March 11, 2015

On Monday, March 23, some 80 grade 3 to 8 students from French Catholic elementary schools Sacré-Cœur (Chapleau), École St-Joseph (Dubreuilville), École Saint-Joseph (Wawa), École Trillium (Chapleau) and École Saint Nom de Jésus (Hornepayne) will converge in the Dubreuilville Arena to take part in a hockey and leadership camp. Among the coaches on the ice to share their expertise with students will be Chris Simon, a former player in the National Hockey League and Europe’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), and Dylan Buckell, a graduate from Wawa’s École secondaire Saint-Joseph.

This activity, organized by Mr. Michel Lavergne, interim principal at École St-Joseph in Dubreuilville, seeks to offer participants the opportunity to develop new athletic skills while gaining a better grasp of the theoretical aspects of hockey. In addition to taking part in theoretical and practical hockey clinics, students will be divided into teams and play real games. While enabling students to establish new friendships, this training session also seeks to promote leadership skills among participants.

Chris Simon, a former student at Wawa’s École Saint-Joseph, had a noteworthy professional hockey career during which he was appreciated for his leadership and dedication to his team, as well as his determination. During an extended career in the NHL that lasted from 1992 to 2008, he played for a variety of teams that included the Québec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Washington Capitals. In 1996, he won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Avalanche, but had his best season with the Capitals in 1999-2000, where he scored 29 goals and had 20 assists in 75 games. From 2008 to 2013, Chris played in the KHL for the Vityaz Chekhov, UHC Dynamo and Metallurg Novokuznetsk teams.

« Chris is thrilled to support our students in their athletic and personal development. Well known in Northwestern Ontario, this former NHL player has always maintained a close relationship with Wawa and area residents and is always willing to support our youth. Our students are very excited and are looking forward to take part in this hockey training session with a well-known local NHL hockey star,” stated Mr. Michel Lavergne.

This activity is sponsored by Northern Lights Ford and benefits from the support of the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario.

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 learning environment and 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