The students attending Holy Redeemer will see quite a few new faces in the hallways as some new staff members will be joining the school community.
First of all, HRH is proud to announce that for the first time in three years, there will be an Assistant Principal. Trista Armstrong is a 10 year veteran who spent the last decade teaching middle school grades in Whitecourt.
“I was really attracted to the people and programs at HRH,” says Armstrong, referring to the strong athletics and drama programs at the school. “I saw this as a great opportunity to learn and grow as an educator and a leader.”
Armstrong is a graduate from the University of Lethbridge, where she not only received her Bachelor of Education, but also a Masters in Educational Leadership. An avid reader and huge fan of the Edmonton Oilers, she is extremely excited to get to know the students and school community. “The school has been so welcoming. I can tell that the teachers make sure the students are the centre of learning,” she says.
On top of her AP duties, she will also be seen teaching an IT course at HRH, serving as the Inclusive Education Lead, and acting as the Assistant Principal at Vanier as well.
Another new face, although she is a familiar face to many students who attended Vanier, is Janeen Critchley. She was a longtime elementary teacher at Vanier before making the change to come to HRH.
“Teaching upper middle school is the reason why I became a teacher,” says Critchley. “So when this opportunity came up I went for it.” She added that she loved her time at Vanier as all of her own children went to school there, but she is excited to be able to try new things and grow as a teacher.
Before teaching at Vanier, Critchley graduated from the University of Alberta and has basically taught every grade in elementary school, except grade 3. This year, she will be teaching ELA 8, Social Studies 8, Health 7, Junior Art, and Math 10-3. On top of this, she is extremely excited to be the Head Coach of the Senior Girls Volleyball team. “Coaching volleyball brought me into the world of teaching as I started coaching shortly after I graduated high school.”
Sean Murray, a native of Hay Lakes, will be taking over as the school’s Athletic Director. A recent graduate of the U of A in 2023, this is his first full time teaching position.
“I’m really excited to meet the students,” says Murray. “It’s an exciting change moving to Edson as I’m looking forward to integrating myself into the community to get to know everyone.” This year will see Murray teach Physical Education 9, 10, Math 8 and an options class relating to sports and fitness. Of course, he is most excited about coaching basketball in the coming months. “I’ve coached junior high basketball for nine years, so I’m really excited to take on that responsibility at HRH.”
In the Humanities Department, Maddison Paulson will be joining the HRH Team as she will be teaching English Language Arts 9, 10-2, 20-1, and 30-2. Another 2023 graduate of the U of A, Paulson taught for a short time at a neighbouring school in Edson before taking on the ELA position at HRH.
“I’m excited to meet the students,” she says. “I grew up in Edson, but I didn’t attend HRH. So it’s really exciting to experience a new school, and to teach ELA.”
Two new support staff will also be coming on board with Educational Assistant Barb Samson joining the HRH Team from Vanier.
With the six staff members joining the school, HRH is proud to have a committed and dedicated group of teachers and support staff looking forward to educating all students within a faith filled environment.