Just A Gal From Glidden: From the school bus to the warden's office
By Kate Winquist
I'm reminiscing about graduation this week, and a remarkable coincidence was recently brought to my attention by one of our subscribers.
Another school year is coming to a close, with the last of the 2026 graduations in west-central Saskatchewan taking place this week. Next year marks 40 years since I graduated from Kindersley Composite School as part of the Class of 1987.
About a month ago, I received a call from a reader wanting to renew her subscription. Marcie, originally from Eatonia, now calls Red Deer County home. We chatted for a few minutes, and I apologized for not returning a message she had left earlier.
Marcie was worried she might miss an edition of Your West Central Voice. She told me how much she enjoyed the paper and the local stories. Then she asked if we accepted suggestions for articles about people who once lived in the area but had moved on and accomplished remarkable things.
I always welcome story ideas, so I said, "Certainly. Whatcha got?”
A good friend of hers, Michelle Kendell, had just been appointed warden of Edmonton Institution, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Very impressive, I thought.
As we continued talking, Marcie mentioned she had met Michelle in Grade 11 and that they quickly became close friends. She also said Michelle had once lived in Glidden before moving to Eatonia.
That's when a light bulb went off.
"Was Michelle's maiden name Smith?" I asked.
"Yes," Marcie replied.
What a strange coincidence.
Michelle and I rode the school bus together every day from the start of the 1986 school year until I graduated in June 1987. Michelle was two years younger than me and was in Grade 10 when she became one of my two "Freshies" during my senior year. The other was another Glidden girl, Dawn Miller.
I hadn't thought about either of those girls in years until Marcie's phone call.
I'm not sure if KCS still carries on the tradition of Freshie Day. Back then, seniors dressed up their juniors in something embarrassing and paraded them through the hallways before heading to the lunchroom, where they competed in messy games involving things like butterscotch pudding.
It took me a while to find photographic proof, but I did.
Freshie Day memories from Kindersley Composite School in 1986-87. Michelle Smith, now Michelle Kendell and the newly appointed warden of Edmonton Institution, is front and centre dressed as Oscar the Grouch. Dawn Miller appears as the Pink Panther.
Michelle Smith, later Michelle Kendell, takes part in Freshie Day activities at Kindersley Composite School during the 1986-87 school year.
There was Michelle, front and centre, dressed as Oscar the Grouch. Dawn was rocking a Pink Panther costume.
Little did any of us know where life would take us.
In March, Michelle officially assumed command of Edmonton Institution during a Change of Command Ceremony hosted by the Correctional Service of Canada.
"Michelle has played an important role in carrying forward the institution's long tradition of service and dedication to the safety of Canadians. It has truly been a pleasure working alongside her as part of the Prairie Region senior management team," Prairie Regional Commissioner Jason Hope said in a media release.
Edmonton Institution, a maximum-security federal correctional facility, opened in 1978. Located in Edmonton, Alta., it has a capacity of 324 offenders and employs approximately 419 staff members.
As I looked at those old Freshie Day photos, I couldn't help but smile.
The girl in the Oscar the Grouch costume now runs a 324-bed maximum-security federal institution.
She earned it.