Stories from Our Schools - Featuring École Good Shepherd School
There are great stories unfolding in CTR schools every day. By sharing them with you, we hope to give you an inside look at the beautiful moments of faith, belonging, learning and community happening every day in our classrooms and schools.
Check back often as we continue to tell the stories of our 17 schools.
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From Our Schools | École Good Shepherd School | Okotoks
This Thanksgiving, gratitude at École Good Shepherd School carries a little extra meaning. As the school community looks ahead to a new home, students and staff are also reflecting on the building that has held decades of faith, learning, friendship and memories.
For some, those memories stretch back to the very beginning; for others, the story has come full circle as former students return as educators. Together, these memories create a meaningful connection between where Good Shepherd has been and where it is going next.
[Read the full story]
Gratitude in Every Hallway: École Good Shepherd Gives Thanks for the Past, Present and Future
As Thanksgiving approaches, we are taking time at École Good Shepherd School to count our blessings and give thanks for the faith, friendships and sense of community that have shaped our school.
This year, that gratitude carries special meaning. As we look ahead to moving into our new school in fall 2027, we are also reflecting on the building that has been our home for generations of students and staff.
At the heart of our gratitude is the profound gift of Catholic education. It is the foundation that allows us to nurture not only academic excellence, but also faith, compassion, and a strong sense of belonging. Through daily prayer, shared traditions, and a commitment to walking in Christ’s footsteps, our school family grows stronger together each day.
This Thanksgiving carries a unique, bittersweet significance. As we look ahead with anticipation to our new school next year, we also find ourselves reflecting on the building that has been our home for so long. Every brick and corridor holds years of cherished memories - from joyous Christmas concerts and lively bilingual assemblies to quiet moments of prayer and discovery.
For staff members who have witnessed the school’s journey over the decades, the gratitude runs deep.
"Being here since the doors first opened has been a journey," reflects long-time staff member Michele Wilcox. "I started teaching Grade One in St. James church before the school was completed. We were able to come into the school for a tour a few times as it was being built. The unique design was amazing. It has been a special time in my life watching this building transform from an empty structure into a home filled with laughter, faith, and generations of learners. I know the religious spirit and high caliber teaching will transfer into our new building next fall.”
That spirit has a way of coming full circle. For former students who have returned to walk these halls as educators, the connection to Good Shepherd is rooted in childhood memories and lasting faith.
"Attending Good Shepherd as a child shaped who I am today," shares staff member Mike Ford. "To come back now as an educator and pass along the same love, Catholic values, and supportive community that I received is incredibly special. This building holds my own childhood memories alongside the memories I’m now helping my students create."
As École Good Shepherd prepares for its next chapter, we do so knowing that a school is far more than its walls and foundation. It is built through the people, faith, traditions and relationships that fill those spaces with life.
This Thanksgiving, École Good Shepherd gives thanks for the generations who have made the current school a home, for the students and families who fill its hallways today, and for the bright, faith-filled future still to come.
Bonne Fête de l'Action de Grâce à tous!
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From Our Schools | Assumption School | Oyen
At CTR's smallest school, the first weeks of the year aren't simply about getting back into routines. They're about welcoming everyone back into a community where faith, family and connection are part of everyday life.
See full story below:
A Gem on the Prairie: 70 Years of Faith, Family and Tradition at Assumption School
Every morning at Assumption School begins together.
Students step off buses and make their way into the small Oyen school before gathering as one school community to sing O Canada, pray and fill the halls with joyful songs of faith. It is a simple tradition, but one that generations of Assumption students remember long after they leave.
For 70 years, traditions like these have helped shape a school where faith is lived, families are welcomed and everyone is known.
As the oldest and smallest school in Christ The Redeemer (CTR) Catholic Schools, Assumption School has a character all its own.
In the rural community of Oyen, the opportunity for families to choose faith-based Catholic education is deeply valued. At Assumption School, that faith is woven into the everyday life of the school and into the traditions that bring its community together year after year.
“Our family is so grateful to be a part of Assumption School,” said parent Jenny Paetz. “Every year, from day one, we feel welcomed and part of a special community. Our school goes above and beyond to make everyone feel included, bringing families together to build a real sense of community and togetherness.”
That sense of belonging begins as soon as the school year does. Each fall, teachers serve families at Assumption School’s annual welcome back barbecue. Families are then able to tour classrooms, meet with teachers, and share a meal together as the school year gets underway.
Another longstanding tradition sees students follow Father Rodel as he travels through classrooms, hallways and onto the playground, sprinkling holy water and blessing the spaces where students and staff will learn, work and gather throughout the year.
Another tradition sees parents and school board Trustee Michelle Rude-Volk serve a back-to-school breakfast for the entire school community including students, staff, bus drivers and substitute teachers.
This is a tangible expression of Assumption School’s intentional commitment to living out our school division’s motto of “Leave Not One Heart Behind.”
“I love seeing all the back-to-school excitement and all the smiling faces,” said Rude-Volk. “Our teachers and parent council have created a beautiful space for us to gather and enjoy each other’s company. From the back-to-school breakfast and welcome barbecue to Father coming to bless our teachers, students, playground and classrooms, it is such a wonderful way to start a new school year. These moments are such a special part of our school and the community we want to create.”
These traditions continue through Assumption School’s opening Mass where Grade 3 students receive bibles which are blessed. For many students, these bibles become a treasured keepsake carried with them through their years at the school.
While each tradition is meaningful on its own, together they reflect something larger about Assumption - that the school operates much like a family.
“We are one family. Everyone is welcome through our doors,” said Principal Richelle Smigelski. “We are a small school and you can witness this close-knit culture and the way that sense of community is intentionally built right from the beginning of the school year.”
That sense of family extends beyond students and parents to those joining the Assumption School community for the first time.
For new teacher Gayle Vass, that sense of belonging began even before she arrived at Assumption School. From gathering with more than 500 educators at CTR’s opening professional development day and Mass to becoming part of Assumption’s own traditions, she said she immediately felt welcomed into a larger community. What particularly stood out for Vass was the division’s three-year faith theme of “Walking the Path Together.”
“Since assuming the teaching position at Assumption I have been made to feel both welcomed and valued by the entire CTR team,” Vass said. “At the opening professional development day and Mass I appreciated the messages that we must walk the path together and that we should take every opportunity to not only show gratitude, but to model gratitude in our school communities.”
That idea of walking the path together is reflected in the way Assumption School has created a deep sense of belonging through faith and tradition. through faith, tradition and a deep sense of belonging.
Assumption School is affectionately known by sister schools in the division as the “Gem on the Prairie”.
After 70 years, the name still fits.
Its size may be small, but the friendship, faith, learning, laughter and memories found within its walls have made Assumption School a special part of Oyen and of CTR.
Each morning, as another generation of students gathers together to pray and sing, the story of Assumption School continues.
