The goal was to raise 60 thousand cans in five days. The result was astounding. Students and staff, along with the support of its feeder schools and the community raised 125, 452 cans to line the shelves of the food bank heading into the holiday season.
The breakdown is twenty thousand dollars in cash collected and 25, 000 cans. Students will spend the day assisting with the transport of the food to the food bank warehouse.
The St. Charles College food drive started thirty years ago and has been a yearly tradition with its feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools.
Principal Patty Mardero says “in thirty years this is the largest donation to date. The students really upped the ante for next year.”
Cards ‘can’ do it!
Members of the St. Charles College Student Council are selling tees in the main foyer of the school this week to support the Sudbury Food Bank. The t-shirts which are retailing for twenty dollars go to supporting the school’s annual food drive. That means the sale of one shirt equates to 100 cans to line the shelves at the food bank.
The blue shirts were designed by students in teacher Beverly Belanger’s leadership class. Student Jordan Sutton designed the image on the front of the shirt while Tyler Michaud came up with this year’s slogan: “Cards ‘can’ do it! 60, 000.”
The goal for this year’s food drive is to collect sixty thousand cans and they are doing it with the support of feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools.
The food drive is an annual tradition dating back to almost thirty years ago.
SCDSB Cheers on LU
Sudbury Catholic District School Board elementary students were invited to cheer on their local Laurentian University Voyageurs hockey team during one of their season games. Students from St. Francis, Holy Cross, St. David, Holy Trinity, and St. Benedict packed the arena as they cheered on the Voyageurs as they won a victory over Nipissing 3-2 in a shootout.
Celebrating and Giving Thanks at St. David
During the month of October, English Catholic schools in Sudbury celebrate the value of Faith. St. David Catholic Elementary School teaches that faith is an attitude that encourages people to involve and develop a relationship with God. The school staff and students marked this Thanksgiving season by gathering as a community and celebrating the Liturgy of the Word. Deacon Roland Muzzatti, from Christ the King Parish officiated the school wide service. Deacon Muzzatti stressed to the students the importance of giving thanks not only for our material possessions, but also for our freedoms, special gifts, talents and families.
Mrs. Melody Henry, a school volunteer and choir director lead the school in song during the service. “It was a beautiful celebration of our Faith. The students were extremely attentive and engaged in the conversation with Deacon Roland. It was especially meaningful when the students proudly shared what they were thankful for this Thanksgiving.” Teachers, Nancy Costanzi and Natasha Folino, with the help of student volunteers, organized the celebration with the intention of deeply discussing our gratitude for all good things in life and sharing the notion that hard things can happen, but through our resilience and belief in God we can overcome these obstacles with dignity and perseverance.
"Thanks for Thanksgiving" at St. David School
St. David Catholic School, kindergarten students have been busy this week reading stories, poems, prayers and recipes all about the season of Thanksgiving. The class made homemade apple sauce and pumpkin pies while learning about measurement and procedural text. Angela Ross, early childhood educator states, “As a full day kindergarten team, we strive to cover the kindergarten curriculum in creative and meaningful ways for our students.” The week ended with the students enjoying a full Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes and of course the pumpkin pie they made as a class.
Harvesting Sweetgrass at St. David School
This fall, St. David Catholic Elementary School resumed it’s 2015 “Project Impact” community initiative entitled, “The Regreening of St. David School Yard with Sweetgrass”. As part of the project, funded through the Coalition for a Livable Sudbury, Local First Nation artist and parent of a student of the Donovan area school, Will Morin, continued his work with the students and staff. Mr. Morin supported the school in planting sweetgrass seeds in the spring of 2015 and is now teaching the schoolbody about harvesting sweetgrass. According to Mr. Morin, “This autumn harvest season rekindles the project’s plan of regreening the new school site for St. David School with native plants specifically sweetgrass, a traditional Anishnabe medicine. The growing of sweetgrass is an ongoing set a teachable moment from planting to harvesting”.
During the presentation, two young female students were asked to water the plants before the sweetgrass was cut. It was explained that water is the first medicine and vital for survival of all life.
Two young boys then gave offerings of tobacco in order to give back before the students take from nature. “We have to give back to the earth. This is done to maintain balance” stated grade 4/5 student Ethan Thompson.
According to kindergarten student, Kadence Legarde, “My Papa grows sweetgrass so I can have sweet dreams.” Mr. Morin’s message reached all students and staff regardless of age. Prior to braiding the sweetgrass Mr. Morin demonstrated the strength of many compared to the strength of one – which echoes the value of inclusion and the importance of coming together as a community to be our strongest selves.
St. Charles Cards on Annual Mission to Fill Sudbury Food Bank Shelves
This week, students at St. Charles began visits to feeder schools to get students amped up and motivated about this year’s food drive.
The goal is to raise 60, 000 cans for the Sudbury Food Bank, along with support from its feeder schools – St. David’s, Holy Trinity, Pius XII, St. John and St. Paul schools.
The food drive began almost thirty years ago with the student council at the time initiating the drive. Founder, Jim Szilva continues to help the school each year with the annual mission. The school is also supported by Kiss 105.3 and Q host Melanie Dahl on the airways.
In the past, donations from St.Charles College each fall have made for the largest single donation in Sudbury Food Bank history.
The drive wraps up on October 27th when final results will be tabulated and unveiled at the assembly.