Obstacles to Opportunities

Most educators are playing it safe, but Dr. Reagan Weeks is rewriting the rules of rural education with innovative programs that transform communities and inspire students to thrive.
Today on Bring Back The Porch, Brian discovers how a low-performing school in Alberta became a thriving hub of opportunity by harnessing agriculture, aviation, and community partnerships. Find out how Reagan first led Elm Street School from the bottom of the rankings to a model of resilience, turning challenges into opportunities through programs like "Bring Back the Music" and collaboration with local colleges.
We break down the groundbreaking Yuill School of Agriculture and dual-credit partnerships that are preparing students for careers in farming, trades, and beyond. Discover the secrets behind Prairie Rose School Division's success in rural education: how they serve geographically massive regions, adapt to distinct community needs, and support Indigenous and military-connected youth with programs like the British IB curriculum.

0:00 - Introduction to Dr. Reagan Weeks
2:00 - Transforming Elm Street School
3:00 - Bring Back the Music Program
10:25 - Yuill School of Agriculture
12:30 - Innovative School Programs
15:00 - Community Partnerships
20:00 - Supporting Rural Education
25:00 - Empowering Students and Staff
29:47 - Conclusion and Insights

Dr. Reagan Weeks has been an influential figure in the education sector, starting her career at River Heights and moving on to become the principal of Elm Street School. Under her leadership, Elm Street transformed from one of the lowest-performing schools to a thriving educational hub. her experiences at prestigious institutions, including Johns Hopkins University, and her deep commitment to community engagement have shaped her philosophy on education.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities at Elm Street
Dr. Weeks stepped into Elm Street School during a challenging phase. The school was ranked among the lowest in Alberta, primarily due to the socioeconomic challenges faced by the community. 

The Role of Music in Education
One of the significant initiatives she introduced was the "Bring Back the Music" program in partnership with Medicine Hat College. This program not only provided students with the opportunity to learn string instruments but also fostered parental involvement in the school. Engaging parents was crucial, as it created a supportive community around the students. Dr. Weeks recalls, "Seeing those kids with those string instruments and the confidence it gave them was really a wonderful opportunity."

Building Community Connections
Dr. Weeks believes that education should reflect the unique needs of each community. In her current role, she oversees a geographically vast school division that includes diverse communities, including Hutterite colonies. She highlights the importance of listening to these communities and tailoring educational experiences to their context. 

Innovative Programs for Rural Schools
As Prairie Rose School Division continues to evolve, Dr. Weeks is excited about new initiatives, including the upcoming Yuill School of Agriculture. This project aims to provide students with hands-on experience in agricultural practices, bridging the gap between rural education and practical skills. She notes, "We're thrilled about the Yuill Foundation's contributions, making ther project possible."


Dr. Reagan Weeks’ journey in education showcases the power of resilience, community engagement, and innovative thinking. Her wor

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Transcript

0:00

Hey, this is Brian again. And I'd like to ask you to do a favour. We can't do this work without people like you. So if you can, please, like, share, subscribe. Tell your friends about bring back the porch. Teaching is a hard job, and we demand a lot of of our of our teachers. And we're so grateful for them. We have just the most incredible staff, and their willingness to be flexible, to respond to the needs of their students is second to none. This episode of Bring Back the Porch, brought to you by Bernie Leahy, River Street Realty. Let's get you home. I've been looking forward to this episode with Doctor Reagan. Weeks from the Prairie Road School Division for some time, because I've followed your career over the almost from when you began at River Heights. Oh, that's very kind of you. I'm excited to be here today. Thank you for having me. Well, I'm glad that you're here because, one of the things that struck me as I was reading up is that you never shy away from a challenge. You jump in with both feet. Well, you know what? I've. I've always been surrounded by excellent people who have pushed and challenged me in all sorts of ways. And so I've been really lucky to to work with incredible, incredible people in our region. And, I've had lots of wonderful opportunities given to me because of that. You almost did not go into education, though. You were law educator in law education. What? I'm surprised you know that. That's really interesting. You well, you know, I think, when I came out of my undergrad degree, I had an opportunity to work at River Heights, and the colleagues I had in that building were just phenomenal. And I and I had written the LSAT and I was still thinking that that following the securing of my permanent certificates, I might go back. But once I was in that building and had the opportunity to work alongside the people who were there and work with those students, I just fell in love with the profession and there was no turning back, that's for sure. And you've been going ever since. That's true. One of the big challenges you accepted