From the Desk of Bjorn Kinding, Headmaster                                   February 3, 2011

Greetings from the Staff of College Harrington du Canada,

The second semester at College Harrington du Canada has begun.

During the first half of the school year things have been moving forward in a high, high pace.

From the 7.00 am morning classes to the 8.30 pm snack, students and staff have been on the go. Skating and stick handling, math and physics, fitness and team tactics, English and French, exams and games, bus rides and study time, all followed each other in a never ending stream, and whenever there was some time off, nothing could hold our students away from the pond hockey rink.

Sometimes, even too much doesn’t seem to be enough.

The first day of the semester brought a welcome change in pace, though. Instead of classes, students and staff spent the whole day at Mont Blanc Ski Resort. The clear blue skies, the bright sunshine, the crisp cold air, and the pure white landscape made a perfect framework for some great Canadian winter fun.

Some students tried their skills in downhill skiing; others were snowboarding, and a few even tried snowblading for an extra thrill.

College Harrington du Canada Ski Trip 2011 More Pictures click here

Among the many good skiers and snowboarders, Nelson Boldini stood out as the real master, as he led the pack through the snowy terrain.

Nelson is from Courtelary, Switzerland, so growing up with the Alps next door, explains a lot of his mastery. Others were less advanced, and focused on remaining up-right, as they slid down a mountain side for the first time. No matter how hard they tried, their falls where even harder.

The most spectacular fall though, involved two of the more experienced skiers. Denver Lynds came up with a great way to sit down and ski. The only problem was that sitting down was not the greatest way to turn, so when his skies decided to go across the slope instead of downhill, he also came across Matthew Kendall’s path. The two bantam forwards met in an avalanche of skis, poles, arms, and legs. It took some time to sort out, which ski belonged to which skier, but the remaining effect was a big smile on everybody’s face.

The day in the sun gave new life on campus and everyone was loaded with energy when the classes began Tuesday morning. Nineteen weeks of school and hockey, including the best time of the year, is still to come. In a month, the play-offs will start and after that, spring tournaments. Some students will also celebrate their graduation, before the school year comes to an end.

There are many reasons to make this the best semester in Harrington history, and there are many reasons to believe that we will achieve this goal.

One of the reasons is our new staff member, Dr. Richard Simon, who will teach Math and Science this semester. Dr. Simon will draw from his long and very exciting career in research, business, and education, and his experiences in sport are not to be forgotten. After four years of NCAA basketball, Boston Celtics drafted the young talented graduate. I’m very pleased to see Dr. Simon on our team of fine educators, who will inspire each other to best performances in the classrooms, on the ice, and on campus.

The next outing is already in the making, and Tuesday, February 8, all HCC students and staff will attend a QMJHL game at L’Auditorium de Verdun. The outing includes a private chat with Oliver Dame-Malka, a HCC graduate, and a chance to meet Louis Leblanc, a Montréal Canadiens’ 1^st round draft pick. They will face-off against each other, when Junior Montréal plays against Lewiston MAINEiacs.

The field trip is a part of the HCC educational program and is mandatory. All students must register, so please remind your son or daughter to stop by  Ms. Albini’s office a.s.a.p.

The bus departs from HCC at 08:30 am and the HCC regular training program resumes at the Centre of Excellence at 2:00 pm.

Keep up the good work!

Bjorn

This Week’s Hockey Schedule