Latest news with #FrenchImmersion
Hamilton Spectator
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Ridgetown swimmer participates in Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial
Jane Baldwin-Marvell was just a young girl in Toronto when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a fierce storm on Lake Superior that fateful night of November 10, 1975. Fifty years later, Baldwin-Marvell is taking part in a historic memorial swim to honour the former Queen of the Lakes and its 29-man crew who perished. The Ridgetown resident is one of 68 swimmers participating in the Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Swim, a 411-mile journey that began Saturday in the eastern edge of Lake Superior and is scheduled to end on August 27 at the Detroit Yacht Club on Belle Isle. The swimmers are symbolically completing the route the Fitzgerald took on its last journey, as the 729-foot ship was carrying 26,000 tons of taconite ore pellets from Superior, Wisc., to the steel mills on Zug Island in Detroit. 'I vaguely remember it as a child, hearing about it on the news,' Baldwin-Marvell said of her memory of the Fitzgerald's sinking. She remembers seeing freighters unloading cargo in silos and terminals along the Toronto waterfront. 'Back in those days, Toronto was a working port, not like today, where you have Queen's Quay and all of the nice shops and restaurants,' she said. 'I remember seeing those massive ships and I've seen storms on the lake ... I can visualize what it must have been like and how terrifying it was.' Baldwin-Marvell also recalls one year later, when Gordon Lightfoot released his hit song 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,' which further magnified the legacy of the ship and its sinking. 'The song really solidified how everybody felt,' she said. 'I think Gordon Lightfoot absolutely touched the whole heart, the haunting words and the instrumental pieces, the guitar that sounded like the whining of the wind.' Baldwin-Marvell, a Grade 6-7 French Immersion teacher at McNaughton Ave. School in Chatham, first heard about the memorial swim when Jim Dreyer, the event organizer, was interviewed on Windsor Morning CBC Radio in May. When registration opened in June, Baldwin-Marvell was one of the first to sign up. She quickly raised the minimum $2,500 – thanks to family and friends – as the swim is also a fundraiser for the preservation of Whitefish Point Lighthouse, located near Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. The memorial swim consists of 17 stages, each approximately 30 miles in length. The stages will be held on alternating days, in case of any weather-related delays. There will be four swimmers per stage, who will take turns spending approximately 30 minutes in the water until they reach their destination. Baldwin-Marvell is taking part in the 15th stage, which starts at Lexington, Mich. and ends at the Bluewater Bridge. The Lexington to Port Huron stage is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, August 23, starting at 7 a.m., but the date is subject to change pending any delays. The 411-mile odyssey began Saturday at the site of the Fitzgerald's sinking, about 17 miles from Whitefish Bay, with the permission of families of the 29 crew members. The swimmers will be accompanied by a support boat, which will have a licensed captain and first mate, a paramedic, a doctor, a rescue swimmer, and a film crew, as the event will be featured in 'The Legend Lives On,' a documentary commemorating the Fitzgerald's 50th anniversary. Swimmers will ride on the support boat until it's their turn to return to the water. When she applied, Baldwin-Marvell had to answer a questionnaire about her swimming experience, including how far she could swim in 30 minutes and whether she was comfortable swimming in the dark, as the days would be shorter toward the end of August. Baldwin-Marvell said she was a competitive swimmer in clubs in Etobicoke and high school, as she qualified for provincial championship meets. Since moving to Ridgetown 20 years ago, she has swum regularly at the Chatham-Kent YMCA. She has also swum long distances with local triathletes in training, including a 2.5-kilometre swim in Lake Erie on Canada Day. Baldwin-Marvell has recently been preparing for her journey by swimming a minimum of one kilometre daily at the Gable Rees Rotary Pool in Blenheim while the YMCA pool was undergoing maintenance. 'I know in a pool, I can do a mile in 35 minutes,' she said. 'In a lake, if it's calm and clear conditions, I can probably do close to that. But some other factors could come into play, like waves, currents and wind.' The 16th stage runs the length of the St. Clair River to Algonac, with the final 30-mile leg crossing Lake St. Clair to the Detroit Yacht Club, tentatively set for Wednesday, August 27. A memorial service will be held at the Mariners' Church of Detroit (corner of Jefferson Ave. at the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel) on Thursday, August 28, at 12:10 p.m. The names of the sailors who perished will be read, followed by the church bell ringing 29 times 'for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald,' as depicted in Lightfoot's song. The Edmund Fitzgerald was only in service for 17 years when it sank. At 729-feet, it was the largest ship on the Great Lakes when it was launched on June 7, 1958, at the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rouge, just south of Detroit, next to Zug Island, the Fitzgerald's destination on its final voyage. The Fitzgerald made 784 round-trips from Wisconsin to steel mills in Detroit, Cleveland and Toledo during its 17 years on the lakes. The Fitzgerald left Superior, Wis., on the afternoon of November 9, 1975, and it ran into a fierce winter storm on November 10 with hurricane-force winds and 35-foot waves. The ship, being followed by the Arthur A. Anderson, disappeared from radar just after 7 p.m. and was only 17 miles from Whitefish Bay. Three days later, searchers found the Fitzgerald, broken into three pieces, 530 feet down on the Canadian side of Lake Superior. The ages of the 29-man crew ranged from 22 to 63 years. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