was to become the principal at Elm Street School. And when you went to Elm Street, I think they were one of the lowest, if not the lowest grade school in Alberta. Well I mean I think there's a ranking system of schools, you know, and, and through that process it was facing some challenging times. But I was so fortunate to go in that building. I'll tell you what, there were people who felt that it would have been, you know, a pretty big challenge. But I learned more from the students, the parents and the people who worked there. I mean, there were there were just brilliant educators, many of whom are still my close friends today. And I absolutely believe that was a transformational experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. And it was, you know, everybody said, well, that's got low grades and stuff. But there was reasons behind the low grades. It was in one of the lower socio economic neighbourhoods. But you reached out to partner with the Medicine Hat College and music played a big role in helping to turn everything around at Elm Street. Well, you know, it was one of those programs that, we were just so fortunate. It was so impactful. It's called Bring Back the Music and Through the Back Porch. Yeah. That's right. It's. Yeah. And and through the work with the Medicine Hat College, they were able to launch, just an incredible strings program. So we had violin, viola and cello, and it began at Elm Street, but it was expanded a little later on to Riverside and then subsequently Vincent Massey School. It was just an incredible program, seeing those kids with those string instruments in the confidence that gave them what was, was really a wonderful opportunity. But it brought parent involvement into the school, and that was key, I think. Absolutely. You know, we had, we had lots of parents who who were engaged. We we took, you know, a busload of kids up to the college to participate in the Rotary Music Festival, in the, in the college theater. And, just, just wonderful experiences for these students who might not have otherwise had the opportunity to learn an instrument. Now, you took a lot of education to get to where you are today. And one of the places you went was John Hopkins University, which is a very prestigious institution. How did that mold you? Well, you know, I'm a teacher, and so I love school. And and it has always been something that, that I've been excited to do. And it's, it's not something that spells onerous to me. I love I love being in class. And, at Johns Hopkins, I had, some advisors and some professors who were just remarkable and who helped, influence my thinking, made sure that I, that I read what I needed to read and understand what I needed to understand and, and and for sure that that was an incredible and incredible opportunity. But I also had some local mentors here. And so part of the part of the mentorship process with Johns Hopkins is to have some, some mentors who are close by. So I had at a time, doctor Grant Henderson and I also had Doctor Carl Hausmann, and they they both played a significant role in, in helping me attain, that degree. Okay, then you accept the super. I guess you won't be deputy superintendent. Actually, the first I was assistant superintendent. Yeah, that was the first one. Okay. At, at Prairie Rose. And he rose through the ranks until, in November 1st, 2021, you became the superintendent. That's right. Again, a big challenge. And a challenge. Yeah. Perry Rose is not just a little division maybe in student population, but land wise, you go from Oregon down to the, Canadian US border, and I think all the way, west to past foremost, I think, in Beaumont and in the Alberta border. So you've got a lot of territory in there. Yeah, and lots of challenges. That's right. Well, it's geographically massive and and so, I think we were chatting earlier about community schools and, and how your daughter is the principal of a real community school. And that's one of the special things about Prairie Rose. It serves very distinct communities, each with their different needs and contexts and, people who live and work there. And so the key is really making sure that you have the opportunity to listen well in each of those communities responds to, to really what they're looking for and how they want education to play a role in the place in which they live. And then doing your best to to make that happen. But it's not easy, that's for sure. And it is a lot different than, when my father went to a country school south of Seven persons, when there was like one building and you had probably eight different grades and. Yeah, well, you know, we do have some schools that have a wide spread of grades. But one of the things that we really believe in is making sure that our rural students have an equitable education to their urban counterparts, and the only way we can do that is through partnering with community and making sure that even though we still might have small schools that don't necessarily have the facilities you might see in a big city. And what we do have is maybe a community fire hall, and we might have some expertise in in different areas within that community. And how can we connect with those people, you know, whether we have, a lot of grandmas who are really into quilting and willing to share their love of that work in our school, how can we tap into that and bring that into the building? Because we might not have, some of the opportunities that you see elsewhere. But there is something really special about those rural community schools. And so just making sure that we bring that into the school walls and our classrooms. One of the other challenges is I think there's 