Susan Greene passed away from cancer in 2018. (Debbie Klassen/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

New Inductees

Late educator, student-athlete inducted to CCHS Wall of Honour

Jun 18, 2019 | 5:00 PM

The late Susan Greene and former student-athlete Jody Laliberte are the newest additions to the Wall of Honour at Churchill Community High School.

Students and special guests came together this morning for a special ceremony to celebrate this year’s inductees. Greene was a former teacher at Churchill who passed away in 2018. On her behalf, her daughter Janna Varga accepted the honour and told attendees Greene flourished while she was teaching and was passionate about helping kids.

“Helping her students find their way to success was her goal in life,” Varga said. “She wanted to help you believe in yourself and helping you meant many things to her.”

Greene’s teaching career spanned several communities including Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation, Île-à-la-Crosse, as well as La Ronge’s Pre-Cam Community School and Churchill. Throughout the years, Varga stated Greene created many friendships with both co-workers and students, but her heart was always with her students. Varga recalled how even during family functions, her mother would leave to assist her students if they needed her.

Varga also talked about how Greene was caring for others as she was a supporter of the Scattered Site and Lac La Ronge Food Bank. One year Greene and her granddaughter made blankets to give out to those in need.

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“One time at Christmas, she bought hundreds and hundreds of gifts, just kid’s gifts, and went driving around and handed them out on Christmas morning because who doesn’t need an extra gift,” Varga said. “Throughout the years, many kids began to call her grandma because people who care about you like that are really your family. Lots of those kids call me auntie now.”

In 2018, Greene was approved for a grant from the McDowell Foundation to spearhead a project called Gathering Strength: Indigenous Mental Health and High School. It would have began last fall.

Laliberte graduated from Churchill in 1998 and moved away from La Ronge for schooling before returning to work as a probation officer. She’s also on the board of directors for the La Ronge Ski Club, which she first joined as a student in the jackrabbit program. Laliberte has participated in competitive races and was also involved in sports such as volleyball and track and field.

Jody Laliberte has been a probations officer for close to 15 years. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

“I returned to coaching around the time I returned to La Ronge from university,” she said. “I thought it was important to pay it forward to the coaches who coached before me, because they took time out of their lives so I could enjoy a sport. I always thought it was important to do the same.”

Laliberte also told attendees to be thankful for the teachers who volunteer to be coaches or lead extra-circular activities at the school. She mentioned how she played sports in high school, which took her to many different communities and developed lifelong friendships.

“The best advice I would have is to slow down and enjoy your time at Churchill because it’s a great place to be,” she said. “It goes by fast, so just enjoy your time here.”

Greene and Laliberte join the four other inductees including Anand Ramayya, Dani Ivanochko, Sarah Gauthier and the late Norman MacAuley.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno