the converged citizen - december 3, 2015

www.themediaplex.com *Volume XI Issue 9 *December 3, 2015

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News

Health & Lifestyle

Entertainment

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Quote of the Day

In a time of

universal deceit -

telling the truth is

a revolutionary

act.

- George Orwell

Inside

Santa waves to a crowd standing along Ouellette Avenue for the fourth annual Winter Fest Parade Nov. 28. A fewthousand Windsor-Essex County residents packed the side of the road for the event. The parade, which was held bythe Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association, started at the intersection of Ouellette Avenue and GilesBoulevard and went norht before ending at Pitt Street. More than 50 floats were in the parade. Some of the partici-pants included Miss Teen United Nations Chelsea Girard, Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens and city councillors RinoBortolin, Jo Anne Gignac and Fred Francis. Photo by Justin Prince

The Power Of The Future

Santa comes to town...

ONVERGED CITIZENDecember3, 2015C2

newsAccidental kitchen fire causes $50,000 in damages

An accidental kitchen fire ata house in downtown Windsorhas caused $50,000 in dam-ages.

Multiple fire trucks forWindsor Fire and RescueServices rushed to the sceneof a house fire in the 500block of Church Street Nov.30. Prisoner transport vehiclesfrom the Windsor PoliceService were also on scene.

No one was in the house atthe time according to WFRS.

1 - A member of the WindsorFire and Rescue Services pre-pares to enter the house.2 - Members of Windsor Fireand Rescue Service helpedwith each other’s oxygen tanksoutside of the house.3 - A member of the WindsorFire and Rescue Servicessmashed a window to letsmoke out after the fire.4 - Members of the WindsorFire and Rescue Services dis-cuss the situation at the housefire.5 - A member of Windsor Fireand Rescue Services has hisoxygen tank removed.6 - A picture of the house afterthe windows were smashed tolet out smoke.

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2 3

4

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ONVERGED CITIZENDecember 3, 2015C3

newsWindsor-Essex Catholic District School Board to move forward with accommodation review

Three elementary schoolscould be closed in June 2016,which could lead to two newmiddle school facilitiesThe Windsor-Essex Catholic

District School Board’strustees have decided to startthree accommodation reviews

which, if approved, could closeand consolidate schools inAmherstburg, Leamington andWindsor West.The proposals, which were

put forward by the board’sadministration, could lead tothe closures of St. BernardCatholic Elementary School inAmherstburg, St. JohnCatholic Elementary School in

Windsor and St. LouisCatholic Elementary School inLeamington in June 2016. Theproposals would also createtwo middle schools atAssumption College CatholicHigh School and CardinalCarter Catholic SecondarySchool for students in Grades7 and 8. The trustees voted tostart all three studies on a

modified process at a schoolboard meeting Nov. 24.The school board is required

to hold one public meetingwith the school communitiesaffected and one school boardmeeting before it makes itsfinal decision.The WECDSB currently has

about 3,000 empty studentspaces in its system. PaulPicard, the director ofeducation for the WECDSB,said the board was alsoconcerned with the number ofstudents at its secondaryschools.“If the trustees ultimately

accept these recommendationsor some modifications thereof,we will get our empty spacetotal down to below 1,000which is optimal as far as theboard is concerned,” saidPicard after the meeting. “Itwill also maximize oursecondary schools so they donot become at-risk.”Picard said during the board

meeting that empty spaces inschools have become a focusfor the Ontario Ministry ofEducation. He said it should befor the board too because it islosing money from the emptyseats that could be used forfunding school programs. Theschool board has closed eightschools since 2005.The WECDSB is now

starting to look betterfinancially. The board is

reporting a surplus of about$5.1 million for the end of the2014-15 school year. It alsohas an accumulated surplusworth more than $18 million,much of which can be puttowards the board’s $14million capital deficit.“The exercise of

accommodation reviews, asI’ve said as we’ve gonethrough this multiple times, isextremely difficult,” saidPicard during the meeting. “It’sdifficult on schoolcommunities. It’s difficult ontrustees. It’s difficult onstudents. It’s difficult on staff.We’re all in this. But much ofwhat we’ve been able toachieve over the course of thelast few years has involvedeffective fiscal management.”As part of the proposals, St.

Bernard’s entire schoolpopulation would beconsolidated with Stella MarisCatholic Elementary School inAmherstburg.The junior kindergarten to

Grade 6 student populations ofSt. John and St. Louis wouldalso be consolidated withnearby elementary schools.Students in grades 7 and 8 atthe consolidated schools willattend the proposed middleschools.The proposed middle schools

Justin Prince

Converged Citizen Staff

Emerson Valley (left) and Kerri Stephenson, members of St. John Catholic ElementarySchool’s Advisory Council, listen to a discussion by the Windsor-Essex Catholic DistrictSchool Board’s trustees about three proposed accommodation reviews at a school boardmeeting at the Windsor Essex Catholic Education Centre Nov. 24.

New hope, new plans, new faces

for Windsor Downtown Mission

The giant cathedral-like

church echoes the bouncing

syllables as Windsor

Downtown Mission’s new

director of development throws

her audience a barrage of fact

after fact. The audience is

made up of delegates from

Leadership Windsor-Essex,

who try to pepper questions

back with as much interest. But

they have a lot to compete with

their tour guide’s insatiable

dreaming is what’s keeping her

going.

“We sort of are the frontline,

we’re the place that people

stumble through the door (as a)

last resort. Maybe you’ve been

turned away from everywhere

else, but we don’t turn anyone

away. We get you in the door

and we help you get to that

next step” Fiona Coughlin.

A fitting statement to make

immediately after telling the

story of a previous guest who

is now opening their second

sandwich and coffee shop after

graduating from the culinary

arts program.

Finding fitting statements for

every person and every

moment helps define

Coughlin, the mission’s new

director of development,

taking on the job less than

David Dyck


Photo by Justin Prince

MISSION PAGE 4

SCHOOL PAGE 4

Standing third and fourth from the left, Fiona Coughlin and Ron Dunn help serve food atthe lunch counter at the Windsor Downtown Mission on Nov. 27.

Photo by David Dyck


newsare also slightly different. AtAssumption, the WECDSBwould expand its InternationalBaccalaureate programs to beoffered to younger students.Meanwhile, the school boardwould create a campus-stylecommunity with Queen ofPeace and Cardinal Carter,which are located next to eachother.“It’s a disappointing decision

because our community at St.Louis is thriving and has beenthriving,” said St. Louis’sCatholic School AdvisoryCouncil chairperson MarianneBaeiri. “It’s a small-knitcommunity, a smallcommunity you don’t want tomess with.”Emerson Valley, the treasurer

for St. John’s Catholic SchoolAdvisory Council, said hethought the decision to start thereview for his school wasinevitable. An accommodationreview involving the schoolwas done in 2009. In the end,St. Francis CatholicElementary School was closedand was consolidated with St.John. If the current proposal isapproved, Windsor’s west sidewould have one Catholicelementary school – which

three months ago. A tour

through the building is just one

of her daily tasks where this is

necessary. The quotes drop left

and right as she moves

purposefully, with the

occasional nervous giggle.

“We’re going to renovate the

whole thing,” she explains,

pointing out the enormous

space sitting unused.

Dormitories will be installed

for both genders, with beds to

soon be shipped in for guests

who need to spend the night.

There will even be dorms for

families who may have been

recently evicted from their

homes. “If a family is in a

crisis situation, it can tear them

apart. We can’t have children

on the streets, so we’re here to

give them a place to go to.”

The subject of potential

family upheaval is a special

concern for Coughlin, who still

vividly recalls being a single

mom just barely out of high

school. Working in a Hallmark

store with her infant son

colouring behind the cash

register, she credits a strong

sense of family at both home

and work that helped her pull

through. It’s no wonder then

MISSION PAGE 3 that she looks to bring the same

qualities to the Mission.

“I feel like we’re all brothers

and sisters on the same

journey. A lot of us experience

very similar things and we’re

all fighting battles…I feel a

sense of responsibility towards

the community, towards

everyone that’s in our mission.

They’re our guests, but they’re

also our friends and

colleagues,” said Coughlin.

The group she's guiding

moves downstairs and enters a

narrow hallway, where she

rattles off future plans while

pointing out the rooms they

pass. The kitchen provides

culinary arts students the

chance to find work in the

hospitality sector. The food

bank used to be only open to

people once every three

months, to soon be available

once a month. For this, contact

with various donors needs to

be made to keep up with the

demand, which Coughlin says

take up the majority of her day.

Sitting at her work space with

a poem entitled “If I had to live

my life over again, I’d make

more mistakes next time” and

a mini-figurine of Doctor Who

for inspiration, please and

thank yous are sent out to build

relations with everybody

anywhere. And what else does

her day involve? Chestnuts.

Soup mix. Article printouts.

Nine skids of crackers coming

in from Toronto. Facebook.

And finding contacts for the

upcoming Coldest Night Walk

needs to be done too.

And speaking of fundraising,

Coughlin remembers being

involved in it from the very

beginning. Growing up in

Kitchener, her dad was a

hospital administrator who

regularly hosted golf

tournaments and radio drives

to raise funds. Repeatedly

tagging along with him soon

gave her incentive of her own

and she became the chair for

the youth committee in

college. Pulling through

business administration at the

time, she decided to "use her

business powers for good

instead of evil.” That’s where

non-profit sector fundraising

came in.

But Coughlin’s future

ambitions still rest ahead for

her tourists, as the next stop

calls for a visit to the meal

room. On a normal day the

room will be packed with over

250 people and she says she

has to get to know everyone.

Some of the visitors even come

solely to socialize, to get

“support for their souls and

spirits.”

Part of doing that is showing

that it’s not an “us and them”

mentality, with fundraisers

only the elite can afford. The

recent trivia night they hosted

was open to the public. As

Coughlin says, by creating

events that would be

inaccessible to the community,

what kind of message would

you be sending to your own

guys?

And another way to make an

event accessible for the public

is to get the public involved.

Coughlin’s sense of

responsibility is praised by

Angela Matei, the mission’s

data clerk. Matei also applauds

Coughlin’s creative backing

behind the trivia night, which

helped raise $11,000.

“Her planning of every event

is huge…everybody knows

you do this or (that), she has on

a schedule everybody’s job.

She knows where to put people

and (how to) keep them busy,”

said Matei.

And to send that point home,

Coughlin warns Leadership

Windsor-Essex they might end

up finishing their tour sorting

out donated clothes. That is,

after she shows them the new

hair salon upstairs. And here

her creative juices begin to

really flow as her speech

becomes even more excited

and her plans begin to topple

all over each other. That, she

says, is the benefit of working

in the non-profit sector- not a

lot of red tape. Here, anything

can happen.

“I hope that the mission

inspires me to come up with

creative solutions. I would love

to be the person (who) figures

out the solution to poverty and

I know that’s a crazy dream…

some researchers are looking

to cure cancer, we’re looking

to cure poverty. How do you

do that? We keep working on it

and trying new methods and I

feel like we can do it,” said

Coughlin.

And so whether it’s new hair

salons, culinary students going

to open their own restaurants,

or even something as simple as

finding chestnuts for the next

Christmas fundraiser, poverty

alleviation dreams keep

growing. They might even be

substantial one day. They

certainly already are for

Windsor.

would be west of theAmbassador Bridge – and oneCatholic secondary school.“It’s a huge concern,” said

trustee Fabio Costante, whorepresents Windsor Westwards. “These are concernswe’re going to discussmoving forward. What needsto be in the discussion and inthe report is all the risks thatare involved with having justone grade school and all therisks of having a hugegeographic area that wouldhave no Catholic presence.”Valley said it is important for

the voices of the parents andstudents to be heard and thatthe school community plans towork with the board to createthe best outcome possible fortheir students.“Long-term, we have to now

convince the trustees that wehave a good vision and ourvision is not the same as whatthe board has presented,” saidValley, who has been in hisposition for four years. “We’regoing to work towards havingour vision executed.”The final decision will not be

made for each of theaccommodation reviews untilMarch 2016. The proposalscan also still be changed beforethe final decision is made.

SCHOOL PAGE 3

Richard Dalkeith holds up a banner in the slow hall on Nov. 19. Photo by Michelle Laramie

Windsorites working and living on thestreets now have their own union.The Street Labourers of Windsor opened a

union hall on Tecumseh Road East.“This has been a combination of quite a

few years of work,” said member andorganizer Andrew Nellis. SLOW’s goal is tooffer solidarity to members working on thestreets. Each member will offer their ownindividual talents to each other. Accordingto Nellis, they will stick together and helpcarry each other’s burdens, making themstronger as a team. “We want to be able towatch each other’s back.”SLOW union hall will act as a gathering

place that welcomes members. The hall willalso offer different activities such as musiclessons, arts and crafts and tips on working

and living on the streets. They want to givemembers an opportunity to learn a new skillif they want, according to Nellis.The organization wants “to make sure

members feel welcome and useful,” saidNellis.Spokesperson Richard Dalkeith is a

recovering alcoholic and drug addict. Hesaid his past addictions will be helpful toothers.“I can use this in my organization. It’s

useful, it’s educational, because some peoplehave these experiences and nowhere to turnto,” said Dalkeith. The organization wantsto make sure the members feel welcome anduseful, said Dalkeith.The SLOW union hall will be open

Thursday to Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Street Labourers Unite

ONVERGED CITIZENSEPTEMBER 1, 2015C5

news

A revised road tax levy was

brought up at the executive

committee meeting at city hall

on Nov. 23. The proposal is an

Windsorites may pay more for road taxes

incremental tax levy of point

five per cent. This puts roughly

$2 million to use for repairing

and reconstructing the city’s

roads. According to this year's

Asset Management Plan, the

very good road conditions were

at approximately 41 per cent

which is a two per cent increase

from 2013. However, the “very

poor” percentage increased by

point one per cent. Ward 9

councillor Hilary Payne has

been requesting the road tax

levy and said he is confident

about the proposal.

“I’m very confident because

all of us councillors have

issues in our wards that (the)

roads need reconstruction and

rehabilitation,” said Payne.

With the current city budget,

the roads’ poor and very poor

conditions would increase

from 196.8 km to 358.5 km in

the next 20 years. The

proposed point five per cent

tax levy would decrease the

negative conditions to 73.4 km

in the same time span. For the

average homeowner, there

would be a $14 tax increase.

Our West End outreach

coordinator, Tamara Murray,

said she has seen some

improvements to the roads in

the west end.

“We’ve seen some wonderful

improvements along the

Wyandotte West business strip,

the beautification has brought

communities together and

businesses are filling

themselves in naturally,”

Murray said.

According to the City of

Windsor agenda most of the

money would go towards

repairing EC Row

Expressway. The arterial roads

would be next, followed by

collector roads and any money

remaining would go towards

the local roads. Payne said the

City’s roads are a more

concerning issue when it

comes to other levies.

“This is an internal levy,” said

Payne. “We have to do a better

and a quicker job of

reconstructing a major city

asset which is of the course the

city roadways.”

City council will decide

whether or not to approve the

road tax levy at the budget

meeting on Dec. 21.

Aaron Sanders


Ward 9 councillor Hilary Payne addresses city council at the executive committee meet-ing at City Hall Nov. 23.

Textbook prices worry students

High school seniors are

beginning to apply to post-

secondary schools for

September 2016 and many are

worried about more than just

the cost of tuition.

On average, undergraduate

programs cost about $6,200 in

tuition for the 2015-16 school

year, according to Statistics

Canada. That number has been

steadily increasing. Last year,

undergraduate students paid an

average of $6,000 a year.

However, tuition costs are not

the only ones students have to

pay. In addition to the price of

the program, students can pay

from $800 to $1,000 a year for

textbooks alone, according to

the Financial Consumer

Agency of Canada.

The high costs have many

students worried, including

Mikaela Russell who said she

is planning on applying to the

respiratory therapy program at

St. Clair College.

"I'm most worried about

financial troubles and paying

off loans if I need to get them,"

said Russell. She is planning

on going to college after

graduating from high school

and said the only thing that

could stop her would be if she

had to work full-time for a year

to save up money.

While students are worried

about the high costs of

schooling those around them

also worry, including their

parents and teachers.

Mitzi Fujs is a teacher at

Sandwich Secondary School in

LaSalle. She tries to help her

students as much as possible.

"I direct them to guidance

(counselling), vice principals

and social workers as

necessary," she said. "A key

issue for some is that several

have to put off school for one

year to work to afford school."

Fujs also said for some,

textbooks aren't as much of an

issue because they are "viewed

as a downloadable file."

Downloading PDF versions

of textbooks is one of many

ways students can save money.

Russell said she plans to find

as many used books as she can.

Students can also purchase e-

book versions of textbooks,

rent them or search websites

for the lowest prices.

"I would suggest

using slugbooks.com

as it compares prices

for a textbook among

multiple sites so you

can find the cheapest

price," said Himani

Dhar, a third year

student at the

University of

Windsor.

Dhar has purchased

her textbooks from

various websites,

including Amazon.

However, she said

not all books are

available through

Internet stores and

must be bought full-

price at campus

bookstores.

According to a

study published by

the Canadian Centre

for Policy

Alternatives, tuition

costs for students in

2017 could be

around $7,500 a year

and the costs of

textbooks will rise as

well.

Rhiannon Lotze


CONVERGED CITIZEN December 3, 2015 6

Lending a therapeutic paw to studentsLyndi-Colleen Morgan


Therapeutic Paws of Canada

are working together to bring

therapy dogs to meet with stu-

dents at the University of

Windsor, following a visit at

St. Clair College Residence.

The University of Windsor

will be holding a Therapeutic

Paws event on Dec. 1 and

Dec. 7 at their main campus.

The events are being put

together to reduce the stress in

students.

Gemma Chatwin, an

English post-graduate

exchange student at the

University of Windsor said

she will be attending the

event. She said the event will

allow students who may be

away from home for the first

time to connect with pets they

may be missing.

“I think university creates a

lot of stress for students, espe-

cially for those who might be

experiencing university for

the first time,” said Chatwin.

“I think it will give students

the ability to connect with an

animal that they might be

missing. This familiarity of

being with a pet will de-stress

them.”

Therapy dogs have already

visited the students living at

the St. Clair College

Residence.

Andrew Mackereth, the res-

idence life coordinator at St.

Clair College, said the dogs

from Therapeutic Paws of

Canada were brought in to

help students with the stress

they may be feeling at the end

of the semester. He said he

knew the dogs would make a

difference to the students at

this time of the year.

“December is a really stress-

ful month for students with

their exams coming up and

their midterms just finishing

up,” said Mackereth. “We

planned it for students as a

stress buster as well as a way

to remind them that the resi-

dence is still thinking about

them at that time and that ani-

mals are a really great way to

relieve that stress.”

Therapy dogs and interac-

tive social dogs are trained to

work with a handler to pro-

vide comfort and service to

people in need, including

those in hospitals, retirement

homes, schools and children

with disabilities or learning

challenges. They are also

trained to support people in

stressful situations like those

dealing with the aftermath of a

disaster.

Therapy dogs come from a

variety of breeds since certain

dogs work better in different

circumstances, but one of the

things they have in common is

their temperament. Therapy

dogs need to be confident and

social dogs who are patient,

gentle and friendly in all situ-

ations.

