Classroom Champions is back for Fort MacMurray students once more. This program proved to be very inspirational last year and it will be available for another two Wood Buffalo classes again this year. Fort MacMurray students partner with athletes who have been in the Olympics or Paralympics, so that the athletes can provide inspiration to the students. Both sides have been inspired in the past, and some of the mentor athletes receive inspiration from the students instead of it being a one way partnership. Students connect with the athletes through videos and Google Hangouts. There are monthly lessons that cover friendship, playing fair, and even how to live a healthy lifestyle. These lessons are arranged by the teachers, who guide the students through them.
According to Steve Mesler, the President and CEO of Classroom Champions, the program will be the exact same as it was last year. Mesler stated “We measure goal setting perseverance skills, we measure digital literacy, we measure personal skills and engagement in skills, and we measure it from teacher feedback, teacher surveys and students surveys. We compare those to national averages and to a control group.” Fort MacMurray students learn valuable skills, the athletes get the opportunity to mentor students, and both sides find themselves inspired as a result of the partnership. The classrooms which will participate this year include teacher Samantha Livingstone, who teaches at the Fort MacMurray Islamic School, and Mary Elizabeth Moran, who teaches at the Ecole St. Paul School and who is a returning teacher to the program this year.