Kodiaks celebrate as 42 student-athletes named national scholars
The Kodiaks continued their track record of athletic and academic success in 2021-22, as 42 student-athletes earned Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Scholar honours. Only SAIT had more honourees among institutions in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC). To be named a National Scholar, student athletes must earn a grade point average of at least 3.3 while also competing for a registered athletics team. Every Kodiaks program had multiple CCAA National Scholar honourees, led by the women’s and men’s volleyball teams, which each had eight. To view the full list of Kodiaks 2021-22 CCAA National Scholars, visit gokodiaks.ca.
Women’s soccer team claims ACAC bronze on home field
It was a big-time bronze medal performance for the hosts, as the Lethbridge College Kodiaks women’s soccer team mined a medal from the 2022 ACAC women’s soccer championships in October. The Kodiaks scored twice in the second half to shutout the NAIT Ooks 2-0 and finish their season on a high note in front of a vocal group of supporters at Comet Stadium in Raymond, Alta. It is the third straight ACAC bronze medal for the Kodiaks.
Soccer players honoured by ACAC
The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s and women’s soccer teams were well represented as the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) handed out its 2022 soccer awards this fall. Four Kodiaks student-athletes were named to the ACAC All-Conference team. Midfielder Olivia DePasquale and defender Taylor Hrycun were selected from the Kodiaks women’s team, while midfielder Brian Sure and defender Joel McLeod were honoured from the men’s team. McLeod was also named the south division rookie of the year, recognizing a breakout season for the centre-back from Medicine Hat who started the year as a walk-on player for the Kodiaks.
Cross-country claims ACAC bronze
The Lethbridge College Kodiaks men’s cross-country team reached its goal of landing on the podium at the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference Championship (ACAC) race in Edmonton in October, earning a team bronze medal. Cooper Williams delivered an all-conference performance, finishing the eight kilometer track in 27:57 to finish an impressive seventh overall. On the women’s side, Maria Boix-Frias once again led the way for the Kodiaks with a 14th place performance.
CAMPUS KUDOS
Congratulations to the following Lethbridge College community members for making a difference in their life, work and community. Here are some highlights of their successes:
- Joshua Mandin, third-year Plumbing apprentice, travelled to Lahr, Germany in late October to compete at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, after earning a gold medal in the Skills Canada competition.
- Dr. Faron Ellis, General Arts and Science instructor, recently published his latest contribution to the Canadian federal election book series with McGill-Queen’s University Press. Faron’s chapter analyzing the 2021 federal Conservative campaign is his tenth chapter in this book series dating back to the Reform Party’s election campaigns in the 1990s.
- Tyler Heaton, Virtual and Augmented Reality instructor, showcased some of the VR work he’s done outside of the college at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre Fall Conference 2022 in October as part of a team of theatre producers, writers, directors and actors.
- Lisa Kozleski and Dana Woodward, the editor and designer of Wider Horizons, presented a 75-minute session on making memorable magazines with a small budget and small staff at the 2022 CASE Conference for Community College Advancement conference in October.
- Wider Horizons won three Best of CASE VIII awards in October, recognizing outstanding work among colleges and universities in Western Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Winning nominations include: Illustration: “Listen Carefully” (Gillian Goertz, illustrator); Magazine and Periodical Design: Wider Horizons (Dana Woodward, designer); and Alumni/General Interest magazine: Wider Horizons (Dana Woodward, designer, Lisa Kozleski, editor; and contributors from across campus). In September, the magazine staff won a silver award in the Alberta Magazine Publishers Association competition in the service journalism category for the Winter 2021 story “How to Do Everything,” (creative concept by Dawn Sugimoto), and was a finalist in five other categories. In June, the team won a gold CASE Circle of Excellence Award for Alumni/General interest magazines (two-year institutions), competing against community colleges across North America.
IN MEMORIAM
Wider Horizons learned of the passing of several members of the college community in recent months. Condolences are extended to their families, friends and former colleagues.
- Dr. James (Jim) Manis passed away on Sept. 6 after a battle with cancer at the age of 72.
- Norm Whelpley passed away on July 21 at the age of 78.
