Latest news with #WesternCanadaHighSchool
Calgary Herald
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Preview: Passion Play marks 30 years of bringing Bible story to the Badlands
The Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller is one of Alberta's premier entertainment ambassadors. Article content Since its inception in 1994, this live telling of the ministry of Jesus Christ has been heralded as one of the top 10 attractions in Canada. Article content Seating 2,500 people, which is the same capacity as the Jubilee auditoriums in Calgary and Edmonton, it is the largest outdoor amphitheatre in Canada, and last year, it passed an accumulated attendance of more than 300,000 people. The Badlands event theatre is situated on 400 acres of an old mining site, whose hills provide the backdrop for this dramatic theatrical event. The stage itself is six acres in size. Article content Article content In its 30 years, 15 actors, beginning with Hunter Barnes, have played the role of Jesus. This year, this central role will be played by 30-year-old Calgary actor Connor Suart. He leads a cast of more than 75, mostly volunteer, actors. Article content 'I've never seen the show. I really went in blind. I certainly heard about it, but wouldn't have thought of auditioning for it myself. Katelyn Morishita, my former drama teacher at Western Canada High School, and Emily Howard, an actress I was at university with, told me I should audition. I took their word for it,' says Suart, who was last seen in Calgary in the Shakespeare Company's production of Richard III, which featured Bruce Horak. Article content Article content 'It's such an iconic role. It's an incredible challenge. We're doing Matthew's Gospel version as adapted by Royal Sproule. Nathan Schmidt, who is playing Matthew, played Jesus years ago. He hasn't given me any tips and tricks, but he has nodded at me and patted me on my back, which tells me I'm doing something right. I really get the feeling that the entire cast has my back.' Article content Article content This is the third year the Passion Play has used the Matthew Gospel because it has proven so popular with audiences. Matthew was initially vilified because he was a tax collector, known as Levi. This is why he understood the plight of the prostitute Mary Magdalene. They were both outsiders whom Jesus welcomed into his inner circle, as symbols of his love and acceptance of everyone. Article content 'The one thing I learned very quickly is that this is a very physical role. There are three hills I have to run up and down. By the end of the summer, I am going to be in the best shape I've been in for a long while. I'm grateful for the time when I get to ride on the donkey.' Article content Suart, who was raised Catholic, says his religion has given him a proximity to the story. Article content 'Jesus was the ultimate outsider. That's what I share with him. I'm coming into a group that has been working together for 30 years. I'm the manager of a restaurant, who is getting to play one of the most iconic roles imaginable. People keep asking me how my Jesus will be different. I tell them that the last few actors who played Jesus had long straight hair. The longer my hair grows, the curlier it gets, so they're going to see a curly-haired Jesus. The story is the same. The script we're using is the same. It will just be a physical thing. I do think I bring a smile and warmth to my characterization.' Article content This year, the Badlands Arts Centre has completed a new indoor space that can be used year-round. Eventually, it will be used for a winter Nativity event, telling the birth of Christ. It will have a 270-degree projection wall that will be used for a Passion Play digital experience.
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Calgary Herald
Martin: Recent sex case cautionary tale for teachers
Article content Article content Those are adjectives a Calgary judge suggested could describe the conduct of a former city teacher who had a sexual relationship with a just-graduated, 17-year-old student. Article content Justice Sean Dunnigan could probably have added 'creepy' to that list. Article content But criminal? Not so much. Article content And while Dunnigan's decision to acquit Jason Selby on a charge of sexual exploitation of a minor has some concerned it might open the door to similar conduct, fear not. Article content Article content In his 31-page decision handed down last week, the Calgary Court of Justice judge made it clear the unique circumstances in the relationship between Selby and the teenage girl fell on the shy side of criminal behaviour. Article content Article content But Dunnigan cited a litany of factors, absent from the Selby case, which could find an educator running afoul of the law. Article content To be clear, the judge did not in any way condone Selby's conduct by finding the Crown failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the now-fired teacher committed a crime. Article content Instead, Dunnigan's decision should serve as a warning to other teachers about the dangers of getting too cozy with students. Article content He noted Selby, who had earlier been the girl's homeroom teacher and taught her English in the first semester of Grade 12, didn't, like many sex offenders, groom a young and vulnerable target. Article content Dunnigan found there was no 'grooming, pressure, threats, incentivization or persuasion on the accused's part.' Article content In other words, the teen wasn't lured into a sexual relationship by an older, wiser adult who took advantage of someone's naiveté. Article content Article content Selby, who taught the girl at Western Canada High School, first had sex with her at his home in July 2018, a little more than a week after her final exam and more than a month before she turned 18. Article content But because she was old enough to consent, the Crown was obligated to prove the teacher was in a position of trust or authority over her. Article content While both the prosecution and defence agreed his position of authority ended with her graduation, the issue was whether he still had a trust relationship with her. Article content Despite her consent to the sexual relationship, which lasted nearly two years, Selby was looking at a minimum 12-month sentence if he was found to have taken advantage of a trust situation.
