Honorary Presidents
Bertha Yagos 2025
Bertha’s teaching career began in 1968 in Nobleford, Alberta. After marrying Terry Yagos in 1970, they stayed in Nobleford for another year while Terry completed his degree at the University of Lethbridge. In 1971, they moved to Terry’s ranch at Lee Lake, where they continue to live today. Terry taught Social Studies at Livingstone School, while Bertha taught Grade 2 in Pincher Creek. After 12 years, Terry resigned from teaching, finding it increasingly difficult to balance ranching, cottage lease management, and his teaching role. Bertha, however, continued teaching a variety of grade levels from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in the Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass areas until her retirement in 2009.
Bertha's involvement with the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) began when she served as the school representative on the ATA Local Council in the Crowsnest Pass. When the local treasurer retired, Bertha took on the treasurer role as well, leveraging her financial experience from the ranching and cottage lease management operation. She also became the convention representative at SWATCA, representing the Crowsnest Pass before amalgamation.
In 1995, when Alberta’s school boards were amalgamated, Bertha was elected convention representative for Livingstone Range ATA Local #14. She began attending Palliser District Teachers’ Convention Board meetings, where she was elected Publicity/Booklet Chair at the first meeting she attended. At that time, the internet was in its early stages, with dial-up connections being slow and costly, especially in rural areas. Most people at that time, including teachers, had limited computer experience, which made preparing convention booklets a significant challenge. Speaker information was still handwritten or typed and received by fax or mail. Fortunately, the 1995-96 Convention year had only 31 speakers, making the task more manageable. Having no experience in desktop publishing, she was determined to do the layout of the booklet herself instead of paying the booklet printing company to do it, and purchased the software, PageMaker now call Adobe InDesign for that purpose. A scan of the 1995-96 booklet is attached. That year she also created the first ever website for PDTCA using Front Page in Microsoft Office, and hosted on compuserve.com.
From 1995 to 2024, Bertha served on the PDTCA Executive, holding various roles, including Treasurer, Website/Publicity Chair, and Executive Assistant. Although she retired from teaching in 2009, she continued in her position as treasurer and in website/publicity, which later evolved into the Executive Assistant role. She also served as Livingstone Range Local #14 treasurer as well as representing the ATA Local at School Division board meetings until 2018.
Bertha has always had a passion for computers, starting with the Apple IIe and continuing to today’s high-speed machines with 4K screens. In fact, she repaired non-working donated laptops (connected to the internet) so each child in her classroom had a computer to use. She enjoyed repairing personal laptops and other tech devices including Gameboys with broken screens for her students. Her grandchildren refer to her as a “wizard” because of her vast knowledge of technology, making her the go-to tech expert in her family.
One of Bertha’s favorite social studies projects was called Family Treasures requiring the students to be authentic historians. Each student had to find something in their home that was considered a family treasure. It could be a recipe, piano, diary, picture, trunk etc. but it had to have a family meaning and be very important to the person it belonged to. Their job was to interview family members to discover the reason why this was a family treasure and collect information about the family member it belonged to. They had to write a report and practise for an oral presentation attended by all their parents; telling about the treasure, who it belonged to, and the importance behind it. A website was created with each child’s report and a picture of the treasure. One year other classrooms in Alberta were invited to join the project, each of which also created a website to be shared amongst each other to see.
Upon retirement in 2009, Bertha discovered a new passion for landscaping, particularly gardening and flowerbeds. Although she initially knew very little about computers or landscaping, she dove into learning through research, reading, and trial and error, however she credits a male friend for being there when she needed advice regarding computers and a female friend for advice with gardening. She also credits those two friends for stirring up those interests in her in the first place.
Bertha values convention as an opportunity for teachers to share ideas and innovations in education. She hopes that every teacher will leave convention stirred up about something—whether big or small—that will help make their classrooms a better place.