18 Hutterite schools and you also have to look after, and that's another difference. That's right. Yeah. And soon to be 19. There's a split coming up, but but yes we have we have 18 colonies and we have, principals and teachers at each of those sites who are incredibly skilled and talented and responsive to the needs, of those communities. So it's a partnership we're really grateful for, for and, you know, one of the one of my favourite days of the year. So one day a year, all of the, ministers of the Hutterite colonies and all of the German teachers, so that that is also a Hutterite, they all come in. So we we have them all into the school division, and we have a full day meeting with, with all of these gentlemen, and they pull in with all their wares, and there's trades happening in the parking lot, and all the prayer staff go out and try and try and get the best of what they're having. But we always ask them what they would like to eat while they're with us for the day. And it invariably is Kentucky Fried Chicken or Chinese food. And one day I finally got the courage and I just had to ask, like, what? Why is that where you can have anything, like anything they want? And we would make happen for them. So why do you ask for that? And they made it really well. Who do you think supplies the chicken. And you know, they need. Oh yeah. So so the intelligence, the business sense, the the community that, those colonies have developed is something we can learn from. So we're really fortunate to, to work with them. You touched on the the opportunities for students in country schools compared to in the city. And I think over the last 20 years that has really changed a lot. I remember talking to an individual who, when he grew up out near Hilda, had to come into medicine, had to get some specialized training because they just did not have it where he lived. And yet now I look at the programs today in the Prairie Roads Division and it's jaw dropping. Well, you know, what we've had is, the fortune of partnering with some, some really great people. And as the years of have come along, there's lots of technology that we're able to take advantage of to, to make sure that our rural students can access those, those programs. And then also just a willingness to be flexible. Teaching is a hard job, and we demand a lot of, of our, of our teachers. And we're so grateful for them. We have just the most incredible staff and their willingness to, be flexible, to respond to the needs of their students is second to none. And so because of that, they're able to figure it out. So they, they really have that that mindset and that approach that, you know, if there's an idea or something that they think might make school a better experience for their students, they're really committed to figuring it out. And, that makes my job easier, that's for sure. And I just need to make sure that I support them in making and making those things happen. One of the things that is going to be, rising on the horizon out towards Eagle Butte is the, you old school of agriculture. And I'm sure you're very excited about that. We're thrilled, so grateful for the, you all foundation that has contributed so substantially to that project. It just wouldn't have been possible without them. We were also fortunate to receive collegiate funding. And I know you've had her on our podcast. Called The. Ball. Yeah, she is a force to be reckoned with. And actually, Mark Neubauer is the project manager, the, built for the youth school. So, so all of that coalescing together has just, just made it a project that I know is going to be something to watch. We also have partnered with with the Madison College to make sure that we have the dual credit options that will help, students, increase future prospects and explore, explore next steps. And there's all kinds of exciting things that are that are on the horizon there. So, yeah. When Nicole was here, telling us about it, early in January, it just blew my mind that this is such a great idea. And why did it take until 2025 to get it going? Well, you know, I think I think funding, I think flexibility within within high school programing, all those things need to come together. The ability to offer dual credit, not on, on just isolated, post-secondary campuses, but spreading it out and we really just had the perfect storm, the donation, from from the youth. All of that has come. It has come together. And, you know, there's so many funny things. As someone who did not grow up in agriculture and whose knowledge is, is, you know, fairly, fairly limited in that regard. Some of the things just seem so exciting, like there'll be an area where diggers, you know, the various, equipment that so important to make farms and ranches function properly will be located, and students will have the opportunity to make sure they become experts in driving, driving those areas. It's like a giant sandbox for adults. And so, you know, what a what a great thing to come to school and have the opportunity to learn that. And, and, you know, it's not an either or the these programs have been structured in such a manner that students are able to achieve English Mass. Various. We have students who are taking all three sciences, physics, math, including physics, math 31, and they're able to do that in addition to some of these. Now they have to be pretty committed. You know, that might mean that they're spending more hours, in the books than than they would have otherwise. But we've also found that when you have something like that, pretty motivated to do so for for certain students. So it's been pretty exciting. And there will be feeders. I know the urban school has an