They say that “all great things come from simple beginnings: a tiny idea, a spark of creativity and a dash of guts to get it off the ground”, this must have been in the mind of Confederation Secondary School student Kyla Carter when she decided to take on the difficult task of creating the schools’ very first theatrical production taking place at the end of March. Kyla is shown in the centre of the photo above along with Danielle MacEchron on the left and Sam Bolger on the right.

   The next step was to the principals’ office to get approval from administration. This, of course, was not difficult to get. “I’ve been waiting for this for years”, says Principal Mike Mirka, always supportive of the arts, “the school has a successful athletics program, a passionate visual arts department and a rock band so talented they acquire support from the professional arts community, all we were lacking was a theatre program”.

   However, a spark of creativity and dash of guts can only get you so far, you need a cast, crew and direction team to get a show off the ground-all artists learn quite early that passion is not always quite enough and its’ the hard work and dedication that pulls you through.  No strangers to hard work Carter and Brooks bore down.  Carter enlisted the help of her friends as well as enthusiastic director and actor Ashley Paige Fraser whose passion and positive attitude instantly endeared her to the actors. Similarly, Brooks found hidden set design talents in co-workers visual artist Barry Williams and shop teacher Earl Cote.  “The production was a huge undertaking,” said Brooks “we fundraised to pay for the production, between the set, directing, costumes and props it was a big job but working as a team has made a huge difference, we all learned a lot”.

   Co-directed by Brooks, Fraser and Carter, the result was the production of Betty’s Diner by Daniele MacEchron: a student-written passionately acted piece that tells the story of the closure of a 50’s diner and teen hide-out as well as the effect it has on the lives of the teens who live there.

   “I think the most important part of this production is that young people saw a void in their community and instead of accepting it for what it was, stove to change it” says Fraser “that’s a rare and beautiful thing so when you find it you encourage it”.

   The Confederation Secondary School Senior Girls Volleyball Team played a remarkable championship game against Widdifield of North Bay while attending the NOSSA tournament in Sault Ste. Marie and ended up coming out on top of a five-game match to bring home the coveted Championship Banner for 2008.
  
   The winning team, shown in the photo, includes: Front row from left to right: Karen Black, Jessica Houle, Jessica Carson, Michelle Claveau, and Brittany Watters. Back row from the left: Laura Aubertin (Coach), Chris Holden (Trainer), Erica Richard, Jennifer Ducharme, Kristen Bolduc, Trina Czerkas, Alexandra McInnis, Eugena Auge, and Bruce Holden (Assistant Coach).

   Laura Aubertin, Head Coach of the team was ecstatic as she described the road to victory on February 23, “The journey for this team just keeps getting sweeter! During the round robin play, our Chargers seemed to be lacking a bit of spark and narrowly won 2 of their 3 matches.  Using a tie-breaker to determine the teams that would advance to the championship match, our Chargers narrowly beat out Bawating, the home town favourites.  The stage was set...a rematch between Widdifield from North Bay and our determined Chargers.  In two matchups between these teams earlier, each had won one match.” 
  
   Laura described the final match. “The final proved to be the match of the tournament.  Taking commanding control of the match, our girls won the first game.  Widdifield showed their Wildcat composure and took the next two games.  In the fourth game, determination and excellent composure prevailed as our Chargers evened the playing field.  The Championship would be determined by the 5th and deciding set.  Again, our Chargers took early control of the game and never looked back.  Making purring kittens of the Widdifield Wildcats, our Chargers took home the Gold Medal and another banner for our gym.”  
  
   The support from the fans for the championship was fantastic according to observers, even though it was in Sault Ste. Marie. The fact that the Confederation fans easily out cheered the Widdifield fans added to the sweet taste of victory.  

   Confederation then went into the AA All Ontario Championships which were played in Sudbury , ranked 6^th in the province. They played some inspired matches and ended up being edged out in the quarter finals.
  
   Laura Aubertin congratulated the Senior Girls Volleyball Team on their accomplishments this year.  She stated that they are a wonderful group of Charges who continually represent their school in a proud manner. With only one player from the squad graduating this year, the girls are looking forward to another trip to the OFSAA in twelve months.

   The Redwood Acres Public School gymnasium was filled with the happy sounds of children playing during the morning of Wednesday, February 27, 2008 as they and their parents attended the grand opening of the Best Start Hub for English Language children living in the Valley East area. A total of twelve such locations will be in operation around the Greater Sudbury Area by September 2008.

   Shown in the photo during the official ribbon-cutting session, from left to right are: Melissa Pitfield, Director of Child Care Programs for YMCA; Jenny Southerland, Supervisor of the Child Care Centre at Redwood Acres; Lise Hawes, Early Years Practitioner for Best Start; Liam Desrochers (4) and Andrea Richer (3), cutting the ribbon; Michelle Piche, Early Years Practitioner for Best Start; and Gail Luopa, Coordinator of the Best Start Program.

