Welcome to the dead of winter. As Canadians we are used to the demands of this season – short days, storms, biting cold weather. As a reputed Canadian writer once expressed, we Canadians are the “People of the shield;” we are defined by our harsh natural environment and the demands it places on us day-to-day. In short, we live in a difficult climate, but we know how to adapt, and part of adapting is appreciating the best of winter.

Welcome also to Spirit Week. For years we have held a Spirit Week in the middle of winter so we can come together and have some fun despite the cold weather and short days. Interestingly, this short academic term is actually particularly busy outside of the classroom in terms of co-curricular activities. In fact, winter is actually the busiest athletic tournament season of the year, with many evening and weekend competitions for both boys and girls. Last weekend I attended several basketball and hockey games at LCC and some at local high schools. For all the teams it was a busy and successful weekend. Congratulations to players and coaches, and best of luck as teams wrap up their seasons in coming days.

In addition to athletics, student debaters have had a great success at local and university tournaments and the annual Montreal Robotics competition is coming up. There have been several creative One-Act Plays in grade 9, and the Middle School play, School Daze is coming up soon. We are also preparing to host 90 delegates from February 13-18 for the 2011 Young Round Square Conferences for schools from North and South America. All of these are wonderful vehicles for learning and engagement.

So here we are in the middle of Sprit Week, a special chance to have some fun, to promote broad student involvement and hone school pride. But it seems to me that LCC spirit and school pride are not only on show during this single week – a strong school spirit is alive and well throughout the year. Impressive! Go LCC go! Enjoy a great Spirit Week! —Chris Shannon, Headmaster