Sudbury Catholic District School Board

Month: June 2013

“The Bishop Cup” – BACCSS’s First Ever R/C Car Race

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On May 9th, 2013, Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School hosted its first ever R/C (remote controlled) car races. It was a great day for motor car racing. The sky was blue and the temperature was holding study at about 20 degrees. There was an impressive turn out of about 18 cars and approximately 75 spectators. The cars were divided up into 3 different classes, Monster Truck, Stock, and Mod. To wrap-up the day, a no-holds-barred race named “Top Dawg” was held where all the drivers raced at once.

It was an afternoon full of thrills, spills, and speed as racers participated in a total of 16 different heat races. In the end, four winners crowned. In the Monster truck Class, student Liam Mitchel came out on top and student Zander Fortier topped the field in Stock. In the Mod class, teacher Paul Mailloux prevailed and finally in Top Dawg, student James Roque beat out all the other competitors to claim first place. When the dust settled at the end of the day, all of the drivers (students and teachers alike) did an awesome job of keeping the crowd entertained and the cars running strong all afternoon. A special thanks goes out to all the spotters (people who flip the cars back on their wheels after a crash), lap counters, announcers, grillers, and spectators. Without your help and support, none of this could have happened!

BAC R/C club didn’t pop up over night. It actually began way back in September 2012, when a group of teachers (Kirk Mckee, Serge Remillard, and Paul Mailloux) thought it would be great if there could be a club that would interest the schools large population of “Gearheads”. I was decided that R/C car racing would be the perfect club because it’s very hands on, students learn about how cars work, safe, and it’s affordable. Anther bonus is that the racing ties into curriculum nicely. The Manufacturing and Wood Working classes were crucial in the actual fabrication of the track. The Gr. 9-10 Workplace Math class was put in charge of measuring and dividing the track into 10 equal sized chunks. The Specialist High Skills Major class recorded the event from an array of different angles and are currently editing the footage. Numerous teachers are incorporating the cars into physics and math questions. In the future, the club plans on further expanding its membership and possibly team up with some community clubs. While the members aren’t racing, the teachers are showing the students how to maintain and tune-up their machines.

Brand new “Traxxas” R/C cars start off at $200 for a ready to go package which includes the car, battery, charger and radio. Also, all the parts to repair the cars are available at Best Buy and Future Shop. Lots of people think of the old, slow, clumsy R/C cars that they had when they were a kid. Don’t get confused, these aren’t toys. Out of the box, these electric 1/10 scale cars can go anywhere from 35-70mph!

There are all kinds of ways to get involved with R/C club at BAC. Maybe the most obvious way is to buy a car and race, but that isn’t the only way. The club is always looking for members who want to be involved in track maintenance, spotting, lap counting, marshalling, and so on. Without members doing these important jobs, the races are very hard to put on. The club will be hosting several other races this spring. Spectators and new members are always welcome, and remember, no car is needed!

Beep Baseball at St. James

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Students at St. James Catholic Elementary School have been introduced to a new sport. The sport is called Beep Baseball. Adriano Simonato, the teacher of the blind and partially sighted for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board introduced the sport to the students a year ago and it is now part of the school’s intramural sports program.

Beep baseball is the game of baseball adapted for the blind and partially sighted. The ball contains a beeping device that is loud enough to help in sightless location. The six players on the field are helped by a sighted pitcher, who announces “pitch” or “ball” as they toss to a sighted catcher. A batting tee can be used in place of the pitcher/catcher combination for beginning players. The six players must wear eye shades so that everyone is playing sightless. The batters are allowed four strikes; the game has six innings, the standard three outs per game, and two bases, not three. Baseball’s traditional bases are replaced with padded cylinders that stand four feet tall and give off a distinct buzz once activated. The batter does not know which base will be activated, but must run to which ever one sounds, tackling the base before the defence has a chance to field the ball. If the runner makes it in time, a run is scored. The defence does not need to throw the ball; they just need to field it. There are two (or more) sighted spotters on the field and they call out which direction the ball has headed. Loud cheering is discouraged while the play is in progress because it will interfere with play.

