Two individuals have been selected by the Board of Chinook’s Edge School Division to receive the Roy E. Cope Award for 2024.
CESD Superintendent Kurt Sacher says this a special year because those honours will be bestowed upon both Associate Superintendent Ray Hoppins and Didsbury High School Band Teacher Kirk Wassmer. He says “Every year that I have been here we’ve handed it out to one individual. This is the first time that I can recall where the Board has actually selected two individuals.”
Sacher notes Ray Hoppins has been a teacher and an educator for 32 years. According to Sacher, for 30 years Hoppins has served Chinook’s Edge in a variety of roles. He says “Teacher, Vice Principal, Division Principal, Principal, and since 2011 as an Associate Superintendent. He has been in charge of people services and I have worked next to him for the past 13 years and I have just watched him grow, and learn, and develop. He just treats people with the greatest respect. He treats them as if they were his own relative, his own family member. Takes such great care of them. He has created processes to support our teachers, our support staff, our school based administrators that are highly regarded across the province of Alberta. Ray would be recognized by his peers as simply one of the absolute best people services superintendents in all of Alberta.” Sacher adds, CESD is so proud to have had Hoppins working with them, they are sad to see him retire, but they know it is for his best and his future.
Sacher says Kirk Wassmer is simply an outstanding teacher and makes all of CESD proud with how he goes about his work. Sacher adds, Wassmer is an incredibly ‘student centered’ educator. According to Sacher, “His students just adore him. They would walk through glass for this man and he is so humble, treats them with such respect. Kirk is a tremendous band teacher, knows his craft, highly skilled. Supports his students. He has, I believe, over half of the school involved in his band program that has been his history. He is highly regarded in the community. So many concerts supporting the community. He has received some major accolades and awards. He has also influenced other band teachers in our school division. He has been highly supportive of his colleagues.” Sacher thinks that all of Wassmer’s colleagues would acknowledge he is just a special individual, the pride of Didsbury, and the pride of Didsbury High School. According to Sacher, Wassmer has really demonstrated the impact that a powerful band program can have on an entire community.
Both Hoppins and Wassmer are retiring in June of this year.
According to a CESD press release, Roy E. Cope was the Superintendent of Schools for the County of Red Deer prior to the creation of Chinook’s Edge School Division in 1995. The award is given to any person who, the opinion of the Board, has made a significant contribution to the educational welfare of students.
