Annabelle Tennent plants some lettuce seeds in a row while librarian Adrienne van der Veen watches during an activity at the Davidson library on Thursday. Children taking part in the weekly Read and Rhyme program started a miniature garden with lettuce and sweet basil seeds.
(Leader photo by Joel van der Veen)
Jesse Hoehn
Jesse Hoehn, age 25, passed away suddenly on a construction site south of Davidson, Feb. 13, 2017.
Jesse was born at Providence Hospital in Moose Jaw, Sask., on Aug. 7, 1991. He began his life in Palmer, Sask., and attended school in Gravelbourg for grades 1 and 2. In 1998 the family moved to Assiniboia where Jesse attended Grade 3. The final move to Davidson was in 2000 where Jesse completed his schooling.
Jesse’s interest in sports came at a young age, including hockey, skateboarding, volleyball and baseball. Jesse also enjoyed dirtbiking, quadding, hunting and fishing.
Snowboarding was his biggest passion. When he wasn’t snowboarding he was watching videos of snowboarding, or planning the next trip with his buddies.
After his schooling, he worked for the Town of Davidson, RM grader operator, Richardson Pioneer and finally with Russell Redi Mix.
Jesse had a talent for fixing and working with equipment and machinery. He could also fix pretty much any electronic or computer issue in minutes.
Jesse enjoyed spending time with family and friends. He was quiet, fun loving, energetic and a dedicated guy.
He was close with his sister Chelsey. On Dec. 19, he became an uncle for the first time to twin boys, Rhett and Jase Robertson. Jesse was afraid to hold the babies at first, just the week before his sudden death he finally felt confident enough to hold Rhett. He was able to feed him his bottle and Chelsey said he had the biggest grin on his face. Unfortunately, there is no picture of this precious moment and they will never get to know their Uncle Jesse.
There are so many stories to share about Jesse. Please share them with each other and don’t let his memory fade.
Jesse is survived by his parents, Mike and Carol Hoehn; sister, Chelsey (Robert) Robertson and children Rhett and Jase; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
A celebration of Jesse’s life was held Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017 at 2 p.m. at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Davidson, Sask.
Donations to Davidson Swimming Pool and Threads of Life (Association for workplace tragedy family support).
Arrangements in care of Hanson’s Funeral Home of Davidson, Saskatchewan.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — As a 13-year-old, Jesse Hoehn had a vision for a project in Davidson — a skate park for kids of all ages to enjoy.
An avid skateboarder, Jesse was running out of places to enjoy his hobby in town. Locals weren’t keen having their parking lots or front steps used by skaters, so he figured a park would be the ideal solution.
“I have a lot of friends who are into it,” he said at the time. “There are no places in town to go anymore. We need stuff to do.”
The park never came to be, but the story shows a side of Jesse that held up over the years — a quiet, fun-loving kid who liked being with his friends and was passionate about the things that mattered to him.
This was the side of Jesse that came to mind last week as his parents, Mike and Carol Hoehn, grieved their son’s death.
Jesse, 25, was killed on Feb. 13 in a workplace accident along Highway 42 between Eyebrow and Keeler, where he was working in road construction.
Carol said Wednesday they were still coming to grips with the situation: “It’s like a nightmare.”
“You definitely don’t want to be making funeral arrangements for your children,” said Mike. “And here we are.”
Jesse was born in 1991 in Moose Jaw, when the family was living in Gravelbourg.
Later they moved to Assiniboia, and eventually arrived in Davidson in August of 2000, which became their permanent home.
Jesse graduated from Davidson School in 2009 and had worked for a few different employers, including the Town of Davidson and Pioneer, prior to his latest job.
He owned a house in town, and when he wasn’t working, his focus was usually on snowboarding.
“That was his best place to be,” said Carol. “When he wasn’t snowboarding, he was watching videos of snowboarding.”
For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Winning the district title was a satisfying way to finish the season for Davidson’s junior boys basketball team.
The Raiders hosted teams from Kindersley, Biggar and Kyle in district play on Wednesday.
The home team reached the final game where they enjoyed an 87-80 win over Elizabeth Middle School from Kindersley.
“It was pretty exciting all the way to the finish,” said coach Garrett Bailey. “We had to play perfectly to win, almost . . . They gave us a good run.”
For the full story and more photos, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — One was a decoy bomber pilot. The other was an aero engine mechanic.
Both survived the Second World War and returned home with stories to tell.
Their stories were featured in Kelsey Riecken’s project, one of 18 entries in the Heritage Fair at Davidson School on Wednesday.
With two great-grandfathers serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war, Riecken had a close personal connection to her project.
Norman Rhodes trained at Moose Jaw, then in Quebec and Ontario, before being posted to Dafoe, Sask., as a mechanic in 1943.
After his discharge, he returned to the farm in the Sprattsville district. He remained active in the Legion and lived to the age of 98, passing away in 2012.
Meanwhile, Robert Buchanan served as a bomber pilot. A photo shows him posing with dozens of other trainees, many of whom did not return home.
Buchanan lived until 1993, when he died at the age of 70. Though some of his medals were lost or stolen, he left behind lots of other mementos and souvenirs.
Many of these — from log books to the wartime Christmas card that was mailed by the Air Force to his parents — were part of the display for Riecken’s project.
“It took a lot of work trying to gather it all up,” she said.
Karielle Willner said this was the second year her Grade 8 history students have completed Heritage Fair projects.
Students were allowed to work independently or in pairs and could pick any subject they wanted as long as it was connected with Canadian or Saskatchewan heritage.
If students were interested in a broad subject, Willner said she usually encouraged them to narrow it down into something more manageable.
She also asked students to explain the significance of their subject: “It’s got to be more than just giving the facts.”
For the full story, please see the Feb. 20 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.
By Joel van der Veen
KENASTON — John Collins has a message for anyone interested in the future of Saskatchewan’s public education system: now’s the time to speak your mind.
The trustee, who represents Davidson and area on the board of education for Sun West School Division, said people with an opinion on the subject should voice it.
“It’s better if it comes straight from the voters’ mouths to their local MLA,” Collins said Thursday. “If we don’t say anything, we can’t really complain at the end of it.”
Changes may be on the horizon for the structure of school divisions in the province.
Dan Perrins, a former deputy minister, presented a report on school governance to education minister Don Morgan in December.
In addition to history and context, the report offered three primary options for governance structures for the minister’s consideration.
Morgan then appointed a six-person panel to consult with stakeholders throughout the month of January, both in face-to-face meetings and through online submissions from the public.
The panel is expected to present its findings to the minister this month, with a public announcement to follow.
The province currently has 28 school divisions, each governed by elected boards of education, and a total K-12 student population of roughly 176,000.
Options identified by Perrins include a provincial model with a single public school board and an advisory board operating alongside it.
A regional model would set up four public boards of education, while a third model would restructure the current divisions into between eight and 14 new divisions.
Morgan has also indicated that the province could choose to stay with the status quo.
Collins said he has heard from a few people about the review, though not as many as he expected.
“I think it’s a pretty important piece that everybody needs to be aware of,” he said. “Everybody that has a vested interest should be talking to their MLA, or letting the government know what they think.”
Collins represents Subdivision 6 in Sun West School Division, which includes the schools in Davidson, Kenaston and Loreburn.
The subdivision also includes colony schools at Loreburn and Clear Springs and the Distance Learning Centre (DLC) in Kenaston.
For the full story, please see the Feb. 13 edition of The Davidson Leader or call 306-567-2047 to subscribe today.