CBC
25-04-2025
- CBC
Teacher who had sex with 17-year-old former student not guilty of sexual exploitation
Social Sharing A teacher having sex with a 17-year-old former student weeks after she graduated may have been "distasteful, ill-advised or perhaps even immoral" but Jason Selby is not guilty of sexual exploitation, a Calgary judge ruled Friday. Selby was accused of being in a position of trust or authority over the teen when he first had sex with her on July 7, 2018, a couple of weeks after she graduated from Western Canada High School. At the time, Selby was 35 years old and a teacher at the school. The identity of the complainant in this case is protected by a publication ban. The two began a two-year sexual relationship that continued after she turned 18 that August. In Canada, the age of consent is 16 years old. But if a person is in a position of trust or authority, their sexual partner must be at least 18 years old. Parliament didn't define 'cooling off' period In this case, the sole issue at trial is whether Selby's position of trust or authority continued in the weeks after the complainant graduated between the first sexual encounter and her 18th birthday on Aug. 13, 2018. Justice Sean Dunnigan ruled that he was left in doubt as to whether Selby remained in a position of trust after graduation. "The significant age gap between the parties and the existence of a prior teacher/student relationship might make the accused's decision to begin an intimate relationship so quickly after graduation appear on its face to be unseemly, distasteful, ill-advised or perhaps even immoral," wrote Dunnigan. "However, neither Parliament nor the courts have sought to prohibit a teacher absolutely from having a relationship with a former student or to define a socially acceptable 'cooling-off' period." Selby 'very emotional' After the decision was handed down, defence lawyer Alain Hepner said he was "pleased" with the verdict and said his client is "very emotional." "I's been a long, drawn-out process," he said. "It's been three years in trial and it's a roller-coaster." Selby was the complainant's homeroom teacher in grades 10 and 11. He also taught her Grade 12 English in the fall semester of 2017. The piecemeal trial took place over a number of dates in 2023 and 2024. 'Hallmarks of concern' absent In his acquittal of Selby, Justice Dunnigan noted the accused did not groom the complainant during her time as a student, pointing out several "hallmarks of concerns expressed by the courts" that are absent in this case, including: A childhood bond with the accused from a young age. Parental entrustment. The complainant being dependent on the accused for emotional support. A power imbalance beyond their age difference. Evidence of prior intimacy or sexual activity during their pre-existing relationship. Authority or control over the complainant. A particular naivete, vulnerability or weakness on the part of the complainant. During the trial, the judge heard that after the complainant finished her final Grade 12 exam, she visited Selby in his office at his request and the two discussed meeting for coffee. Selby told the girl to call him by his first name and gave her his cellphone number. The two began texting and made plans to meet up. Their first visit took place on July 7, 2018, at Selby's home. 'I could get in a lot of trouble' Soon after she arrived, Selby told the teenager she could not tell anyone they were texting and meeting up. "People could get the wrong idea," he said at the time. "I could get in a lot of trouble." The two smoked a joint in Selby's hot tub and he commented on how attractive he found her. They ended up having sex that night in Selby's home and continued to meet up and have sex. The relationship ended in May 2020. The complainant testified she started to feel strangely about her relationship with Selby and told her therapist about it. She said she began to worry the same thing could happen to her sister. She reported Selby to police and charges were laid in July 2021.