28-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Prince Albert French Immersion teacher receives Second-Language Champion of the Year Award
Ecole St. Mary High School teacher Rémi Joncas has been recognized for his contributions to French Immersion in the province of Saskatchewan. Canadian Parents for French (CPF-Saskatchewan) recently named Joncas as one of their French-Second-Language Champion of the Year Award winners for 2024-2025. The award recognizes the work of staff members at the school or school division level. Joncas said he was nominated for the work he does behind the scenes. 'We do a lot for French Immersion,' he said. 'In my class and outside, I've done lots of volunteering for CPF and it doesn't seem like I do a lot like in front of the scene, but I do a lot behind the scenes for their organization, getting a lot of their web page and publicity and E-mail and preparing all the documents and all this stuff. It's a lot of work.' The CPF said recepients are positive advocates for and contributors to the French-Second-Language learning environment. They also inspired students of all abilities and backgrounds to learn French. Joncas said he doesn't do the work to win awards, but being recognized is still special. 'It's always really heart-warming to know that people appreciate what you do,' Joncas said. The organization says that Joncas is an outstanding French immersion teacher at École St. Mary High School in Prince Albert. His nominators mentioned his advocacy for all high school students regardless of where they attend school, whether it is where he teaches, at Carlton Comprehension Public High School or École Valois. As well as his approachability and positive attitude, he is a great mentor and role model for all students, the nominators said. He coordinated French events for French immersion students, particularly for younger students. Joncas continually promotes French in all areas of his life as he proudly shares his Acadian heritage. His passion for French reaches back to his time at university, as he is a former assistant teacher and translator at Unversité de Moncton and worked as a museum guide at Dalhousie University. Sonia Mollison and Jara MacFarlane nominated Joncas for the award. 'We work as a really great team, Jara MacFarlane and Sonia they are the nominators and they were just awesome,' Joncas said. 'They believe in the cause and it (French Immersion) is just something that we want. We want the French kids to have more French opportunities and we're trying really hard.' Joncas said supporting French Immersion is important because French is an official language in Canada and there is a vast French heritage in Saskatchewan. 'When the Metis people came here. That was one of the languages they spoke,' he said. 'Louis Riel and Gabriel Dumont, they spoke French and Michif as well. (In) Bellevue and a lot of communities in Saskatchewan, it's tied to the history of our country. 'French is a world language,' he added. 'You'll find French on all five continents of the world.' Joncas himself comes from another French speaking sub group in Canada as he is of Acadian decent. He encourages parents and students to continue on the path of French Immersion, 'I would tell students and parents, 'I know sometimes French it is hard. You don't hear a lot of French in Prince Albert, but keep going, It's worth it totally, this will open the world to you and it creates your identity.' I've seen so many people saying that that even after they have this tie to the French language or even French media, French songs, French movies, it's a whole different world of opportunities and it's so good. Keep going, it's working.' Canadian Parents for French is a nationwide, research-informed, volunteer organization that furthers bilingualism by promoting opportunities to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home. The other winners in Saskatchewan were Danielle Brûlé-Lundgren of École Lakeview School in Saskatoon and Bonnie Pendleton of École St. Michael's School in Yorkton. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- Science
- Hamilton Spectator
‘It meant something': Ecole St. Mary Class of 2025 celebrates success
Ecole St. Mary High School celebrated the Class of 2025 as they walked across the stage at the Art Hauser Centre on Tuesday. Oliver Hunter-Providenti was named valedictorian. He said the news came as a surprise. 'I'm still kind of processing it,' he said. 'I wasn't really expecting to be named. 'It kind of proves to me that all the hard work I put into high school paid off, it meant something,' he added. Hunter-Providenti described the St. Mary graduating Class of 2025 as a strong one. At times during his high school experience, he wondered how much it would really matter. He said being named Valedictorian put high school into context and made him realize it was important. 'My best friends are all from elementary school, so I don't know, I always expected that to be kind of more defining for my life, but I was surprised,' he explained. 'Like I said, I think it really just showed me that this was something (important) and that my work paid off.' During his speech on Monday, Hunter-Providenti said that his best memory of Ecole St. Mary was his first day. 'I came here in Grade 10,' he remembered. 'I started in Ecole Valois, a small school right. I went from having four people in my class to probably over 200 in my grade. I guess it seems kind of daunting. I had no idea what to expect. 