“With our visits we can

reduce stress, anxiety, loneli-

ness or depression whether we

Students gather in the games room of St. Clair College residence to meet with the three therapy

dogs at the event. the next therapy dog event will be held in April 2016.

Photo by Lyndi-Colleen Morgan

Citizens of Windsor and

Essex-County have been turn-

ing to crystals when looking

for more than traditional heal-

ing and spirituality practices.

Dating back six thousand

years, crystals were used as

healing tools by ancient

Sumerians of Mesopotamia

and Ancient Egyptians. Their

use is based on concepts bor-

rowed from Asian cultures

and religious practices. Each

crystal is assigned different

properties which are believed

to be beneficial in many ways.

All crystals are meant to pull

and put in energies through

chakras, the seven main ener-

gy points located from the

base of the spine to the top of

the head.

“People are scattered. Their

energy is scattered because

every time you go and do

something you’re giving some

of your energy to that and

what the crystals help you to

do is to pull all of your energy

together and keep you cen-

tered,” said Linda Amicarelli.

“Keeping centered helps you

live in the moment. Nothing

can phase you.”

Amicarelli is the owner of

Pelee’s Rock Bottom in

Leamington. She opened her

shop in 2002 and has been

involved with crystals for

nearly 30 years. She’s been

mining for crystals in Peru,

Egypt, the southwestern

states, Nova Scotia, and in

northern Ontario.

Amicarelli believes crystal

healing is the roots of human-

ity. She said people who are

willing to seek out the infor-

mation through awakening

will find their own path.

According to transcending-

consciousness.com, awaken-

ing is a shift in consciousness

where thinking and awareness

separate. It is considered a

form of universal awareness

and presence to the here and

now.

The whole world is connect-

ed through vibrations and

energy according to Spirit

Science. Some people can

feel the energy and vibrations,

whether you have awakened

or not.

“I am not sure it’s to one

thing or object but I have had

moments where sonder

(calm) sinks into my head and

I feel spiritually connected to

everything around me,” said

Cassidy Van Der Boose.

Van Der Boose does not

really believe in crystal heal-

ing, but said if she knew more

about them she would try it.

She believes there has been a

link between religion and

spirituality, but her beliefs are

agnostic.

“I feel like crystals in them-

selves are not a spiritual jour-

ney and not the be all, end all.

I believe that they are a place-

bo that allows people to open

their minds and focus on the

positive,” she said.

Enlightenment has been

derived from Buddhism and

Hinduism, where a follower

of the faith would open their

minds fully and see their truth

in life. It is believed certain

crystals help a repetitive per-

son become closer to awaken-

ing and seeing truth.

“It’s just when people wake

up they automatically seek all

of this information because

they remember it from way

back when because of all of

the lives we’ve lived,”

Amicarelli said.

There is about seven meta-

physical and crystal stores

around Windsor and Essex-

County. Across Canada, there

are thousands more.

The spir i tual i ty of crystalsAllison Crease


DOGS PAGE 7


health & lifestyleVaping in the Wild West

Todd Shearon


A Windsor man is providing

a viable option to help people

quit smoking, through vaping.

Mike Hart, owner of Vape

Me Vapables, has been run-

ning his home-based business

for three years and it has a

growing success rate of people

quitting smoking.

According to Hart the num-

ber of smokers is dropping in

favour of vaping. He said peo-

ple are exchanging their

smoking habit for vaping, but

the second habit is not nearly

as addictive as the first.

“It’s ridiculous how effective

it is,” said Hart. “You get

numbers published like six to

20 per cent, but I’m being

really generous saying 20 per

cent, for the patch and Zyban.

Whereas anecdotally speaking

I’d say my success rate is 70 to

80 per cent. It might even be

higher.”

Creating his own e-juice in

the lab based out of Hart’s

home, he said if someone else

is talking about his product he

loves it. He does not like talk-

ing about himself.

After smoking for over 15

years, Teresa Knight decided

to start vaping in order to quit

smoking after a friend who

tried vaping mentioned it to

her. She also watched her par-

ents, who were smokers for

over 40 years, quit smoking

through vaping.

“I never ever in my life

thought my mom would quit

smoking,” said Knight. “I

vaped for about a month and a

half and forgot it one day

when I went to work. I real-

ized I didn’t need it. I didn’t

miss it. I decided I was going

to continue on and see how

long I could go without it. I

never touched it again.”

Hart said his business has

increased with the success

rate of people quitting smok-

ing through vaping.

“Vaping is split into two

markets,” said Hart. “You’ve

got the people who are quit-

ting smoking and generally go

down in the amount of nico-

tine they’re vaping. And

you’ve got the recreational

vapers who spend hundreds of

dollars on a monthly basis

blowing big clouds that have

no nicotine. That’s what vap-

ing is turning into in the pub-

lic eye. They see low mil-

ligram vapers blowing big

clouds.”

Customers are quitting and

losing their dependence on

nicotine by lowering the mil-

ligrams of nicotine they’re

vaping with every new bottle

of juice they order.

Hart said there are currently

no laws creating obstacles for

him in the vape business and

he looks forward to when

there are actual regulations on

making e-juice and selling

hardware.

“It’s like the Wild West in

Canada. I can do anything,”

said Hart. “I chose to take the

Mike Hart of Vape Me Vapables is seen here in his home office.

high road and built a lab and

make sure I get my flavours

tested. Joe Blow juice maker

could put bleach in his juice if

he wanted. There are no regu-

lations and no one inspecting

them. He could make it in his

bathtub.”

However, Hart said he is

concerned with how vaping

might be regulated in Canada.

Like the United States,

Canada could aim to declare

everything related to vaping

as a tobacco product. He said

this could wipe out the entire

vape industry overnight as he

would be regulated in a com-

pletely different way. He said

he hopes the government acts

reasonably and suggests they

regulate him like a micro-

DOGS PAGE 6are at hospital or a school or a

senior residence. That’s why

it’s so important,” said Jane

Stewart, team leader of the

Windsor-Essex branch of

Therapeutic Paws of Canada.

“It offers residents, or whoev-

er, a stress relief for many dif-

ferent reasons.”

Therapeutic Paws of Canada

is a national organization of

volunteers and their registered

animals who provide those in

need with resources through

regular visits to hospitals, res-

idences and schools. The pro-

gram tailors to physical, men-

tal, educational, motivational

and social needs. TPOC uses

both cats and dogs when con-

ducting these visits depending

on the situation or the requests

of the people asking for the

services.

