Two Briercrest College and Seminary professors are playing a key role in providing direction for ESL services in Saskatchewan.

David Catterick, a TESOL professor at Briercrest, wrote the following statement regarding the efforts of his fellow team members:

“Darla Gamache and Sandra Catterick, two of our TESOL professors, have been serving on the board of the Saskatchewan Council for Educators of Non-English Speakers over the past year.

“Darla has served as president of the organization and Sandra as the Briercrest College and Seminary representative. Under Darla's jurisdiction, the organization won a major grant from the provincial government to bring in a consultant to investigate ways of further developing the organization. The SCENES board met for four weekends over the past year to look at various aspects of the organization's work and identity including name, mission statement, logo, etc.

“Following an extensive survey of the membership earlier this year, the SCENES members voted almost unanimously at the annual general meeting to adopt a new name (TESL Saskatchewan) and a new mission statement and to look for funding to appoint an executive director as early as January.

“The fact that the conference had almost double the number of attendees over the previous year is evidence of the growth in significance of ESL in this province and the need for an organization like TESL Saskatchewan to be at the centre of developments.

“We are grateful that Darla and Sandra have been able to help shape the professional face of ESL in this province and that Briercrest, through its TESOL faculty, has played a key role.”