neurodiverse students through the Life Skills Program,” Shelley-Lewis adds. “Inclusion means ensuring that every student can be seen and valued by others, as contributing to the community.” INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND TRANSPORTATION Despite serving a vast region, FMPSD has streamlined transportation logistics through a blend of contracted busing and urban transit integration. Approximately 25 percent of students use buses, while the remainder walk, cycle, or take city transit to their community schools.“Our geography is large, but our schools are well placed,” says Kallal. Capital investment has kept pace with growth. Over the past fifteen years, the division has added nearly 3,000 new classroom seats through modern facilities. With enrollment climbing again, FMPSD is once more advocating for provincial funding to build additional schools. Security upgrades and technology infrastructure have also advanced dramatically, with all enterprise systems now operating through cloud-based platforms—a decision that proved essential during the 2016 wildfire and subsequent 2020 flood. “Those experiences taught us how to protect data, maintain continuity, and stay operational under extreme circumstances,”Kallal explains.“Technology was what kept us connected.” RECOVERY, RESILIENCE, AND WELLNESS Few school divisions have faced as many disruptions as Fort McMurray—wildfire, flood, and pandemic among them. Yet each challenge has strengthened the division’s collective resilience.“After the wildfire, we collaborated with colleagues in Slave Lake who had gone through similar events,” Nutter recalls.“That partnership helped us establish support quickly— counseling, therapy, and trauma-informed practices— that became the model for how we respond to any future crisis.” The division’s mental health staffing model has since expanded to include therapists and counselors in every school, a partnership with CASA classroom for clinical classroom programming, and ongoing training to help educators recognize trauma and dysregulation. “We’re moving toward a formal wellness framework that supports students, staff, and families,” Shelley-Lewis says. “Wellness isn’t an add-on—it’s part of lifelong learning.” Red Cross funding and local collaboration have ensured that post-traumatic stress support remains 246 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12
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