By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — The latest addition to the Loreburn Volunteer Fire Department was front and centre at a recent fundraising event.

The department recently purchased and outfitted a quick response vehicle, at a cost of $37,000, with support from Enbridge and the Rural Municipality of Loreburn.

The vehicle was on display at a toonie barbecue held April 20 at the fire hall, where over 100 people from Loreburn and district stopped by to check it out and enjoy a quick bite.

Procuring the vehicle was an ongoing project, led by fire chief Steve South, village councillors Grant Abbott, Victor Dutkiewicz and Randy Urlacher, RM employees Dwayne Stamnes and Matt Hauberg, and local resident Ryan Tastad.

The area around Lake Diefenbaker was identified as an “extreme risk” zone by the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS) in its April 20 report.

The report also indicated extreme risk across much of southwestern Saskatchewan, while other areas across the province ranged from moderate to high risk.

The CWFIS report is updated on a daily basis with the risk level for each area fluctuating from day to day.

Both local fire chiefs indicated that their departments both have steady, dependable crews of volunteer firefighters who are accustomed to responding to wildfires.

Loreburn fire chief Steve South said his department already responded to one grass fire in late March, sparked by a burning barrel, and put it out in around an hour and a half.

“It didn’t get too bad or anything like that,” he said, adding that prior to that, it had been six months since the department was last called out. “It’s pretty quiet here, compared to some places, I suppose.”

South, who began serving as a volunteer around 2000, said the department tends to be busier in the summer and fall, noting that the recent dry weather will likely play a factor.

On average, he said, they handle a couple of wildfires each year. The department has around 25 volunteers, said South, adding, “We usually have a pretty good turnout.”

For the full story, please see the May 2 edition of The Davidson Leader.

By Joel van der Veen

LOREBURN — In four years, the Seven Habits have firmly taken hold at Loreburn Central School — and now, according to one mother, they’re showing up at home.

Darla Wonnick told the story Wednesday of a recent conversation she had with her daughter Annika while trying to solve a problem.

“Well, Mom, are you thinking win-win?” Annika asked her mother.

“Well, Annika, not now,” she replied.

Wonnick, a mother of two and a member of the Loreburn School Community Council, went on to describe the positive impact the Seven Habits have had on the school.

“We walk down the hallways of our school, and we see a huge difference,” she said. “There is excellence happening everywhere, and we are able to recognize it and talk about it.”

She spoke on Wednesday to Loreburn staff and students, as well as roughly 70 guests, gathered in the gymnasium for Leadership Day.

The event, now in its third year, serves as a demonstration of how the “Leader in Me” program has shaped the way Loreburn students work, play and interact together.

The program, developed by FranklinCovey Education, has been implemented at 2,000 schools across the globe. Loreburn began incorporating the program, including the Seven Habits, into its curriculum four years ago.

According to the publisher, The Leader in Me is “a whole-school transformation model, developed in partnership with educators, that empowers students with the skills they need to thrive in the 21st century.”

The program aims to transform schools in three primary areas: teaching leadership directly to students and integrating it into their lessons; empowering staff and students to have a voice in their schools; and making students active agents in their learning.

Each year, Loreburn invites guests — including community members, teachers, parents and students from other schools — to witness the effects of the program.

“We are always working on improving ourselves to become the people want to be,” said principal Jill Long, adding that the Seven Habits have “provided us with a community language that has become part of our school culture.”

While students can easily repeat the habits from memory, Long said she has also seen tangible changes in their behaviour and attitudes.

“Kids are holding themselves accountable more,” she said. “They feel that they have a voice in what happens at the school.”

The students were front and centre on Wednesday, from greeting guests with handshakes at the door to answering their questions as they ate lunch.

Long said the students did the majority of the planning for the event, which was designed with an Olympics theme, including medallion-shaped nametags.

For the full story, please see the April 25 edition of The Davidson Leader.