Jasper school initiative gets huge response

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on August 17, 2024.

Back to school can be both an exciting and nerve-racking experience with many unknowns, but for those affected by the Jasper wildfires the unknowns are on a much greater scale.

The fire which overtook the town of Jasper is believed to have been started by a lightning storm which occurred on July 22. Within days the town was evacuated as the fire blazed through the town, taking down many historic buildings in the town including the Maligne Lodge with it.

On Thursday, the town of Jasper announced it was reducing its evacuation order to an evacuation alert.

While the fire is still considered out of control, crews were able to contain 100 per cent of the priority northwest perimeter to protect the town and with precipitation in the forecast over the weekend there is optimism of crews being able to make progress in protecting other areas of the park.

While members of the town can return home, many have lost part or all of their possessions\ along with homes.

It is currently unknown what state both Jasper Elementary and the junior and senior high schools are in.

In letters addressed to parents of children who are expected to attend either of the schools from both the superintendent and the Minister of Education there are plans to help expedite the work needed to repair the schools, however, there are plans being put in place for the children to attend an alternative school or have online classes until the schools are up to safety standards.

Both letters made it clear that students’ safety was their top priority. The start date of the schools may be pushed back up to two months to ensure the school is safe for the students.

With the financial strain of both the school year and the fire, Jasper teachers have been in contact with Jesse Smeall, local president of the Grand Yellowhead Alberta Teacher’s Association, about what they could do to alleviate some of the monetary strain off the parents and students as well as the teachers.

Out of these discussions came an Amazon wish-list containing school supplies for students and instructional materials.

“The Amazon wish list is a teacher generated idea that’s been supported by administration. And the whole idea is to alleviate the stress on teachers and students returning and one less thing to worry about. The list is comprised of primarily school supplies, but also a couple of staff requests in hoping that if these things are covered, then instruction might be a little bit easier,” said Smeall in an interview.

To Smeall’s surprise, the wish-list has been almost 70 per cent fulfilled by people from all over the province. Smeall says she is amazed by the generosity she has seen towards the people of Jasper.

“I’m absolutely amazed by the generosity of people within our own area as well as across the province,” said Smeall.

The Amazon wish-list can be found on http://www.amazon.ca/registries/ and by searching for evergreen local 11 under gift lists.

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