Students from St. Benedict’s A.S.D. class had the opportunity recently to try the sport of rowing. They started off by training indoors all second semester at the ILRC downtown with the help of Carla John, who works at the ILRC, and their coach was Thomas Merritt, from the Sudbury Rowing Club. When the weather got warmer and the students felt more confident with their rowing skills, they got to row on the lake. The coach got other members from the rowing club to volunteer so that the students had experienced rowers along with them the first time. The indoor training was very physically demanding as the students worked up a quite a sweat but when they got to go out on the lake, it made it all worth it. The class hopes to continue the rowing next year.
Author: admin
St. Charles College Student Receives Significant French Immersion Scholarship
Alison Hunt, a grade 12 student from St. Charles College found out recently that she was the successful grant applicant for a $20,000 French Immersion scholarship from the University of Ottawa. After applying to the University for their International Development and Globalization program, Hunt received news that she was going to be receiving $5,000 a year for the next four years as long as she takes 60% of her courses in French. A French Immersion student for all of her schooling, Hunt didn’t really think about applying for any sort of French Immersion related scholarships. Her teacher, Rick Emond suggested to her that she might want to consider this option. Thankfully Hunt took his advice and her parents couldn’t be happier. “They are really excited for me,” Hunt said. “They know this is a fantastic opportunity for me and are really proud of me, especially since neither of them even speak French.” Hunt attributes a lot of her scholastic succes to Mr. Emond. “ He (Emond) has been there for me right from day one in Grade 9 and has encouraged me to stay in French Immersion right into Grade 12”. Emond says that he has always been very proud of Alison’s accomplishments as she has always been a very mature student who always went beyond what was required and always took extreme pride in her work. “Allison has always seen the importance of the Immersion program and never complained about the work that was involved,” Emond said. “She deserves this and part of me is envious of the opportunities that lie ahead of her as there is no doubt in my mind that she will make a difference in the world – when people talk about our students being our future, Alison will be one of the ones leading the way.” Hunt hopes to eventually work for a global charitable organization such as “Right to Play” and feels that continuing in her French will allow her more successful career opportunities.
St. Benedict Guest Speaker Drives Home the Message of the Dangers of Drinking and Distracted Driving
Students at St. Benedict welcomed guest speaker Norbert Georget to their school on May 12th, 2010. Mr. Georget is a former Saskatoon area paramedic, who now travels throughout Canada and the United States to bring home the reality of the consequences of drinking and driving, distracted driving and using drugs before getting behind the wheel. Drawing on his personal experiences while he was a paramedic, Mr. Georget shared story after story of senseless tragedies to a silent audience. The students and staff were speechless when Mr. Georget’s message hit home as he displayed a body bag and begged the students to make choices that would ensure they not end up in one. At the end of the presentation, the students and staff responded with thunderous applause to thank Mr. Georget for sharing his experiences. Thanks to the sponsorship of the local Community Credit Unions, St. Benedict was pleased to host the afternoon presentation to the students, and later in the evening the school opened its doors to parents and other community members to listen to Mr. Georget’s important message.
St. Benedict Band Goes on Tour
The St. Benedict Band’s went on tour recently and some of their excursions included performances at Southridge Mall, St. Christopher School, St. James School and Corpus Christi. Joanne Comisso, teacher at St. Benedict and Band Director felt that the students were ready to showcase their talents so was thrilled at the many opportunities they have had to perform. “The students have been working very hard so it is great that they have had several invitations in and around the community.” said Comisso.
Sudbury Star Male Athlete of the Week – Garrett Duff – St. Ben’s
Name – Garrett Duff
Grade – 11
Age – 16
Sports – Cross Country Skiing, Track & Field, Soccer, Badminton
Garrett has been a very active St. Benedict Bear since arriving from Timmins. He has competed in cross country skiing, advancing to OFSAA and even the Ontario Winter Games. He still trains regularly with the Walden Ski club.
In Track and Field, Garrett was a sprinter but has now focused more on jumping events. He has qualified for NOSSA in the long, and triple jumps. He hopes to qualify for OFSSA this year.
In soccer, Garrett was a part of the Jr. Boys NOSSA team in 2009.
In Badminton, Garrett won the SDSSAA and NOSSA championships in singles as a Gr. 9 student. In Gr.10 he competed in the Sr. Division in doubles with partner, freshman Hans Agnihotri, and came in 2nd in the district and in regionals. Both Hans and Garret placed 3rd in “C” at OFSSA. Garrett also competed in the Northern Ontario Badminton Association (NOBA) and completed the triple crown in the U16 division. He won in the singles, doubles, and mixed events. Garrett competes regularly all over the province and just finished the Sudbury Invitational where he placed 1st in both singles and doubles. Both Garrett and Hans (playing U19 at age 15) are hoping to advance to OFSAA again. The finals will be held this Saturday.
Garrett is also an avid kayaker and can be found on Ramsey most days of the summer. He says that it keeps your arms in shape for badminton! He is looking forward to the day when he will kayaking in Killarney.
Congratulations Garrett!
Elder Visits St. Benedict Students to Share Culture
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.
No Bull, it’s a “Bear” Market
The St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School Accounting classes, Personal Finance Math classes, and other students interested in the stock market participated in the Nipissing University Stock Market Game. These investors were given a hypothetical $50 000 to invest in stock in four various sectors listed on the TSX as well as one stock, if they wished, from the Dow. Analyzing companies and their stock, examining their own portfolios, learning about various investment styles, and buying and selling stock gave the students an idea of what it would be like to invest in the stock market.
Last year was the first year St. Benedict participated in this game and we were very proud of their success. Province-wide, Michael Cormier placed first, Joseph Toffoli placed second, and St. Benedict placed first. This year, Patrick Sinclair placed first out of 1,635 students participating province-wide in the game. With a hypothetical $50 000 to invest, his ending portfolio was valued at $90 923.49 (a gain of 81.85%). For his efforts, he receives $2 000 towards tuition at Nipissing University or $1 000 cash. The school, as a result of the top ten players’ portfolios averaged together, also placed first and receives $500. Top students were:
1st – Patrick Sinclair
2nd – Zack Rebeiro
3rd – Robert Alemany
4th – Amanda Muldoon
5th – Nathan Battigelli
6th – Katie Morrow
7th – TBA
8th – Megan Jodouin
9th – Maria Griffin
10th – Melissa Cormier
Accounting Contest
On May 25, the Ontario Business Educators’ Association held its annual accounting contest (regional) at Laurentian University in the Commerce Department. In the Grade 11 division, St. Benedict took first and third place. Amanda Muldoon was the first place winner and Elaina Mansour was the third place winner. These students will be recognized for their achievements in September at an Awards Presentation at Laurentian University.