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Vickers students rewarded with Golden Shovels

Feb 28, 2017 | 4:00 PM

More than 130 students from Prince Albert’s École Vickers School were recognized today for their hard work shovelling neighbourhood driveways.

Mayor Greg Dionne and Saskatchewan Rivers Trustee Arne Lindberg presented the students with Golden Shovel and City of Prince Albert pins as a reward for their good work over the winter. Physical Education teacher Kurtis Mugford said the students started shovelling as part of the school’s “Out to Learn” outdoor physical education initiative.

“Teachers would take their kids out and, two or three kids to a yard, they’d clear the walkways for people after a snow,” Mugford said. “The students see it as a way to get outside and get some fresh air and have some fun with their peers.”

For Grade 8 student Kade Beaton, knowing he was helping people was reward enough.

“It was actually really fun,” Beaton said. “It felt good helping out the community and just knowing you brighten people’s days and knowing that you helped people.”

Beaton said it was an honour to be recognized by the mayor, and said he intends to wear his pins proudly on his jacket.

Dionne said he knew the value of the program because he benefitted from it personally.

“I live four doors down from Vickers,” Dionne said. “I came home the other day and my driveway was shovelled.”

Coming home to find a cleared walkway, Dionne said, comes as a huge relief at the end of a workday, and added the students understand how much they are helping their community. Dionne also commented on how polite the students were when he presented them with the pins.

“There were 130 of them and I got 130 ‘thank-you’s,’” Dionne said.

 

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews