Davidson’s Cheyanne Nordmarken is seen going for a block in this photo taken during a home senior girls tournament in October 2014.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — Spikes and serves are already flying at Davidson School as the senior girls volleyball team heads into its season.
For the second year, students from Davidson and Loreburn are joining forces on a co-op team, and manager Sandra Baldwin said she’s already impressed with what she’s seeing.
“I think it’s looking very good,” she said Thursday. “Based on the first practice, the girls look very strong.”
The team name, the Davidson/Loreburn Raitec, combines the names of the two school teams, the Davidson Raiders and the Loreburn Aztecs.
Baldwin said the team has a roster of 16 girls this year, including six from Loreburn and 10 from Davidson.
Teacher Karen McConnell and intern Hallie Vollmer are coaching the team, along with Tony Baldwin, former Davidson principal and current director of education for Prairie South School Division.
Sandra Baldwin said seven Grade 10 students joined the team this year, making up nearly half of its roster, but she added they already have plenty of experience from playing on the junior team and in club volleyball programs.
“Our focus for the next few weeks is coming together as a new group,” she said, explaining that they’ll have plenty of opportunities to do that.
The team has a solid schedule coming up, with tournaments booked every weekend until Thanksgiving.
This past weekend they were scheduled to compete in Loreburn’s RAVE (Really Amazing Volleyball Experience) senior girls tournament; details will follow in the next edition of the Leader.
On Sept. 11 and 12 they will host a home tournament in Davidson. Their first home game of the season comes on Sept. 9, when the Raitec will host Kenaston.
“We’re looking to get as much playing time for all the girls as we possibly can,” said Baldwin.
Last year the senior girls finished the season by taking bronze in 3A provincials.
Brenna Siroski and Jill Long are pictured standing on the site where Loreburn Central School’s outdoor classroom is slated to be built.
By Joel van der Veen
LOREBURN — The site was graded, the plans were made and the volunteers were ready to go.
And then they struck oil.
Plans for an outdoor classroom at Loreburn Central School remain on hold following the discovery of contaminated soil on the school grounds.
The school is awaiting approval for a grant from the Ministry of Education’s Emergent Funding Program to clean up the contamination, at an estimated cost of $250,000.
An underground oil tank, used by the school prior to the introduction of natural gas, is believed to have been the source of the contamination.
A group of volunteers was drilling the pilings for the outdoor classroom in mid-May when the contaminated soil was discovered.
Until the site is cleaned up, principal Jill Long said, the project will remain on hold, to the dismay of teachers, students and other community members.
“There were lots of us that were heartbroken,” said Long. “We were really hoping to have it operating by the end of this school year.”
“I was pretty sad,” said teacher Brenna Siroski, who has spearheaded the project. “We’ve had this idea for quite a few years now.”
The project has been divided into multiple phases, beginning with the installation of a gazebo and landscaping the surrounding area, including the addition of trees and flower beds.
Later, the school plans to add outdoor furniture to the gazebo, such as a chalkboard and chairs, making it suitable for use as an actual classroom when weather allows.
The idea originated during Judy Brown’s tenure as principal. This year, the school budgeted $7,000 for the first phase of the project and planned to begin construction this spring.
A north-facing site, tucked inside the L-shaped building, was chosen. It is separated from the school’s running track by a row of trees. Long, who has been on the school staff since 1998, said the space has just been a “grassy field” throughout her time at Loreburn.
Topsoil, seedlings and other landscaping supplies were donated, and crews of volunteers were ready to go when the issue was discovered.
“I knew right away that there was going to have to be some soil rectification,” said Siroski.
Work on the project was immediately halted, and Clifton Associates, Ltd., a Regina-based engineering firm, completed an assessment of the site.
The firm estimated that the contaminated plume measures approximately 40 metres by 30 metres by 1.5 metres, or around 2,000 cubic metres.
