We had two amazing guest speakers at the noon meeting of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat on Monday 30 March: Carla Carrier and Dave Van Leeuwen, both with the Medicine Hat Public School Division (MHPSD).

Carla is the Executive Director of LEARNING AND PARTNERSHIPS; Dave is the EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY COACH.

A key to understanding STEM learning experiences at MHPSD is this:

“We aim to use technology to provide transformative experiences to students. Not using technology for the sake of technology but instead using it to provide deep and enriching learning experiences available to all students. It’s about helping students see themselves as capable contributors to their community”.

Carla got the presentation rolling with a brief glimpse into her work at the Central office of the MHPSD. She mentioned how the parameters of her responsibilities have expanded since first joining the Division staff, from a focus on curriculum instruction, to include, inter alia, student services. Dave's presentation focused on three main STEM learning experiences, the aim of which is to shape confident, capable young people who see a future for themselves right here in the Medicine Hat community. 

Medicine Hat Future Builders: Minecraft Building Project

Those who know video games may well have heard of Minecraft, which is a game that functions as a 3-dimensional sandbox where students can build structures. This project is conducted in collaboration with Shawn Champagne, the superintendent of city planning at City Hall. Shawn chooses the building sites and judges the projects. In 2025, over 700 students participated in the Minecraft project. Criteria for judging? These include zoning requirements, overall design, and the contribution made to the community. This year, the project focuses on the Medicine Hat Mall. The challenge to the students is this: What will increase business at the Medicine Hat Mall while benefiting the community?

Coding Crates: STEM access for all schools

The MHPSD currently has nine coding crates, two more to be added shortly. What are these? Coding crates are robotics or electronics supplies that teachers can book for their classrooms. 

Trades Kits: Exploring Core Curriculum through Trades

Dave explained that, following the same philosophy as coding crates, trades kits provide classrooms with experiences that introduce students to skills and knowledge involved within the trades, while also exploring aspects of science. Conversely, instruction focuses on exploring concepts in the grade level curriculum for science, math and other subjects, while relating them to relevant trades. Available kits: Mitre Box, Wind Turbine, Measurement, Simple Machines, Fluid Properties. Key issue: Dave noted how some skills, such as computer coding, can and are being replaced by computer generated Artificial Intelligence (AI). The increasing use of AI makes the key skills the students learn in this STEM program of problem solving, persistence, and teamwork, even more relevant for their successful entry to the future workforce.

What an informative presentation, Carla and Dave! Thank you so much! You introduced us to an angle on learning in Medicine Hat Public Schools, that few of us knew much about. And you left us with a bunch of members saying they’d like to go back to school!! Thank you so much for spending an hour of your valuable time with us. So much appreciated! You have our respect and our gratitude for what you are contributing to our young people’s education.