Stewart became part of the

organization three years ago

with her therapy dog Harley, a

10-year-old black Labrador

retriever. She said in order to

be accepted her dog had to be

tested to make sure he was a

right fit for the program.

The animals have to meet

requirements to ensure the

safety of the people who use

the services. The cats or dogs

and their trainers are analyzed

as a team and must complete a

formal evaluation and a

behavioural assessment. Only

those who have passed the

evaluation will be allowed to

handle the pet during a thera-

py visit from the TPOC.

“It gives students that need-

ed break time from studying

and they get to come down

and play with some dogs and

have a great time,” said

Mackereth. “It also allows

them to reconnect with them-

selves, their friends and if they

have pets at home they can

kind of mock play with those

pets.”

Mackereth said the resi-

dence hosts these events twice

in the academic year. Nov. 25

was the first therapy dog event

of the school year for students

living at the St. Clair College

residence. Mackereth said

when he was planning the

event students where

approaching him and asking

when it was going to happen.

Dana Peeler, a resident in

the building, said she did not

attend the event last year but

did this year.

Peeler is a second year stu-

dent in the veterinary techni-

cian program at St. Clair

College. She said she under-

stands the connection these

students feel toward the dogs.

“When I see a happy dog it

makes me happy,” said Peeler.

“When I see other people

happy it makes me happy

especially with my desired

career. When I see a dog it

reminds me of my dog at

home and that’s what the ther-

apy dogs do and it takes away

a little of my stress and

replaces it with happiness.”

St. Clair College residence

will also host a free massage

day Dec. 3 for its students.

Mackereth said this will con-

tinue the stress free environ-

ment the residence staff are

trying to provide its students.

The next therapy dog day at

residence will take place in

April 2016 the second semes-

ter begins to come to a close.

For information about

Therapeutic Paws of Canada,

the services offered and infor-

mation on becoming a mem-

ber of the team visit tpoc.ca.

brewery.

“They’re working with alco-

hol which is technically a poi-

son, like I’m working with

nicotine which is technically a

poison,” said Hart. “You have

to have general manufacturing

procedures that apply to every

juice maker. That would bring

us into a golden age of juice

making. If it goes the opposite

way it will turn them into

criminals. If you want to start

a black market that’s how you

do it.”There is no timeline as to

when Canada might regulatevaping as an industry. He saidin his opinion it is not aboutpeople’s health, it’s where thedollars are coming in from thetobacco and pharmaceuticalindustries.

“The pharmaceutical indus-

try would be the scarier of the

two in Canada. They would

love to own this technology

and sell it over the counter

like the patch,” said Hart.

“You need someone like me to

teach someone who’s starting

vaping and how to do it prop-

erly. These are the things

required for quitting smoking.

Do it the wrong way and it’s

not going to be a viable option

for people anymore. They’ll

just smoke again. It takes a little

bit of effort to quit smoking.

Make that a big effort and it

won’t happen.”

Photo by Todd Shearon

To see what Health

Canada says about vap-

ing visit - www.healthy-

canadians.gc.ca

CONVERGED CITIZEN DECEMBER 3, 2015 8

Call of Duty: Still the Same Game

Screenshot of Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Caleb Workman


The new Call of Duty game

is appealing to a general gam-

ing audience but some are

worried it isn’t bringing any-

thing new to the table.

The newest game release,

Call of Duty: Black Ops III, ison track to have more than $1

billion in sales after reaching

$550 million in just three

days. The first Call of Dutygame was released in 2003

and has since had 12 main

franchise games and 10 games

not connected to its main

series line.

Bryan Holmes, a self-taught

game programmer and design-

er from Windsor, said the

appeal in Call of Duty is its

accessibility and ability to

make a single player carry an

online match, unlike more

technical games like Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

“Activision Blizzard has been

successful by appealing to a

non-competitive crowd,” said

Holmes. “Call of Duty appeals

to the ‘sit down, game a few

hours and then move on’

crowd. Counter-strike targets

the e-sports crowd who cares

more about time put into the

game equalling skill, not that

Call of Duty doesn’t require

skill but the easier learning

curve means acquiring it is a

much faster process.”

A combined 22 games is no

small feat. The series and its

publishing company,

Activision Blizzard, has done

very well with all of their

games totalling a lifetime

gross of $11 billion but some

people think the series is get-

ting old fast, such as Holmes,

while other say it still has pos-

itive things to offer.

Local gamer Matthew

French said he is neutral on

the Call of Duty series and

says often gamers who say

they like it are considered

casual gamers as opposed to

having skill.

“At this point there’s such a

strong stigma it seems counter

intuitive to admit liking it,”

said French. “If I admit to lik-

ing it then people will per-

ceive me as a casual gamer

who doesn’t know anything

about first person shooters.”

French said the game is con-

sidered watered-down but if

you take it at face-value it can

be a lot of fun, especially with

friends.

According to Holmes, devel-

opers of the series know their

formula and stick to it, but it

comes with a risk.

“There is little inherent risk

as a buyer in picking up a Callof Duty game because your

expectations would easily be

met,” said Holmes.

“Publishers need to be careful

with this because it can lead to

fatigue which is why players

mention ‘it’s just the same

game with slightly different

graphics.’”

Holmes said the general

audience appeal will always

be a main selling point but the

fatigue-factor of having the

same game with slightly bet-

ter graphics is bound to get

old unless they make some

major changes.

One thing is for sure, as long

as people keep buying,

Activision Blizzard will keep

selling and gamers can expect

to see more games coming in

the near future.

ONVERGED CITIZENarts & entertainment December 3, 2015C9

Photo by Jordan Caschera

Local film producer shares experience

“I was in my early 20s, it wasa comedy called The PuttingEdge and I was thrown intoit,” said Ted Bezaire. “I want-ed to go big.” You’ve heard itbefore, Do what you love andyou’ll never work a day inyour life, well that’s how TedBezaire describes his life. “If Ididn’t love it as much as I do,I would’ve stopped a longtime ago,” said Bezaire. “It’smy dream.”

Ted Bezaire is a producerand writer who graduatedfrom the University ofWindsor and SheridanCollege but his interest in pro-ducing was sparked wellbefore post-secondary school.

“Growing up, some of myearliest memories were in thetheatre with my dad, now it’sthe best feeling watching thecrowd, watch my movie.”While attending F.J. BrennanHigh School, Bezaire cameacross a teacher by the nameof Steve Kristof and it was inhis computer technologycourse Bezaire began filmmaking. “We started a videog-raphy club and every year wewould have an end-of-the-year film festival.”

