Grades Taught
K-12
Introduction
Menno Simons Community School (MSCS) is the most westerly located school within Peace River School Division. We are located approximately 100 kilometers west of Fairview on Highway 64 in the small hamlet of Cleardale. MSCS is a K-12 school of approximately 60 students. Menno Simons Community School offers a public school program in accordance with the prescribed Alberta Curriculum and also maintains a sensitivity toward the distinct cultural needs of many within our community.
Principal
Ms. Dianne Depner
Programs and Services
Programming at MSCS reflects an emphasis on reading literacy, however, a full range of academic subjects, Physical Education, Art and German is provided. Assistance and supports for exceptional students, based on evidence of need, are available through the Inclusion Coach (iCoach). Junior High programming, along with the core courses prescribed by the Alberta Curriculum includes an emphasis on developing students’ understanding of the 21st Century economy and cultivating an entrepreneurial spirit. CTS and other options include Food Studies, Fashion Studies, Hunting ED, Welding and Construction. A unique partnership with Clear Hills County is also poised to enrich trades-based CTS courses, potentially increasing options.
The County of Clear Hills and F.C.S.S. provide a Youth Educational Support Worker (YESW) with competencies in Life Skills. This consultant is in the school two and a half days per week in addition to providing guest speakers and presentations from community organizations. Small groups or individuals have access to the consultant as needed in order to explore future educational and career paths. The Youth Enhancement Society (YES) provides an Art facilitator who meets with grades one through nine weekly.
A Hot Lunch program is fully funded and operated by the Cleardale Agricultural Society. The Society also has a rich history of joining in partnership to improve the school and the broader community. Clear Hills County also assists the school in providing programming and funding for special projects when appropriate, such as an annual ski trip, seniors tea, and hamlet cleanup.
The School Council is very active and assists the school by providing input on school-related matters and the school improvement plan. The School Council is pivotal in supporting the sports program, they have recently purchased wall mats for the gymnasium. The School Council plans and completes the Highway Cleanup in the spring; an excellent fundraiser. The principal, a teacher and, when possible, a representative from Student Council, all attend School Council Meetings.
Cleardale is primarily an agricultural and former logging community with some developments in the oil and gas industry. Cleardale is served by a single, combined, general store, restaurant and gas bar. There is also a post office, banking service, laundromat and carwash within three kilometers of the school.
