Strathmore High School recognizes champions in their communities

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

After Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offensive lineman and local veterinarian Steven Rodehutskors passed away from cancer 10 years ago, the family donated money to the Strathmore High School that turned into an alumni legacy project – one that inspires current students about future prospects and recently added two more faces to its pillars.
Nine plaques can now be viewed in the school’s hallways as part of the Pillars of Strathmore High School project that showcases former graduates who have excelled in their career or community. The recipients range from veterinarians to chefs to athletes, and target all walks of life from artists to scholars.
This year, the school recognized two individuals – Nadine Busman who graduated from Samuel Crowther in 1980, and Annae Jones who walked the stage at Strathmore High School in 1998.
Embodying the school’s focus on resiliency and perseverance, Jones became the easy choice and a unique pick for the recognition.
Jones, who was born without arms, attended Mount Royal College after graduation, pursuing an Applied Communications degree with a specialization in technical writing. Upon landing a job with a major energy generation company, she advocated employment for people with disabilities and secured a permanent position with the United Way in the communications department. Jones was the subject of a Discovery Channel documentary that highlighted the adaptation of her feet for hands, as well as an award-winning film, Annae’s Journey, that was released by The War Amps. She continued her work with The War Amps’ Child Amputee program, was published in Today’s Parent and submits monthly blogs to The Mobility Resource. Jones married in 2002 and has two daughters.
“She’s done a lot of work since leaving high school in regards to amputees and has just been a model of resiliency,” said Strathmore High School Principal Kyle Larson.
“For us it’s just a good opportunity for our kids to see that people can go on from Strathmore. They can go on to do anything. It just shows the success that some of these people have had and they’ve gone through the same process as our kids are going through right now as they’re working their way through school.”
In the past, the pillars have recognized Steve Rodehutskor, Amanda Howard, Dallas Seitz, Mark Daye, Ben Josephson, Kenny Kaechle and Norman Taylor.
The school also presented Nadine Busman with a plaque for her achievements as a scholar.
Busman grew up in Rockyford and took several detours in her post-secondary journey following her graduation from Strathmore. After four years, she resumed her post-secondary education and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and French from the University of Calgary. She went on to graduate with a master’s degree in political studies specializing in international relations and environmental studies from Queen’s University in 1994. She became an advocate for advancing gender issues and focused on economic regionalism for her doctorate that took her to Mexico City.
Busman’s career has spanned over 20 years and three sectors, including academia, non-profit and private. She was a senior policy analyst for the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, and worked as an assistant professor in the international studies department at the University of Northern British Columbia. She returned to Calgary in 2007 and has worked with indigenous communities in regards to the oil and gas and infrastructure sectors. She continues to engage in Latin American issues as a former board director and president of the Canadian Council for the Americas.
“She’s pretty much a scholastic story,” said Larson. “Her biography is quite long and extensive of her accomplishments and success she’s had since she left Strathmore. I would like to think that that’s the message we are sending to our current students, that anything can be accomplished with hard work and effort, and anybody can do it coming from right here.”