Pearl Lorentzen
Lakeside Leader
A former Roland Michener student has returned to take over the school’s junior sports department.
Brandon Rubisch teaches physical education (phys ed) for Grade 8, 9, and 10 at Roland Michener Secondary School. He came to the school last year, right after graduating with a bachelor of education from Grant MacEwan University and the University of Alberta.
Rubisch is also coaching the golf teams, curling, Indigenous hand games, badminton, and track and field. As a Michener student, Rubisch competed in all of these except hand games. At the time, hand games were not offered in schools.
The golf season runs from May to September. Michener has two teams – a boys’ team with four players and a girls’ with three.
Last spring, the team raised money so that the players could get Gilwood Golf and Country Club memberships.
“They golfed together as teams through the summer,” says Rubisch.
The school curling season starts in October.
Last year, Slave Lake hosted zones. Both the girls and boys teams won zones and went on to provincials.
Badminton is March to May.
Hand games are in May. Last year, Michener won regionals in Joussard. However, zones in High Prairie were postponed because High Prairie was hosting wildfire evacuees and on evacuation alert (which didn’t end up causing an evacuation).
“We haven’t done zones yet,” says Rubisch. He figures the 2023 zones will be in May 2024.
Teaching has been a life-long dream for Rubisch; he has wanted to be one since he was a kid.
“I like helping people,” he says, “and I love kids.”
Rubisch grew up in Canyon Creek, and his family is still in the area. Roland Michener vice-principal Deanna Sloan was Rubisch’s gym teacher. When the job came up last year, she encouraged him to apply.
Rubisch enjoys sports. He started his education degree at Grant MacEwan because he got a curling scholarship there. He finished it at the University of Alberta, because MacEwan only has the first two years.
His goal for the coming year is “to continue with sports from last year,” he says, “and build on what we’ve created. Try to make it as fun as possible.”
