On the Front Desk for our noon meeting today were Ken Zollner and Deb Best, who gave all a warm welcome!
President Elect Doug Fleming chaired the meeting for President Milan Vujavic, who was unable to attend.
After the singing of O Canada, three guests were introduced, followed by the introduction of the two guest speakers, Carla Carrier and Dave Van Leeuwen of the Medicine Hat Public School Division.
Carla got the ball rolling and then handed over to Dave Van Leeuwen who started off his presentation with a land acknowledgement. For a brief summary of his presentation, please see the STORY section of this newsletter.
Doug Fleming thanked Carla and Dave.
Members were reminded that there would be no meeting on Easter Monday. The next Club noon meeting will be on Monday 13 April, with Dr Deborah Forbes as guest speaker. Dr Forbes is ED of the Lifelong Education and Resource Network - LEARN - on which she will focus her presentation.
To those who celebrate Easter, HAPPY EASTER from the President, Executive and Board of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat!
ROTARY AT DISTRICT LEVEL
Members were again encouraged to register for and attend the District 5360 conference, taking place in Red Deer from 1-3 May. It is suggested that those attending book into the same hotel, so as to be able to socialize as a group. The Holiday Inn Express on 50th is proposed.
There will be a display of Rotary intervention (projects) connected to the Ukraine at DisCon.
The dueling piano performance on the first evening of DisCon should be fun. Those attending are encouraged to spend time in the House of Friendship in which there will be tables and booths on a range of projects and programs undertaken by Rotarians and Clubs in District 5360.
See how to register in the MINUTES in the MEETING NEWS section of this newsletter.
ROTARY AT INTERNATIONAL LEVEL
As we have been mentioning for some time now, the next RI Convention will be held in Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, from 13-17 June 2026. Those attending should please let the Board know.
See more in the MINUTES in the MEETING NEWS section of this newsletter.
MONARCH 1911 SOCIETY
As many Rotarians will know, our club, in cooperation with the Saamis Rotary Club and the Friends of the Monarch Society, has been working on restoring both the structure and the programming at the historic Monarch movie theatre on 2nd St S.E, Medicine Hat.
The good news is that the construction of the new roof has been completed.
The new roof looks great! What an improvement! Brian Robinson and team are powering ahead with the restoration process! THANK YOU BRIAN!
The Monarch is having a promotion on a "book" of tickets, check it out it is a great deal
Our club will try to keep track of events on at the Monarch, and will give members a heads-up about opportunities to serve. If you are interested in volunteering at the Monarch, please let Rotarian Janessa Anderson know (403-952-1907) and she will provide details of available shifts and responsibilities.
Volunteering at a show is a great way to connect with the community and support our historic local landmark.
Ideas for Future Programs
The Rotary Club's Program Committee members are Jillian Koch (jkoch@jmhca.com), Margie Booyens (margiebooyens@gmail.com), Alain Guerard (aguerard@telus.net), Sharon Hayward (sharon.hayward@medicinehatymca.ca).
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.
ATTENDANCE: 20 members attended the meeting in person, plus three online, and five guests.
GUESTS:
Carla Carrier - guest speaker (MHPSD)
Dave Van Leeuwen - guest speaker (MHPSD)
Chris Pond - member of Toastmasters
Art Hildebrand - Dave Panabaker's youngest son's father-in-law
Sheila Wong - guest of Nadia Deenen
MEETING DRAW:
Tarek Williams won the meeting draw and found himself the lucky winner of a Rotary inscribed glass!
MAKEUPS: None were mentioned.
BIRTHDAYS:
Presley, Glen - April 3
Shanbhag, Manali - April 7
Scott, Bernie - April 9
Dressler, Lisa - April 23
ROTARY ANNIVERSARIES:
Bide, Dick - 55 years - April 11, 1971
Brekko, Terry - 37 years - April 01, 1989
Hrankowski, Joe - 26 years - April 03, 2000
Panabaker, Dave - 22 years - April 01, 2004
Shave, Brad - 17 years - April 10, 2009
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ROSE RUNNER FOR APRIL 2026:
The Rose Runner for April is Gail Halderman.