While at school he becamefriends with eventual movieco-writer, Mike Stasko. Theduo both wrote the 2012 com-edy The Birder and filmed thewhole movie in Windsor. Butit wasn’t the first of theirmovies to be filmed in theirhome town.

The two wrote Things to Doafter Bezaire and his produc-ing partner flew out to LosAngeles to attend the

Sundance Film Festival. “Theenergy there was really palpa-ble, I remember saying ‘imag-ine we had a film here.” Afterthe festival Bezaire andStasko became motivated toshow their film at the festival.The plan was to film themovie in the summer and sub-mit it for the JanuarySundance festival. “We gotinto Slamdance, the sister fes-tival of Sundance,” saidBezaire. “In one year we wentfrom idea to premiering inPark City.” The duo pitchedthe idea for The Birder toTelefilm Canada who devel-oped movies in Canada.“They liked ‘Things to Do’ sothey asked us what else wehad.” Telefilms liked the con-cept and began to develop themovie.Bezaire went into Slamdance

with the idea for The Birder inhis back pocket for the oddchance someone asked ‘whatwas next?’ He got the ideafrom his former high schoolteacher.“It was a weird experience, wewere having wine and talkingmore as peers rather than stu-dent-teacher, It was a weirdexperience.” Joking he saidbefore that he never seenteachers as “real people andnot robots who just show up toschool from 8 to 3.” It’s aboutthe context of someone’s pro-fession he said “It’s how yousee people.” Stasko andBezaire had a mutual friendwho was an avid bird watcher,Bezaire admitted to having thesmall idea of a teacher wholives in the school during thesummer. Stasko said they likedoing comedies so they com-bined the idea of the characterbeing a teacher and an

ornithologist.Their first movie was shot in

Windsor and the two wantedto come back to replicate thegreat experience they had.“We wrote the story withWindsor in mind, the area is ahot-bed for bird watching.”The Birder stars Fred Willard

and Tom Cavanagh but thestory is set in a fictional EssexCounty and wasn’t written forany specific actors in mind.“When it came to casting allwe wanted was someone whocould embrace the roll of themain character Ron Spencer.’’Tom Cavanagh reached out toBezaire after reading the scriptand was onboard right away.Fred Willard in Bazaires opin-ion is a comedy icon,Willard’s comedic roles areendless and he’s best knownfor starring in Anchorman,Anchorman 2 and recently onthe hit sitcom Modern Family.“I’m a huge fan of his, so wetried and he loved the script.”With Fred Willard being such

a big name and a busy guy themovie was filmed with him setfor only three days. “The trickis to find interesting actors we

can shoot with for a shortamount of time.” The wholemovie was shot in a total of 14days spread out over fourweeks.

The movie premiered inCalgary in 2012 and was thefirst time an audience viewedthe film with no sentimentalrelationship with any of thecast. “It was a huge reliefwhen we got the first laughsbecause they don’t know me,they don’t care if they hurt myfeelings.” According toBezaire the reaction at theCapitol Theatre for the pre-mier in Windsor was muchdifferent. “The audience at theCapitol was the biggest reac-tion we could’ve imagined,they were super into it.” Headmitted the audience was oneof the best rewards. “What isthe point of making a movie ifthere is no audience, then It’sjust an expensive homevideo.”

Since The Birder Bezaire hasbeen a busy guy, hes beenwriting and producing shortfilms and has been attemptingto get a television project off-the-ground. Bezaire most

A student watches the film “The Birder” directed by TedBezaire.

Jordan Caschera


recently worked on aBravoFact short film inToronto with Bell media andwill be in post-production forthe next few months. Thoughhe is busy, he kept going backto its all about doing what heloves. “To get one project offthe ground you need to beworking on nine others.”Though he said only one ofthose projects will be success-ful but it always ends upevening itself out.

The duo of Ted Bezaire and

Mike Stasko started making

films together in college and

completed dozens of short

films. Now the duo have com-

pleted four feature films

together. “It’s been a long

time working together and we

complement each other.”

He admits times can be diffi-

cult and there are always up’s

and down’s but you’re work-

ing for the one to be success-

ful. “If I didn’t love it as much

as I do I would have stopped a

long time ago, You have to

really love it.”

Thank You

Our team would like to thank Tim Hortonsfor their donation to the Converged Citizen

and members of the Blitz team.

525 University Ave. W. Windsor, Ont. (519) 253-0012

CONVERGED CITIZEN DECEMBER 3, 2015 10

Comets basketball team welcomes student from SudanRyan Blevins


An international student-ath-

lete arriving at Catholic

Central high school has big

shoes to fill, literally and figu-

ratively.

Seventeen-year-old Jonothan

Nicola is a six foot nine inch

forward who is enrolled at

CCH and is the newest mem-

ber of the Comets basketball

team. Nicola arrived in

Canada on Nov.23 after a long

journey overseas. A native of

war-stricken Sudan, Nicola

joins the Comets just four days

before the CCH basketball

team saw their first game

action in the 29th annual

Freeds-St. Clair College Tip

Off Tournament.

Due to the absence of a

Canadian Embassy in Sudan

the process of obtaining docu-

mentation to live in Canada

took more than six months.

After 24 hours of flights,

Nicola landed in Toronto fac-

ing extreme jet lag due to the

eight hour time difference

between Sudan and Toronto.

Catholic Central principal

Sherrilynn Colley-Veigh is

working to see where Nicola

fits into the school academi-

cally.

“We have been assessing him

all day,” said Colley-Veigh. “I

mean we have students that

have gaps in their education

Photo by Ryan Blevins

Coach Peter Cusumano (left) instructs his team while they line up on the side line at their prac-tice Nov. 25

from similar situations.”

Having no formal schooling

over the past two years Nicola

finds himself in a great situa-

tion to succeed. Catholic

Central is home to over 100

international students and the

school has several amenities

to assist students who are new

to Canada. Services such as

the Secondary Assessment

and Reception Centre,

Secondary Language

Proficiency Assessment and

Translation Assistance are all

available at Catholic Central.

Catholic Central basketball

head coach Peter Cusumano

has liked what he has seen

from his newest player so far.

“You can’t teach height, he’s

athletic. There’s a big learning

curve but hopefully we get

there with him,” said

Cusumano.

