Morinville town council recognized five Morinville residents and organizations this week for their unique contributions to arts, culture and community.
Morinville Mayor Barry Turner presented the 2020 Pride of Morinville Awards March 9. Typically awarded in person before an audience, this year’s awards (glass trophies) were handed out in a pre-taped ceremony in council chambers due to COVID-19 health restrictions.
Morinville Community High School’s MCTV News was recognized for reaching its 25th anniversary. Teacher Greg Boutestein and MCHS principal Don Hinks accepted the award.
MCTV News is a class at MCHS that sees students produce and broadcast a half-hour news and variety show each week. Its first show aired March 10, 1995.
“We started broadcasting probably within a few weeks of me arriving at the building … and we just never stopped,” said Boutestein, who has taught the class since the beginning.
Boutestein said students had plans to do a big 25th anniversary show last March but that never happened due to the pandemic. The show has been back in production since September and has shifted to Zoom interviews and more out-of-school coverage to adapt to public health restrictions.
MCTV started as a variety show with two bar stools and a TV on a cart for a set, Boutestein said. Now, it’s a full-on news program with studio lights, cameras, a set built by the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, and many graduates that have gone on to careers in broadcasting.
“The one thing that hasn’t changed is the kids’ dedication to the program,” Boutestein said.
“The kids don’t ask you what their mark is. They don’t care what their mark is. They’re here because they want to learn and they want to put that show together.”
Boutestein said he felt blessed to have been able to teach this course for 27 seasons and hopes to stick with it until he retires.
The Jessica Martel Memorial Foundation was recognized for opening Jessie’s House – the first emergency shelter built in Alberta since 1998 – on March 19, 2020. Foundation co-founder Lynne Rosychuk accepted the award.
Rosychuk said it had definitely been a challenge to open Jessie’s House during a pandemic, especially since health regulations had limited it to half capacity. Despite these difficulties, the group has managed to shelter about 100 families and field about 1,000 calls to its crisis line in the last year.
“We have a lot of families in the Sturgeon County area who are affected by domestic violence, and it’s really important for me and my family that no other family has to struggle to find a place to go,” Rosychuk said.
Country singer Justin Hogg and Juno Award winner Celeigh Cardinal received awards for their musical contributions. Former town councillor Ben Van de Walle got an award for his work to promote French culture, for which he was named a Chevalier de l’order de la Pléiade by the Organization internationale de la Francophonie in April 2019.
Turner encouraged residents to nominate groups and individuals who had gone above and beyond to help others during the pandemic by March 21 so they could be recognized in future Pride of Morinville events. Call 780-939-4361 for details.
