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Marymount Academy Annual Canned Food Drive

Posted on October 25, 2011 by admin

This past month, Marymount Academy kicked off its Annual Canned Food Drive for the Sudbury Food Bank. Every year Marymount has great success with this fundraiser, usually raising approximately 10,000 cans. The organizers of this event, the MC3 (Marymount Catholic Charities Council) set a goal of 5,000 cans for the school to collect. This year, the Marymount girls went above and beyond what was expected. They spent countless hours going door-to-door can food collecting, and all of their hard work paid off. One grade 7 student, Brittany Critch, single handedly collected 697 cans on her own! By the final day of the canned food drive on October 21st, the Marymount Regals not only exceeded their goals of 5,000 cans, but beat the school record collecting over 13,300 cans! All of the collected food has been donated to the Sudbury Food Bank. This was a very successful fundraiser for a wonderful cause, and was a great way to kick off a year full of fundraising and charitable events.

By: Shannon Reed, MC3 President

MMA Hosts Third Annual Parent Breakfast

Posted on October 25, 2011 by admin

Once again the gymnasium was packed as Marymount Academy hosted its third annual Parent Breakfast on October 25, 2011. From 7:30 – 8:30 a.m. students and parents/guardians had the opportunity to enjoy breakfast, meet staff, and learn more about the numerous programming, athletic, and extra-curricular activities and initiatives. The breakfast was put on by the school’s parent council and staff, and allowed parents to meet some of their daughters’ teachers, as well as talk to some of the students who are involved in school programs such as Student Council, Girls Athletic Association, and Marymount Catholic Charities Council. “It is a great, informal setting for parents to have their first meet and greet with staff and other parents,” stated Lucie Cullen, school principal. “Having it first thing in the morning, it allows for much more participation with parents – they can come in before they start their work day, and share breakfast with their daughter, as well as the rest of the Marymount school community.”

Sharing Best Practice and Honouring Culture

Posted on September 30, 2011 by admin

Visitors from the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board were in town on Wednesday, September 29 to learn more about the inclusion of aboriginal culture within the school system. Dufferin-Peel CDSB’s Director of Education John Kostoff, Superintendent Clara Pitoscia and General Manager of Communication and Media Relations, Bruce Campbell visited with administration from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board to discuss the inclusion of aboriginal culture into the teaching and learning practices at the Sudbury Catholic Board. The group visited three of the Sudbury Catholic schools including St. Charles College, St. David Catholic Elementary School and St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School. At each of the sites, the principals, teachers and students spoke about the importance of the presence of aboriginal culture physically in the learning spaces, as well as embedded in their curriculum and teaching.”At Sudbury Catholic, we are so privileged to have key people in place in our organization who are passionate about honouring aboriginal culture in our educational community,” Catherine McCullough, Director of Education for the Sudbury Catholic Board stated. “We always welcome the opportunity to share what we continue to learn, with other Boards across the province.”

Marymount Students Learn to “Take a Stand”

Posted on September 29, 2011 by admin

On Tuesday, September 27, all grade 7 and 8 students at Marymount Academy were given a message- “Stand up for yourself!” As simple as it seems, this message was delivered with a powerful presentation. Through the efforts of Constable Victor Leroux, School and Police Liaison, Crime Prevention Officer Denise Fraser, and Vice Principal Lori Holden, the grade 7 and 8 students learned the harsh realities of bullying – from the perspectives of the bully and the victim. Whether it is called bullying, harassment, assault etc, the girls learned that it all starts with intent. As long intent can be proven, the students are now of an age where there are much harsher consequences for these crimes. “This is why it is so important to stand up for yourselves.” Denise Fraser stated when speaking to the students. She went on to inform the students that there is always someone to turn to when you feel bullied – whether it be a parent, relative, friend, teacher – talking to someone you trust is the first step in getting help -and by doing this – you are taking a stand. On the flip side, Fraser spoke to the different actions that would be considered bullying, as in each bullying situation, there is always intent, repeat of actions and the wanting of power. “Through the use of words, (verbal, written or electronic) and actions, the act of bullying,” Fraser said, “is a crime that you can be charged with now at your age.” As well, the girls learned that standing aside and doing nothing when witnessing bullying is also a huge part of the problem.
Lori Holden knew that this presentation was one that her students needed to hear. “We always want to encourage respectful relationships and equity and inclusivity at Marymount Academy,” Holden stated. “This presentation informs our students of the consequences of bullying, and allows them to focus on making the right decisions and positive choices in their lives.”

