Good News

The Peace Wapiti Public School Division (PWPSD)'s Good News is a collection of stories from schools throughout the division. Stories are published monthly, before the upcoming Board meeting. Please check back regularly for updates.

SEPTEMBER

Peace Wapiti Public School Division's Superintendent Mr. Shawn O'Shea welcomes all staff, students, and families to the new school year. Read his Welcome Back to School letter.

Beaverlodge Elementary School

Beaverlodge Regional High School

SEPTEMBER

Gold in Sherwood Park

For the second year in a row, BRHS has a Jr. Girls volleyball team. The girls had a great time as they kicked off their season with exhibition games against North Peace Secondary School from Fort St. John. The Sr. Girls team started their season with a gold medal in Sherwood Park, while the Sr. Boys won the consolation final. All three teams will be competing in the Howler Cup September 25-27. Go Royals!

Bezanson School

SEPTEMBER

Apples A-Head

The Grade 3 and 4 students jumped right into some hands-on learning as they designed, built, and tested their own creations for the Apples A-Head challenge!

Students visit the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre

On September 15, the Grade 7 students were invited by the Peace Wapiti Public School Division's Indigenous Education Services team to participate in a traditional hide preparation and scraping activity. The students worked together to prepare a moose hide and scrape fur off an elk hide. They also learned about medicinal plants around our natural area, and their healing properties from the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre's Natural Healing Garden. Students wrapped up their incredible morning of learning with bannock and tea.

Bonanza School

Clairmont Community School

Eaglesham School

Elmworth School

Harry Balfour School

Helen E. Taylor School

Hythe Regional School

SEPTEMBER

Panther pride

Hythe Regional School kicked off September with lots of school spirit and community involvement! On September 10, the Grade 7-9 students enjoyed the Back to School junior high dance. Attendees had a great evening filled with dancing, music and fun with friends. Then, on September 11, HRS proudly participated in the Harvest Festival parade. Our new Panther mascot was a big hit with many of the parade-goers!

Panthers run for Terry

On September 16, students and staff participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. Everyone is working very hard to reach our school's fundraising goal of $1,000, with fundraising continuing until the end of September.

La Glace School

SEPTEMBER

A great start to a new year

The junior high students are already building positive relationships, making connections, and creating a strong sense of belonging in their school community. We are excited to see where this year takes them!

Mission Accomplished!

Our Grade 3/4 scientists kicked off their week with an exciting, hands-on STEM challenge. Working in collaborative teams, students were tasked with saving a clever gummy worm named Fred whose boat capsized, all without using their hands - only paperclips! This challenge required immense teamwork, critical thinking, and perseverance. The classroom was buzzing with communication, trial-and-error problem solving, and great engineering minds at work!

Engineering under pressure

On the first day of school, Grade 5/6 students were tasked with a hands-on STEM challenge: design a free-standing index card structure capable of withstanding a simulated earthquake - a rigorous table-pounding test! While several teams relied on tape, the winning group used clever engineering principles - no tape required - to build the tallest, most stable structure that successfully weathered the quake!

Peace Wapiti Academy

Peace Wapiti Enterprise Centre

SEPTEMBER

Congratulations to the Class of 2026!

PWEC is thrilled to celebrate our Class of 2026 and cheer them on as they step into their next chapter. The torch has been passed to this year's graduating class, who have officially started their countdown to Grad 2027!

Home Education Showcase

Our Home Education Facilitator, Michelle Scarrow, was pleased with the wonderful turnout of community presenters and families at the 2026 Home Education Showcase, held at Muskoseepi Park earlier this month.

Meet the Teacher BBQ

PWEC staff loved connecting with new and returning families at the annual Meet the Teacher BBQ. Shoutout to Jack and Peter - two of our graduating seniors who are already off to a great start in their final year!

Penson School

SEPTEMBER

Meet the Teacher

Penson School had a fantastic turnout for our Meet the Teacher Night! It was wonderful to see so many students and families come through our doors, connect with our teachers, and get excited for the new school year. A big thank you to Grub Hub and Campfire Smoke BBQ for joining us with their food trucks and helping make the evening extra special. Their delicious food added to the fun and welcoming atmosphere of the event. We are grateful to our Penson School community for helping kick off another great school year!

Ridgevalley School

Robert W. Zahara School

SEPTEMBER

Welcome Back BBQ

On September 2, students and families were invited to join school staff for the annual RWZ Welcome Back BBQ and meet-and-greet night. Many students dropped off their school supplies and prepared for the first day of school. Thank you to Dynamic Energy Group for providing and cooking 300 burgers and 300 hot dogs. We are so lucky to have such an amazing and supportive community!

