A new crop of students has arrived at St. Peter’s College in Muenster to experience university life. St. Peter’s is affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, so it offers the programming and services from one of the prairie’s largest universities in a setting that provides its own unique atmosphere and advantages.  

The start of a new school year is always a busy time, says Jayden Engele with Student Services at the College. It’s especially exciting with upcoming fall events and the return of some familiar College favourite celebrations. 

“Everyone seems to be settling in nicely,” says Engele. “We started off with our orientation day last week where we got the students introduced to the College, had some icebreaker games for the students to socialize and get together. We continued that through the week with some events and activities - an outdoor games night on Wednesday, an outdoor movie night on Thursday, and wrapped it up with the annual bonfire night on Friday. Students had an enjoyable first week, and we’re looking to continue that in the following weeks.” 

One of the next key markers for the year is the Awards Day celebrated in September. It’s a day when students who have been selected for one or more of the College’s awards based on previous academic performance and other criteria are announced and honoured.  

“The Award Day showcases the students and the over $100,000 in scholarships that students can win if they do apply. That is in addition to the University of Saskatchewan scholarships that they can also apply for. It’s a great opportunity for students to help pay for their tuition, especially if they might not be able to go to school otherwise.” 

Early October marks the return of Opportunities Edge, the one-day career and trades fair open to the public and to high school students in the area. Engele says around 40 displays representing post-secondary institutions, trades training programs and regional employers are often a first point of contact and investigation for students in their career search.  

“It gives the students an idea about the kinds of career paths they could go down, whether it is post-secondary or in the work force. It will be open to the public from 12:30 to 2:30. Anyone who is considering careers or wondering what’s out there can stop by the College and get a look at some different options.” 

The College provides students access to U of S programming in all of its direct entry colleges. Now, through an agreement with the U of S College of Nursing, students can access the full pre-professional year. St. Peter’s is once again partnering with the College of Engineering in its “re-engineered” first year program. That means second year students can migrate seamlessly to the U of S Main Campus to continue their studies. 

St. Peter’s College also provides Access to Equity services, like their main campus counterparts, to support students meeting a variety of learning or equity challenges.  

“The great thing about our classes are the small class sizes,” Engele adds, “So students do tend to perform a little bit better have a bit more personalized instruction, greater ability to connect with their peers and to teach each other and learn from each other.” 

Engele says that another welcome return for students at the College and their friends from the area are the Student Government sponsored dances. The dances had been a popular feature that had to be suspended during the pandemic. Now students are anxious to see their return.  

“They’ve been pretty popular in previous years, so the first one we’re having the Friday before Halloween - we’re excited to announce that, and keep your eye and ears open for updates on the dances and dates.” 

Combined with a full range of social clubs, ranging from gaming to sports nights, and other community engagement events in the works, students arriving at St. Peter’s College are discovering a new and exciting place to start their post-secondary careers.  

Stay up to date with local news, sports and weather by downloading the Discover Humboldt app HERE.