Kindersley Composite School students travel to New Brunswick

By Joan Janzen

For the past forty years, local students have been selected to attend the Canadian Student Leadership Conference (CSLC), and this year was no exception. The seven students from Kindersley Composite School (KCS) who were selected to attend this year’s conference in St. John, New Brunswick, were Karlee Schwengler, Emma Torrens, Macy McCullough, Ayla Stevens, Peyton Watt, Rachel Cannon and Kenzie Vold. They were accompanied by advisors Deavin Vanthuyne and Shaye Bauml.

The excited group flew to Nova Scotia on October 7th in order to attend the conference in New Brunswick on October 11th. During the days before the conference began, the students had time to do some exploring in Nova Scotia.

This group from KCS attended the Canadian Student Leadership Conference in New Brunswick in mid-October. L-R: Shaye Bauml (Advisor), Peyton Watt, Karlee Schwengler, Emma Torrens, Ayla Stevens, Rachel Cannon, Macy McCullough, Deavin Vanthuyne (Advisor). Kenzie Vold also went to the conference representing KCS on the Sun West delegation. SUBMITTED

“We went to a bunch of museums and historical sites such as Citadel Hill,” Karlee Schwengler explained. “We also got to go to the Hopewell rocks and stand on the ocean floor when the tide was down. The ocean was beautiful!” It was an awesome experience for students from the prairies, who thoroughly enjoyed the change of scenery.

“Every road was like a big hill, and walking up it was definitely harder than walking down the street in Kindersley,” Karlee said. “It was amazing to see how different Canada is depending on which province or territory you are in.”

Although the sightseeing was terrific, the students were equally excited about the conference. They listened to keynote speakers share their knowledge and life lessons in an effort to help them become better leaders.

“There was such a contagious energy the second you walked into the building. It was amazing!” Karlee noted.

She said two of her favourite speakers were Orlando Bowen and Jameelah Gamble, who helped change her perspective on life. Jameelah Gamble is a special needs primary teacher who promotes the well-being of adults with developmental needs. Orlando Bowen encouraged the young leaders to make a difference on their teams and in the lives of those around them.

The Kindersley group learned new skills and received new motivation to make a difference in their communities. However, the Kindersley group is already involved in leadership roles in their school and community; it was one of the requirements to be chosen to attend the conference.

As great as the conference was, Karlee’s favourite part of the trip was getting to meet people just like herself from all across the country. “Everyone was super friendly! I made so many friends that I know I will stay in touch with forever,” she said. The group arrived home on October 15th, grateful for the opportunity they had to attend the CSLC and look forward to sharing their experiences with their friends and community.

A special shout out to Karlee Schwengler, who provided the information included in the above article.