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| Suzie
McNeil Drops In On Evolutionary Band To Surprise One of Her Biggest
Fans |
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It was just a normal practice session for
Confederation’s Evolutionary Band after school on Wednesday, October 26.
Courtney Tattersall, shown in the photo above, one of the senior lead
singers on the band had just completed performing a song with her band
that was originally recorded by Suzie McNeil. After the song, Music
director, Norm McIntosh, asked Courtney to tell the rest of the group why
she liked that song so much. Courtney was more than happy to express her
love of the young rock star and proceeded to explain to the rest of the
band how much she enjoyed her music.
At that point, Mr. McIntosh, who has been known for shocking the bank with
guests dropping in to see them during rehearsals, said, “Well, Courtney,
if you like her music so much, why don’t you tell Suzie McNeil herself
just how you feel.”
Then, to the total surprise of everyone in the room,
out of the darkness stepped Courney’s idol, Suzie McNeil herself. After
Courtney recomposed herself, McNeil asked Courtney to join her in singing
the song that she had just performed so beautifully in front of the star.
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Throughout the years Suzie McNeil has accumulated an
impressive array of musical accomplishments and has performed with some of
the top stars in the business, even appearing in front of a crowd of over
200,000. She received much acclaim at the end of 2005 when she was the
last woman standing on CBS
Television’s reality series Rockstar:INXS.
In
the spring of 2007 she released her first CD “Broken and Beautiful”
and this fall she worked with
Bell
Canada
to produce an Olympics inspired video of her hit song, “Believe”,
which is being considered as the possible “theme song” for the 2008
Winter Games being held in
Vancouver
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Suzie talked to the
band for a while, signed some autographs and then headed off to the Grand
Theater for an evening performance in
Sudbury
.
For Courtney Tattersall, it will likely be remembered as a defining
moment in her singing career, performing with her favourite, Suzie McNeil,
live on the set of Evolutionary. Before she left, Suzie told the band that
what she has learned from being a performer is that “the energy you put
out there is the energy you get back”. She encouraged the high school
students to adopt that philosophy in everything they do. Before she left
Suzie signed the autograph board for 2007 with the message: “Continue
the Evolution Revolution”. |
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| Principal
For A Day Program Has Many Benefits For All Participants |
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For Chris Scagnetti, President of Saturn
of Sudbury, shown standing on the right, the opportunity to become
“Principal For A Day” at
Pinecrest
Public School
in Val Therese was something “I just couldn’t pass up.”
Others in the photo
with him include “the real principal, Jacques Mantha, along with three
Grade 7 students who were enjoying a very interesting discussion with Mr.
Scagnetti about possible careers in the automotive industry. The students,
from the left included Cody Boileau, Jesse Dordevic, and Jesse Lampsa.
“The primary purpose of the Principal for a Day program is to
link schools with the communities that they serve,” says Rainbow
District School Board Chair Dena Morrison. “Community leaders will spend
the day learning about the multiple roles that school principals play,
from instructional leadership to the management of school facilities. In
the process, they will gain a better understanding of what¹s happening in
Rainbow Schools.”
“Our community is
keenly aware that we need an excellent educational system to prepare our
future workforce,” says Director of Education Jean Hanson. “By
engaging community leaders in public education, we hope to mobilize the
expertise and resources of our community to develop powerful partnerships
to improve learning opportunities for students in Rainbow Schools. We want
to give community leaders as realistic a view as possible of a day in the
life of a
Principal.”
“At Saturn we’ve
been involved in many youth-oriented initiatives that have been designed
to provide children with safe places to play and enjoy the experiences
that are part of growing up,” explained Scagnetti. “We sponsor
projects like Saturn Kidspace that improve playground facilities and we
take part in the “Ugliest Schoolyard Contest” which was actually won
by Pinecrest last year. Because they won the first place prize, Pinecrest
is receiving a $20,000 landscaping upgrade.”
Scagnetti himself is
part of a very active family. He and his wife are raising two sons who are
involved in hockey and numerous other school-based activities. “The more
my children get involved, the more I realize how fortunate I was to grow
up at a time when there seemed to be money for everything. Our parks,
arenas, recreation facilities were all pretty well new when I was young
and we all spent hours every day on outdoor rinks, riding our bikes in
parks and just enjoying our youth. Today, children have many more
technological advantages that we didn’t have, but I find that their
outdoor-based activities are limited.
That is why Saturn is focusing its efforts on improving these
outdoor facilities and promoting the development of playgrounds and parks.
Chris Scagnetti pointed
out that initiatives such as the “Principal For A Day” program go a
long way to establishing the kind of positive relationship that is going
to be needed by our schools and our young people in the future. “If we
are truly going to help our children get the most out of their education,
then more and more of us from the private sector are going to have to step
forward and provide the necessary support to our school programs. Spending
a day in the school like this convinces me that anything I can do to help
is well worth the investment in our future.” |
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| Family
Literacy Night At
Redwood
Public School
Promotes Writing Skills
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Kellie
MacKenzie, one of the two “Literacy Teachers” at
Redwood
Acres
Public School
is shown working with Grade 2 student, Kyle, on some of his writing
skills. On Thursday, October 25, from
5:30
to
7:30 p.m.
, Kellie and her colleague, Monica MacMillan, will be coordinating the 2nd
Annual Family Literacy Night for parents and children of the entire
community.
“Our theme this year
is ‘Writing Through The Arts’, “explained Ms MacKenzie. “We will
be offering five different 20-minute workshops that will be lead by
experts who will take parents and their children through an interactive
experience designed to promote writing skills.”
The
evening will feature Nancy Gareth-Coulombe from the
Art
Gallery
, Chuck Roberts using music as a writing tool, story writing with Michelle
Walton and Miss Hallman as well as a “Book Fair” where parents can
purchase or order some excellent reading resources for their children.
The
Family Literacy Night is open to all parents and children of the community
and is free of charge. Just drop in to
Redwood
Acres
Public School
at
4625 Carl Street
in Hanmer. You can call 969-4435 for more information. Writing is one of
those communication skills that is so valuable today and anything parents
can do to encourage a love of writing in their children is well worth the
time and effort.
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| Redwood Acres
Open House Is Always A Big Hit With The Entire Family |
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| On
September 13, 2007
Redwood
Acres
Public School
held their annual Open House.
This year featured a circus theme with face painting, juggling and
clowns. It was a huge success
with parents coming with their children to see their classrooms and meet
their teachers. Below are
moments captured at the event.
Below, Cody, the son of Educational Assistant Mrs.
Olivier, juggles teddy bears. |
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| “My mom came to conference with my
teacher, I came for the popcorn” says Lauren Oliver below. |
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| Mrs. Mackenzie LRT teacher at Redwood
Acres handed out lollipops to children. |
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