Nicola is not only in a great

place to succeed academically,

but will be able to flourish ath-

letically as well. Coach

Cusumano has coached the

Comets for 28 years and has

produced National Collegiate

Athletic Association basket-

ball players such as Bill Davis

and Mychal Mulder. The

Comets have also won eight

Windsor Essex County

Secondary School Athletic

Association championship

and three Ontario Federation

of School Athletic

Associations champions

under coach Cusumano. It is

this resume that made coach

Cusumano a nationally recog-

nized name in the Canadian

basketball world. Meanwhile

it has been his national recog-

nition that led international

basketball scout Gregg Dole

to reach out to coach

Cusumano about developing

Nicola’s talents.

“They are really welcoming.

I love them a lot,” said Nicola

referring to his teammates.

“Since I arrived here, especial-

ly when I was outside. They

just came up to the car, one of

my teammates said ‘Hey

Jonothan I was waiting for

you so long.'”

Nicola’s teammates will

also welcome him into his

first Freeds-St. Clair College

Tip Off Tournament. The

Comets have finished second

in the last five tournaments

losing all five finals games to

Toronto St. Michael.

Returning players such as

Richie Akinsanya and Najee

Brown Henderson look to

rebound from their teams

performance in last year’s

tournament and end Toronto

St. Michael’s run.

Coach Cusumano and the

Catholic Central Comets bas-

ketball team began their sea-

son Nov. 27 in the Freeds-St.

Clair College Tip Off tourna-

ment. The Comets now focus

their attention on the WEC-

SSAA season and their home

opener against the Vincent

Massey Mustangs Dec. 3.

Vagnini wins coach of the yearJordan Caschera


The St. Clair Saints Women’ssoccer head coach has won twocollege Coach of the Yearawards at the CCAA Women’sChampionship Banquet.

Steve Vagnini won the 2015Ontario Colleges AthleticAssociation and CanadianCollegiate Athletic Associationawards. Vagnini was named the

OCAA Coach of the Year forthe second year in a row at theprovincial championships twoweeks ago. This past seasonVagnini lead the Saints to a 9-1record and a tie for first place inthe OCAA West Division. Inthe playoffs the Saints had arecord of 3 – 1 record.

St. Clair won OCAA Bronze,its first medal in women’s soc-cer since 1999. It was the fourthmedal won by the women’s

soccer program and accordingto assistant coach Kris Geier,Vagnini deserves it.

“He takes lots of time offfrom work to be sure the teamis prepared and ready for eachand every game,” said Geier.“His passion is contagious.”Geier also said Vagnini earnedrespect from many of thecoaches in the OCAA becauseof his preparation and dedica-tion to the team.

“Steve always has the bestinterest of the program first andforemost,” said Geier.“He isthe most prepared coach I haveever worked with.”“Everyone on the team knowsthis and buys into it,” saidGeier. “He has dramaticallychanged the entire culture ofthe program.”

Coach Vagnini said winningthis award was an honourbecause he gets to share it with

his team and coaching staff. Hesaid no individual can win thisaward on their wn without agreat supporting cast.

“Our motto has always been‘team’. We are taught to liveand die together”He said the team’s goal hasalways been to make the finalfour and anything less wouldhave been devastating.

COACH PAGE 11

ONVERGED CITIZENsports & fitness DECEMBER 3, 2015C11

Christian Bouchard


Some people have all the

luck in the world, but a little

skill helps too.

Catching a baseball at a

MLB game is something

many people dream of their

entire lives. However, more

often than not, whether their

team wins or loses, fans will

walk out of the stadium empty

handed.

What are the odds of catch-

ing a ball at a game? Here’s

the math: In an average MLB

game, 30 balls enter the stands

with an average attendance of

30,000. Therefore, the odds of

catching one ball are 30,000

fans divided by 30 balls,

which is 1 in 1,000.

But in a single game in

2011, one fan at a Cincinnati

Reds game at Great American

Ball Park snagged a total of 36

baseballs – a once in several

lifetime’s achievement.

The odds of that happening

are 1 in 9 trillion. That’s 12

zeros, for those wondering.

Including batting practice,

Zack Hample has caught more

than 8,500 baseballs in his

lifetime. Still, the 38-year-old

said it took time before catch-

ing his first one.

“I was first motivated to

catch a ball by seeing people

doing it on TV,” said Hample.

“I went to games for six years

before I finally got my hands

on one. Ever since then, I’ve

developed a lot of tricks and

strategies to increase my

chances.”

The tricks and strategies

have proven to work over the

years. Hample finished the

2015 MLB season having

caught at least one ball in

1,166 consecutive games.

“I think it’s a crazy feat and

probably one that won’t ever

be repeated,” said Tristan

Bouchat, a pitcher for the

Tecumseh Thunder and St.

Clair Saints. “Some people

have season tickets their entire

life and would be lucky to

catch a handful of balls.”

Dereck Matte, a baseball fan

his entire life, said Hample’s

talents are amazing.

“Catching a baseball comes

with practice,” said Matte, 19.

“For a fan in the stands, you

must be attentive and have to

fight against other people

wanting the same baseball.”

Hample estimates he’s been

attending around 90 games

per season while spending

upwards of $100,000 on

games in his lifetime. He’s

been to more than 50 different

ballparks, catching a ball in

each. In the end, the goal is to

reach the 10,000 baseballs and

the 100 home run baseball

plateau.

Although Hample spent

much of his time chasing after

foul balls, his life changed for-

ever on June 19, 2015 when

he caught a home run ball off

the bat of Alex Rodriguez.

The home run was

Rodriguez’ 3,000th career hit

– a milestone only 29 players

have reached in the history of

the game.

“I’m always happy when I

snag any ball,” said Hample.

“But when I catch a home run

during the game, it’s absolute-

ly exhilarating. I get a major

rush even after all these years.

That’s what keeps me going

back for more.”

Catching that ball meant

more than any of the other

8,632 balls he has ever caught.

However, he never expected

the backlash he would get for

deciding to keep the souvenir.

For many fans, the 3,000th

career hit ball should have

been returned to Rodriguez.

After months, Hample still

had fans heckling him, calling

him names, screaming sexual

and derogatory slurs as well as

even physically assaulting

him.

On top of receiving so much

hate for catching the ball,

Hample said it has since made

his favourite hobby even hard-

er to do because of the

increased popularity.

“It’s now impossible for me

to attend a game and keep to

myself,” said Hample. “It’s

flattering and I don’t mean to

complain and I try to be

patient and friendly with

everyone, but I do now face

some added challenges.”

Despite all the hate in

response to his decision to

keep the baseball, after a two

week holdout, Hample decid-

ed to sell the ball back to the

New York Yankees for

$150,000. All the money was

donated to his favourite chari-

ty, Pitch In For Baseball.

