By:
Gregory Caltabanis
When
walking into Royal Vale School in NDG you would not be wrong by thinking that it’s
not much different from the other elementary schools in the area. The staff is
helpful, the teachers are conducting their lessons and the students are going
about their business. After taking a deeper look into the school, however, it
becomes apparent that their hockey program sets them apart from the rest.
Over
a decade ago, Royal Vale physical
education teacher Norman Katz created a hockey program with the goal of promoting health and activity. “These programs are
typically found in high schools therefore it was unique initiative,” said Katz.
 |
| Norman Katz and some students. |
But
how did it come to be? According to Katz, it all started when his colleagues at nearby Lower Canada College, a school renown for its impressive athletics programs,
asked him if he’d like to put a
team together from Royal Vale to compete in a league. Katz would accept the
proposition and made elementary school history in the 2011-2012 season when
Royal Vale finished in third place and qualified for the playoffs for the first
time.
Katz
did admit that starting this program from scratch was a bit overwhelming at
first. “I told them I didn’t know if I can do
this," he said. "I needed an arena. We simply didn't have the infrastructure,
Determined to see this idea out, Katz eventually succeeded
in creating the program, despite the fact no public elementary
school had something similar. “Being
a public school kid all my life I’ve
always believed that kids should have the same opportunities," he said. "The fact that
they can do things that anyone can is important to me."
The
philosophy of the program is a simple one. Whether you are a male or a female,
you can play on the team if you are good enough. “Our captain of the team is a female," Katz said. The first two goals of the program were scored by a girl, Danielle Shemie,”
While he
acknowledges it’s not easy for
girls to play with their male counterparts for a number of reasons, Katz says he is happy the school
welcomes them to play. “It takes a strong
character because you have to be okay with being around the guys," he said. "You want to
be a part of the team. I’m proud of every
girl who has come through our program."
Katz
recalled some of his fondest moments since the inception of the program. “We participate in a
tournament at Lower Canada College every year with teams from all across Canada
coming," he notes. "When they come here, they ask themselves who we are but now they know
who Royal Vale is because of our program,"
Recently
Royal Vale and Rapid Hockey Development have decided to work in collaboration
together to offer students the opportunity to hone their hockey skills in a
unique concentration program. For Katz, the introduction of this program will
only continue to promote a hockey spirit at the school but he did express one
concern. “Fundamentally I
didn't want the kids to pay any additional money to pay for this program," he said. " here
is a cost involved to participate but there are also positive spin offs,”
At the
moment, it costs $1,375 to sign up for Rapid Hockey Development, which includes
72 hours of on-ice training among other things. “There are some kids
in my program who are on it and are getting more training,|" he said. "Ideally, you think
we can be a better team due to this program.” s
This relationship with Rapid Hockey Development has helped
Royal Vale foster one with Concordia University.
“One of the coaches
at Rapid Hockey Development knew Marc-André Element,
the coach of the hockey team at Concordia and asked if some of our students
could go see a game,” recalled Katz.
Plans call for Royal Vale students to attend a hockey game at Concordia University on February 12 “I’m hoping about 100
students could make the game, but it will depend on the parents,” said an enthusiastic
Katz.
Elaborating
on Royal Vale’s growing
relationship with Concordia, Katz went on to say that it’s something he
welcomes. “I think like in
anything it has potential to lead to other things," he said. "The connection with an
elementary school and a university is an interesting one. Many of these kids
may even end up going to Concordia in the future. Concordia has
sent a number of athletes to their Jump Rope for Heart Day while a number of
Royal Vale students attended a women’s
hockey game last year."
While
not even Katz can predict where his program will go in the future, one thing’s clear: When it
comes to elementary school athletics, Royal Vale is doing things right and represents a model for others to follow.
