Due to severe flooding in July, Barnett House will remain closed until early 2027.
The ATA Library is still open and providing resources to members.
Staff are working from home and continue to serve members online and by phone.
The Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) in Calgary is unaffected and conducts business per usual.
Often, all it takes is a word of encouragement to take on a new professional challenge.
For Annie Fung, that moment came more than a decade ago when a colleague encouraged her to join the executive of the Council for English as an Additional Language (CEAL). She took on the role of publications director and didn’t look back. The enthusiasm of her fellow executive members was infectious, and she has remained in her role for 12 years.
Others found their way into specialist councils through similar encouragement. Paul Bohnert was tapped on the shoulder to coordinate the first conference for the Career and Technology Education Council (CTEC). Now, he serves as its president.
Victoria Reid, a dance teacher and the conference director for the Fine Arts Council (FAC), joined after being encouraged her to fill a vacant position as dance representative. Her friend and colleague told her she needed to take this on, so she did. She has been involved with the FAC for a decade.
After a colleague encouraged her to step forward to fill an open spot, Megan Sénéchal began as academic journal editor for the Additional Languages and Intercultural Council (ALIC). Today, she serves as president.
Samantha Ur didn’t receive a shoulder tap in the same way. Now the membership director for the Global, Environmental & Outdoor Education Council (GEOEC), she recalls attending a small outdoor education conference where she found her people. She was compelled to stay engaged in this group, and so approached the GEOEC’s executive and said, “I love this. How can I be involved?”
Each story began with one step: trying out a conference, meeting different colleagues, taking on a new role. But all led to meaningful work with and for the specialist council membership.
Across Alberta, teachers are finding connection, professional growth and belonging through the ATA’s 20 specialist councils, networks that bring teachers and school leaders together to share ideas, strengthen practice and support one another. During a lively roundtable chat moderated by the ATA’s own Dan Grassick (executive staff officer, PD), five long-time council members swapped stories about what keeps them coming back and why these subgroups mean so much to their professional and personal journeys. |
