Attention Grade 12 Students

The Education Matters website www.educationmatters.ca launched today!

There are approximately 40 different awards and scholarships that Grade 12s may be eligible to apply for!

Check out the website and sign up for an information session. See Mrs. MacDonald for questions or more information.

Valedictorian

Students who are interested in applying for the role of Valedictorian are encouraged to complete their application packages that include transcript, resume, teacher endorsement list, and a full draft of the proposed speech. Full details regarding how to apply can be found in the Grad D2L folder. The deadline to apply is Monday, March 4 at 3:45 pm. 

Student Progress Conferences

Student Progress Conferences will be held online only March 21 from 4pm – 8:30pm. The conference booking tool will open March 6 at 4pm and close on March 20 at 8am. Each meeting block will be 10 minutes in length. Please see your student’s PowerSchool schedule for teacher names. If you require assistance with booking conferences, please use the following link: Conference booking instructions. 

International Trip Spring 2025

Exciting News! We're thrilled to offer an incredible international travel opportunity for our current Grade 10 and 11 students: a trip to Amsterdam, Berlin, and Prague in the spring of the upcoming school year! This adventure promises rich cultural experiences and valuable learning opportunities. 

Parents of interested students are kindly requested to attend a Parent Information Meeting on Thursday, March 14 at 6:00 pm in the Diefenbaker’s Student Learning Centre. During this session, we'll cover trip details, safety precautions, and other important information. 

If you're unable to attend, please reach out to Ms. Stiff at ajstiff@cbe.ab.ca for further details. 

Athletics Events 

News from GSA

Our GSA is very excited to be able to share a project we began working on back in September. After continuing to see anti-2SLGBTQIA+ legislation and book bans sweep the USA, we wanted to help make queer representation more accessible with our own school library. After months of work, we are proud to be presenting a new display of books containing 2SLGBTQIA+ representation. Given recent anti trans policies here in Alberta this project is more important to us than ever!

We want to give a HUGE thank you to Youth Central Calgary for providing a grant; without which this project could not be possible. This project is sponsored by The Calgary Youth Foundation, a program of Youth Central. 

Alberta International Band Festival (AIBF) 2024 Performances

Both the Grade 10 Concert Band and the Grades 11 and 12 Symphonic Band participated in the AIBF on Sunday, February 25. They represented the school to the best of their abilities. The Symphonic Band was recognized as the top High School Woodwind Section for the Festival based on excellent playing and solo performances. Also, three students from Diefenbaker were invited to participate in the Festival’s Honor Band and represented the school at an even higher level (and in blue technicolor). Congratulations goes to Sonia A, Alvin C and Lauren T for their work with the Honor Band and to Denny H for his Flute solo work in one of our pieces. BRAVO and BRAVA!!!!!

Artist Spotlight

Debbie L is a Grade 12 student and a budding artist who has shown her admirable art techniques through photography. Aside from her primary focus on photography, she enjoys a range of art media, from sketching to doing digital art. Debbie’s pursuit of art began at a young age, as she drew inspiration from daily moments in her life. Her appreciation of the details in life are reflected in her artwork and photographs, which include landscapes and different objects. Her journey began with drawing and painting, before she discovered her passion for digital art. Her passion for art bloomed into capturing the beauty of our world with a lens. Every click allows Debbie to feel joy and relaxation as her mind settles down when she has a camera. Debbie seamlessly integrates her art skills into photography, infusing emotion and storytelling into every frame she captures with her camera. As an active member of the school yearbook club, she captures memorable moments of the school with a keen eye. In addition, she also designs and edits the yearbook to make each frame feel alive to viewers. Despite planning to receive post secondary education in Veterinary Medicine, she wants to continue to capture the essence of a moment with a camera as a hobby. Debbie is a dedicated and hard-working artist who is unafraid to explore new methods to showcase her artistic voice.

-       Written by Jennifer W.