“The Capital One Rocks & Rings program is designed to introduce the Olympic sport of curling to elementary school children. By bringing the curling rink to the school gym we reach children that would otherwise not have access to the roaring game.
The best part? We bring everything to the kids – no field trip or school buses required! Curling is a highly social sport that can be enjoyed for a lifetime. It is a fantastic physical activity that can be enjoyed by all ages and abilities. It also promotes sportsmanship and camaraderie and is an inexpensive and less dangerous alternative to many other sports.” www.rocksandrings.com
This was a very engaging and inclusive activity which St. James Catholic Elementary students thoroughly enjoyed. St. James would like to thank Capital One Rocks and Rings for introducing this sport to the students.
Category: Athletics
St. David Roaring Runners Prepare for Spring Running Season
The St. David Catholic Elementary School Roaring Runners cooking club is anxiously awaiting the beginning of the spring running season. While they wait for the snow to melt they are learning more about fuelling their bodies with healthy foods. As they wait for the seasons to change, the students participate in an after school cooking club. The students learn how to prepare a variety of healthy meals, learn about nutrition and enjoy the meals that they make together. This week students were hard at work making oatmeal muffin cups and banana French toast kabobs.
According to Ontario Ministry of Education “schools play an important role in teaching students healthy eating habits and reinforcing those lessons through school practices. Research shows that good health is a prerequisite for good learning. The government passed the Healthy Food for Healthy Schools Act in April 2008.”
As a staff, St. David School works in partnership with Better Beginnings Better Futures, Breakfast Clubs of Canada and Holy Trinity Men’s Club to create an “environment where the healthiest choices are the easiest choices for students to make”. The school provides opportunities that reinforces the knowledge and attitudes regarding healthy eating developed through the Ontario curriculum.
Cardinals Take Home Both Junior and Senior Volleyball Titles at NOSSA
It was a celebratory Monday at St. Charles College recently. The girls’ junior and senior volleyball teams competed at NOSSA and brought home not one BUT TWO championship banners.
The junior team beat the Sault’s Superior Heights Steelhawks to take the Northern Ontario Secondary Schools Association AAA junior girls title.
Head coach Julie Dion told her team to remain positive as they are always a team that works well at coming from behind and they did.
The senior team also took the AAA senior girls volleyball title after beating out the Korah Colts with their strong offense and defence.
Both teams advanced to the Ontario Federation of School Athletics Associations (OFSAA) AAA championships held in Windsor March 3rd to the 6th.
On Your Mark, Get Set… Let the Winter Outdoor Adventure Race Begin!
The scene was set for a perfect Winter Outdoor Adventure Race on Tuesday, February 26, 2013. The sky was clear, the temperature was above zero – and most importantly, there was a lot of snow in Killarney. Compared to past years, this year’s event had more than enough snow for organizer and outdoor education teacher for the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, Brad Blackwell, to really focus the adventure race activities on true Northern Ontario winter activities.
“This was our third year running the Winter Outdoor adventure race – and, as compared to year’s past, the abundance of snow allowed us to set up some true northern outdoor programming as part of the race,” Blackwell said. “We wanted to ensure that all of the students taking part got a real feel for adventures in the snow, and how to not only survive it, but excel and have fun in it!”
This year’s race participants included secondary students from St. Charles College, St. Benedict and Marymount Academy. There were fifteen teams of three and each team had to take part in every leg of the race. Upon arrival in Killarney, the students were given race packets and instructions, and were quickly directed to the outdoor start location. Once the rules were established and all safety aspects reviewed, the students lined up to begin the first part of a seven-part challenge. The entire race included a strategic stick toss, a snow-pile build (a scaled-down version of a quinzee), a 1.13 km sprint, a 750 run in snowshoes, a Frisbee target toss, a strategic orienteering challenge and a fire-lighting trial.
The snowshoe run, the orienteering challenge and the fire-lighting components proved to be the most difficult part of the race for the participants. The orienteering section was tricky as any wrong answers on their check sheet resulted in penalties of an additional five minutes added on to their final time at the finish line. Once the snowshoes were on, they had to stay on throughout the orienteering section of the race and the students were only able to remove them once they began their fire challenge. With the fire challenge, the students were given minimal materials to start their fire, and the ultimate goal was to get a metal can of water to come to a complete boil before sprinting to the finish line. In order to get additional materials for the fire, the students had to do a different number of laps around a section of the forest depending on what materials were needed – whether it be more kindling, extra matches, etc.