The soil has been identified as “petroleum hydrocarbon impacted,” with benzene, ethylbenzene and petroleum hydrocarbon fractions one and two being named as the specific contaminants.
The application notes that these materials are usually indicative of the presence of gas, diesel or oil.
A 1,000-gallon tank, previously located underground near the school, was identified as the likely cause of the contamination.
The report by Clifton Associates indicates that contaminant levels exceed the guidelines set in the Ministry of Environment’s Risk-Based Corrective Actions policy, and “may pose significant health risk if not removed from the site.”
“The contamination at the site is a human health risk, as well as environmentally detrimental to both soil condition and the regional groundwater,” reads the report.
If not remediated, the contamination has the potential to further affect soil and groundwater in the area, as well as risks to human health, the report continues.
Evaluators said the problem would best be addressed by excavating the contaminated soil completely, hauling it to a certified disposal company and then backfilling the excavated area.
The application was approved by the board of Sun West School Division at its regular meeting on June 23 and forwarded to the Ministry of Education.
For the full story, please see the July 6 edition of The Davidson Leader.
Les Scott, Brandy Losie, Steven South, Kyle Meena and Grant Abbott stand outside the building under construction at Loreburn’s new RV campground on Tuesday.
By Joel van der Veen
LOREBURN — With construction well underway on Loreburn’s new RV campground, village officials say the facility should be ready for use sometime next month.
The 12-site campground, located on Main Street, is being built in hopes of drawing travellers — and, accordingly, some of their tourism dollars — into the village.
Loreburn Mayor Steven South said Tuesday that the project, with a total cost of around $91,000, has been well received by residents in the village and beyond.
“I think, for the most part, people have been pretty positive toward it,” he said. “We’re hoping to have it going here for the August long weekend.”
The growing volume of tourists in the area means campsites are in high demand, he explained, and many of the towns in the district have opened their own campgrounds.
“Just about everybody’s got ‘em,” he said, adding that Loreburn needs to take advantage of its location. “We are only 10 minutes from the lake.”
The campsite is being constructed on a plot on Main Street east of Saskatchewan Avenue, just steps away from village businesses, and around the corner from the playground.
Councillors had been talking about the project since last summer. South said the village chose the location over another proposed site, near the ball diamonds.
“We do still use the ball diamonds, and didn’t really want to give up any of them yet,” he explained, adding that the village owned most of the land and purchased one lot from a ratepayer to create the site.
Of the 12 sites planned, nine will be constructed with 50-amp electrical service while the remaining three will have 30-amp service.
A small building measuring 20 feet by 22 feet will house bathrooms, showers and laundry facilities. Water and sewer connections have already been installed.
South was on hand, along with Coun. Grant Abbott and administrator Brandy Losie, to accept a $30,000 donation from Enbridge Pipelines, Inc., on Tuesday.
The cheque was presented by central region director Lyle Meena, who was accompanied by senior public relations adviser Les Scott.
The rest of the funding for the project has come from the village. Because of the costs involved, South said council was hesitant to take on the project, but Enbridge’s contribution helped make it viable.
“Once we did get wind of that, we were a little more comfortable, anyways,” he said.
Abbott also expressed his appreciation for Enbridge’s donation, telling the representatives, “We couldn’t have done it without you.”
The village applied for the grant through Enbridge’s Community Investment program. Other contributions came from local residents, who donated their time and labour while the village paid for materials and supplies.
South said the village hopes to expand the campground in future years by adding another three or four sites on adjacent land.
