ST. PAUL - Students and parents from across the area gathered at the St. Paul Regional High School gymnasium on Oct. 25 with the future in mind.
This year's Post-Secondary Night, hosted by St. Paul Education, drew students in from across the St. Paul area, and beyond, while also welcoming 15 post-secondary institutions from across Alberta, along with recruiters from the Canadian Forces and RCMP.
"This event was open to any students, regardless of grade level, and their families. We also open it to other students from nearby schools like Glendon School and École du Sommet," explained Angele Morrison, Division Career Counsellor.
Morrison was on hand throughout the night, greeting students and offering advice.
"In talking with some students, I even met a few Grade 8 and 9 students there. It's never to early to start planning, I think, so I'm so happy they came and brought their families," said Morrison.
The event has been an annual one, taking place for many years, but was moved to an online and virtual format for 2020 and 2021.
"This year was particularly exciting for us because we were finally able to host the event in person again."
The school division sees the post-secondary night as an opportunity to show students what opportunities are available to them. Many students don't get the chance to travel to the post-secondary institutions due to distance, so the event brings the schools and organizations to the students.
"This event brings recruiters from various schools to our area and our students can come and check out various schools all in one night with their families. They can explore their options after high school, grab view books from the institutions, ask questions, and start planning what they want to do once they graduate," said Morrison.
By 7:30 p.m., long lineups had formed in front of some of the booths, with students and parents eager to ask questions and gather information. About 200 welcome bags were handed out to students during the evening.
"This year, we also set up tables to bring more awareness of our local scholarship program and our dual credit opportunities, as well as we had our career counsellors in attendance providing some one-on-one assistance with career planning and post-secondary applications," said Morrison.
Students also had the chance to enter their names into a draw, with Jayden Blain, Lok Loe, and Joshua Siewiertoka taking home the prizes.
