children. Jamie Hilts from Northern Lights College congratulated graduates, as did Valerie Dyer of the Peace River South Teachers Association.
School Associates, teachers who have given up class time to help students with their education, were also honored at the event.