Edlin Friesen

Parent Representative

Most of my work experience has been on the executive level the past 10 years.   I have owned and operated over 5 companies myself and currently am the COO for Friesen Livestock Ltd. here in Medicine Hat which is the family business that my parents and brother started in 2000.  I am an accountant by trade.  After graduating from University of Manitoba with B. Comm (Hons) in 1996 I began my career with private enterprise in the AG sector, then did some charitable work and ended up in public practice and owing and operating my own accounting firm for 15 years.  I sold this firm in 2016 and became a COO at a CPA firm (7 locations and 65 accountants in Winnipeg, Manitoba) for a number of years.  Then just before the pandemic I shifted over to private consulting helping companies under 10 million become profitable and scale up their businesses to sell.  I still consult while running my family business along with my brother.  Participating in the scale of my family business with ownership required a move for me and my daughters and for that reason we moved to Medicine Hat in the summer of 2021 to assume that executive role in Friesen Livestock.

I have a daughter Dayna who is 19 years old in University in Calgary, a daughter Katie who is almost 16 at Hat High and a daughter Annabelle, who is 14 years old who is at CAPE.

Ryan Papove

Community Representative

Ryan moved to Medicine Hat in 2013 to be closer to family and currently has one niece and one nephew attending CAPE. He graduated from Edwards School of Business at the U of S with a Degree in Business Management. Ryan has over 15 years of experience in IT Systems Engineering across Healthcare, Education, Government, and Petrochemicals.

Sarah Chaudhary

Parent Representative

Sarah Elizabeth Chaudhary has one child attending CAPE.  Sarah is an American who immigrated to Canada in 2005 and settled in Medicine Hat. Sarah obtained her undergraduate degree at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree at Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville, Tennessee. She was called to the Alberta Bar in 2008 and practiced general law at Sihvon, Carter, Fisher and Berger LLP until 2010, when she started her own criminal law practice. In 2011, she became the Medicine Hat Standing Agent for the Director of Public Prosecutions. In that role she prosecuted drug offences until 2016.

Natasha LeRuyet-Warriner

School Council Representative

Natasha is the proud parent of four children who are all attending CAPE School. They range in grades from 2-9. Natasha has volunteered with CAPE School in a variety of roles from being a parent voice at the CAPE School Council meetings, to helping in the classroom, to organizing the hot lunch program. She is also a past CAPE School Board member. Her current role with CAPE School is CAPE School Council Board Liaison. She has received her B.A – Psychology and B.Mgt – Human Resources Management from the University of Lethbridge. This lead to a career in banking specializing in investing and credit services.

Lekh Khadka

Parent Representative

Lekh has been a proud CAPE parent for 6 years. The family moved to Medicine Hat in 2015 from Calgary and are very happy to live here. Lekh has completed a Master’s degree in Business Studies (MBS) and an Electrical Engineering Diploma from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. He has worked as a college lecturer in the Bachelor’s Program in Gyankunj College, Kathmandu for 4 years and as an Electrical Designer in Nepal Electricity Authority for 8 years before immigrating to Canada in 2010. Since then he has completed the Electrical Engineering Diploma in 2014 from SAIT Polytechnic, Calgary and has been working as an Electrical Designer in Electrical Distribution Department, City of Medicine Hat since 2014.

Syed Naqvi

Parent Representative 

Syed Naqvi has been living in Medicine Hat since 2005. He attended Medicine Hat High School and completed all of his studies at University of Alberta and Concordia University. He started working in Lac La Biche, Alberta, in 2012 but moved back to Medicine Hat in 2013 and has been working in Public Health with AHS ever since. He has two daughters; 5 years old and 19 months old. His older daughter started CAPE in September 2022 in Kindergarten. He is currently on the Board of Directors of Saamis Immigration.  He is looking forward to being involved with CAPE’s Board of Directors as it affords him the opportunity to contribute to the school.

Barry Finkleman

Community Representative 

Barry is a retired educator and administrator, and a specialist in cultural heritage, tourism and media.  His career has included service to the Medicine Hat Public Schools, Olds College and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. He has also been a private sector business owner in the entertainment and tourism industry.

From 2005 to 2017, as Executive Director of the Medicine Hat Clay Industries National Historic District, Barry led the re-development of the Medalta Potteries, the Medicine Hat Brick & Tile and the Hycroft China factories in the creation of a major museum, arts, education and tourism complex for Southern Alberta, and the establishment of the Shaw International Centre for Contemporary Ceramics.  From 2015 to 2017, he also served as Chair of the Board of the Plainsman Clays Ltd. group of companies, which mines and processes clays for artisanal and industrial use across North America.

Barry currently sits as a member of the Medicine Hat Subdivision & Development Appeal Board, volunteer director on both the Medicine Hat Education Foundation and the Medicine Hat Games Society, and serves as Treasurer for the Western Canada District of Kiwanis International.  Provincially, he has served as a council member for the Alberta Order of Excellence, President of the Alberta Museums Association, public member on both the Premier’s Council on Culture and the Alberta College of Medical Laboratory Technologists.  He is a past Chair of the City of Medicine Hat’s Arts & Heritage Advisory Board and Economic Development Advisory Board, as well as a past member of working committees of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Calgary Exhibition & Stampede.  Barry was also a board member and regular contributor to the award winning Expression magazine and wrote a weekly independent column for the Medicine Hat News from 2001 to 2008.  He is a Mel Osborne Fellow, awarded by the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada.

Aidé Hilsendeger

Community Representative 

My name is Aidé Hilsendeger.  I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. I came to Canada 20 years ago, then I married my soulmate whom I met at the resort where I was working as a Bilingual Secretary-Manager’s Assistant. I have two beautiful children 14 and 17 years old. My connection with CAPE school is through my mother in law, Carol Hilsendeger, who recently retired after 39 years of teaching. I strongly believe in what CAPE stands for. I am pleased that CAPE focuses on academic and personal growth, so that a child has the opportunity to reach their potential with learning plan designed for them.

In my home country I worked in several large companies and organizations,  including the Autonoma de Guadalajara University. In Canada, I volunteered at schools and non profit organizations including CAPE School. I was board member at Tiny Tots preschool, lunch volunteer coordinator at IF Cox school, and Scouts leader in Redcliff. Presently, I work  as a Community Connections Coordinator at Saamis Immigration, where I assist newcomers in integrating in Medicine Hat and the community. I am in charge of the recruitment, training, and ongoing support of volunteers and newcomers participants in the program, including individuals, families and youth, I also organize programs and events that support newcomers with their resettlement and adjustment to their new community.

I am thankful for the opportunity to become a Board Member at CAPE school. I look forward to contributing to CAPE’s continued success.

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CAPE is a very vibrant learning environment with multigrade community-oriented projects and endeavours.

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