'On my first day I was kind of scared, and within like five minutes of me sitting down in my first class on my first day of school in Grade 10 at St. Mary I made a friend and that friend stuck with me for the next three years. That's like probably the thing I remember most about the school,' he said. 'It's pretty special, right? (It was) not at all what I expected. It is a nice surprise.' Hunter-Providenti has already enrolled in Arts and Science at the University of Saskatchewan. He'll be attending classes in the fall. 'I'm planning on doing chemistry right now just because that was the high school class that interested me the most, so why not try that in university too, but obviously it's Arts and Sciences. You have to take a bit of whatever and we'll see if something else is interesting. Then I'll switch into that,' he said. Eventually he wants to transfer to a university in Quebec, his sister is studying at Concordia, and he does not know whether it will be an English or French university. Hunter-Provendti began working on his Valedictorian speech weeks before graduation. 'I had no idea what to say because … I wasn't planning on this. I have a small social circle, and because I'm also in French Immersion that also kind of compounds that. I don't know how many people actually know who I am, besides the people I know. It's strange because I don't really want to ramble or just be like, oh, who's this guy talking? I'll try to keep it short and sweet but we'll see what I can do.' Tuesday's graduation also included an awards ceremony. Hunter-Providenti won the second academic award and Sadie McFarlane won the third academic. Arwa Kondi, who was unable to attend, received the Governor General Scholarship, the Governor General's Medal and the First Academic Award. After the diplomas were handed out and before the official part of the ceremony, Bishop Stephen Hero and others performed the Liturgy of the Word which had the Spiritual Theme 'Living Christ's Mission'. Mayor Bill Powalinsky brought greetings from the City. Board of Education chair Suzanne Stubbs brought greetings on behalf of the board of education. The emcees for the graduation were Michael Edet and Denis Orsar. McFarlane gave the Salutary Address. The day concluded with an address from principal Dwayne Gareau. Hunter-Providenti did have a final message for students: try to have fun in school. 'In my Grade 11 year I was a bit of a workaholic,' he said. 'I didn't really have any time for myself and it was draining. It didn't just affect my mood at school. It was at home and everything.' He said that in Grade 12 he tried to take it a little bit easier and it made a difference in his mood and he was much more content. 'Last year was just the same grind every day and I didn't have much fun and it definitely affected my Grade 11 experience,' Hunter-Providenti said. 'Grade 10 was fine because it was grade 10 and the novelty, I guess of high school was still a thing or this high school anyways, and it's Grade 10. You're not as busy and obviously it gets harder as you go on. Just make sure you have fun, but don't take things too seriously because like I said, it's high school, but it can still be worth something, so just live.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
24-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Grade 5 student from Sault Marie on being Mayor for a Day
Northern Ontario Watch Taylor May Brown, a Grade 5 French Immersion student from Sault Ste. Marie outlines the changes she would make as a "Mayor for a Day."
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Stouffville to Unveil New Baker Hill Park on June 17
A long-anticipated park in Stouffville's growing Baker Hill neighbourhood will be officially unveiled next week, offering residents a wide range of outdoor amenities and inclusive play spaces. The Town will host a grand opening event for the new Ward 4 park at 4 p.m. on June 17, during which its official name will be announced. The 1.2-hectare green space, located at 401 Baker Hill Blvd., is already open to the public and forms part of a broader subdivision development. Positioned adjacent to York Region District School Board's new French Immersion school , Spring Lakes PS, the park is expected to serve both local families and students. Spring Lakes PS will open this September, offering French Immersion programming to students from across Stouffville. The park's final design was shaped in part by community input gathered during a public meeting held on Jan. 25, 2024. Additional considerations included budget limitations and long-term operational needs identified through the planning process. The project was led by Northern Lights Landscape Architects, with the Town providing project oversight. Amenities include both junior and senior playgrounds with accessible features, a full basketball court that doubles as a seasonal skating rink, a tennis court, four pickleball courts, a pavilion, seating areas, and walking paths. Accessible playground elements were made possible through donations from the Stouffville Lions Club and For Little Monkeys Charity, an organization supported by the Whitchurch-Stouffville Legacy Fund. The charity hosts fundraising events and supports initiatives benefiting neurodivergent children and their families. 'The Town gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the Stouffville Lions Club, as well as For Little Monkeys Charity with funding from the Stouffville Legacy Fund,' Town spokesperson Glenn Jackson said in comments to Bullet Point News. 'Their generous donations supported the installation of equipment specifically designed for neurodivergent users and children with accessibility needs.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