NEW MINUTES AND REMINDERS:
BBQ SOCIAL: Kinette Kitchen, Kin Coulee. Members are asked to put Thursday 21 May from 5-8pm in their schedules. President Milan and the Club Program Committee are organizing a relaxed, fun time together on this date, in Kin Coulee, enjoying special food (the nature of which will be shared nearer the time!) not only with our Club members but with all Rotarians in Medicine Hat, plus family and friends!
CASINO DUTY: A reminder that our Club will be ‘staffing’ the casino on Tuesday September 22 and Wednesday September 23 . Ken Zollner will be recruiting volunteers. Please check your calendar to see if you are able to help out.
JIM MARSHALL EVENT: Rotarian Bruce Shepard, who is also President of the Medicine Hat Historical Society, thanked members who had attended the Jim Marshall event at the Monarch (organized by the Historical Society), during which Rotarian Jim had shared stories from each chapter of his long, productive and creative life.
RAYEK: The Medicine Hat Sunrise Rotary club is supporting RAYEC (Rotary Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp) with a raffle this spring. Please contact one of the local Sunrise Rotarians, or use the QR code below to purchase tickets.
MEETING DOOR GREETERS NEEDED: Please talk to Dave Stalwick. Consider getting your name on the roster. Being a ‘meeting greeter’ is a great way to welcome and to get to know fellow members.
THE M-FACTOR. SHREDDING THE SILENCE ON MENOPAUSE: The M-Factor documentary was screened at The Monarch theatre on March 26 from 7-9 pm The screening was followed by a panel discussion. Questions were taken from the audience. Attendance was free.
Sharon Hayward reported that over 200 had attended the event, that the documentary film and panel discussion had been very well received, and that our Club could indeed consider sponsoring and presenting educational events of this nature, at the Monarch, from time to time.
Congratulations to Rotarian Manali Shanbhag (main organizer and ‘Master of Ceremonies’), Nadia Deenen (one of the panelists) and others involved in the organization, presentation and evaluation of this event!
PRAIRIE GLEANERS: A club ‘working outing’ is scheduled for Saturday 11 April, from 08:30 to noon. We will be lending a hand at Prairie Gleaners, sorting, washing and cutting produce. Margie B has sent round an attendance list, once again. If you plan to attend, please make sure your name is on the list. Dan Kammerer, who will leading and taking care of our working team, has cautioned that all who arrive to help on the 11th, need to have registered beforehand, that helpers should be above 12 years of age, and that work appropriate clothing should be worn (closed toe sturdy shoes and items of clothing that can be easily laundered).
NOMINATE A SENIOR FOR THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION TOP 7 OVER 70 AWARD
Eligible nominees are seniors aged 70+ who live in Medicine Hat, Redcliff, or surrounding counties and special areas. Nominees should be recognized for new achievements started after age 70, rather than lifetime accomplishments.
The award honours individuals who demonstrate excellence, creativity, innovation, or collaboration in areas such as agriculture, health and recreation, arts and culture, science, business, volunteerism, the environment, overcoming adversity, or making a difference.
For nomination forms and details, visit https://cfsea.ca/top-7-70. You can also talk to Margie Booyens, who is one of many ambassadors of this 2026 award.
Deadline for submission of nominations: June 30, 2026.
NEW MEMBER ORIENTATION WORKSHOPS: The next fast-paced, informative session - ideal not only for new members but for any Rotarian who wants to learn more about Rotary - will be held on Thursday April 23 at 7:30pm EST. Registration is available on the District website.
WHY ROTARY? The 2026 Why Rotary event will be held on April 29 in the Stampede Ballroom from 05:30pm - an event for and with all Rotary clubs in Medicine Hat. Tickets will be $20 per person this year and will include appetizers, not a full meal.
BINGO UPDATE:Latest Rotary bingo was Saturday afternoon, March 28th. Dave Panabaker reported that there were 76 players, that a profit of $1045 was made, and that Dick Bide won the guess pot.
ROTARY INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION: For those who like to venture a little further, the Rotary International Convention is in Taipei, Taiwan.
Family of Rotary:
Please keep a Board Member informed about members health and/or any other changes, so that information can be provided to the club through the Weekly News.
Our first meeting of every month is a business meeting, but all meetings are both in person and available on ZOOM. Check the club calendar, which is usually up to date for our meeting locations and program.
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