Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
Carlton Trail College’s Board of Directors represent the individuals, businesses, industries and communities of the Carlton Trail College region, and the newest member to the Board of Directors is very familiar to Wakaw and area residents.
In Carlton Trail College’s February e-newsletter, The Trailblazer, a warm welcome was extended to Melissa Dieno, a recent appointee to Carton Trail College’s Board of Directors. Melissa Dieno is the joint CAO for the RM of Fish Creek and the Town of Wakaw. She assumed her position in Wakaw in December 2021, coming from Jansen, where she held the position of CAO for RM of Prairie Rose.
Melissa shared that she is very excited about the appointment and looks forward to her first ‘official’ meeting on March 4th, 2025.
“This is a personal interest position for me. I have been on the Partners Family Service Board in Humboldt for a year and a half and really enjoy that. I saw that Carlton Trail was looking for directors, and that spoke to me. I see how vital access to education is for rural areas. I feel that having a voice from my home community will be a huge benefit to Wakaw. I am also on the Wakaw Housing Authority board and really enjoy my work on there. It is a way for me to be involved here.”
Established in 1973, Carlton Trail College provides post-secondary education and skills training, academic upgrading and essential skills courses, English Language Training, as well as industry and workforce development opportunities to individuals, businesses and organizations across east-central Saskatchewan. With campuses in Humboldt, Watrous, Wynyard, and Punnichy, and classroom locations throughout the region, the College serves over 100 small urban, rural and First Nation communities across east-central Saskatchewan.
In the early 1970s, the Saskatchewan government visualized a community development approach to education, seeking to establish a network of community centres of learning where local facilities, local instructors and local resources would be used to provide learning opportunities determined by the area’s residents. The Humboldt area was selected as a learning centre and, through an initial ‘pilot project’ approach, provincially appointed representatives worked with community members in nominating individuals for board representation, recommending the size of the region to be served, and creating volunteer groups to advise on learning programs.
When the Saskatchewan Community Colleges Act was passed in 1973, the first four community colleges went into operation, with Humboldt’s Learning Centre being one of the initial four colleges. The original name, Carlton Trail Community College, was selected through a contest, with the winning entry tying the institution’s name to the region’s history. Historically, the Carlton Trail was the only overland route west of Winnipeg, and was an important transportation corridor for people, goods, services and information.
Initially, the College served approximately 34 communities north of the Yellowhead Highway, extending northeast to Pleasantdale and northwest to Wakaw. In the following years, the learning region expanded southward to include the Qu’Appelle Valley and areas surrounding Highway 35.
In 1987, the Saskatchewan government passed the Regional Colleges Act, which replaced the original legislation which had established the community colleges. This change followed a review of Saskatchewan’s regional community learning model, which recommended a significant expansion of the role of community colleges. The new Act shifted the mandate and funding to focus more on educational and training programs aimed at employment, reducing the emphasis on non-credit programs designed for community interests. Also part of the change was an expansion of Carlton Trail’s service area, which now extended northward to St. Brieux, eastward to Wadena, southward to Lumsden and westward to the outskirts of Saskatoon. To serve this larger area, additional offices and learning locations were opened across the region.
In 2017, the College officially opened the Four Winds Learning Centre, a former church that was purchased by Carlton Trail College and renovated into an adult-focused, inclusive and intercultural learning space. Since its opening, Four Winds Learning Centre has continued to focus on supporting the cultural, academic, and personal success of students from the Touchwood Hills and surrounding area.
The learning location in Wakaw is located in the former RM of Fish Creek building located next to the Post Office at 229 1st Street South.