agriculture program. I think Senator Gershon School does. I'm sure there are others. There are. Yes. So we've developed something called egg, an Egg Pro series, and that is for grades seven through nine. And it's a series of classes where students take six weeks to learn deeply about one aspect of the egg industry. So one, for example, is called beef to burger. And so they follow the whole process to how we might get one of those juicy burgers on, on our plates, for example. And that would happen in, a whole host of our schools, including we're all stand seven persons. I believe foremost has that program. Senator Gross, as you as you previously mentioned, Schuler School. And so these programs, we're able to leverage and expand across the region, which is really, really challenging for us, but also a really exciting opportunity and figuring out how we might do it and all the different communities that we serve. When will the you old school be up and running? Oh, I think you're going to be surprised how fast, we have that operational, but but we believe it will be ready to open its doors September 27th. In 2026. Or that's 2720. September 27th. Right. Okay. Yeah, that really would have been, you know, as I was just reflecting on this, when you were at Elm Street, you had a little garden. We did have a little garden. Yeah. Tiny little garden. It's blown up, that's for sure. Yeah, you certainly expanded it. Then some of the other things that, Prairie Rose offers, like the South Alberta Hockey Academy that, I think was that one of the first programs that sort of broke the mold? Yeah. That's right. It was our very first. It was our very first program. And so there was, someone who works for Prairie Rose, who was really passionate about bringing the CSA, CHL to to southern Alberta. And we started with High-Performance hockey. So there was no teams. We started in a number of our rural areas, but that but the goal was to be a part of the CSA, and that was achieved within a year. So when we launched that program, I believe it was in 2018. You know, I was a little unsure. Like I grew up with a brother who played a lot of hockey, but I wasn't sure, how that would that would go. But there was just such passion, that we that we said, yes, we gave it a try. And then, of course, we had the fortune of partnering with Willie to Jarden, which which helped a whole lot. You know, it's those community partners theme here, making sure you have people who, who, champion and who are expertise and who will work with kids to make great things happen. And so that was really fortunate. And when, that came to fruition, you know, I've told this story a few times, but, I watch it pretty closely. And, I was able to see the connection. Those kids had the sense of camaraderie, the confidence, the leadership, the way they looked at adults in the eye. And they shook their hand and they just moved through the world a little differently than, some of our other students. And we started to ask ourselves, like, what if what if we were able to find something that maybe wasn't targeting elite athletes that might do the same thing for a different group of kids? And, sure enough, happened to golf with one of the owners of super T aviation and came up with the idea of the Flight Academy. And then, that that same employee who started the the hockey academy, I worked with a colleague at Eagle Butte High School who was just a passionate, just passionate for aviation. And that was Dave Rose Devore. And so the program was named in his honor. And, as part of his, his legacy. And now his daughter actually works in the program. And so, yeah, it all started there. That's right. And you also have a drone program. We do. That is, cutting edge. We do. Well, you know, the drone program is is, gaining traction and and we're moving along. It's in its initial stages. But we, we have the drone games where a number of our younger students have the opportunity to liaise with drones, and they do at Eagle Buttes, fields a variety of challenges with those many, those many drones. And then quite recently, we purchased an agriculture drone, that we have some plans next year to implement in a variety of high school, high school courses. So in the Flight Academy, students are certified in their level one unmanned vehicle certification from Transport Canada. I am not sure I have that name quite right, but that's that's close. And then, some of our students go on to their level two as well. You also have baseball, the Badlands Baseball Academy. We do. That is an oil. And that's our oldest, actually. That's our very oldest program. And that started long before I ever, I ever joined. And there are some real passionate baseball fans in the open area, and they're the group that started it. But it originally was held separately from Prairie Road School Division. We just provided the education for the athletes, and then several years ago we integrated it into, Prairie Road. So it is now part of our part of our program. But that that is an excellent, excellent program that's championed by, by, the good people going. And rodeo is another big one of it. Formal. That's right. Yes. And so again, you know, really lucky to have some people who are, who are passionate about that. That program started with Michelle Cowie, who has, been a teacher in formal school and, and, you know, a strong athlete, for some time. And then Brittany, and Guy mystic are running that that program now in order to make that happen, there is a partnership with the Foremost Egg Society, and they have a beautiful building, out there, out and foremost that they received some exciting provincial funding to, to bring to life. And so we're able to