On April 10th, the Chestermere High School held their fourth annual teacher vs. student hockey game at the Recreation Centre. The event, meant to strengthen the bond between the adult and youth generation and have a chance to have fun together, decided to donate all funds to the Room-In-A-Box program.
Referred to as the ‘teacher and friends’ team by Principal Jordan Fenton, members of the RCMP, teachers, and former students Taylor Monkman, Trevor Costello, and Tyson Kapty were part of the team versing the current students. The teacher and friends’ team won the game 10-6, but “Room In A Box is the big winner,” tweeted Fenton on Chestermere High’s twitter page later that evening, announcing that $1000 had been raised towards the cause. The money was collected from direct donations at the door. Spectators also had the option to purchase a puck for two dollars; during intermission they would walk down to the benches and throw the pucks they purchased on to the ice.
The prize for the person who got their puck the closest to the center of the ice was a $25.00 Tim’s Card. Winner of the puck toss was Dave Herman, father of Coltyn Herman who played on the student team. Miriam Robak, who is managing the school’s involvement with the program, was ecstatic to hear the news that all funds would be donated to the cause when it was announced during a student government meeting.
Supporters at the event cheered both of the teams on, which created an extremely positive and fun atmosphere. All four rows in the red arena were filled with students, teachers, and members of the public.
“Events like this are what make Chestermere such a wonderful community,” says spectator and Chestermere resident Clara Evans, “and not only does it show the admirable bond between the adult figures in Chestermere and the youth, but also what can happen when we come together to help support a cause.”
Evans’ admiration towards the choice of funding comes from her own friends whose lives were severely affected during the June floods in High River. “They lost everything,” Evans says, “and knowing that people are still making the effort to fundraise for people to start having some normalcy in their lives is extremely heartwarming.”
