Living Sky Idol Winner - Myshel Pajuaar
- posted: February 3, 2010

Myshel Pajuaar's old school country performances, and a wardrobe change between songs, helped her become the 1st ever Living Sky Idol on Friday January 29th, 2010 at the Living Sky Casino.

She won the crowd and judges over with her rendition of "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, as well as Hank Williams' "Your Cheating Heart".  Myshel was awarded the grand prize of $5,000, along with the first place trophy, and she will also be given the opportunity to sing in the Living Sky Casino Show Lounge.

Winning first place she was also asked to sing the national anthem at the Swift Current Broncos game on Saturday January 30th. Myshel adds that her first purchase with part of the prize money will be a new fridge as it has been on the fritz for the past few months.

Myshel has worked at the college since 2008 and is part of the maintenance staff. On top of her full-time job she is also furthering her education with the Office Administration program at the Swift Current campus.

She says she's had a passion for singing her entire life, whether in churches, school choirs, or at karaoke. Myshel has recently been seen performing at the Lyric Theatre’s Open Stage talent nights. She loves to sing the oldies because that was the music she was brought up with.

Myshel plans to continue to develop her singing through live performances and encourages anyone with a talent to show case it because you just never know where your talents might take you!

It is with great pleasure that Great Plains College would like to acknowledge Business Instructor Ernie Downs on his recent awarding of the Distinguished Community Service Award.  This award was presented by the Chartered Accountants of Saskatchewan to recognize the distinguished service of resident Saskatchewan members who have provided extensive one time or long term service and leadership in areas such as career, community, business, not-for-profit and professional organizations.

After retiring as a partner with Meyers Norris Penny in Swift Current, Ernie has worked as an instructor for the business program at Great Plains College.  “Ernie’s diverse and accomplished background is an asset to the entire College.  We are pleased that he offers our students a strong mixture of academics and experience that can be shared in the classroom, “stated President of Great Plains College Mark Frison. “His efforts within the workplace and in the community deserve to be recognized and we are thrilled that he has been acknowledged with this award.”

Downs has accomplished many feats including serving in various roles on the Swift Current Minor baseball Association, acting as treasurer of the Kinsmen Club, and serving on the Board of Directors for the Canada Post Corporation. One of his most interesting accomplishments was assisting in the creation of the Chinook Television Association, a group who lobbied and persuaded CTV Regina to build a tower near Swift Current.  This group was rewarded by CTV offering service to southwest Saskatchewan at a time when only one channel was available.  Downs continues his contribution to the community as a current Director of the United Way as well as volunteering for the upcoming 2010 World Curling Championship being held in Swift Current.

Congratulations to Ernie Downs on the award!

Professional Development: Helping Us, Helping our Students

Recently Warman Campus Manager Sheryl Prouse convocated with a Masters of Continuing Education degree from the University of Saskatchewan.

Although her Masters was completed while on secondment to an external position, her research was in the area of the practice of Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).  Therefore, the learning and research that was completed in the area is very valuable to Sheryl in understanding policy and delivering programs at Great Plains College in the area of RPL and Essential Skills.

Sheryl felt the best part of taking her Masters was learning new concepts and coming to a deeper appreciation of theories and practices. One of the challenging aspects was working full time and keeping up with family responsibilities while attending the program; not unlike many of our students at Great Plains College.

While Sheryl chose to take a Masters program, professional development can take many forms: conferences, day long workshops, a single class or a full program. At Great Plains College, professional development is an option for those employees who are interested in enhancing their skills for utilization in their job.  As Sheryl states, “Education, whether it is formal or informal, is truly the key to gaining a higher understanding of our individual strengths and finding a pathway to use them to assist our learners and communities in reaching their goals.”

Human Resource Officer, Erin Martin reiterates, “Each year, a budget for professional development is allocated in order to ensure our employees have learning opportunities for acquiring the latest skills and advancements in their fields. It is important to invest in our employees.”

Congratulations to Sheryl on the completion of her Masters of Continuing Education; a proud accomplishment!