By Jordan Bay

Eggen says Aspen Heights MicroSociety a shining example for schools across province

Feb 6, 2019 | 2:45 PM

Alberta’s Education Minister got a first-hand look Wednesday morning at a well-known program helping Aspen Heights Elementary students learn in a very unique way.

Now in its 10th year, the school’s MicroSociety sees students take on jobs ranging from premier to warehouse worker and everything in between.

Allan Baile, a teacher at Aspen Heights Elementary and MicroSociety spokesperson says the society starts every year when the students return from holidays. 

“It’s a mini-society within our school. We have elected government we have a premier, a deputy premier, and MLAs representing all of our classrooms. We start off the year by having an election, a campaign and then students vote. After that, we go right into the students developing their own business ventures,” he explains.

“From there, they start micro university. Their learning all about what it’s like to be a business owner. Then they’re going to go off and hire all of their employees.”

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Eggen said he’s been looking forward to visiting the MicroSociety for a long time.

“The reputation has spread across the province, quite frankly, for this innovative programming,” he noted. “You can see how engaged the kids are with their business, with their governments. It’s a reflection of who we are as Albertans, and the kids get to do it in school.”

Eggen stressed the importance of a program like this for students and that funding is needed to try and spread the idea of a micro-society across the province.

“We know that enrollment is growing here at Aspen Heights. Red Deer is an incredibly young city, and you need to make sure that we’re funding for these kids’ future. You can’t make cuts and expect excellent programing like this, the two just don’t go together.”

Baile says the program isn’t a game to the students and they treat it like real life.

That wasn’t lost on Rick More, Red Deer District Chamber of Commerce CEO.

“I remember the very first time we came here I went up to one of the kids and I said ‘how’s your day going?’ He says ‘not real good… I had to let someone go today.’ So the pressures of owning a business and managing it, and he (the student) was very sincere. But that’s how important this is to them.”

MicroSociety premier, Colby Fox says sometimes the job entails more than he thought it would.

“I need to bring down some things for people, I needed to lower some people’s payment. And that’s kind of hard because I have to do so many things to be able to do that,” Fox admitted.

Baile knows the MicroSociety is teaching students good life skills as well as school skills.

“Every student has a resume and a job application and then they go through an interview proses with all of the different ventures. It’s a really cool process for the kids to understand that ‘No, I don’t just get a job, I have to apply for a job and I have to be interviewed and I have to be selected.’”