In the end, one of the teams from St. Benedict was the first to cross the finish line and, despite some errors during the orienteering challenge, they beat the next team by a mere 25 seconds. This team consisted of Kyle Herbert (grade 10), Doug Pitfield (grade 12) and Kayla Huchenski (grade 12). Not only did the first place team take home the banner for their school, but were also each awarded a brand new set of Tubbs snowshoes that were generously donated to the race by the Tubbs Snowshoe Company. What happened after the team was presented with their prize, speaks volumes about the outstanding character of the Sudbury Catholic students. Both Kyle Herbert and Doug Pitfield thanked the organizers for their prize, but as their families are fortunate to already own several pairs, decided to donate the snowshoes back to their school to support the outdoor education program at St. Benedict. “This most generous gesture by these two students really capped off what was already a truly exceptional day,” Blackwell stated. “These students poured their heart and soul into this competition, and in the end they proudly represented their school both during and after the race! All of the students that competed today truly represent the positive Sudbury Catholic spirit and I congratulate each and every one of them for an outstanding job! As well, I thank all of the teachers and volunteers who helped made today such a success!”
After a hearty lunch provided by the organizers, students began to get ready for departure, but were overheard by the teachers and volunteers already strategizing for the next outdoor adventure race in the spring.
Marymount/St. Ben’s Alpine Teams Make it Back-to-Back-to-Back
On Wednesday, February 13th the SDSSAA/NOSSA Alpine Championships took place showcasing just shy of 100 of the best high school racers who competed in slalom and giant slalom. Conditions were perfect for racing and all of the skiers took advantage of the favourable racing conditions. In the Level 1 division (no club racing affiliation or experience past Nancy Greene) Marymount Academy and St. Benedict’s were looking to make it three consecutive championships in three consecutive years. In the morning slalom runs, Marymount set the mark and reaffirmed that they are still a strong force in the city. Katherine Boyce earned her first gold medal in alpine competition in only her second year of ski racing and she wasn’t finished there. She finished the afternoon giant slalom run in second and was the silver medallist. This resulted in Katherine being crowned the overall Level 1 Girls’ combined champion and double-gold medallist. The success didn’t stop with Katherine. Veteran high school racer Danielle Burla captured the gold medal in the girls’ giant slalom after having a difficult morning in the slalom. Overall, the Regals finished with Katherine as the gold medallist, first-year racer Carissa Roy as the silver medallist, second-year racer Kelsey Roy in third place, and veteran Brittany Major in fifth place. This was more than enough to earn Marymount their third NOSSA championship in three consecutive years. Team members include: Danielle Burla, Katherine Boyce, Carissa Roy, Kelsey Roy, Brittany Major, McKenna Urso, Toni Teale, Kelsey Bell, Brier Cook, and Marika Moskalyk.
For St. Benedict’s, it was very much of the same. Ryan Bell was the overall Level 1 boys’ combined silver medallist. Adam Kirkwood and Arthur Cavallin finished fourth and fifth respectively overall. These outstanding finishes also earned the St. Benedict’s Level 1 boys’ team their third NOSSA championship in three consecutive years. Team members include: Ryan Bell, Adam Kirkwood, Arthur Cavallin, Jarvis Hill, Alex Andlar, Justin Fabian, and Dana Petrone.
Both teams will be representing Northern Ontario at the Provincial OFSAA Championships to be held at Blue Mountain in Collingwood from February 24th – 26th.
St. Charles Elementary Students Explore Their Senses Through Goalball
JK/SK students in teacher Amy Malafarina’s class at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School learned more about their senses of hearing, touch and sight as they experienced the skills of the game Goalball. Thank you to teacher Adriano Simonato, a vision resource teacher with the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, for sharing his expertise and love for the sport with us!
Zumba Fun at St. Raphael
All students from Kindergarten to Grade 8 are participating in Zumba Fun at St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School. Each class will receive 4 Zumba sessions during the month of February, thanks to the generous School Council. Teachers and students are benefitting from the great music and moves they are learning – staying fit and staying happy!
Rocks and Rings a New Experience at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School
Recently, students at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School in Hanmer had the opportunity to participate in Rocks and Rings, a program that is delivered to elementary school students to develop an awareness of the Olympic sport curling. The Sudbury Catholic District School Board students were engaged in a variety of activities throughout their session and actively participated in a curling experience in the school’s gymnasium. Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 enjoyed their new experience and asked a number of questions about the game of curling. “It was fun to interact with and learn the game of curling with our peers,” said Spencer Gagnon, a grade 8 student at St. Anne Catholic Elementary School. “It was fun having a friendly competition with our friends while we were learning the game,” said Seth Duguay, another student at the school. Overall, students were engaged with this new experience and enjoyed trying a new physical activity.
“Nothing But Net” at SCDSB
Pius XII Catholic Elementary School is one of many of the Sudbury Catholic Schools who have partnered up with the Knights of Columbus for their annual ‘Free Throw Competition’. Since 1972, councils have sponsored the Knights of Columbus International Free Throw Championship for boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 14. Oscar Barowette, a Knights of Columbus member, feels that holding this competition is ‘a great way to get out into the public and introduce the Order to the community — while providing youths with a rewarding activity that yields a chance for local, state or provincial, and international recognition’. Good luck to all Pius Penguins, as well as all other Sudbury Catholic students who are moving on to the next level of competition.