access that, that facility to really enhance training. And then there's a number of coaches who work out there in the variety of rodeo disciplines, who come in and work with the kids, you know, once or twice a week. And you have a fire rescue Academy. Two yes, we do. We do have a fire and rescue academy in two spots. This one is one that I'm really, excited about. So this has been going for about three years now, I believe. And we have it in partnership with Cypress County and the town of Bull Island. And one of the things that's really exciting about this program is that we definitely will have some students who go on to pursue firefighting as their a long term career. But as you know, in rural communities, that's not the only people who go out and fight grass fires when they come to be actually, the whole community comes out, to assist. And think of how important it is to have students will be highly trained, earning high school credits and and that pride and that ownership of something that they've really earned and had to work hard for. Because attaining level one and level two, firefighting is heart like that is a that is a big challenge that requires significant studying, book work and then physical prowess to, to successfully navigate, those requirements. And so, there's that piece of it, but then also what they're able to give back to their community and the mentorship they have received from both volunteer and, career firefighters in both of those regions has just been incredible. And, I'm really, really excited about what those students receive in terms of connection supports, leadership, and the and the ability to just do more than they thought was possible. They get pushed pretty hard in that program. It's not easy. No. You have another program, too. And I saw the initial side. What are they blowing things up? TNT You know what that's called trying new things. And that's for some of our youngest learners. And so that's a program that I believe was brought in when Melissa Linsky was the principal of. I have Cox School in Radcliff. And so that's a school that serves students from kindergarten and well, actually from pre-kindergarten. We have some really, really young learners there. Two grade three. And those students have an opportunity to work with community leaders in a variety of ways. That might be they might be calling you to see if you'll come in and teach them. Some kids broadcasting. But yeah, that that program provides kids with all different sorts of of skills and a chance to work with community leaders in a variety of ways. And then the other piece with, that's connected to that program is that, at that school, students have jobs posted. So reading the morning announcements, holding the doors open at the beginning of the day, helping to serve lunch, those types of activities, they fill out, job applications, they have interviews and, students in grade three can be selected to perform those jobs for the school. So it's a great program that teaches real, meaningful skills that are really early. Age life skills. That's right. Yeah, yeah. And the Warren Pierce makerspace. That sounds interesting. Too. Yeah. So Warren, Warren Pierce is in Arcadia Valley, so that that is one of our northern schools, and that's a that's a program that is just getting off the ground that involves, giving students an opportunity to play with various pieces of technology there. You know, a laser cutter is on order, and they have some ideas there that might give students a chance to to really play with some technology and make things happen in, in the classroom that that's exciting. And there, again, we'll rely heavily on the volunteers and the parent communities. It's something we've been so lucky, to have is parents who are really committed to coming into the school and, participating, which allows us to do, programing in the school that otherwise just wouldn't be possible without parent sport. Ralston school is another interesting place because you have international students there. And, I believe you have just recently been, put on a, program, an International Baccalaureate. Well, that's right. So Eagle Butte actually, is the first to launch the IB program, and it will start in September, and students will be able to take international Baccalaureate in math and English, and then they'll also be able to earn a careers diploma. So that's a really exciting initiative. And from that Discussion's involved with Ralston. So in Ralston, we serve a lot of students who have a parent in the British military. And one of the challenges is that in Alberta, it's the only British military base where they're not actually learning the British curriculum. And so they're here for a short time, and they need to transition then to a British school. And that transition has historically been quite a challenge for those families. And making sure that they have all the requirements that they need, to go back and be successful, in their system. And this, attainment of this certification will mean a much smoother process for those students that, that we serve in, in Ralston School. And we also have a good deal of indication that the number of students, both on the Canadian military side and on the British military side will be increasing. And even with our Canadian soldiers, their children often will not be here for the duration of their education. So it too will make it easier for them to transition back to whatever, whatever province or perhaps an international base that they will be relocating to as well. So this is one of those things we we sort of think to ourselves, we should have thought of this a long time ago. So, huge congratulations to Jason Dutcher