Wanting to share his talents

and tricks with the world,

Hample is also the proud

author of several books

including How To Snag Major

League Baseballs. The book

was written after Hample’s

freshman year at college,

when his summer job had fall-

en through.

Among some of the tips

shared in the book, Hample

said most noticeably the best

advice he can give to an ama-

teur who wants to catch a

baseball at an MLB game is

mobility.

“It’s all about lateral mobil-

ity,” said Hample. “Don’t get

trapped in the middle of a long

row. Make sure you have

room to run. And duh, bring a

glove.”

Preparation is another vital

weapon for catching base-

balls, according to Hample.

Although there are only so

many languages spoken in the

MLB, Hample can ask for a

Photo courtesy of @zack_hample

Zack Hample lying in his collection of baseballs. Hample has caught 8,633 baseballs in his life-time

“This has become our cul-ture and winning this awardproves that we are headed inthe right direction as a pro-gram,” said Vagnini.

Vagnini said they workwith a positive attitude anddeal with controversy when it

COACH PAGE 10

baseball in 36 different lan-

guages.

While ball hawking is one

of his favourite hobbies, he

has also gone to some extreme

measures to receive baseballs.

After a game in Kansas City

in 2009, Hample hid inside

Kaufman Stadium until all the

security guards had left.

“I climbed down into an area

behind the centre field wall

where there were a bunch of

baseballs,” said Hample. “The

way I see it, I did the Royals a

favour by preventing them

from sending one of their

employees down in there.

That employee might have

gotten hurt and sued them, but

I removed the baseballs free

of charge without incident.”

Hample also holds the world

record for the highest eleva-

tion a baseball has ever been

caught from. On July 13,

2013, he caught a baseball

dropped from a helicopter at

1,000 feet in the air at Edward

A. LeLacheur Park.

Beel Veeck is often remem-

bered for his famous quote

“There are only two seasons –

winter and Baseball.” For

Zack Hample, winter means

he eats better, exercises more

and is more active on social

media. He goes out on dates,

catches up with friends and

pursues other hobbies.

Contrary to popular belief,

winter is Hample’s favourite

time of the year.

“My favourite time of the

year is when there’s no base-

ball,” said Hample. “No one

understands that or believes

me, but it’s true. If the offsea-

son could last three years, that

would be ideal – even just

once.”

arises and this allows the play-ers to be relaxed and confi-dent.

“From the first day theteam is picked, I let the girlsknow that our ultimate goal isa national championship,”said Vagnini. “But weapproach that one day at atime and one practice at a timeand one game at a time.”

According to Vagnini thisallows the players to be pre-pared to face anyone or any-thing in their way and he ver-bally reinforce this goal everyday.

On top of all the outdoorsoccer success, Vagnini hasled the Saints to an OCAAIndoor Soccer Championshiplast March. It was the firstever gold medal for the Saintsprogram.

Collector defies odds with baseball stash

would eventually hit the game

winner for the Royals result-

ing in a wild celebration.

“I was so nervous,” said

Wabisa. “I didn’t know what

to do but I knew if I missed

one shot I would at least make

the other. That’s sort of my

routine.”

Lauren Goulding, a Grade

12 senior for Lajeunesse, said

her team came together to play

Even though seven of them

are leaving, they’re going to

be in my heart forever.”

On the road to the champi-

onship game, Lajeunesse

found themselves down one

point in the quarterfinals with

1.5 seconds left in the game.

Asina Wabisa stepped up to

the free-throw line and hit one

of two to send the game to

overtime. Taylor Whitehead

ONVERGED CITIZENsports & fitness DECEMBER 3, 2015C12

‘Be proud, but never satisfied’

Ecole secondaire E.J.

Lajeunesse are celebrating

their silver medal finish at

OFSAA after battling through

adversity all season long.

Although slated as the num-

ber seven seed at the begin-

ning of the tournament, the

girls were able to do what no

other sports team in school

history could accomplish.

After a 26-year wait, Ecole

Secondaire E.J. Lajeunesse

made it to the championship

game at OFSAA.

Entering the fourth quarter

down 12 points, Lajeunesse

would fight back but eventual-

ly fall to top-seeded Ecole

secondaire catholique Jean-

Vanier by four points.

“You can’t imagine how

proud I am right now,” said

Thomas Couvillon, principal

of Lajeunese. “It is not about

winning or losing, it’s about

how they won all tournament

long and it’s about how

involved our staff and stu-

dents were throughout the

tournament.”

Linda Carriere, head coach

of the Royals said the team

battled through a lot of adver-

sity the entire year. Despite

the loss or what the silver

medal represents, there is only

one championship team for

her.

“To me, they’re champions,”

said Carriere. “This is my

family. It’s been my family all

year. We’re really close

together and we’re going to

cherish this moment forever.

Christian Bouchard


their best game all year.

Despite the loss in the champi-

onships, her coach gave her

some advice to cope with the

loss.

“Her famous line is be

proud, but never satisfied,”

said Goulding. “But since we

got the silver medal at

OFSAA, she said be proud,

and now you can be satisfied.”

Couvillon, also believes in

Photos by Jordan Cashera

the culture of never being sat-

isfied. However, by teaching

students not to be satisfied,

Couvillon believes they will

push themselves to reach their

full potential.

“I do think we really stride

that we can’t be satisfied,”

said Couvillon. “I tell the girls

all the time they can’t be

afraid to succeed. I think it’s

something we’ve overcome

now. We go into every game

now expecting to win the

game. Whether it’s in the

classroom, the gym or wher-

ever, it’s a key to saying ‘I’m

going to bring my best every

day.’”

With a student body of just

over 400 students, the

Lajeunesse gymnasium saw a

couple hundred of students

cheering on the girls.

Couvillon said this is the cul-

ture and winning mentality

WHICH is starting to grow at

the school.

As the school now has its

very first appearance in an

OFSAA championship,

Couvillon believes even with

the loss, it will motivate the

school to bring champi-

onships in the future.

“I think it’s a development

process,” said Couvillon.

“We’ve learned to win and we

expect to win now.

Everyone’s joined into that.

These young ladies who did

so well in basketball will

carry that culture into the vol-

leyball season then the next.

The junior girls were a huge

part of this as well. Giving

them a taste of an OFSAA

championship will make them

ready for more in the future.”

Ecole Sencondaire E.J. Lajeunesse host Westminister at the OFSAA Championship Tournament

Nov. 28

the converged citizen - december 3, 2015

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