On Thursday, January 11, 2010, students at St. Benedicts participated in a traditional smudging ceremony led by Elder Vince Pawis. Afterward, Mr. Pawis shared several traditional teachings such as the medicine wheel and clan names. The students learned how important it is to be respectful of others and of their connection to Mother Earth.
Category: Community
Bishop Alexander Carter Launches 2010 Heart and Stroke Campaign
Students at Bishop Alexander Carter gathered on February 5, 2010 for an assembly to launch the school’s Heart and Stroke campaign. The school had several guests speak to the importance of fundraising and awareness of Heart and Stroke issues. Michelle Toner, spokesperson for the foundation talked of the personal family members that have had heart disease or strokes and the impact it has had on her. “Great things can happen if you put your mind to it.” said Toner. “Go get ’em Gators and do the best you can to raise as much money as you can for Heart and Stroke!” Deputy Mayor Ron Dupuis also told the students of the importance of this campaign to the city of Sudbury. As a survivor of a massive heart attack back in 2006, Dupuis knows that the community of Sudbury has top-notch doctors,in fact, he believes “the best cardiologists in the world.” By raising funds, he explained how this money was put right back into the community with dollars going to research, medical technology and support. He thanked all of the students for their past donations and told them that they were heroes for so generously giving their time and funds to support such a worthy cause. The students will have several ways to raise money for this year’s campaign. First, the students have been asked to go out and canvas their communities for donations. As well, the students have the opportunity to participate in a co-ed ball hockey tournament on February 18, 2010 as either a player or a spectator by buying into the game or as buy out of class to cheer on the teams. The students will also have a dress down day they can buy into on February 24, 2010. The students hope to beat their donations from last year which were close to $3000.
St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Launches New Breakfast Program
On Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010, St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School opened the doors to its new Breakfast Club. The program is a partnership between Breakfast Clubs of Canada, the Human League Association and the Sudbury Catholic District School Board. The Breakfast Club provides a healthy breakfast for the students in a relaxed environment and is operated by volunteer staff members and students. The club is open five days per week in the morning and allows students to help themselves to menu items such as fruit, fruit juice, yogurt, cereal and whole wheat bagels to name a few. This is the forth breakfast program operating in the SCDSB secondary schools. The primary goal of the program is to feed students who do not have the opportunity to have breakfast, allowing them to focus on their academics rather than being distracted by hunger.”
St. Ben’s in Pink to Support Janis Foligno Foundation
On Friday, February 5th, 2010, students and staff at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School donned pink to show their support in the fight againstt breast cancer. The students were encouraged to replace some or all of their uniform with a pink item. Those who participated paid a toonie for the opportunity to shed the uniform for the day in support of breast cancer research. All money raised will be donated to the Janis Foligno Foundation. Janis is the mother of two former St. Ben’s students – Lisa and Marcus. The proceeds will be presented to Marcus when he speaks at St. Benedict’s Open House on February 16th. It was a fun day to replace the uniform and raised money and awareness to support research for breast cancer.
Marymount Launches Their 2010 Heart and Stroke Campaign – “Strokes for Stroke”
Students at Marymount Academy launched the official kick off to their 2010 Heart and Stroke Campaign on February 3, 2010. The theme for the school’s campaign is “Strokes for Stroke” as the main fundraiser will involve the girls paying for a dress-down day and will be going to the Laurentian University swimming pool to enjoy an Olympic themed pool party. This theme was chosen for several reasons. Firstly, the girls wanted to promote exercise and a healthy lifestyle and swimming fits the bill. Secondly, they wanted to tie the event to the Olympics so the pool party will include several Olympic themed games and events with the several prizes to be won. On hand for the launch were several community partners including Mayor John Rodriquez and Police Chief Frank Elsner. Mayor Rodriquez spoke to the girls about the importance of community involvement and physical fitness. Rodriquez said that he was always delighted to visit Marymount as it is a school of heart and spirit. As February is Heart month, he stressed the importance of giving from the heart to support this mementous campaign and their involvement “says a lot about who you are as a individual, as a school and as citizens of Sudbury.” Chief Elsner also spoke to the girls about how he his family has been personally affected by heart disease and stroke and stressed that one of the main initiatives of the Greater Sudbury Police Service was getting involved with youth initiatives. Elner told the girls that he loved visiting Marymount because it is the school with the most spirit and he knows that with the students getting involved in this campaign, it shows that “our future is in good hands.”
Several other business were on hand as they have already begun to donate to the campaign. Lise Callahan, a teacher from Marymount who organized this event spoke to the girls about the importance of what they were undertaking. “We need to make the community aware that this is a problem for people of all ages. It does not just affect older adults, in fact, heart disease and stroke causes one in every three deaths in Canada every year.” The students will also be raising funds through raffles and other school events to support this significant campaign
St. Andrew’s Grade Three Class Raise Funds for Haitian Relief
The grade 3 students of St. Andrew School and their teacher Mr. Laurin held a bake sale on February 2nd in support of the Red Cross efforts to help the people in Haiti. To make this a learning experience for the children the teacher had each child be their own salesperson and several grade 6 students helped with the money counting. The students brought in tasty treats and also had a snowman cake to raffle. They raised $298.42 in their one day project.
Traditional Elders in the Classroom at St. Andrew
The St. Andrew School grade six class welcomed Vince Pawis and Thecla Neganegijig, both traditional Elders who work with the board at the Outdoor Education Centre in Killarney, to their school. Vince started the presentation with a traditional Smudging ceremony to elliminate all the bad energy in the room. He spoke to the students and their teacher about the Medicine Wheel and traditional medicines of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass and cedar. Mr. Pawis also tied in the 7 Grandfather Good Life Teachings of wisdom, respect, love, bravery, humility, honesty and truth. The students and their teacher, Mr. Gautheir, were very interested to learn more about First Nation culture and tradition.
St. Albert Adult Learning Centre Launches Breakfast Program
St. Albert Adult Learning Centre officially launched its new Breakfast Program on February 1, 2010 to rave reviews. Students were at the school bright and early to help staff prepare for the first day of the program. St. Albert Office Supervisor, Ann Brisebois made sure that everything was ready and organized so that the students had healthy food options when arriving at the school. The program is funded by the Breakfast Club of Canada and the Human League. When asked about how she felt about the meal being provided at the school, student Angele St. Germain said that that it was fantastic. “It is absolutely excellent to get to school and have breakfast ready for us.” said St. Germain. “It is one less thing I have to worry about in the morning and makes it easier to start my day!”
St. David Catholic Elementary School Celebrates Family Literacy Day with Community
Students at St. David Catholic Elementary School celebrated Family LIteracy Day on January 27 with visits from many different special guests. Local celebrities and community partners joined the different classes and read together to celebrate the joy of reading. Some of the guests included Tony Ryma from CTV News, Constables Grant Dokis and Ryan MacKay, three Sudbury Wolves players, as well as board staff including Joan Yawney the Religious Education, Family Life and Faith Formation Consultant and Maurizio Visentin, Guidance Program Leader at St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. The students also enjoyed visits from their own family members and different staff family relatives. The St. David’s community was thrilled with their special guests and look forward to future visits!