It is with sadness and fond memories that the family of Walter Jess announce his passing on June 12, 2015 at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, at the age of 94 years. Walter was born in Herbert, Sask., on February 19, 1921 to Max and Adelheid Jess when the family farmed near Chaplin, Sask. While he was young the family moved to a farm near Shaunavon, Sask. It was here where Walter took all his schooling at Avon Heights School. In 1937 the family moved to the Strongfield, Sask., area to farm. In 1948 Walter met Stella Olson, who had moved to that area to teach school. They were married July 7, 1949. They were blessed with three sons, Garry, Glen and Doug, and a daughter, Sharon. Walter loved farming — growing grain and raising livestock, mostly Simmental cattle. He always had a faithful dog by his side. Walter was active in the community. He was a member of the Harrowby and Hawarden school boards for many years, served as a trustee of the Skudesnes Lutheran Church board and also the Rosedale Municipal Agricultural Committee. But his family was his greatest joy. He travelled many miles taking his children to their Scouting and Girl Guide meetings, to hockey or ball games, figure skating lessons, Confirmation classes, piano lessons and he enjoyed fishing and doing other activities with them. It pleased him to farm together with his “boys” for several years, and to watch his “little girl” mature into a fine lady. In 1997 Walter and Stella retired to Saskatoon where he enjoyed looking after the yard, the buildings, growing a garden, and going to McDonald’s for coffee early every morning. Walter and Stella enjoyed several holiday trips over the years – to Ontario, Los Angeles, and to several other states in the U.S.A., to the World Fair in Vancouver and several other trips. He especially enjoyed going to Germany where the highlight of the trip was visiting his father’s home place. In 2014 they sold their house and moved into Luther Riverside Terrace where they anticipated good times to be had. However, failing health plagued him since moving. He will be remembered for his flashing smile, jovial laughter and quick-witted remarks.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Stella Jess of Saskatoon; sons Glen Jess (Debbie) of Kenaston, children Mike (Aura) Jess and Lacey (Fielding) Simpkins; Doug Jess (Marlene) of Elbow, children Travis Jess and Dallas Jess; daughter Sharon Evans (Brock) of Saskatoon, children Jonathan Evans and Nicole Evans; daughter-in-law Gladys Ringdal (Bill) of Outlook, children Jeff Jess, Charity Jess and Brandi (Brad) Berquist; five great-grandchildren, Garry, Reid, Rhett, Madison and Lincoln; and many relatives and a host of friends.
Walter was predeceased by his parents Max and Adelheid Jess, son Garry (2003), brothers Bernard and Henry, sisters Ann Lovell, Heidi Sippola and Pearl Buchholz, as well as many of his in-laws.
The funeral service was held on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Skudesnes Lutheran Church near Loreburn, Sask., with Pastor Randy Meisner officiating. The eulogy and tribute were given by Lacey and Nicole, the Bible readings by Charity and Brandi. Music consisted of a piano and violin duet by Sharon and Nicole, a solo by Floyd Childerhose, duet by Eleanor Charman and Pat Olson along with congregational hymns. The guest book was attended by Walter and Muriel Tastad. The pianist was Joan Libke. The ushers were Dick Tastad and Ross Vollmer. The pallbearers were the seven grandsons. Interment was in the Skudesnes Cemetery. Lunch was served in the lower church hall following interment. Arrangements were in care of Outlook Funeral Chapel.
Jordan Matheson of the Davidson peewee girls team safely slides into third base during a game against the Lasers on June 21.
By Joel van der Veen
SASKATOON — Two local minor softball teams competed in city playoffs in Saskatoon last weekend, facing tough challengers and coping with game cancellations on account of rain.
In addition to the local teams, several players from Davidson and district competed with other teams, including the Conquest Coyotes, who won gold in the Bantam B division, and the Twin City Angels, who took silver in the Bantam A division.
The Saskatoon Minor Softball League held its championship from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21, but Saturday’s games were cancelled due to rain.
This complicated matters for the Davidson peewee girls team, who played in the B division and defeated the Twin City Angels 13-12 on Friday night.
Saturday’s games were cancelled, said coach Kendall Wightman, and “Sunday morning, they had scaled it down to a single knockout format.”
The team faced the Electric Lasers that morning; that game began as a tight match, with neither team scoring in the first two innings, but ended with a 10-3 loss for Davidson.