Rycroft School

Savanna School

Sexsmith Secondary School

SEPTEMBER

Welcome Week at SSS

There were a few welcoming activities and treats the second week of school at SSS. We started a school-wide game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who could accumulate the most wins in each grade. The next day, Assistant Principal Amanda Howrish handed out doughnuts to everyone. The week ended with a pancake and sausage breakfast, served by staff. It was a great way to start the year!

Spirit River Regional Academy

Teepee Creek School

Wembley Elementary School

SEPTEMBER

Welcome Back BBQ

On September 2, Wembley Elementary School invited families to the annual Welcome Back BBQ. It was a great evening and staff had a wonderful time meeting all our families. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate a new school year!

A heartfelt thank you to the County of Grande Prairie for providing the BBQ, the Wembley Firefighters for their generous support by being our cooks for the evening, and the Wembley Elementary School Council for helping make the event so special. We are looking forward to an amazing school year together!

Whispering Ridge Community School

SEPTEMBER

Annual Terry Fox Run

On September 17, WRCS students and staff participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. Students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 took on the 3 km route, showing incredible effort, determination, and school spirit! It was inspiring to see our students run with such purpose, and recognize the meaning behind each step they took in honour of Terry's legacy.

We are incredibly proud to share that WRCS has raised over $10,000 for the Terry Fox Foundation, with donations still coming in! A huge thank you to our students, staff, families, and community for your incredible support.

Choir students visit Camp Tamarack

On September 17, Mrs. Tomke and Mrs. Green took the Choir students for a retreat at Camp Tamarack. The students participated in many team-building activities while enjoying the beautiful weather.

Upcoming Events

PWPSD Board Meeting: Thursday, September 24
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation - No school, all PWPSD offices and shops closed: Wednesday, September 30
Merv Crouse Coats for Kids - Accepting Donations: All October
National Custodian Day: Friday, October 2
World Teachers' Day: Monday, October 5
World Mental Health Day: Saturday, October 10
Thanksgiving - No school, all PWPSD offices and shops closed: Monday, October 12
PWPSD Board Meeting: Thursday, October 22

Recent Announcements

Sept. 21, 2026 Penson School unveils new multi-use sports court
Sept. 18, 2026 PWPSD announces new Board Chair, Vice Chair
Sept. 15, 2026 The Right to Disconnect
Sept. 09, 2026 Minister of Education and Childcare's Back to School Letter
Sept. 03, 2026 Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year!
Jul. 21, 2026 Construction funding approved for replacement Peace Wapiti Academy
Jun. 25, 2026 Weyerhaeuser awards scholarships to two PWPSD students
Jun. 24, 2026 PWPSD Superintedent's Year-End Letter to Families
Jun. 22, 2026 PWPSD announces new principals for September
Jun. 15, 2026 PWPSD celebrates 2026 Indigenous Graduate Awards

Recent Media Coverage

Sept. 21, 2026 Multi-use sports court open at Penson School, EverythingGP
Sept. 21, 2026 Grovedale school unveils new multi-use sports court, MyGrandePrairieNow
Sept. 21, 2026 PWPSD committed to promoting staff wellness by supporting a healthy work-life balance, Education News Canada
Jul. 23, 2026 New PWA to open with room for 1200 students says PWPSD, EverythingGP
Jul. 21, 2026 Construction for PWA replacement to start Spring 2027, MyGrandePrairieNow
Jul. 09, 2026 Peace Wapiti Academy replacement among accelerated school projects, MyGrandePrairieNow
Jul. 09, 2026 Funding announced to fast track public school projects in Peace Region, EverythingGP
Jun. 28, 2026 PWPSD announces 2026 Weyerhaeuser scholarships, EverythingGP
Jun. 26, 2026 PWPSD announce new principals for 2026-2027 school year, EverythingGP
Jun. 23, 2026 Council Highlights - Supporting Penson School Parent Group in Grovedale for an Outdoor Multi-Use Sports Court, Municipal District of Greenview No.1
Jun. 23, 2026 Alberta U16 boys, U18 women's football teams include Grande Prairie athletes, EverythingGP
Jun. 23, 2026 PWPSD announces two new principals for the upcoming school year, MyGrandePrairieNow
Jun. 18, 2026 Handful of Beaverlodge students to be recognized Friday, MyGrandePrairieNow
Jun. 18, 2026 NAF announces value raise for Beaverlodge Elementary students fund, EverythingGP

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