Introducing Our Host Colleen Bratko

We had a smooth run in to the city and Colleen was waiting to greet us, with a 'Welcome Loxton Teachers' sign. Instantly we knew we were in good hands from her positive and friendly manner - not to mention the freshly brewed pot of coffee! 

Colleen has many qualifications and skills: Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Arts, Registered Psychologist, First Nation teacher and also a stint as an Assistant Principal.

In our first session Colleen provided background information on Calgary. Did you know the city is built / runs on oil and gas? Hence it is a very wealthy place, with more engineers here than anywhere else in Canada. This has an impact on parental expectations. Yes, the Calgary Stampede is famous and there are plenty of ranchers but the oil/gas employment was 'news' to us.

Alberta offers an International Youth Leadership Summit each year. The CBE also have an educational relationship with China, Columbia as well as Australia.