Bertha’s teaching career began in 1968 in Nobleford, Alberta. After marrying Terry Yagos in 1970, they stayed in Nobleford for another year while Terry completed his degree at the University of Lethbridge. In 1971, they moved to Terry’s ranch at Lee Lake, where they continue to live today. Terry taught Social Studies at Livingstone School, while Bertha taught Grade 2 in Pincher Creek. After 12 years, Terry resigned from teaching, finding it increasingly difficult to balance ranching, cottage lease management, and his teaching role. Bertha, however, continued teaching a variety of grade levels from Kindergarten to Grade 6 in the Pincher Creek and Crowsnest Pass areas until her retirement in 2009.
Bertha's involvement with the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) began when she served as the school representative on the ATA Local Council in the Crowsnest Pass. When the local treasurer retired, Bertha took on the treasurer role as well, leveraging her financial experience from the ranching and cottage lease management operation. She also became the convention representative at SWATCA, representing the Crowsnest Pass before amalgamation.
In 1995, when Alberta’s school boards were amalgamated, Bertha was elected convention representative for Livingstone Range ATA Local #14. She began attending Palliser District Teachers’ Convention Board meetings, where she was elected Publicity/Booklet Chair at the first meeting she attended. At that time, the internet was in its early stages, with dial-up connections being slow and costly, especially in rural areas. Most people at that time, including teachers, had limited computer experience, which made preparing convention booklets a significant challenge. Speaker information was still handwritten or typed and received by fax or mail. Fortunately, the 1995-96 Convention year had only 31 speakers, making the task more manageable. Having no experience in desktop publishing, she was determined to do the layout of the booklet herself instead of paying the booklet printing company to do it, and purchased the software, PageMaker now call Adobe InDesign for that purpose. A scan of the 1995-96 booklet is attached. That year she also created the first ever website for PDTCA using Front Page in Microsoft Office, and hosted on compuserve.com.
From 1995 to 2024, Bertha served on the PDTCA Executive, holding various roles, including Treasurer, Website/Publicity Chair, and Executive Assistant. Although she retired from teaching in 2009, she continued in her position as treasurer and in website/publicity, which later evolved into the Executive Assistant role. She also served as Livingstone Range Local #14 treasurer as well as representing the ATA Local at School Division board meetings until 2018.
Bertha has always had a passion for computers, starting with the Apple IIe and continuing to today’s high-speed machines with 4K screens. In fact, she repaired non-working donated laptops (connected to the internet) so each child in her classroom had a computer to use. She enjoyed repairing personal laptops and other tech devices including Gameboys with broken screens for her students. Her grandchildren refer to her as a “wizard” because of her vast knowledge of technology, making her the go-to tech expert in her family.
One of Bertha’s favorite social studies projects was called Family Treasures requiring the students to be authentic historians. Each student had to find something in their home that was considered a family treasure. It could be a recipe, piano, diary, picture, trunk etc. but it had to have a family meaning and be very important to the person it belonged to. Their job was to interview family members to discover the reason why this was a family treasure and collect information about the family member it belonged to. They had to write a report and practise for an oral presentation attended by all their parents; telling about the treasure, who it belonged to, and the importance behind it. A website was created with each child’s report and a picture of the treasure. One year other classrooms in Alberta were invited to join the project, each of which also created a website to be shared amongst each other to see.
Upon retirement in 2009, Bertha discovered a new passion for landscaping, particularly gardening and flowerbeds. Although she initially knew very little about computers or landscaping, she dove into learning through research, reading, and trial and error, however she credits a male friend for being there when she needed advice regarding computers and a female friend for advice with gardening. She also credits those two friends for stirring up those interests in her in the first place.
Bertha values convention as an opportunity for teachers to share ideas and innovations in education. She hopes that every teacher will leave convention stirred up about something—whether big or small—that will help make their classrooms a better place.
Previous Honorary Presidents
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2024 Greg Poile
2023 Doug Lerke 2022 Louis Perrault 2021 Theresa O'Neill 2020 Jerri Perrin 2019 Lorrie Morales 2018 Cindy Gerodo 2017 Myrna Pauls 2016 Rudy Durieux |
2015 Lianne Enderton
2014 Carol D. Henderson & Ken Perry 2013 Bob Worsfold 2012 Jere Geiger 2011 Ruth Soroka 2010 Gary Hoffart 2009 Shirley Jones 2008 Lynn Brooks 2007 Brian Gancheff |