SAITales: A slushy mess!

I always look forward to the south week of ELAA (Educational Liaison Association of Alberta) as it gives me a chance to visit with some people who used to recruit. Sometimes that is the only chance we have to reconnect besides online with Facebook, which of course can never replace face to face reunions.

Last week I had received a request from Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale to stop by for a presentation on a CALM class prior to our ELAA event on Tuesday. I guess in my haste to set this new information in my calendar I mixed up the dates and put the information in for Monday. Seeing this in my calendar I booked the hotel in Lethbridge for one more night and headed down on Sunday evening thinking my first event was Monday at 9am. I realized my error only after arriving at the school and having the teacher tell me I was a day early. All was not lost; I did go back to the hotel in Lethbridge and got some administrative work done so at least it was not a waste of a day.

My first event ended up being at the high school in Picture Butte. The event was very well organized and we saw many students not only from Picture Butte but also from surrounding areas such as County Central High School in Vulcan. The majority of the students were looking to some of our Health programs but I was happy to provide information on our Energy Asset Management program and our Broadcast Systems programs.

The students were excited to learn of our Open House on October 30 and 31 from 9 am-4 pm. With the town only being a few hours away the students were quickly making plans to get to Calgary!

On Monday evening we were at Lethbridge Collegiate High School and it was one of the best evening events I have been to in a while. I had a lineup of students waiting to ask questions about our programs and services. One of the popular services at this event was Chinook Lodge, our Aboriginal Student Centre.

Tuesday morning brought me to Kate Andrews High School in Coaldale, where I did the CALM presentation as scheduled. I was a little worried about arriving on time since there was a pretty significant snow fall over night, but the highways were in pretty good condition, just a little fog to deal with. The students seemed pretty receptive to our programs with the majority interested in the Apprenticeship Trades.

One thing we always look forward to during the South week is the lunch provided for us at Senator Gershaw in Bow Island. We were treated to roast beef, potato wedges, bean salad with all the fixings to go with it. I think I ate a little too much because I felt like a needed a nap!

Wednesday was a pretty busy day. We started at Crescent Heights High then moved to Medicine Hat High for an event. The evening event was in Dunmore at Eagle Butte and it was extremely busy for SAIT. I fielded quite a few questions about the Encana partnership.

After a few hours spent in Oyen on Thursday, I was headed home! I needed a few hours of relaxation before the hectic Friday ahead of me.

OPEN HOUSE!

Today is the first of the Fall Open House days. Excitement filled the air as I walked across campus to cover my shift at the Advising booth. There were bus loads of students being dropped off, current students bustling to class through the throngs of prospective students and staff members spending some time at their respective displays. We’ve seen tours, Smart Start presentations and many people lining up to get their “free” application in before the event is over.