Dear Centennial High School Community,

As the holiday season approaches, there are almost too many good news items and celebrations to keep track of, but I will do my best to share some highlights.  Please read below for a synopsis of many of the amazing things happening at Centennial.

The Outsiders

• I am always astounded at the student talent that permeates our school
• • Watching The Outsiders last night was another awe-inspiring experience for me, and all those gathered in the jam-packed CHS Theatre
• Tonight is the final showing of the production, and also our dinner theatre event (served by The Outsiders cast and crew, and prepared by our exceptional Culinary Arts students and staff)
• Kudos to all students and staff involved in The Outsiders – thank you for creating magic on the Centennial stage once again
• I want to especially recognize the dozens of students involved in this production
• • Of your own volition and through your own organizing and dedication, you continued to gather, prepare, and rehearse for the show during the teacher strike and lockout – all while not knowing when the labour dispute might end and if there would ultimately even be a show
  • This level of commitment is incredible and beautiful to see; the result shines through on the stage, in the tech booth, and behind the scenes of The Outsiders

Culinary Arts Represents CHS at The Magic of Christmas!

• Last Wednesday (December 3) our Culinary Arts students and staff woke up VERY early and headed to the ATCO Blue Flame Kitchen adjacent to Mount Royal University
• There they participated in Global Calgary’s 2025 Cookie Sale, in support of the Magic of Christmas fundraising drive
• The delicious cookies baked by Centennial students were hot items, selling out in record time!
• Thank you to our Culinary students and staff for going above and beyond to represent your community, while raising funds for this important charity

Unified Sports Athletes Competing Tomorrow!

• Unified Sports bring together students of all abilities to play on the same team, helping to build community and foster inclusion while participating in a variety of sports
• We have a group of students on our Unified Sports team that have been practicing for the past few weeks to compete in a floorball tournament tomorrow at the Genesis Center
• Good luck to our Unified Sports athletes, and thank you to all of the students who are volunteering to serve as supporting partners!

Broadcast Journalism Visits Global News!

• If you were watching Global News Calgary on Monday evening (December 8), you may have seen Centennial High School represented prominently
• Students from our Broadcast Journalism program visited Global on Monday, spending time on set and touring the facility – and they ended up featured on the news!
• Thank you Ms. Miller for facilitating this opportunity for our students – especially during the busy-ness of The Outsiders this week

Thank You Trinity Christian School!

• For the past number of years Trinity Christian School has supported Centennial students in need, by collecting donations of food and other essential items from their school community to gift to ours
• Today several students and staff members from Trinity arrived at Centennial, delivering a tremendous quantity of donations – and all with grace, kindness, and numerous smiles (the Trinity students even humoured me by allowing me to regale them with an awful dad joke or two)
• On behalf of all Centennial students facing food and financial insecurity, and indeed on behalf of our entire school community, I want to express my gratitude to the students, staff, and families of Trinity Christian School
• Your kindness makes our world a better place

Huge Honour for our Senior Girls Volleyball Team

• We learned this week that our Senior Girls Volleyball team, who competed valiantly at Provincials in Red Deer a couple weekends ago, were selected as the recipient of the SSA Sportsmanship Banner for Provincials
• Congratulations to the team, and thank you for representing our school community with such class and skill
• Go ‘Yotes!

Casino Night – Volunteers Needed!

• Like all schools, Centennial relies heavily on funds from casinos to support programs at our school
• • Casino funds at Centennial are divided between our Music, Athletics, and whole-school programs
• Our next casino is scheduled for March 6 & 7, 2026
• Please consider signing up to volunteer; you can do so at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050849A8A929A3F85-60752549-centennial#/   

From our Guidance Department: Upcoming Post-Secondary Events

• Post-Secondary Visits and Open-House opportunities are ongoing throughout the city
• Centennial is happy to share the following events:
• • Post-Secondary Visit: Tuesday, December 16 – Bow Valley College in the Upper Cafeteria at lunch
  • Off-Site Event: May 22 to 24 – the University of Alberta U of A Getaway! (Applications due January 31, 2026)
• Students can find more information about these events and much more in their Wellness D2L shell

Yearbooks

• A reminder for those interested in purchasing a school yearbook for the 2025/26 school year, they are available for purchase at http://jostensyearbooks.com/?ref=A01084231
• Cost is $50, and can be ordered until February 28, 2026

High schools are such busy places, and it seems each year brings with it so many complexities and challenges – and at times struggles and angst.  Still, at Centennial we can always count on creative, talented, brilliant and thoughtful students who excel at all manner of things.  And, we can always count on dedicated staff, who do their best in the classroom and beyond to inspire, support, and celebrate these incredible young people.

Thank you for reading, and have a great evening.

Sincerely,
​​​​​​​Joe Sturgeon