- Betty Smith, a member of the first graduating class at Lethbridge College, passed away on Aug. 31 at the age of 82.
INNOVATION IN ACTION
The teams in our Centre for Applied Research, Innovation and Entrepreneurship have been moving forward with their research projects. Here’s a glimpse of some of their creative and collaborative projects, or read detailed descriptions of their work at lethbridgecollege.ca/news.
COLLEGE RECEIVES $1 MILLION FOR PUBLIC SAFETY RESEARCH
Lethbridge College has received the largest social sciences research grant in its history, as $1 million in federal research funding will kickstart the college’s public safety applied research program. The funding will allow the college’s researchers to engage with industry partners across policing, corrections, courts and their associated community service providers to undertake research projects aimed at strengthening policing and public safety in Canada. The five-year, $1 million Mobilize grant is part of the Government of Canada’s College and Community Innovation program, managed by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada in collaboration with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Lethbridge College’s public safety research is led by Dr. Kirsten Fantazir (see related story), who was appointed as the President’s Applied Research Chair in Public Safety earlier this year. Fantazir’s work will be rooted in the spirit of reconciliation with an emphasis on collaborating with Blackfoot and other Indigenous peoples to support sharing of knowledge related to the public safety field.
COLLEGE SIGNS ON AS PRINCIPAL MEMBER OF METAVERSE STANDARDS FORUM
Lethbridge College is now a Principal Member of the Metaverse Standards Forum. Founded in June 2022, the forum provides a venue for collaboration among companies and leading standards organizations around the world. The goal is to foster the development of interoperability standards for an open and inclusive metaverse. While the industry-wide forum is not responsible for creating metaverse standards, member organizations will cooperate to encourage their evolution and adoption.
NIKKA YUKO, COLLEGE PARTNER FOR IMMERSIVE VIDEO EXPERIENCE
Working with Lethbridge College, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden has a new experience to offer. The garden’s new Nikka Yuko Kamakura (Igloo) domed experience uses 360-degree video to immerse visitors in stunning visual displays of traditional Japanese and Canadian culture and environments.
BATTLE OF THE BELLY RIVER RETOLD WITH VR
Blackfoot Elders Ninna Piiksii (Mike Bruised Head) and Miinii’pooka (Peter Weasel Moccasin) shared their knowledge of the Battle of the Belly River 152 years after the event with Lethbridge College’s Indigenous Career Pathway students in October at Fort Whoop-Up. The filming session was part of an applied research project focused on Indigenous immersive storytelling. Instructor Kris Hodgson-Bright leads the project in partnership with the City of Lethbridge, Galt Museum and Archive | Akaisamitohkanao’pa, and the Lethbridge Historical Society. In addition to funding from the college’s Centre for Applied Research Internal Fund, partner organizations secured a $20,000 Heritage Preservation Partnership Program grant from the Government of Alberta to help support the project. Stories told were transcribed, animated and combined with three-dimensional images of artifacts from the battle as well as drone footage of the Lethbridge river valley, the teepee at Fort Whoop-Up, Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park and Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump to create a virtual reality experience. The final project should be available for public viewing in fall 2023. Left to right: City of Lethbridge’s Indigenous Relations Advisor, Charlene Bruised Head-Mountain Horse; her father Elder Mike Bruised Head; and Elder Peter Weasel Moccasin and his daughter, Lethbridge College instructor Marcia Black Water; all participated in the sharing of the Battle of the Belly River on the 152nd anniversary. Photo by Kris Hodgson-Bright.
CHEERS TO THE 30TH ANNUAL CLAYTON ALLAN WINE AUCTION
Lethbridge College’s 30th and final Clayton Allan Wine Auction delivered exquisite moments of fine dining, wine and spirits while providing memorable evenings spent among new and old friends — all while supporting current and future students. For 30 years, the wine auction has supported important upgrades on campus, helping Lethbridge College meet needs now and into the future. Generations of business owners and philanthropists have contributed more than $2.7 million – over $200,000 of which was raised this year! To see a video highlighting the wine auction over the years, go to learn.lc/wineauction.