This sport provides the opportunity to establish further inclusion of the blind/partially sighted students. The sport is another step in the effort to break down barriers, educate, and focus attention on what the visually impaired can do as opposed to what they cannot do.

St. Benedict CSS Sr. Boys Soccer finishes 4th at OFSAA

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St. Benedict Bears Senior Boys Soccer Team completed a fantastic season June 6 – 8 at the OFSAA “A” Championships in Timmins, Ontario. After an undefeated season locally in Sudbury (winning the “A” division city championship), St. Benedict won NOSSA versus Franco Cite in convincing fashion on May 31st. At OFSAA, St. Benedict posted a round robin record of 2 wins and 2 ties, good for 1st place in Group A. In the Quarter-Finals, St. Benedict defeated Glengarry Secondary School 4-2 on goals from Shawn Wilcox (with 3) and Brandon Moxam (1). Unfortunately, the undefeated season came to a halt in the semi-final (Saturday morning) versus private school Ridley College from St. Catharines. Battered and bruised, the Bears dropped a 4-0 decision to their opponents. In the bronze medal game (with numerous players injured and/or in different positions), the Bears lost a tight 2-1 decision to London Christian private school. The Bears finished their 2013 season with a record of 11 wins, 2 losses (only on the last day of the season), and 4 ties – good enough for a 4th overall ranking in the province of Ontario. This is the greatest result for boys soccer in school history. St. Benedict teacher and coach Giuseppe Politi stated, “All in all, it was a positive result for the team, the program, the school, and the city. If you would have told me at the beginning of the season that we would finish top 4 in Ontario I certainly would been ecstatic. Looking back, in the group stage we ran into some trouble finishing off opponents (gave up a few leads). This didn’t let our starters get the rest they needed to last through 3 days of intense competition (7 games total). In the end, it caught up to us on Saturday morning. We just didn’t have the gas or capacity to keep up to more-balanced and fresh opponents in Ridley College (St. Catharines) or London Christian. Both George Urso (co-coach) and I are extremely proud of this squad and its accomplishments this season. We certainly overachieved in the group stage (considering the number of competitive players we have on our team, compared to the other teams at the tournament). A lot of our students played beyond their means and that should be recognized. It’s a bit frustrating to know that we could have won the bronze if we were a bit more fresh. That said, the boys should be proud of what they’ve accomplished (best result in school history) and it was a great student-athlete experience for the entire team. Hopefully, we’ll get another opportunity to showcase our program at next year’s championships.”

Super Hero Day at St. Andrew

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Friday June 7th was Super Hero Day at St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School. The school was teaming with Super Girls, Bat Men, Super Men, Transformers and Hulks to name a few. The staff, always willing to join in, wore their Super Teacher t-shirts. Pictured are the Super Staff – Mark Gautheir, Melody Henry, Rob Dagostino, Mandy Waugh, Chantal Gionet, Marilyn Vervega, Sue Bailey and Chad Laurin.

St. Francis Student Takes Top Honours in 5th Annual Fast Flowing Water Contest

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On Thursday, June 6th, members of the community, as well as several classes from area elementary schools were on hand at Tom Davies Square for a news conference and awards ceremony for the fifth annual Fast Flowering Water Contest. Deputy Mayor Joscelyn Landry-Altmann (Ward 12) who is also Chair of the Junction Creek Safety Committee was on hand to address the crowd and announce the winners of both the video and poster contests. St. Francis Catholic Elementary School grade 6 student Sophia Zulich was the first place winner and had her poster unveiled on a 10’ x 20’ billboard that will be placed prominently in Sudbury. Sophia’s first place win earned an ipad mini for herself, and a smartboard for her class. Coming in third place was Makayla Kruk, another grade 6 student from St. Francis Catholic Elementary School winning a $200 iTunes gift card.
Alongside Landry-Altmann was the contest mascot Milly the Muskrat as well as Adam Dickie’s grandfather Ray Croteau. Adam was a thirteen year old boy who drowned in 2007 in fast flowing water and the inspiration for this safety initiative. Croteau who has been a part of this campaign from its inception, also addressed the crowd and asked the students and members of the community to always remember the motto “Where waters flow, do not go!”
Vicki Mcguire, principal of St. Francis was extremely pleased that her students took two of the top spots in the contest. “I am so proud of both Sophia and Makayla, as well as all of our students who participated in this contest,” Mcguire stated. “This is such an important message for all in our community, and I am extremely impressed with our students in getting this message out so creatively.”

