“Get tooned… be tooned… Stay tooned!” These were the words that echoed the halls of St. Raphael Catholic Elementary School on Thursday, September 22 as actor/producer, and former student Christian Potenza visited the school’s Grade 8 students. Known for his voice roles in the popular Teletoon cartoons Total Drama Island (Chris McLean), 6Teen (Jude Lizowski), Sidekick (Trevor Troublemyer), as well as the toothbrush in the popular Listerine commercials, the school was thrilled to be visited by such a talented and energetic speaker.
Potenza, who attended St. Raphael for Grades 3 – 5, contacted principal Vicki McGuire to see if he could stop by and speak to some of the classes. In town for Cinefest to promote a film entitled Moon Point, (in which he acted and helped produce), he hoped to go back and visit the school, and get the chance to talk to some of the students about his different work experiences and making good choices in life. Starting the day helping McGuire with the school’s announcements, the excitement level increased dramatically as the students instantly recognized Potenza’s very distinct cartoon voices. Immediately following this, the Grade 8’s joined their guest in the gym. His positive message was clear as Potenza spoke to the Grade 8’s about finding their passion, and working hard towards achieving their goals. He also reminisced with the students about several Sudbury landmarks he remembered – including Adanac Ski Hill, and Cortina Restaurant. Accompanying Potenza was the film’s Director Sean Cisterna and lead actor Nick McKinlay. At the end of the presentation, Potenza encouraged the students to “read more books… so you can watch more cartoons!” Swarmed by students, Potenza high-fived and shook many hands as he left to attend his film’s screening at Silver City. The school’s principal Vicki McGuire was excited that the students responded so positively to their special guest. “It was a joy to see the Grade 8’s so excited to listen to Christian,” McGuire said. “We are very fortunate to have had this opportunity, and are delighted that our students really connected to his message. We are hopeful he will come back and speak with our students in the future!”

Several St. Gabriel’s Villa residents gathered together on June 28 to take in a performance by the Grade 2/3 students from St. Charles Catholic Elementary School. Under the guidance of teacher Michelle Robinson, the students had been working tirelessly for the past three months on their “Music and Dance from Communities Around the World “ concert. The students took the residents on a virtual airplane journey through a multi-media presentation and through slides, and video, gave a description of each “destination” before each act. The dancing and music was then reflective of the country they had a stopover in. Some of the places that were “visited” included South Africa, Cuba, New Zealand, Greece, China and the Siksika First Nation Reserve in Canada. The final act of the show was a spectacular Hula dance reflecting Hawaiian culture, performed by the students’ teacher. According to Robinson, “the goal of the concert, was not only to create a culminating task that would integrate Social Studies, Music and Dance, but also to create a memorable and authentic experience for the children.” The residents showed their appreciation for the students’ performance with enthusiastic applause and huge smiles for the kids. Sandra St. Denis, Principal of the school, expressed her gratitude for “Miss Robinson’s dedication to student learning and her amazing creativity.” The class was rewarded for a job well done with juice and cookies after the performance, and were invited to visit them again in the new school year.