INNISFAIL – Winter can be a time to enjoy the great outdoors.
Students at École John Wilson Elementary School in Innisfail celebrated winter with an outdoor carnival on Jan. 28.
This year they incorporated activities from the traditional Carnaval de Québec and the 2019 Canada Winter Games being held in Red Deer later this month.
The school held a Catch the Spirit assembly for the Canada Winter Games with mascot Waskasoo on hand, and a pep rally for the winter carnival before participating in events in the afternoon.
“It is an annual event that we have,” said Angela Warke, principal. “To celebrate the culture we have a carnival, and the teachers talk with the kids in the classroom about Carnaval and what it’s like in Quebec.”
Students participated in 11 stations during the outdoor carnival, including a hockey shootout, bobsleigh, snowball race, chicken relay race and tug of war.
“We also tried to align some of the activities with the Canada Winter Games because we had the Catch the Spirit Assembly this morning in our gym as well.
“The kids are getting excited (for the Canada Winter Games),” she added.
Close to 500 students in kindergarten to Grade 4 took part in the outdoor winter event.
Karen Layden, a French immersion teacher and one of the organizers of the carnival, said it’s a great way for students to enjoy winter and learn about French culture.
“The French immersion (program) puts the carnival on because it originated in Quebec,” said Layden, noting a variety of activities for students to enjoy.
“It helps break up the winter and it gives the kids some exposure to Bonhomme and the winter carnaval (in Quebec).
Layden noted the importance of teaching students about the French culture and traditions.
“This is just our way of bringing in a little bit of the French immersion culture,” she said. “It worked out well this year because it (went along) with the 2019 Canada Winter Games.”
Despite the cold temperatures in winter, Layden said students still find ways to enjoy the snow and outdoors.
“It is a beautiful day for this. We’ve had cold days and we’ve had warm days, but the kids come prepared," said Layden."They have a ball.”