An Egg-Citing Opportunity for Junior Kindergarten Students at St. David

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The St. David Catholic Elementary School junior kindergarten classroom has been filled with anticipation and excitement over the last couple of weeks. Lindsay Michel, the school’s junior kindergarten teacher, partnered with Matt Peredy of Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer, Ontario to hatch chickens in the classroom.

Michel’s aim was to provide a thrilling educational experience for her young inner city students and wanted them to experience the joy of life while learning to build empathy for other forms of life. The students watched eggs hatch and new born chicks emerging from their shells. In total, the junior kindergarten classroom welcomed 14 new additions – baby chicks- to their class.

The St. David junior kindergarten program meets the needs of young inquisitive learners by providing them with the opportunity to participate in hands on, child centred, inquiry based learning. It is through positive community partnerships and a relationship building focus that the school creates an environment that supports student engagement and real world learning experiences.

Special thanks and the school’s appreciation go to Willow Lane Farms in Hanmer who graciously donated the incubator and eggs – Thank you Matt Peredy!

Perkins Family Restaurant Serves Up Pancakes At St. James School

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Todd Connors, Director of Operations for Perkins Restaurants prepared and served St. James Catholic Elementary School with a pancake breakfast recently. He graciously donated breakfast to thank the school community for their penny donations that went directly to support Pennies for Pediatrics. St. James School raised over $560 in pennies for this worthwhile cause.
“Pennies for Pediatrics is a fundraising drive to benefit children’s care at Health Sciences North.”
St. James students and staff would like to thank Todd Connors from Perkins for personally visiting the school and serving pancakes!

Learning About Goalball at SCDSB

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Students from St. James Elementary School recently participated in the Ontario Blind Sports Association Recreational Tournament. The tournament took place in Brantford Ontarion on May 11th, 2013. In addition, Ontario Blind Sports Association, along with the CNIB, provided goalball clinics at St. James Elementary school, Bishop Alexander Carter Secondary School and Marymount Academy on May 23rd and 24th.
On May 25th, a goalball clinic was held for members of the public at Sudbury Secondary Highshool.
A recreational goalball league is planned to begin operation in the fall of 2013.

Goalball is “the” blind sport, created specifically for the blind. It’s an indoor court game played around the world by the blind and visually impaired. The sport was developed in the late 1940’s and is played internationally up to the world championship and Paralympic Games levels.
Teams of three try to score goals using a ball similar in size to a basketball that is about the same weight as a brick and has a bell inside it. Players attempt to roll or throw the ball across a goal line. The opposing team tries to block it using their arms, legs and bodies. With a ball flying at speeds of 65 km/h or more, it’s exciting!

Games last 20 minutes and are divided into two equal halves of ten minutes each, with a 3 minute half time.
The object of the game is to score goals by rolling a ball (called a Goalball) down a 9m x 18m (volleyball size) court toward the opposing team’s goal, which spans the entire 9m width of the court. Players (1 centre and 2 wingers) attempt to prevent the Goalball from crossing the goal line in a totally sightless condition. A Goalball weight is 1.25kg and contains noise bells and along with raised lines on the court, help to orientate the players.
Therefore, while play is in progress, silence is required in the venue to allow the players to concentrate and react instantly to the ball. However, cheering is permitted after a goal is scored and at the end of a game.
Goalball is a benefit to any education curriculum & sports teams
Goalball introduces able bodied students to living with a disability and functioning without vision in a practical, fun setting. It focuses on what the blind and partially sighted can do rather than on what they cannot do. It continues to break down barriers.
It teaches valuable athletic performance skills such as: communication, non visual focus, team work & kinesthetic awareness, explosive lateral movement.
Goalball is one of the most inclusive sports in the world. All participants must wear eyeshades, so removing the sense of sight for all participants creates a level playing field for all.

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