With his distinctive leg raise and traditional red hat and arrow sash, Quebec's iconic Bonhomme Carnaval once again brought plenty of La Belle Province goodwill to host another fun-filled winter carnival at École John Wilson Elementary School.
Bonhomme has been the official ambassador of the world-renowned Quebec Winter Carnival since 1955, and for more than 10 years that revered role has cheerfully found its way thousands of kilometres west from the Plains of Abraham to the aspen parkland country of Central Alberta.
And on Jan. 28 at John Wilson, Bonhomme once again declared, “Happy Carnival!” to Innisfail.
The idea came from the school's French immersion team as a way to introduce a bit of Quebec's unique culture to the kids, and not just French immersion students, but for all 400 students at the elementary school.
“I keep telling my kids the Quebec carnival was created to give the people who had a hard, rugged winter some fun,” said Karen Layden, grades 3 and 4 French immersion teacher at John Wilson. “Back in the 1800s they couldn't jump on a plane and go to Mexico. So we had that in our minds, to give kids some fun in the afternoon during the hard winter.”
This year's winter carnival was held on Jan. 28 in the playground from 12:45 until 2:30 p.m. The young students from kindergarten to Grade 4 spent a gloriously sunny afternoon enjoying a variety of traditional winter activities, including sledding, building Bonhomme look-alikes from snow, and of course, hockey – a shootout version of the grand old Canadian sport.
“It was good because it is cooperating with each other. A lot of the games are based on team cooperation,” said Layden.
And when it was time to return to the classrooms, students had hot chocolate waiting for them, courtesy of Tim Hortons. For a special Quebec treat, they got to munch on sugar tarts.
“They loved it. They were happy and excited,” said Layden, hoping the event will inspire students to one day visit Quebec. “All the reports I have received from the teachers say they just loved it.”
Karen Layden
"I keep telling my kids the Quebec carnival was created to give the people who had a hard, rugged winter some fun. So we had that in our minds, to give kids some fun in the afternoon during the hard winter."
