May 27, 2014

Later this week, cyclists taking part in The Great Canadian Ride (La Grande Traversée) will stop at two Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario (CSCNO) schools during their trek across Northern Ontario. This group of Francophone cyclists will be provided a warm welcome by students and staff from École Notre-Dame-du-Sault (Sault Ste. Marie), École Saint-Joseph (Blind River) and École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord (Blind River) on May 29, 30 and 31.

Students taking part in this cross-Canada relay that unites Francophone school boards from all provinces are expected at École Notre-Dame-du-Sault on Thursday, May 29, at 5 p.m. The following day, at 9 a.m., the cyclists will make a 45 minute presentation to Notre-Dame-du-Sault students, describing The Great Canadian Ride and speaking about the importance of making healthy lifestyle choices.

Afterwards, the cyclists will mount their bicycles and pedal a distance of 140 kilometres to Blind River’s École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord, where students and staff from this school and from École Saint-Joseph will offer them a warm welcome. The dozen of cyclists will arrive on Friday, May 30, at 7:30 p.m., replenishing their energy before resuming their ride on Saturday, May 31, at 8 a.m.

The Great Canadian Ride, which benefits from the participation of Francophone school boards from all provinces, enables participating high school students to participate in this Canada-wide relay. Selected students will relay and cycle a portion of their home province and join members of The Great Canadian Ride. This initiative seeks to help young people make healthy choices and adopt an active lifestyle. The Great Canadian Ride’s message is targeted to a younger audience, but also speaks to parents, who are instrumental in instilling healthy lifestyle habits in their children.

The Great Canadian Ride began in 2013 in partnership with Le Grand défi Pierre Lavoie, looking to share the success of this major Québec initiative with the rest of Canada and launch new healthy living challenges.

The Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario offers a French Catholic Educational Program that is widely recognized for its excellence. The CSCNO provides a quality academic program that runs from early childhood to adult education, with some 7,000 students in 27 elementary and 10 secondary schools.

Info:      

Paul de la Riva
Communications and Community Development Coordinator
Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario
(705) 673-5626, ext. 294
(705) 677-8195 – cell phone