Photo: Amanda Halm

Eleven teams shaved, sculpted, and smoothed snow from sunup to sundown to try to win top honours in the Winter Carnival’s Telus International Snow Sculpture contest. Creativity and likeness to the sketch submitted were the top criteria considered during the Board’s judging. Winners were announced on Sunday, February 5.

Photo: Louis Cliche

During a recent meeting of Irish Heritage Quebec, John O’Connor gave a talk on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. The talk was accompanied by some 80 slides in a PowerPoint Presentation. Particular emphasis was put on Quebec’s connections to the disaster.

Dear Friends, On behalf of the 679 seafarers on board 33 ships which visited the Ports of Quebec and St. Romuald during the Christmas season, we wish to express a most sincere thank you for the ‘shoebox’ gifts they received. Our thanks are addressed not only to the donors of the gifts but also to all the persons and groups whose support made ‘Operation Shoebox’ possible.

Photo: Alec Roberts

Last Thursday I skated on the 400-meter Gaetan Boucher oval in Sainte-Foy on a sunny winter’s day just perfect for the sport. On my first circuit I noticed a stretch of ice on the outside of one of the curves that was untouched by skate grooves, the other skaters having apparently veered away from it to cut the corner short.

The Canadian Naval Reserve Division HMCS Montcalm, located at Pointe-à-Carcy in Quebec City’s Old Port, opened its doors to welcome visitors and prospective recruits on Saturday, February 4. The Commanding Officer, Étienne Landry, gave the QCT a guided tour of the building and described the many training facilities and activities which take place there.

The Voice of English-speaking Quebec has been supporting the region’s English-speaking community for over twenty years through a variety of initiatives. This year, they are welcoming Youth Employment Services (YES) as a partner and together they plan to provide sustainable English-language services to support Quebec’s entrepreneurs.

Photo: Photo by Shirley Nadeau

On Saturday evening, 63 people gathered in the Morrin Centre to raise a glass of wine or whisky in honour of The Bard, Robbie Burns.

Photo: Photo supplied by DDO School

Situated in picturesque Courcellette adjacent to the Valcartier Military Base and the town of Shannon, Dollard-des-Ormeaux School (DDO) has 445 students with 330 students at the elementary level and 115 at the high school level.

Photo: Photo by Rosalie Breton

CEGEP Champlain-St. Lawrence held its biannual Open House for future students and their families on January 25. The only English-language cégep in Quebec City, St. Lawrence is proud of its high calibre academic, predominantly pre-university programmes. Each fall, approximately 400 students are accepted out of 800 applicants.

Photo: PhotoProvided by St. Pat’s

In an effort to welcome new ‘Fighting Irish,‘ St. Patrick's High School recently had an open house to show off the school. For Alexandra Furlong, an English teacher of secondary one and two, the choice is obvious.

"We're hoping kids pick our school. They won't be disappointed. We had open house and I am pretty sure it went well; it's a waiting game," she says.

Photo: Photo provided by Holland School

Despite three snow days in two weeks, another good year is in the forecast for Holland School. Students were welcomed back from holidays with a visit from Le Grand Défi- a province-wide initiative in which a caravan visits the school, teaches kids about nutrition, and awards them for partaking in physical activity.

Photo: Photo By Jason Enlow

With new staff members, a new discipline policy, and lowered incident reports, the little lions at Ste-Foy Elementary started the year with a roar.

Don't be surprised to see a few new faces in the classrooms. Dina Bhangu and Mirinda Touchette, Special Education technicians, Emilie Hamel, a French teacher substituting for maternity leave, and Joanne Louise Strasser.

We have often heard the expression: Think outside the box. At Quebec High School we like to say: Learning beyond the classroom. This is just one way to describe some of the excitement at our school.

Student life is alive and well with a cornucopia of activities that Student Council has organized to help ward off the February blues.

Photo: Marie White

By Marie White

Photo: 1931 International truck similar to “Old Man” Conroy’s

In the 1940s, during the Second World War, we kids had no trouble earning a few pennies. We could buy necessities like baseball cards packed with a flat three inch square piece of tasty bubble gum, a coconut jaw-breaker, or a pack of seven Turret cigarettes for a dime. We had to be careful where we smoked them and that Mom or Dad didn't find them.