and, Sonya, who's actually one of our British teachers. So she's she's from the UK and, and works at Ralston School, and they've, her name's Sonya Stanton, and they've both just championed, making this happen for our Ralston community. So we're excited. Something else that, is available to students is a dual credit program. And that's right, that, that's available for high school students across Alberta. So that's available in all in all school jurisdictions. And really has become more prominent for us in the last 3 or 4 years. And we've been adding and increasing options for students. There's lots of ways to do dual credits and lots of different institutions you can partner with. The one that we have the most extensive partnership with is the Medicine Heart College, and we work with them for our health care aid program, which has served a number of students. We have found we have several Mennonite students who are interested in taking that program, which has been really advantageous for them. And then we also have a huge number of students taking the trades program that has exploded to just shy of 120 students who are enrolled in in that trades program. And we actually have a lengthy waiting list, of students who would like to participate. And so, you know, one of the challenges with rural high schools is that you won't necessarily have a shot that has all of the different trades disciplines integrated into it, because there's just not enough students. Right? And you just can't build that type of shop in some of these tiny rural high schools. So what we were able to organize is that students are able to come in and access the shop at the college and do the bookwork in their home community. And so, for example, we have a busload of kids coming in from Oregon to access that opportunity at, at the medicine at college. And that has been so wonderful for those communities. And it's exciting because students are learning a trade and then working with the business to gain hours back in their home community, which also increases the likelihood that they have gainful employment and potentially stay in that community. So it's a win for the community as a whole and a huge win for us, because we're better serving students with the things that they're passionate about and like to see as part of their future. Yeah. Colin Gallant with the CBC did a story here, in the last two weeks about, Special Person in the Prairie Rose that travels to Oregon three times a year. That is 190km one way. And she's there to look after the well-being, the mental well-being of, students. Yeah. So she's one of our SWC. So those are their student wellness coordinators. And we have a number of them working across our schools, and they really are the most incredible people. Like, they they'll, they'll bring joy wherever they go. And they take care of really important needs, across our school division and, and, the one that was interviewed by, by Colin spends a lot of time behind the wheel. And we're really, really grateful for that. But it's it's actually remarkable how many miles and how many kilometers our staff put puts on, those vehicles on a daily basis. It's it's quite something. Yeah. And the kids are the students? Absolutely. Yeah. Some of them, there are really lengthy bus busses. And you have put, I think, Wi-Fi available now on them so that help them do their homework when they're making their long commute. We try I don't think we I don't think we've quite managed on all of our bus routes, but on a number on a number of them. And we're always trying to figure out how we can optimize. You know, it's almost like you got a board game and you're trying to move things around, move the pieces around to try and optimize bus routes. But that's another example where parents have been really helpful. They know those roads better than we do. And actually the municipalities know those roads better than we do. And through consultation with them, we've made some strides in optimizing, how those, routes are laid out. And we'll keep trying to do that because it's there's no question that's a challenge. Well, you've you've made strides in communication because I can recall the days when the weather wasn't good in the country and the phone in the newsroom would be ringing off the hook with bus driver and bus number 42 is not running today. Can you tell everybody now you have it all on your website and the phone calls stopped? Well, I think I think that certainly has helped. We also have drivers who are, you know, skilled at building relationships with families and will reach out directly to those to those families and let them know. So in Rose, because we serve such a large geographical area, the other thing that's really important is that we distribute decision making. And so when it doesn't make sense for a bus route to run, that is a driver decision. That's not something that comes to the superintendent or that we try to make in central office in Dunmore, when we're serving an area that's two hours away. So that is the bus driver who makes that call, and they make that decision as to whether or not it's safe just because they're in a better position to do so. And I think that type of an approach has helped with those communications as well, because they can then communicate with families and then they let us know and we put it on the website what their decision is. Well, it is remarkable how pretty Rose functions. And I think it starts from the top down. I think you have spread your energy through the entire division, and I'm glad that we had this chance to sit down and talk. Oh, that's really kind of you. Thank you for having me. It was wonderful to be here. And.