Express_2015_12_04

COMMUNAUTÉ • COMMUN I TY

VCI students prepare to build house in the Dominican

Montreal Welsh Male Choir charms Hawkesbury

The Montreal Welsh Male Choir charmed the audience at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Hawkesbury on November 28. Musical director Claude-Marie Landré led the choir for the concert. www. editionap .ca

VCI teacher TrenaWhinfieldwill be traveling to the Dominican Republic with eight grade 12 students, Megan MacMillan, Antoine Laplante, Cameron Whinfield, Dara Barton, Brittany Mendrikis, Amy Amyot, Stephanie Wylie, and not in the photo, Sarah Albin

DIANE HUNTER diane.hunter@eap.on.ca

as possible. You play midget hockey, then you play junior hockey and then you turn pro. If that doesn’t work out for you by the age of 21 you go back to school and try to get your degree. is is possible but it is a little more dicult to be out of school for 3-4 years and then try and return full time. Plus mom and dad probably don’t like the fact that they now have to support their 21 year old retired hockey player for another four years to get their degree! Prep Schools are becoming more and more available in Canada and because of the strong US dollar and even more attractive option for Canadian student athletes and their families! I have been exposed to Prep School Hockey for the past 12 years and I have always liked the attention they put towards the academics and the maturity they instil in their students. e one thing I did not like about US Prep Schools was the allotted time allowed for the hockey season which is just 3.5 months long. Meaning hockey can only be played from November 15th to March 1st! What I have done with our New Prep School Programs is taken all the things I felt were missing in other programs and added them to ours without taking away from the integrity of the education aspect. Le Sommet International Hockey Academy is a ten month hockey program which allows for a solid long term hockey development program, over 60 games to be played and a good balance between work and rest to make sure our student athletes performed at their best in both the classroom and on the ice. We also created a nancial model which now allows most players who played competitive hockey an opportunity to attend a Prep School for about the same price it cost them to play minor hockey. Starting in September 2016 Le Sommet’s International Hockey Academy will host two hockey teams and Louis Riel International Hockey Academy will host one with the intention of a second team in 2017. For more information about these programs contact me at anderson@lsihacademy.com

Vankleek Hill Collegiate Institute (VCI) is raising funds tobuild a house in theDomini- canRepublic. Eight students will be helping to build a house as well as furnish it, and fill it with food for a family in need. TrenaWhinfield, a VCI teacher, was approa- ched by several students who wanted to get involved in helping a community. A presen- tationwas given by LiveDifferent Builds. “The kids were so inspired to help after the pres- entation,” said Whinfield. “The presentation was just awesome. They needed someone to go with them, so here I am.” Live Different was established as a Cana- dian charity in 2000, and began to operate internationally in 2005. Live Different is pas- sionate aboutmaking a difference in the lives of people through youth empowerment pres- entations, humanitarian build programs, and leadership development opportunities. Over the past 15 years, Live different has spoken to over one million students, built more than 350 homes, schools, and other projects, and mentored over 5,000 students, interns, and volunteers. The VCI students will be traveling to the Dominican Republic from April 23 to May 2 andwill be helping to build a home for a family inneed. “We are raising funds for thematerials to build the home,” explainedWhinfield. “Half themoney raised goes towards buildingmate- rials, and we will fully furnish the home and fill it with food. Walmart has offered tomatch whatever we raise this weekend.” Live Different Builds give volunteers from across Canada the opportunity tomake a dif- ference in the developingworld.The organiza- tion partners with grassroots organizations on the ground in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Haiti, andThailand, whereworkwith local lea- ders help to ensure that programs are effective and sustainable in host communities. Although places like theDominicanRepu- blicmay seem like a vacation spot, many of the families there live in extreme poverty, existing on as little as two dollars a day. “Our goal was to raise $500 per day,” said Whinfield. “We raised $800 just on Saturday, so we have definitely surpassed our goal.The kids are so excited to be part of this. It is such a great opportunity for them.”

WI TH

LE SOMMET HOCKEY ACADEMY hockeytalk@eap.on.ca S Aero

I have been away for the past two weeks managing my business a airs. I am sure many of you have heard I have sold my shares in the Hawkesbury Hawks Junior A Club to pursue an opportunity to oversee a new venture involving Two High Schools hosting three Prep School Hockey Teams. e two schools involved are Le Sommet and Louis Riel under the Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l’Ontario (CEPEO). Prep School Hockey is gaining a lot of attention in Canada as a solid option for hockey players looking to play high level hockey while obtaining their high school diplomas as they continue their quest to play NCAA Hockey. Prep School Hockey has been around for a long time and is primarily known more in the US than in Canada. e reason for this is most sports in the US combine academics with sports in order to prepare for University opportunities via scholarships. ere are many Prep Schools that encourage their student athletes to play multiple sports. is is why you hear of some professional US athletes who are NFL football players who could of also have played Major League Baseball! Today that seems to be changing as competition becomes more and ercer for student athletes. ey are leaning more and more towards playing only their sport of choice. In Canada we still look more at getting to the NHL as quick

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