On a chilly Monday morning, the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Photography club headed out to shoot some pictures in the local neighbourhoods. Teacher Angela Hodgins and chaplain Rob Pappin led the students on a walk about the Mallard’s landing area and captured many stunning images of the beauty of an Autumn morning. The photography club is a newer club in the school and students and staff are excited to display some of their work. They also work closely with the year book club to capture the various sports and other activities that are happening at the school. The club is open to all students and new members are always welcome.
Category: Community
Kangoo and Boot Camp At Marymount
On Thursday, November 14th the Gr. 11 Fitness class at Marymount participated in a boot camp and kangoo session with Clint and Lisa from Bodyworks Studio. This is the third time that Bodyworks Studio has visited Marymount and the fitness sessions are becoming more and more popular. With random spectators popping out of nowhere, the galleries and cafeteria filled throughout the period to see what this kangoo was all about. The students in the Gr. 11 Fitness class demonstrated that it’s all about cardio, strength, and endurance……not to mention FUN!!!! Most popular question at the end of class – “whoa….k seriously, when are we doing that again???”
St. Francis Students REMEMBER War Veterans
Students from St. Francis Catholic Elementary School in grade 2 and 3 eagerly wrote postcards to war veterans for Remembrance Day. The postcards were provided by Veteran Affairs Canada. The class put their friendly letter writing skills to use in order to compose a thoughtful message. Students in teacher Graziella Visentin’s class annually write postcards to thank veterans for being brave and courageous in order to protect others. The grade 2 and 3 students acknowledged the veterans’ efforts and their gratitude for the freedom we so much enjoy today. This year the postcards were sent to war veterans residing in Ottawa, Ontario.
Grade 2 and 3 students pictured above, participated in a Remembrance Day Service with their classmates and members of the Royal Canadian Legion. Students read an acrostic poem entitled, REMEMBER, after the laying of wreaths during the service.
St. James Students Connecting Globally
The Grade 7 and 8 students at St. James Catholic Elementary School have prepared care packages for an orphanage in Kenya this past month. Mary Crowder from the Rehena In Step Ministry came to pick up the goods and thanked the students for their generosity. Students also wrote letters and are hoping to Skype with them later on this year.
Exploring Careers and Beyond At Marymount Academy
Marymount Academy students had the opportunity on Friday, November 8 to look into their futures. Over 22 different presentations were set up for the students – all by women in successful careers willing to share their stories. Brenda Thompson, head of guidance for the school set up this career day to showcase a variety of careers to inspire the students. The students could sign up for four of the 22 different presentations including a firefighter, a physiotherapist and a carpenter. What was really great for the students was that several of the presenters were also graduates of Marymount Academy and they shared their journeys from their Marymount days down the path to their present careers.
“With a school made up of all female students, we know it is important to inspire the girls and help them recognize their unlimited potential,” explained Thompson. “Our students do very well academically, and we know that it is key to showcase a multitude of career options for them to help them achieve their own successes.”
“Our Dreams Matter Too” At St. James
For the second year in a row St. James Catholic School has been recognized for its participation in the ‘ Our Dreams Matter Too’ campaign. This campaign was originally created by Shannen Koostachin, youth education advocate from the Attawapiskat First Nation in Ontario. Her dream was for safe and comfy schools and culturally based education for First Nations children and youth. First Nations schools receive less funding per student than Provincial and Territorial schools, and zero dollars for things like libraries, computers, languages or extracurricular activities. Shannen advocated to try to convince the Federal government to give First Nations children a proper education before tragically passing away at the age of 15 years old in 2010.
Today we “bring God’s peace into the world”
St. Charles College and St. Bernadette students came together in song on November 11 for a special Remembrance Day faith celebration. The presentation was pulled together by Drama teacher Diandra Zafiiris.
It featured a medley of recognizeable songs such as “One” by U2, “21 Guns” by Green Day and “Meant to Live” by Switchfoot.
An eagle’s staff was also used as part of the memorable presentation to honour the fallen.
In photo: Vesna Kelsey on piano, Paighton Mills, Sean Lynott and Jenna Daypuk singing, John Bronicheski and guitar teacher Mr. Teddy Bubalo on guitar.
Postcards for Peace
The Grade 2 students at Holy Cross Catholic Elementary School sent their Postcards for Peace to veterans to thank them for having served in the past wars. The students recognized that many of Canada’s service men and women continue today, to leave their families and friends, in order to bring peace to many countries around the world. The children discussed how they are all peacekeepers here in Canada. They learned that they can all help with “peacekeeping missions” by respecting and helping each other in the school playgrounds, at home, and in their neighbourhoods. One of the biggest lessons learned is that It’s so important to learn from the past.
Bishop Students Partnering with Crimestoppers
On November 6th, the students of Bishop Alexander Carter C.S.S in Hammer were given a presentation from the nonprofit organization Crime Stoppers. Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers is a partnership of the public, the police, and the media, which provides the community with a proactive program for people to anonymously assist in the solving of crime and contributing to an improved quality of life in our community. Students at Bishop were not only informed about this organization, but also encouraged to use the program to report things that they might see in their community or school that is a crime. They are taking a stance that “this is our community and we want to keep it safe”. A poster will be displayed in the school cafeteria reminding students of this message. Students also learned about the dangers of distracted driving. One student said “It really made me think about how much I affect others when I divert my attention from the road; I definitely think it should be shown to more schools, especially high schools”.