   The Best Start Program is operated in partnership with the YMCA Licensed Child Care Services and the Rainbow District School Board in order to provide young children from birth to age 6 with an opportunity to participate in some stimulating learning experiences within their community schools. Together with their parents, grandparents, or care givers, children take part in a directed program which includes crafts, discovery time, physical activities and special workshops. The parents stay with their children during the session and take part in the activities as well. The program offers children a chance to get ready for entry into the school system in Junior Kindergarten and also allows parents a chance to access some very important support services that are offered by the Ministry of Community and Social Services.
 
   There is no cost to attend the sessions which are held in the Child Care Centre at Redwood Acres. Space is limited so if you wish to attend you should make sure to arrive early.

   The Best Start Hub is open at Redwood Acres on the first three Thursdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It is also open during the evenings on the first three Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The 2^nd Thursday of the month is “Dad’s Night” and is only open to children accompanied by their male parent or care giver. The last Saturday of every month the program runs from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, starting in April 2008.

   Other English Language Best Start Hubs that are available nearby and supervised by Practitioners Lise Hawes and Michelle Piche include, Confederation Secondary School every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and upstairs at the library in Capreol every Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
 
   If you would like more information about the Best Start Program of the Child Care Services program at Redwood Acres Public School you can contact Melissa Pitfield at 688-7300 ext. 2137.

  The Ministry of Public Affairs of the Student Parliament at Confederation Secondary School has entered into a special contest with the students of Lockerby Composite and Espanola High Schools . The winner will walk away with a prize of $3000 which will go towards graduation awards. The winning school will be the one that collects the greatest number of used or damaged cell phones, PDA’s, Blackberrys and pagers during the month of March.

   Some of the Confederation Secondary School Students who are participating in the project are shown in the above photo, from left to right are: Shannyn Falcioni, Steven McAnulty, Eugena Auge, Miranda Fowler, and Andrew Smith.
   The contest is being sponsored by Roger’s Phones, but the students are collecting all types of phones including Bell Mobility.

   Besides being a special contest that the students have entered to help with their graduation awards, this is an excellent way to recycle old cell phones that are no longer usable.
   The goal of Phones-for-Food is to alleviate hunger and divert waste from landfill sites. 100% of the proceeds raised through the process of recycling used wireless devices are given to the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) which operates the program and distributes the funds to local food banks.

   Phones-for-Food is the FIRST national wireless device recycling program of its kind in Canada . It launched in 2003 as a result of the success of its thINK FOOD printer cartridge-recycling program.

   One wireless device, depending on its age and condition, can generate an average of $2-$5 which is equivalent to one carton of milk or a jar of peanut butter – even a whole meal — to someone in need.
   Since 2004, approximately 220,000 wireless devices were diverted from landfills and in the process raised almost $500,000 for the CAFB and food banks across Canada .

   If you would like to help out the students from Confederation Secondary School , simply bring your old cell phones to the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and drop them off at the Source by Circuit City or at Desjardins' Food Basics. The students will then pick up the phones from those places. Please be aware that the students cannot accept chargers, accessories such as headphones and car adapters, or ink cartridges. This contest is only for wireless devices such as cell phones, PDA’s, Blackberrys and pagers.

Don Dupuis stopped by to purchase one of the tickets which will give him a chance at winning one of the daily prizes that will be awarded during the month of March. The $5 ticket gives him 31 chances at winning a cash prize. Every Sunday during March the prize will be $100; Saturdays the prize will be $50; and all weekday winners will receive a prize of $20. In all, $1170 in prizes will be handed out to thirty one winners.

This is the first year Ecole Notre Dame has tried this type of fund-raiser. You can also pick up one of your tickets at the school every Friday or by calling 969-4411.

Sue is also President of the Club Optimist de la Vallee, a youth organization that is dedicated to raising money in support of youth-based activities. The group organizes an annual golf tournament, bike rodeo, Christmas breakfast and Popcorn Fridays at the school. They provide funding to individuals who need financial assistance in order to improve the quality of life of children in the family. 

On top of that, Sue is the manager of the two hockey teams her children play on in Valley East. Her son, Justin, attends Grade 10 at Collage Notre Dame in Sudbury.

Sue stopped working outside the home when her daughter was ten years of age. "I decided it was more important for me to be around for my children than to continue working and have more money for those extra luxuries. We just have to watch what we spend and we sacrifice a few things, but I don't regret my decision for one minute. It has made a world of difference for my children to know that their mother is available when needed. It has also been a wonderful experience for them to see me getting so involved in the community and in their school activities."

While her schedule is certainly filled with plenty to do because of her community involvement and volunteering activities, Sue wouldn't have it any other way, "I think it is important for children to see their parents getting involved in their community. It shows them how much we care and gives them a good example to follow when they have their own children. I know I am very fortunate to be in a position where I am able to take time from my career to devote to my children. It is something I am grateful for and will continue to take advantage of as long as I can."

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Student Page Is A Free Public Education Service Provided To
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