Family helped inspire an educator who was selected as a nominee for an award for outstanding first-year teaching. “From a young age, everyone told me that I was going to be a teacher,” Alex Kilcommons said. “I would set my little sisters up at little desks in our house and teach them lessons about dolphins and animals. Just go through encyclopedias and spout off what I learned to them.” Alex Kilcommons is no longer spouting off, but engaging and educating the students in her Grade 3/4 split class at the K-Grade 6 St. Assumption School in Oyen. Kilcommons, a 2009 graduate of Holy Trinity Academy, was selected as Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools’ Edwin Parr Award nominee which recognizes excellence in a first-year teacher, at a ceremony in May. She said Oyen is an ideal place for a new teacher. “I drove out to Oyen and fell in love with the community,” Kilcommons said. “I took an elementary focus at St. Mary’s University (in Calgary) and Grade 3 is my favourite age to teach – so far – I am sure I will move around grades in the future.” Kilcommons admitted there was some adjusting to do with growing up in Okotoks and being in Calgary and then moving to Oyen. The community, located 20 minutes from the Saskatchewan border, has a population of 1,001. “I got involved with the local softball team, tried some curling, played a little hockey, tried to diversify and I love the community,” she said. She originally balked at going into education and instead studied Canadian history for her undergraduate degree at U of C. “I was trying to figure out what I was passionate about in school and by the end of my undergraduate degree, I realized I wanted to teach,” Kilcommons said. “So I worked as an EA at Holy Spirit Academy and I realized I wanted to get involved with the students in a deeper way. So I went back to get my education degree and that led me to where I am now.” She credits being an EA with helping her with her teaching. “EA’s are definitely the unsung heroes of schools,” she said. “It made me a better teacher. I loved working with the kids so much that I wanted to pursue my education (to become a teacher). She teaches in the epitome of a small classroom, just a dozen students. But it’s not a 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. job. “I have to teach both curriculums,” Kilcommons said. “It’s made me a better teacher. Seeing how both grades come together in some aspects, but also differentiate. It’s helped my time management.” The rewards come from the positive energy from the youngsters. “I absolutely love my students. It’s May and we know each other quite well now. Going into the classroom, everyone has a distinct personality,” she said. “The students know that when we work hard we get rewarded with time together doing exciting things and building on with new activities. “I love being around them and their energy and learning about their lives.” She also has a new appreciation for guys like HTA’s Sam Aiello, Matt Hassett and Co. “I took on the coach role at our school, cross-country, volleyball, basketball, track and field,” said Kilcommons, who played rugby at HTA. “It was a lot more than I expected for time management. Planning tournaments, set-up hotels, getting parents involved. I had never coached before and it was great to experience it – try something new.” It’s no coincidence she chose history for her first degree. Two of her mentors while attending HTA were social studies teacher Joey Baldwin and Dylan Sinclair, the present vice-principal at St. Luke’s Outreach Centre. “Mr. Baldwin was my social studies teacher in Grade 10 and 11,” she said. “He was so passionate about what he taught. He gave us so much information but made sure we had a good understanding. He was very candid and passionate. He instilled that in me and that is why I went to get my history degree.” She said Sinclair made sure everyone in the classroom was involved. Teaching runs in her veins. Her grandparents on her father’s side were teachers, and her uncle, Michael Kilcommons, was a long-time teacher with CTR-Catholic before becoming assistant superintendent.