Sudbury Catholics Third Annual Outdoor Adventure Race a Smashing Success!

Posted on June 9, 2011 by admin

Despite the rainy weather, it was a spectacular day for the third annual Sudbury Catholic Outdoor Adventure Race in Killarney on June 8, 2011. Students from all four of the Board’s secondary schools entered teams to take part in a four part outdoor race which included biking, canoeing, orienteering and a mystery challenge which involved a first aid rescue exercise. A total of fifteen teams with three students per team participated and, although rain-soaked for part of the race, managed to keep smiles on their faces throughout the entire challenge. The past two years has seen St. Charles College and then St. Benedict take home the coveted banner, and this year St. Charles managed to win back the first place spot. A team from St. Benedict won in terms of time, however, due to a small mistake in the orienteering section, they were given a 5 minute penalty which put the St. Charles team consisting of Adam McKibbon (Grade 12), Michael Wandziak (Grade 11) and Jonah Lynott (Grade 11) in first place. Awards were also given out for first place for a co-ed team as well as an all-girls team.

E-Waste Collection at Marymount Academy

Posted on June 1, 2011 by admin

The entire student body of Marymount Academy was issued a challenged by one of the computer studies classes. “Bring in your garbage” was what the girls were asked – but not just any garbage. Students and staff have been asked to bring in all of their e-waste for the week of May 30 to June 3, 2011. This collection was the idea of teacher Desiree Lacourciere’s class after having several conversations about the effect of electronic waste on the environment. The students contacted a company called Greentec to help them with their collection. As well, the class divided into groups and put together short videos to inspire the entire school to join them in their collection. All of the videos were viewed and voted on, and the winning video was premiered for the entire school at the e-waste collection launch on May 30. When addressing the students, Lacourciere encouraged all students and staff to talk to their families and find whatever old electronics they had to contribute. “My students were the inspiration for this initiative,” Lacourciere said. “ In class we learned so much about the harmful effects of electronics on the environment and we knew that we couldn’t just sit back – we had to get on board as a school community.” Lucie Cullen, principal of the school echoed Lacourciere’s encouragement and spoke of the importance of getting involved. “At Sudbury Catholic Schools, we are called to be stewards of the earth, and at Marymount Academy we always take action when we are passionate about what we believe in.”
The students have one week to collect items such as old computers, printers, printer cartridges, cell phones, batteries, digital cameras, monitors, televisions etc.

MMAs Envirothon Teams Take Top Spots

Posted on April 26, 2011 by admin

Students from Marymount Academy walked away from the region’s ninth annual Sudbury regional Envirothon competition as winners. In fact, the school’s two entries took the top two spots in this year’s competition. The Envirothon is a hands-on environmental program for students in Grades 9-12 and creates awareness about environmental issues in a variety of subject areas. Teams of 5 students prepare for the competition by intensely studying the various topics as well as preparing themselves to put together a project at the competition related to a different environmental issue -which is chosen every year. This year’s topic was “Protection of Groundwater Through Urban, Agriculture and Environmental Planning”.
Jason Weiler, the Marymount teacher in charge of the team has been involved with the Envirothon for the past 6 years and his teams have taken the top spot for 5 of those years. “It is a real credit to my students who continue to embrace the environment,” Weiler stated. “They are extremely dedicated to the team, and to being stewards of the earth, and am extremely proud of their achievements.”
Teammate Jenna Floyd (Grade 10) who is on the first place team was thrilled with their win and was excited for the upcoming competition. “It was a fantastic learning experience for us,” Floyd said. “It has really given us a chance to take our academics outside the classroom and embrace learning in a whole new environment.”
Both teams from Marymount will be moving on to the Provincial competition which will be held May 5th – 8th at the Tim Horton Onondaga Farms in St. George, Ontario.

