Chinook’s Edge School Division and Olds College of Agriculture & Technology educator, Jackie Taylor has received a King Charles III Coronation Medal. Taylor is currently serving as the Executive Director of the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI) and the Community Learning Campus for Chinook’s Edge and Olds College.
According to the Canadian Government, The Coronation Medal commemorates the Coronation of King Charles, and recipients have made a “significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.”
Taylor received the award at a ceremony in Edmonton on March 27, 2025. Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides nominated Taylor for the award and presented it to her.
“Jackie’s dedication to advancing career education in Alberta has changed student’s lives by helping them discover skills they’re passionate about and find careers that are right for them,” says Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides. “It was an honour to present such a deserving individual with a King Charles III Coronation Medal.”
"At Olds College, we believe in hands-on, real-world learning, and Jackie has been a key driver in expanding opportunities that bridge high school, post-secondary and the workforce," says Debbie Thompson, Interim President, Olds College.
Thompson says, "Jackie’s dedication to education and student success has created real opportunities for Alberta’s youth. Her vision and passion have been instrumental in building pathways that connect K-12 learning and post-secondary education, ensuring students develop the skills they need to thrive. We are proud to celebrate her achievements and grateful for her contributions to youth education in Alberta."
Chinook’s Edge Superintendent Kurt Sacher says, “Jackie has made a profound impact on Career pathway planning for students in our division and across the province for many years. She has also been relentlessly devoted to creating dual credit programs that change lives for students moving out of K-12 learning into an exciting and dynamic work world.”
Chinook’s Edge Associate Superintendent, Jason Drent says, “Jackie’s role in leading the development of student access to career pathways has been, in a word, life changing. Because of her work, more students are graduating from high school, following their dreams, entering post-secondary programs, and confidently pursuing their chosen careers.”
Drent says that under Taylor’s leadership at the Community Learning Campus (CLC) over the past 10 years, significant gains have been made in career pathways programming in Chinook’s Edge. Drent credits Taylor for:
● Increasing student participation in dual credit courses from a handful of students 10 years ago to thousands of students in Chinook’s Edge and across the entire province.
● Chinook’s Edge data shows that students who participate in at least one dual credit course graduate from high school, so because of Taylor’s work in dual credit programming, and with her team, many more students are completing high school.
● An expansion of dual credit offerings from a few courses to dozens of courses available in nine career pathways, and a continued focus on what might be possible in the future
● Being one of the lead influencers in the establishment of the Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI) two years ago, which is a partnership between four K-12 school divisions (Wolf Creek Public Schools, Red Deer Public Schools, Red Deer Catholic Regional School Division and Chinook’s Edge School Division), two post secondaries (Olds College of Agriculture and Technology and Red Deer Polytechnic), and CAREERS (a not-for-profit organization that collaborates with schools to connect youth with employers, providing valuable paid internship opportunities).
Taylor says she feels humbled and honoured to have been nominated by Minister Nicolaides for this award. “This is life changing programming for youth, and the importance of this causes me to pour my energy into supporting provincial career education for the success of all students. I am simply one of many colleagues across Alberta who are invested in this important programming,” says Taylor
**with information provided by Chinook's Edge School Division
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