International members from the United Commercial Travellers (UCT) were on hand at St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School on April 9 to present the Lifeskills class with a cheque for $5000. Several months earlier, teacher Elissa Zuliani decided to enter her Lifeskills class in a contest she had read about in one of the UCT catalogues. The contest was open to all North American schools who support students with intellectual disabilities. Zuliani put together a two minute video that showcased the exceptional qualities and values that her students possess. The final winner was to be decided by votes so, after a heated battle for first place with Eldon High School in Eldon, Missouri, the students at St. Raphael placed second.
Visibly moved during the presentation, Zuliani thanked the representatives from UCT International including the CEO of UCT –Joe Hoffman from Ohio as well as the International President of UCT – Bob Kellog from Michigan. Also on hand for the presentation were several members of the local UCT branch. Zuliani also thanked her fellow teachers, parent council members and all of the parents of her students. “We are so proud of the Sudbury Catholic District School Board and the Greater City of Sudbury for their votes of support,” Zuliani stated. “This was truly Sudbury at its best! I thank UCT for this incredible funding which will enhance their learning. I am overwhelmed both professionally and personally – it is not about the money, it is about the message –that people with disabilities are valuable members of society and it is our obligation to support them and to nurture them – mind, body and spirit”. The members of the local UCT decided to surprise the staff and students with an additional cheque for $2500 as they felt the students should have won first place. As well, the students were promised a pizza lunch in the upcoming days as part of the celebration. The money will go towards the purchase of technology to support the Lifeskills students in their ongoing learning.
Month: April 2014
Mock “Lock Down” At Marymount
On Wednesday April 09, Hally Willmott, school Police Liaison officer and five Sudbury Regional Police officers staged a mock lock down at Marymount Academy. In order to have a genuine test of the school’s response, the staff and students were not made aware of the drill. The police were very impressed with the way the staff and students conducted themselves. The results of the lock down drill will help the school improve policy and procedures for student safety.
St. Bernadette Students Inspired by “Born to be Wild”
St. Bernadette Catholic Elementary School students from Mme Aubin’s Grade 4 class and Mme Therrien’s Grade 5/6 class are embarking on an inquiry based learning project. In order to build knowledge, students were very fortunate to attend a special presentation by Science North Staff Scientist, Mr Bruce Doran on Thursday, April 3rd. Mr Doran shared his experiences and the knowledge he gained about the fate of elephants while working in Africa on the Imax film, “Born to Be Wild”. After a question and answer session, students viewed the Imax film which features orphaned baby Elephants and information on The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The presentation and movie sparked many ideas and questions from the students. A member of the Grade 5/6 class, Ivan Irazi, was able to share his experience of having visited The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust when he was a student in Africa! “Now students are working on developing authentic questions in order to deepen their understanding of why elephants are endangered,” says Mme Therrien.
All That is Glitzy and Glamorous for Grad
Graduating girls at St. Charles College were treated to a Gown Giveaway event April 8. The event was put on in partnership with the All Dressed Up and the Sudbury and District Health Unit. Two school based nurses also helped assist the girls to provide fashionable flair advice along with building their self esteem.
More than one dozen girls ended up walking away with the dress of their dreams.
This is the second year the school has worked in partnership with the Health Unit to have the event.
The event was organized by the Guidance department at St. Charles College.
“Spreading the Net” at St. Benedict
“Every minute a child dies from malaria – a preventable disease transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Malaria kills more children than any other disease in Africa.”
As a Catholic community at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School, the students and staff wanted to work together to help find a solution to this problem. The students’ administrative council at St. Benedict CSS implemented a school-wide initiative and the school took on the challenge of “Spread the Net.” they joined Canadian icon Rick Mercer and thousands of other students across Canada to raise money for mosquito nets to fight malaria in Africa. Their goal was to raise $7500 to purchase 750 nets; enough to save as many as 1500 individuals (as each bed net may be used to protect 2 people for up to 3 years). This year, funds raised through the student challenge will help provide bed nets to families in Zimbabwe. The fundraiser was organized through the charity Plan Canada.
Students were involved in various activities, such as asking for pledges at home, canvassing neighbourhoods for community involvement, and holding in-school events to raise money. They were excited to get involved and work together to raise money to help others in need. Students especially enjoyed the in-school activities such as the dress down days and a teacher versus student volley ball game. By the end of the campaign, the school raised $8,844.75 and were ranked highly in the contest nationwide. The 63 participating schools across Canada raised over $170 000.
The students and staff wanted to say a special thanks to the team of students who volunteered countless hours into planning and organizing the campaign: Brendan Sullivan, Sara Lehman, Carlee Christie, Kathryn Kettle, Allie Stankiewicz, Elisa Bacik, and Matt Ierino. Finally, to teacher Meghan MacMillan who organized the students and encouraged them to do their best the students send a very special thank you for her time and effort in helping make this more successful than anyone had imagined. They all look forward to surpassing theirr goal next year!”