On a very cold January 17, 2013, Sudbury Gospel singer Amy St. John brought her talent and her guitar to St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School to spread some of God’s sunshine and warmth with the staff and students. Amy led the children in several songs. Some of the songs enjoyed were Jesus Loves the Little Children, Jesus Loves me, This Little Light of Mine and many more. Amy’s faith shone forth in her smiles and music and was thoroughly enjoyed by all present.
Category: Schools
The Scales of Justice work in favour of St. Charles College
The grade twelve law class at St. Charles College is celebrating victory after winning the City Mock Trial Championships January 14, 2013 at the Sudbury Courthouse. There were fourteen teams from all four Sudbury school boards competing for the coveted Justice Patricia Hennessy Trophy. Cardinal Miranda Goudreau won the Best Defense Advocate Award for her work on the drug possession and trafficking trial. Goudreau says “I have learned to live and breath Law all semester and it was nice to see all our hard work has paid off. I have never taken part in anything that has compared to this experience and this amount of work.” Teacher Jaime Sauve says “the team set itself above the rest because the oral presentation was excellent and the group came up with loopholes in the case that other groups had not considered.” This is the second time in three years that Sauve’s class at St. Charles College has taken the top prize. There will be no rest for the weary. The team must continue to work towards competing at the Provincial Championships in Toronto this April.
The Nativity Story Comes to Life at St. Anne Catholic School
On Wednesday, December 19th, the St. Anne Catholic Elementary School community came together to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Students from the Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) to Grade 8 participated in the celebration of Jesus’ birthday through prayer and dramatization. Students from teacher Jody O’Daiskey’s combined 7/8 class used their voices to tell the story while students from teacher Alice Desormeaux’s FDK class provided the dramatization. “I think the FDK students did a terrific job playing out the scenes and they deserve a big thank you,” said Isaac Oliveira, a Grade 8 student at the school.
The FDK students were very pleased with their accomplishments and were happy to display the biggest gift at Christmas: Jesus. “I felt like I was floating up in the sky. I think everybody did well in the play, especially all of my friends,” said FDK student Cameron, the star of Bethlehem. “I felt good about being Joseph. I was glad to play the part, and I wasn’t nervous,” said Anthony Bertrand, a student in FDK.
The St. Anne Catholic School junior choir, let by Ms. Bruneau and Ms. Nickelchuk filled the gymnasium with their gift of music, as did Madame Hayes’ FDK class who sang Happy Birthday Jesus. The true meaning of Christmas came to life for all the students and staff at the school.
Walden Winter Carnival Committee Gifts Carved Bear to St. James
Students and staff at St. James Catholic Elementary School received a wonderful gift the first week back to school from the Christmas break. A beautifully carved wooden bear was donated to the school from the Walden Winter Carnival Organizing Committee. The school, which has been a part of the winter carnival for over 20 years, was given the bear that was carved by a chainsaw as a part of last year’s carnival. The St. James mascot is a bear so their newly donated bear – now representing their mascot, is now proudly on display in the school’s library with a commemorative plaque. Wayne St. George, the Chair of the Walden Winter Carnival Committee, said that he thought it was a good fit to donate the bear to the school. “The bear was carved last year as part of the carnival festivities, and seeing as it is ties in so well with the school’s mascot – we thought that the donation would be a perfect fit.” St. George said. “We have a really positive relationship with the school as we use it as part of the carnival location.” Dan Stargratt, vice principal of the school was extremely happy with the donation. “All of the students and staff have commented that the new bear in the library is a beautiful piece of art and we are very thankful to the Walden Winter Carnival Committee for their generous donation.”
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the carnival, one of the longest running winter carnivals in the province, and the committee is looking forward to sharing all of the upcoming events with the community.
Students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School Collect Pine Cones for Wild at Heart Animal Refuge Centre in Lively
The students at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School have collected thousands of pine cones this year to support the Wild at Heart Animal Refuge Centre in Lively. The centre needs the pine cones to feed some of the smaller animals in the winter. These caring students collected these cones in the fall as a part of their Dearness Conservation “Direction” challenge (East Eagles, South Turtles, West Buffalos and North Bears). Students were asked to try to each bring in 1 closed pine cone, which would be 330 pine cones for the Centre. The response was overwhelming as some students brought in hundreds of cones each! “What a great response by our students,” stated Laura Stirrett, vice principal of the school. “The virtue of the month for January is responsibility – and we are so proud of our students for recognizing that is all of our responsibility to take care of the earth and all of its inhabitants!”
Santa Has Breakfast with St. Anne School Families
Recently, students and families at St. Anne Catholic School in Hanmer were greeted with sleigh bells as Santa joined them for breakfast in their gymnasium. The gymnasium was bustling with Christmas cheer as families enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast provided by Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. “The food that was provided by Perkins Restaurant was fabulous. The pancakes and ham were just like a home cooked meal. Perkins surely outdid themselves when preparing the meal for the day,” said Tammie Meeks, a parent at St. Anne Catholic School.
Families also enjoyed Christmas music provided by James Morgan and his band, which added a great deal of festive spirit to the morning. “I thought it was really great to listen to my friend’s dad play in our gym. They were a really good band, and the people really enjoyed it,” said Darian Troscinski, a grade 7 student at the school.
Theme baskets were created by staff and students and several prizes were donated by Perkins Restaurant and Bakery. Families were excited to view these amazing prizes, and expressed their enthusiasm about the event.
Justin Trudeau Surprises St. Charles College Staff Despite Winter Storm
About one hundred staff and students attended an impromptu intimate and interactive discussion with Justin Trudeau on December 21, 2012 at St. Charles College in Sudbury.
Justin Trudeau, was supposed to address the full student population of one thousand students but a snow storm and school bus cancellations hampered the event.
Just after eight o’clock a.m., Trudeau arrived to meet the staff and students. He also expressed that he wanted to come and meet school president David DiBrina who has done a lot of work in the area of youth leadership in the city.
Justin agreed to continue his talk on youth empowerment and leadership in the school’s amphitheatre. The discussion was inspiring according to Kristen Wilcox, a grade eleven student at the school. “He made me really think about changing the way I live and the things I do, so that I am working towards creating a better world for my generation and future generations.”
St. Anne Angelic Voices Reach Out
The St. Anne Catholic School Junior Choir had an opportunity to experience firsthand the true meaning of Christmas. On Wednesday, December 12th, 2012, the choir performed a selection of Christmas carols for the residents of the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron. Choir member Bailey Gervais said, “I was happy to help out, and it was a lot of fun too!”
Afterward the children were able to distribute candy canes and warm wishes to all in attendance. The smiles throughout the room spoke volumes. Choir member Zoe Duhaime said, “I liked bringing joy to people who don’t have a chance to go out too much at Christmas.”
The choir members demonstrated the Catholic virtue of patience that is currently being celebrated at the school.
The Gift of Giving at St. David
This year, in the true spirit of Christmas, teacher Caroline Mansourian’s Grade 7 students at St. David Catholic School dedicated themselves to purchasing gifts for young, needy children to be donated to “Salvation Army” in Sudbury. The students devoted their time and gifts to their class philanthropic project to compassionately serve their fellow Sudburians and learned much in the practice of generosity. “The students have come to value the importance of community service, and through this project of giving to those less fortunate than themselves, they have gained an understanding about providing positive support for one another and an elevated sense of human compassion,” explained Miss Mansourian.