A government grant has allowed Franklin Elementary School students to learn new skills by swimming, skating, and doing outdoor activities this winter.
The school received a $2000 grant from the En Montérégie, On Bouge program funded by the Ministère de l’Éducation and Loisir et Sport Montérégie.
The grant supported bus transportation for all students to go skating at the Huntingdon arena on December 19 and January 31, free swimming at the Cité des Arts des Sports in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield on March 14, and fat bike rentals during winter carnival on February 28.
The school has received the grant a few times now. Previously the school has used the grant to purchase equipment including basketball and soccer nets as well as cross-country ski equipment.
“This time we decided to focus more on providing experiences for the kids or to improve skills that we don’t get to work on at school,” said Michelle Blair, the physical education teacher at Franklin Elementary.
“The kids loved to go skating and the Huntingdon arena is very good to us,” said Ms. Blair. “They provide skates for close to half of our kids and helmets.”
“I noticed that there were a lot of people that did not know how to skate. So we, the older kids, had to try and help them and to teach them,” said Darryn Blair, a Grade 5 student.
Hendrik Soesbergen, another Grade 5 student, said that he got better at skating, swimming, and biking because of the activities. Grade 6 students Liam Brooks and Elliot Lowden said that while they had done these activities before, they were still able to learn new skills.
“It helps kids to learn and to evolve by trying something new and by having fun,” added Grade 6 student Jayden Dupuis.
“I found it was a very good opportunity for the school to do these things because not all of the schools can do this stuff,” said Darryn Blair.
*This article was written by students at Franklin Elementary School as part of a partnership between the New Frontiers School Board and The Gleaner.