As we prepare to enter Holy Week, the most sacred time in the Catholic Church, our students at St. Albert Learning Centre took part in a meaningful hands-on tradition—creating palm crosses. With guidance from Deacon Roland and dedicated parish volunteer Carmen, students carefully learned how to weave palms into crosses. This was an experience that required patience, focus, and care. As you can see in these photos, what began as simple strips of palm quickly became something much more. Students were fully engaged, working side by side, learning a new skill, and quietly reflecting as they created each cross. These palm crosses will be returned to Christ the King Parish to be blessed on Palm Sunday, and then shared with the parish community. This experience is a beautiful example of: ✝️ Faith in action 🤝 School and parish partnership 🌱 Students contributing to something bigger than themselves With gratitude, we thank Deacon Roland, Carmen Gervais, and our partners at Christ the King Parish for walking alongside us in faith and community—this is what Catholic education is all about. Moments like these remind us that learning isn’t just academic, it’s spiritual, hands-on, and rooted in community.
Over the past few months, our secondary students at St. Albert Learning Centre worked incredibly hard preparing 50 handcrafted PEACE Pens for a special opportunity. After countless hours of designing, turning, polishing, and finishing each pen, our students are now enjoying a well-earned March Break while their work is being showcased this weekend. Under the leadership of our amazing Shop Boss, Lynn, students spent many hours in the workshop carefully crafting each pen with pride. Their dedication truly reflects the power of hands-on learning and student entrepreneurship. This opportunity came from the wonderful idea of Secondary Teachers’ Union President Jaime Sauve, who encouraged us to bring our PEACE Pens & Beyond student-led business to the provincial OECTA Annual General Meeting in Toronto at the Westin Harbour Castle, which welcomes over 600 teacher delegates from across Ontario. On Thursday, Jaime and her daughter Ellora picked up the finished pens to bring them to Toronto, helping ensure our students’ work would be proudly represented at the conference. A special shout-out to Ellora, a Grade 5 student and aspiring future Marymount student, who also helped run the booth and gained early experience in entrepreneurship while seeing first-hand how creativity and hard work can turn into something meaningful. A heartfelt thank you to Lynn and our secondary students for the many hours of preparation that went into this event, and thank you to Jamie & OECTA for providing a platform to showcase the talents of our students across the province. When educators come together to support students, powerful learning happens and our students rise to the occasion every time.
Today at St. Albert Learning Centre, our schools was filled with creativity, curiosity, and the beautiful spirit of cultural sharing during a special Henna Art lesson. The idea began with Brier, one of our Cambrian College placement students, who envisioned an activity that would bring students together through art and cultural learning. With the expert guidance and mentorship of Parul, one of our talented Get SET instructors, the lesson quickly blossomed into something truly special. Together, Parul and Brier co-planned the experience, thoughtfully preparing a learning opportunity that was both engaging and meaningful. Parul created a beautiful slideshow that introduced students to the history of henna, the significance of this traditional art form, and the many styles and designs used across cultures. It was the perfect way to begin, grounding the hands-on activity in knowledge and appreciation. Students listened with interest and excitement as they learned about the traditions and meanings behind the designs. To make the experience even richer, Parul invited a very special guest; her sister-in-law, Anuradha, whom she described as the family’s henna expert. With warmth and passion, Anuradha shared her knowledge and demonstrated the delicate techniques behind this intricate art form. Students eagerly experimented with stencils or challenged themselves to try free-hand designs, carefully tracing patterns and creating their own beautiful works of art. What made the moment even more special was seeing our entire education team joining in, learning and creating side by side. This experience was a wonderful reminder of what makes St. Albert Learning Centre such a unique and welcoming place. We believe deeply in inclusive education, where learning goes beyond textbooks and where cultures, experiences, and talents are celebrated and shared within our community. We heard our students loud and clear! They want to learn even more about the different styles and designs of henna art. So stay tuned… this may just be the beginning of more creative cultural learning ahead! A heartfelt thank you to Parul and Brier for bringing this beautiful idea to life and for creating such a memorable learning experience for our students. And a special thank you to Anuradha for generously sharing her knowledge, passion, and culture with us. Today was more than an art lesson. It was a celebration of creativity, connection, and community, which is truly the heart of learning at St. Albert.