Words to Inspire at Marymount Academy

Posted on April 15, 2011 by admin

Marymount students in Grades 8, 10 and 12 English classes were given a unique opportunity the week of April 11. Tanya Neumeyer, a Toronto based poet, worked with the students for five days on performance poetry. Neumeyer, a published poet and workshop facilitator, was asked to work with the various classes by teacher Kimberly Fahner, who is herself a renowned published poet. The visit was funded through the Ontario Arts Council and the League of Canadian Poets, and allowed the students to learn how, through a creative process, to write and perform a poem within five days. At the end of the week, the students performed their finished pieces of poetry for Neumeyer as well as their classmates. “It has really been an extremely great week,” Neumeyer stated. “All of the students have been keen and curious about the spoken word.” Fauhner, who organized the workshops with the various classes was thrilled that the students were exposed to such an experienced poet and was extremely pleased with all of the positive feedback from students and staff. Tammy Jutila, one of Marymount’s Grade 8 English teachers whole-heartedly agreed with Fauhner. “It was such a unique experience – one that had a huge impact on the students and encouraged their own creative potential,” Jutila said. “Tanya Neumeyer was so patient throughout the whole process and really encouraged the students to find their own personal voice.”

Marymount Academy Girls Hockey Division Two Champions!

Posted on March 27, 2011 by admin

Recently the Marymount Academy Girls Hockey Team won the Division Two championship series in two straight games over Lasalle. The first game was all Regals as Maddy Pos scored all six goals in a 6 -1 win. The second game was much closer due to Marymount missing a key player, Lindsey Castonguay. The final game had a scoreless first period and then Lasalle scored two goals in the second period to lead by two heading into the third. With 5 minutes left in the game the Regals got on the board when Maddy Pos found the back of the net making it 2 -1. Then Emily Herbert tied the game up with just over a minute left in the third to send the game into sudden-death overtime and save the day. Overtime only lasted a few minutes when Maddy Pos became the hero and does what she does best by rushing end-to-end and sc oring the winning goal. Congratulations Regals!!

Sudbury Catholic Students “Blinding Us With Science”

Posted on March 3, 2011 by admin

Qualifying students from the Sudbury Catholic District School Board took part in this year’s annual Science Fair on March 2, 2011 in the gym of St. Francis School. Over the past few months students had been experimenting with their ideas and creativity to impress not only their teachers, but the judges and special guests who would make an appearance throughout the competition. Out of the hundreds of projects submitted, twenty were chosen to move on to the Regional Science Fair. Of the twenty, four were given special recognition as they were linked to the unique secondary programming at the Catholic Board’s four high schools. St. Benedict’s Specialist High Skills Major in the Environment allowed for Mia Pandolfo,a student from Marymount Academy, to be awarded the Environmental Sciences award with her project “Crank Remote”. Jasmine Ayotte and Emily Pasivirta were awarded the Innovational Technology award from Bishop Alexander Carter Secondary whose Specialist High Skills Major is in Technology. St. Anne’s Matthew Ingreselli won the Application of Physical Science to Everyday Lives award from Marymount Academy (with Advance Placement) for his “Dimple my ride” project. Tristan Harvey and Hanna Longe from St. John Elementary were awarded the Health and Wellness award linked to St. Charles College’s Specialist High Skills Major for their “ Dare to compare your toothbrush” project.
Todd Horn, a grade eight teacher from Pius XII Catholic Elementary School attended the event with his students and was excited to see the dedication and creativity of this year’s group of students. “ Seeing as how students will soon be transitioning into Secondary school, the science fair is an excellent opportunity for them to experiment and offers them the hands on experience,” Horn stated. “Science Fair is a really positive opportunity for students to create projects that are recognized and celebrated in the classroom, the school, board-wide and possibly even beyond.”
Marymount Academy Science teacher, Andrea Jebreen, echoed Horn’s comments regarding the calibre of projects at this year’s science fair “The collection of projects were so incredible that it made it very difficult to choose just twenty to go on to the next level,” Jebreen said. “It is evident that a lot of time and dedication went into each and every project and we are very proud of our students hard-work and creativity.”
The twenty finalist projects are set to attend the Regional Science Fair taking place on April 9-10 at Laurentian University.
A special thank you goes out to the Sudbury Catholic Science Fair Committee for their dedication and support throughout the planning. The team is comprised of SCDSB teachers Connie Ubriaco, Todd Horn, Andrea Jebreen, Donna Rose and Vice Principals Megan Murphy and Dennis Charlebois.