Former Morinville resident Donna Hunter, who spearheaded a push for secular schooling in that town, has been selected along with a group of mothers for an award by the Alberta Civil Liberties Association.
The award will be presented Nov. 29 at the University of Calgary as the main event of the International Human Rights Day commemoration.
“It is a prestigious award, which is given to an Albertan or group of Albertans who are speaking out for rights. We try to award it to someone every year, but it is not given out every year, unless we believe it is warranted,” said Linda McKay-Panos, executive director of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association.
McKay-Panos said she was impressed with the level of expertise and knowledge that Hunter and her team developed over their year-long fight to get non-faith-based schooling in Morinville for their children.
Their nomination for the award reads: “Donna Hunter and the Mothers of Morinville have been nominated for their contribution to the advancement of human rights and civil liberties in the province through their advocacy of public education, freedom of religion and citizen engagement with the political process around education issues.”
The award came as a surprise to Hunter.
“I was on the phone talking to another Morinville mom, and checked my email, and there it was,” she said.
Hunter has mixed feelings about the past year, which in the end led to her leaving Morinville and moving to Edmonton.
“It began in September 2010 when my daughter started kindergarten in Notre Dame School in Morinville and I received a two-page orientation package that led me to believe she would have religion permeating every class. When I asked if she could opt out of religion class, I was told no,” she recalled.
First Hunter approached the parent council at Notre Dame School, without receiving an answer that she found satisfactory. In December she and a core group of about 15 parents approached the Greater St. Albert Catholic School Board.
In June the Catholic School Board and Sturgeon School Division agreed to form a partnership and registrations were taken for the new Morinville Public Elementary School.
Despite spearheading the fight for the school, Hunter decided it was in her children’s best interests to move.
“It was a challenging year and I believe it was affecting our children,” she said, adding that being named for the civil liberties award is amazing, but it is also a reminder that the schooling issue is not completely resolved for Morinville families wishing non-faith-based education for their children.
“The award is a reminder that we must keep going. It’s a democratic process and we must fight really hard and ask why there is two-tiered education in Morinville,” she said.
Parent Marjorie Kirsop, whose children are in Grade 3, Grade 1 and preschool at Morinville Public School, agreed that the problems are not over. They are just different.
“Just having been recognized is amazing, but at the same time the issue is not resolved because we do not have a real school and there is no infrastructure,” Kirsop said.
Past award recipients include: Anna Pellatt, Gary Dickson, Vilma Dawson, Dr. Hussein Amery, Barbara Graff, Dr. Ed Webking, Janet Keeping, Paula Simons and Judy Shapiro.
