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A short while ago retired Catholic trustee Chalifour has fond memories of time in instruction

In November, longtime Prince Albert Catholic Faculty Division trustee and vice chair Maurice Chalifour introduced his retirement after serving on the board considering the fact that 2011.

Chalifour mentioned his own health and fitness and problems maintaining up with technological alterations were being the most important factors he stepped down.

“I am not laptop or computer literate and everything is likely computerized now, so you have to,” he stated. “The other thing is my wellness variety of took a downturn and, nicely, I am 86 so about a year back I genuinely commenced emotion terrible. I just imagined, ‘well, you know, it is time to go.’ I have been there for 11 years.”

Through his occasions as a Board member, Chalifour was concerned in many initiatives, these as advocating for Catholic Training and regional elected representatives as a university board member.

Ahead of getting a Trustee, Chalifour served for a lot more than 26 several years as a classroom trainer and Principal for the Prince Albert Catholic University Division. He acquired an Appreciation Award from the Saskatchewan Catholic College Board Association on Nov. 13. but could not attend because of to his wellbeing. Chalifour started his job all-around 1970 at St. Anne College.

“I was the instructor there for 16 years,” he remembered. “I really received moved. I acquired as well relaxed since I understood the entire group and they knew me and all that. But then I was appointed principal there.”

Chalifour mentioned that it was rough to decide on a good memory from that period of time since there were so numerous throughout his time in the classroom.

“Some little ones, you close up changing them so they can be very good college students and many others it just would not do the job,” he stated. “There is no recipe for that mainly because for each individual kid it’s distinct.”

Chalifour remembered possessing 19 First Country college students from the north in a classroom of 42 college students.

“It was my to start with expertise at teaching Initially Nations young children and I had uncovered out that they had been little ones just like any other child,” he explained. “They just desired to be addressed relatively and they desired to understand and there was the odd rascal.”

He reported that in existence as a instructor you take what comes via your door, but he was content with the encounter, which he termed extremely productive.

No subject what took place he tried using to continue to keep issues honest.

“If kids received into a combat and one is from the city and 1 is from the north I would discover out who was the aggressor, I had to come across out the entire story and would act appropriately,” he stated.

“I genuinely appreciated the classroom. For me, I did not really go to get the job done till I started out out to turn into an administrator and then of system you have obtained more obligation.”

Focused and passionate about Catholic schooling, Chalifour was also heavily associated in the Toonies for Tuition campaign, increasing money for pupils across Canada who will have to pay tuition for Catholic education.

He was a member of a committee elevating over $500,000 in 2003 for the modernization of the École St Mary Large School, and served on the Board’s Audit Committee, the 125th and 130th Anniversary committees, and other specific pursuits symbolizing the Board.

Chalifor was aspect of a team of men and women who began fundraising for St. Mary. He claimed the team and a couple other trustees started out speaking about fundraising and discovered out they knew very little about it. The swiftly identified as in outside the house help, and went on to have a thriving marketing campaign.

“We went to Saskatoon and (former trustee) Bert (Provost) phoned the fellow who was in charge of fundraising for the St. Thomas More College. Bert phoned him and he bought an appointment,” he defined.

“We touched foundation with him now and once again and he arrived down a couple of occasions and the issue was really prosperous. We elevated more than 50 % a million dollars for St. Mary’s simply because of what took place.

“At that time they were renovating St. Mary’s and the department of education and learning for the theatre. They brought the electric power up to the door but they would not place any dollars in for the seats or the stage or anything for the theatre and we desired to get it finished so we did that.”

The fundraiser was so effective that cash was still left for points these kinds of as a new soccer pitch. He is particularly happy of the new theatre that was part of the transforming.

“They can have the drama performs and they can have fine arts heading on and dance and band and so on simply because it’s a normal theatre,” he stated.

Chalifour became a trustee when the previous rural trustee who was also a close friend and neighbour passed absent and Bert Provost asked him to run.

“I guess I have usually been incredibly interested in education,” Chalifour stated. “I consider that instruction is the important to the future simply because let’s experience it, all the things in the future, computers, politics, anything requires people that are educated in many distinct fields and so to me it can be instruction and understanding is the essential to the long term.”

Chalifour was serving as vice-chairperson of the Board of Education just before currently being replaced by Trustee Pat Hordyski.

The by-election to switch Chalifour has been set for Feb. 6, 2023.

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Michael Oleksyn, Regional Journalism Initiative Reporter, Prince Albert Every day Herald