“They held them off for the first couple of innings,” said Wightman. “They battled hard, but they couldn’t quite hold out long enough.”
That single loss was the end of the line for the team; they finished third in their division, but with only 11 players they won’t be competing in provincials.
Wightman said he was pleased with the progress made this season. He said the girls learned lots and played well as a team.
The Davidson squirt girls team also competed in Saskatoon over the weekend. Like the peewees, they only played two games due to rain.
Coach Richelle Palmer reported that the team lost one game and won one game, both against Hustlers teams.
Conquest Coyotes
Emily Read of Davidson and Jenna Sincennes of Kenaston were part of the roster on the Conquest Coyotes bantam girls team, which took gold in the Bantam B playoffs.
Their schedule was also affected by the rain, which forced officials to move from a double knockout format to a single knockout format.
On Sunday the team played the Raiders black team, defeating the fourth-place team 7-5.
Later that day they played the Lasers. Both teams were held scoreless for the first two innings, after which they played several tight innings with the lead going back and forth.
The Coyotes were down by one run at the bottom of the sixth. Both teams failed to score in the sixth; Conquest then scored two runs in the seventh inning to take the lead and the victory at 6-5.
Read’s mother, Leanne, described the match as “a very exciting and tense game.”
The Conquest team also includes players from Delisle, Dinsmore, Outlook and Beechy.
Twin City Angels
The Twin City Angels, part of the Warman Minor Softball Association, took silver in the Bantam A playoffs in Saskatoon.
The team also featured some local talent — namely, Miranda Farrell of Davidson and Ann Ulmer of Kenaston.
Blair Frederickson, who retires this month, was honoured at the June 9 potluck at Davidson School.
By Joel van der Veen
DAVIDSON — After 30 years of teaching, Blair Frederickson found himself back in the same place he started, finishing his career in Davidson.
Though he grew up and attended school in Punnichy, he was born here while his father was working as the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool agent in Girvin.
“It was a good way to end my teaching career,” said Frederickson, who turns 60 this summer. “I’m sure I’m going to miss the kids when school starts again in September.”
“Freddy,” as he is known to many students, was honoured on Tuesday during the Davidson School Community Council’s annual potluck supper.
Principal Jason Low read a brief poem in honour of Frederickson, who retires this month, two years after his arrival in Davidson, where he served as the career guidance counsellor and co-ordinator for the CWEX (Career Development and Work Exploration) program.
Low said later that the staff and students felt fortunate to have had Frederickson as part of the community for two years and would miss him, but also wanted to congratulate him on the milestone.
“His dedication to students and school activities was unparalleled and will be difficult to replace,” said Low.
Frederickson has also served as a coach in several sports, most notably football, and was instrumental in beginning a community minor football team in Davidson.
He said that being active in extracurricular activities was a great way to connect with students outside of school, allowing them to get to know each other in different settings.
“You spend a little time with kids outside of school, and suddenly everyone supports you,” said Frederickson, adding that he was “amazed” with the kindness and support he experienced here.
Before going into teaching, Frederickson said he went through 12 different jobs, which included stints with SGI and CNR, on the oil rigs and at the Allan potash mine.
He completed his studies at the University of Saskatchewan, becoming a teacher at age 30 and serving schools in Kindersley, Watrous and Nokomis before his arrival here.
Frederickson said he plans to move to Regina with his wife, Lise Gauthier, who will work at a medical clinic in the city. Lise has two grown children and the move will bring them within a short drive of their two grandchildren.
He said he has already signed up for courses in art history and Chinese history, and plans to continue coaching in the city. Frederickson is also an active runner who has competed in the Boston Marathon four times.
Frederickson said he feels optimistic about the next generation, saying he’s been pleased to work with a bright generation of students.
“We’re lucky that we have such great kids,” he said. “The future looks good, as far as I’m concerned.”
For the full story, please see the June 22 edition of The Davidson Leader.
