Margo McCaffrey
Like everything else this year, December 2020 was very different at École Arthur Pigeon than past Decembers. However, despite the challenges, the staff and students worked extra hard to create some semblance of holiday cheer.
Undeterred by a mainly empty school, given that the second cycle students only attend in person classes every second day, the ever positive and amazing recreation technician, Sabrina Robidoux, was still able to drum up some holiday magic. Robidoux created a schedule of activities for the month that included a classroom decorating contest, a dance choreography, and a Christmas photo booth, among others. The students’ high level of participation showed their own dedication to making the most of a tough situation, as well as their extreme appreciation for everything Sabrina does to make their time at school as enjoyable as possible.
Other activities this month included free skating at the Promutuel Huntingdon Arena. The administration at the arena took every precaution and implemented safety measures to ensure the visitors were protected while they enjoyed some physical activity. The fact that the school is located so close to the arena is great for the students and the teachers, who were happy to be able to enjoy time outside of the classroom together.
A collaborative project between cycle 1 and cycle 2 students at school resulted in approximately 30 beautiful Christmas cards that were distributed by La Popotte roulante in Valleyfield to their elderly customers. Mélissa Ménard, a cycle one teacher, had her students create hand-crafted Christmas cards during an art class, and these were then inscribed with handwritten messages by students in secondary 1 and 5. The hope was that these cards would help alleviate the isolation potentially felt by people living alone this holiday season.
Finally, the Leadership students in secondary one, two and three collected more than 120 grocery bags of non-perishable goods that were donated to La Bouffe Additionnelle in Huntingdon.
So, while it has undoubtably been an unforgettable year, the entire school is looking forward to 2021, and all the new and exciting things to come.
