Allion’s Chance to Bleu Blanc and Bouge
by Kathryn Acton
Grade 2 students at Allion Elementary School laced up their skates and hit the ice as part of the Montreal Canadien’s ‘Bleu, Blanc, Bouge’ Rinks program. The program was built to teach children how to skate and develop healthy lifestyles.
When Allion’s application was selected by the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation to participate in their BLEU BLANC BOUGE learn to skate program, we were elated. The program offers six free skating lessons over a six-week period, the objective being to promote a healthy, active lifestyle.
The skating sessions are held every Wednesday at the Bleu, Blanc, Bouge rink at Hayward Park in LaSalle for our grade 2 students. The students arrive to and from the rink using public transport offered free of charge through collaborative efforts between the STM and Sport et Loisir de l’île de Montréal.
Once the students arrive, they are treated like mini-Montreal Canadiens. All students have their personal assigned seat in the locker room indicated by their name placard. At their seat, they find everything they need to participate in the program – a pair of skates, a helmet, and even their own jersey, entirely supplied by the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation. After getting geared up, they hit the ice, sometimes literally, and are given a group skating lesson by wonderful instructors assigned by the Foundation.
It truly is an amazing experience and program. As physical and health educators, one of our goals is to provide our students the opportunity to participate in an activity that they may not otherwise be able to access. Our helmets go off to the Montreal Canadiens Children’s Foundation.
