When Christ The Redeemer students return to class, it won't be just the first day of school for them but also the first day of teaching for a couple of local school instructors.

The division held their new teacher orientations last week getting their staff ready for what's ahead.

For one teacher it's a homecoming for her as Holy Trinity Academy grad Kelsey Crandell will be teaching band at Good Shepard School and she says it was her time at HTA in the music department that got her inspired to become a teacher.

New Good Shepherd School Music Teacher Kelsey Crandell

"My high school music teacher Martin Kennedy at HTA really fostered a love in music for me," she says. "As a music teacher it was really inspiring to watch him teach because I think he's an incredible teacher and that helped me figure out how I want to be as a music teacher and I have a lot of fun with music."

For Crandell, she says music is in her blood.

"I was always in band, starting in grade six but then it was in high school when I really discovered my love for it and I started taking guitar, jazz band, I took every music elective possible."

From a local hire to new resident of the Foothills Chanelle Matti comes to the division after studying education at Queen's University as she'll make High River and Notre Dame Colligate home this fall.

The Toronto native says she's looking forward to starting her career in the Foothills.
"High River and Alberta just felt like home," she says. "It was just that everyone was so welcoming and there was a sense of warmth to Alberta and High River really exemplified that."

Matti says there were plenty of reasons for her to get into teaching.

"I originally wanted to be a teacher just because of my personal values and just my faith behind that. I had a lot of influences in my life that just kind of had kind of be hopeful and permit that way to be the greatest I can be and that's kind of what I shrive to do as a teacher myself."

Matti will be teaching English and Social Studies when the bell rings on August 30.