Good evening Higgins Families,
As we head towards Winter Break here is what is happening at Higgins before December 20.
School Council
Your school council meets Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30pm in the school learning commons.
Athletics
Congratulations to our Higgins Basketball Teams and coaches who represented our school, and our community with pride and respect. Special congratulations go to our Jr. Girls team who won a division championship.
We would also like to thank our wrestlers who represented our school at the first Quad meet. Well done wrestlers.
Volleyball starts after Winter Break and we look forward to seeing students getting involved.
Celebrating the North East
Josh Feist, who works in the Oil & Gas Exploration industry as a Senior Land Negotiator visited students on Thursday.
Josh the former Dr. Gordon Higgins School student is considered one of our top alumni in our 40-plus year school history. After spending three years at Higgins, Josh attended Lester B. Pearson High School and went on to have an unprecedented level of success in school and sports. As a member of the Pearson Boys' Basketball team, Josh would lead his teams to the 4A ASAA Basketball Provincials twice. In Grade Twelve, he would guide his team to a Division 1 - Calgary Basketball City Championship title with an exceptional 32-1 record. Additionally, that same year Josh would be awarded the highest honor given to a student-athlete playing basketball in Calgary, as he would be the recipient of the prestigious Laurie Robertson Award. The award recognizes the top male high school basketball player who also excels in the classroom and community volunteering. The award was first given out in 1969, and Josh still stands as the only recipient to win the award as a student from a Northeast school! There needs to be more.
After graduation, he would go on to play basketball at Mount Royal College and be named Second Team All-Star his first year followed by First Team All-Star his second year. After Mount Royal, Josh would transfer to the University of Calgary and play for the Men's Basketball Team. In only three years, Josh would finish his career 30th on the UofC's all-time scoring list with 11.6 points per game, 2nd on UofC's highest steals list with 2.3 steals per game, and owns the top spot as UofC's all-time-assists leader with 5.4 assists per game, which ranks 21st in Canadian University Basketball history!
Josh would graduate from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Petroleum Land Management from the Haskayne School of Business. He has enjoyed his work with Veren Inc. (Formerly Crescent Point Energy) since graduating and has still made time to give back to the community and the sport of basketball through his numerous volunteering initiatives.
After speaking to the Business class, the Higgins business students (Prachi S, Sunya K, Zuzu El-G, and Haydar S.) gifted him a Higgins shirt and water bottle because they felt a deep connection to someone who has walked the same hallways as them, but also someone who has gone on to become successful in sports, school, and his professional career. Josh in return will be giving each student an autographed picture from his University of Calgary basketball playing days. The gracious transition between the students and Josh will be impactful for all parties. The class ended with Josh and the entire class taking a group picture together, which Mr. Brar will print and deliver to the class next week. Birds of a feather flock together, especially us Hawks!
The students were amazed to hear his story of growing up in Temple and attending Dr. Gordon Higgins School. The students were grateful for Josh sharing his day-to-day responsibilities working in the largest industry in Alberta. Hopefully, our students wish to pursue similar life and career paths that will surely shape our community for the better in the future.
With the Higgins business class, he shared the four pillars of his life that have helped him on his journey:
- Be First - First to say "Hi". First to initiate!
- Expect acceptance - You belong here, there, and everywhere!
- Invest in your network - To receive the good in life, we must learn to give first.
- You never know who's watching - Be the best version of yourself always! You represent yourself, your family, and your community in every situation.
Student Feedback:
"Josh showcased that the more connections you start to have; the more doors start to open for you. Additionally, there is always a way to move past the "limits" of where you've grown up. Don't let it stop you or the work you put in to be the best!"
"Josh inspired me because he worked hard all his life and it always paid off, especially in basketball considering he is ranked 21st for the highest assists per game average in Canadian University Basketball history. You have to work hard and never give up to get to that level!
"He built a good network in High School, which helped him get connected with the right career pathways in life. The idea of what you know is important, but we also have to understand it's important to focus on who we know. That understanding alone inspires me to build a good network!"
Student Assemblies
Starting this Friday, December 13 we will be holding three grade level assemblies, focusing on the good at Higgins, and celebrating student success. We hope to be holding these assemblies every 5-6 weeks, as we have a lot to celebrate.
Winter Break
The last day of school before Winter Break is December 20. It's a Friday, so school is over at 12 Noon. School resumes on January 6.
Sincerely,
Colin McCracken
Principal