Northumberland News Features - View Article - Celebrate education at St. Marguerite D’Youville

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School is a real blast

Feb. 23, 2007

What makes an ideal school? Maybe you picture a fun, exciting community in which to learn and interact with peers or a calm, relaxed place to study and work. St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic School is both these places. At St. Marguerite the staff strives to provide a safe, fun learning environment for their students. Everyone at St. Marguerite is a part of a peaceful, Christian learning community. You can get your head in the game in a variety of sports teams including basketball, volleyball and floor hockey. You can join clubs and committees including Yearbook, Student Ambassadors and Battle of the Books for the intermediate students and Drama Club, Silver Birch and Choir for the junior students.

We have hot lunch days like pizza days and the very popular Lunch Lady. We have various educational but fun field trips like Pioneer Village, Medieval Times, the Science Centre, Cedar Park, bowling and Safety Village. Students also enjoy participating in our many theme days, like Maverick Idol day.

Every month, our entire school gathers in the gym to celebrate students who have demonstrated excellence in a variety of areas during our Celebrates Assembly. We have entertaining slide shows and skits for the students to enjoy. Students who have made a significant difference in our school are also awarded with a Mighty Maverick award and a phone call home from our principal.

At St. Marguerite D’Youville we also believe in making our community a better place to live. We participate in Operation Christmas Child, Jump Rope for Heart and ShareLife along with other initiatives like St. Vincent de Paul food drives and donations to the Rose of Durham. Students also help around the school by being safety patrollers, office monitors, recycling monitors, library assistants and lunch monitors.
Elise Lee-Lai, Alyxandra Riddell, Jocelyn Nicholls and Colin Zarzour are Grade 8 students at St. Marguerite d’Youville Catholic School.

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Celebrate education at St. Marguerite D’Youville

Apr 24, 2007 By: Lesley Bovie

Feb. 23, 2007

WHITBY -- Mix in a little faith, a little fun and a little learning and you have what makes St. Marguerite D’Youville Catholic Elementary School such a success in education.

“I’m a firm believer you’ve got to give kids a reason to come to school,” says principal Janine Bowyer, who has three children of her own at home.

Being a Mighty Maverick means following the motto: Believe It... Live It. Education is something to be celebrated and a reminder to involve one’s faith in everything you do.

A Mardi Gras celebration was planned for Shrove Tuesday, with Ms. Bowyer and vice-principal Mike Young flipping pancakes for St. Marguerite’s 435 students.

Earlier this month, Grade 1 classes commemorated the 100th day of school with 100 balloons, 100 hands painted on a mural and other fun counting exercises.

Bringing fun into the classroom is a philosophy definitely shared among St. Marguerite’s staff of 30 teachers, educational assistants and custodians, says Ms. Bowyer.

Named after the first Native Canadian elevated to sainthood, St. Marguerite was established 17 years ago on Michael Boulevard.

Students learn the importance of social justice, a cornerstone of Catholic education, through community fund-raising events like the Terry Fox Run and Jump Rope for Heart. Intermediate students recently sold 1,500 candy grams throughout the school with proceeds going to ShareLife, a fund-raising arm of the Toronto Archdiocese.

Clubs and sports are just as active. St. Marguerite’s choir recently entertained at Whitby’s tree-lighting ceremony and at an Oshawa Generals game.

Junior and intermediate students have also competed in the Battle of the Books at Whitby Public Library. Each team member has to read five books before taking part in the trivia contest.

St. Marguerite was also home to this year’s Durham champion junior boys volleyball team and sports a very well-organized and attended floor hockey intramural program.

The ministry’s mandated daily physical activity at St. Marguerite has manifested itself in Tae Bo classes, skipping, dancing, running and doing stairs.

Students did enough laps of the school yard during the Terry Fox Run and for their daily physical activity that month to run from Newfoundland to Thunder Bay.

The Mighty Maverick Award is St. Marguerite’s most glowing achievement. Students must “do something” demonstrating exemplary school spirit. Past recipients have taken care of classmates’ belongings without being asked or organized Christmas boxes.

The honour includes having one’s picture put up in the main office, a commemorative certificate and a call to notify parents.

“I used to call parents at work to tell them, but one day, I had to leave a message on an answering machine at home,” says Ms. Bowyer. “But the kids love that. I’ve had so many kids since tell me they haven’t erased their message.”