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4512 – 46 St, Olds, Alberta Canada T4H 1R5www.oldsinstitute.com	NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: February 5, 2016

COMMUNITY LEADER IN EDUCATION JOINS TECHNOLOGY BOARD IN OLDS

Tom Christensen appointed to Olds Fibre Ltd. board of directors

 (OLDS, Alberta – February 1, 2016) The board of directors for the Olds Institute for Community & Regional Development is proud to announce the appointment of a new director to the Olds Fibre Ltd. board. Tom Christensen, a leader in the education community in Olds, will join the team of the Olds Institute’s Technology committee which also acts as the board of directors for Olds Fibre Ltd., owners of the fibre optic network infrastructure in the town of Olds. The fibre network infrastructure is leased to O-NET which is the service provider for the community owned Gigabit broadband network.

“To me O-NET is another example of what makes Olds a community different than any others,”  according to Christensen. “It is a community that is interested in families, quality of life, and community supports. Serving on the board with so many that I have had the opportunity to see lead this community is truly an honor.”

After many years of teaching, Christensen became Principal at Olds High School in 2000. He took on a leading role in incorporating the high school onto the Community Learning Campus in Olds, working with his staff to foster a new way of teaching and learning, helping students to transition successfully to postsecondary training. In 2009, Christensen received a provincial award from the Minister of Education for excellence in teaching and in 2012 received the Queen’s Jubilee medal for service. As school administrator and member of the CLC Governance Team, Christensen continues to teach Social Studies and coach basketball. He is currently the president of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association.

The Technology Committee’s vision for Olds is the creation of a connected community where citizens are intelligent consumers of technology and embrace a culture of use. They work to build an infrastructure where the community has access to and use of information technology which exists on a scale equivalent to the current use of electrical power or water in our taps.

The Olds Institute was formed in 2001 by community leaders who realized they could achieve more together than they could apart. It is governed by a volunteer board of directors representing their four founding members and includes members of the community at large.

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Contact information:

Joe Gustafson,

Chair, Olds Institute Technology Committee

Chairman of the Board, Olds Fibre Ltd.

E-Mail: joe.gustafson@o-net.ca

Photo

Tom Christensen, Olds Fibre Ltd. board member