ELK POINT – The moose-antlered photo on the door to the gym at F. G. Miller High School, part of the St. Paul Regional FCSS Christmas door decorating contest, is just another honour these days for the school’s athletic director, Jonathan Randall. Less than three weeks ago, Randall was the recipient of the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association’s North East Zone (NEASAA) Award of Merit.
This award is presented annually to one athletic director in each of the ASAA’s eight zones, and is based on the nominee’s involvement at their school, at zone level and at provincial level. With the win, he becomes the second local recipient. In 2008, the Northeast award went to today’s Elk Point Mayor Parrish Tung.
Involvement for Randall, who has been the school’s athletic director since he joined the staff, includes more than coaching volleyball, basketball, track, badminton, cross country and golf, and made a successful bid to host the 2013 Girls 2A Volleyball Provincials. He’s been involved with both the St. Paul Athletic Association (SPAA) as president and the NEASAA as vice president since 2015, and says, “It’s good to be involved in decisions and making things better for kids.”
Aware that “academics are not their thing” for some students, and that “school is the bright spot” in the lives of others, Randall feels that sports and extracurricular activities play an important role in students’ lives, and “it’s good that we have something extra to offer.” F. G. Miller’s full calendar of sports activities, which he says at this point in the year, includes curling, “goes from one thing to the next, and when they’re busy, they stay out of trouble.”
A post on the school’s website congratulating him on the award says that, “Mr. Randall's passion and dedication to athletics has not only shaped F.G. Miller School's sports program but for years has extended past the school’s walls” with the SPAA and NEASAA, and concludes by saying his commitment to kids' athletics “cannot be understated.”
