Duane is a leader in the worlds of education and art, is a theatre artist, and most importantly, a father and husband. His traditional Cree name is Nakamos ᓇᑲᒧᓴ, which means “Little Singer.” That’s because he’s always had a lot to say! That led to a career in education, helping students to discover their voices. He spent 12 years teaching high school drama in Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod and Lethbridge. He currently has the tremendous fortune of being the Vice Principal at Chinook High School, which he will loudly tell you is the best school in Southern Alberta!
The Piper family has close ties to the University of Lethbridge, with Duane’s Kohkum (Grandmother), Helen Piper graduating in 1991, and his Uncle Christopher Piper graduating in 1992. That made Duane the 3rd generation of Piper to attend the U of L when he earned a BFA (Drama)/BEd (Drama Education) in 2006 and an MEd (Educational Leadership) in 2021. Even his wife, Lori Harasem, and his children, Seth and Levi have earned or are working towards degrees at the U of L! Starting in 2019, Duane began working over the summers at the U of L as a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Education.
As a leader in the arts, Duane currently serves as a board member for New West Theatre. He also spent three years on Alberta Education’s Expert Working Group on Arts Education, re-writing the drama curriculum. Recently, Duane assisted The Alberta Foundation for the Arts with grant fund allocation and Theatre Alberta with an online panel titled: Strategies and Realities for Teaching Drama in a Pandemic. He’d be glad to tell you all about using devised theatre to explore the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, as that topic dominated his Master’s studies. Past productions that he’ll also talk your ear off about include The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, Iisohtsiik: Moving Forward, Why do Birds Lie, 6 Minutes & 30 Seconds, The Rez Sisters, and Goodnight Desdemona/Good Morning Juliet.
Duane is thrilled to join the Senate as it will give him a chance to give back to a school that has given him and his family so much.