Olympian Kim St. Pierre to visit three EMSB B.A.S.E. Daycares

Canadian three-time Olympic Gold medallist Kim St. Pierre will visit Leonardo Da Vinci Academy in RDP (May 31), Edinburgh in Montreal West (June 1) and Gerald McShane in Montreal North (June 2 ) B.A.S.E. Daycares. She will congratulate the daycare students on their performance in the B.A.S.E. BOKS Contest and to participate with them in BOKS activities.

The EMSB’s B.A.S.E. Daycare Program kicked off its first-ever B.A.S.E. BOKS Contest in January  2022. The goal of the three-month competition was two-fold: To get children aged four to 12 years old physically active as often as possible and to encourage the daycare educators to animate different games that keep physical activity fun and engaging!

BOKS is a not-for-profit initiative of the Reebok Canada Fitness Foundation in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada to expand and enhance physical activity in Canadian elementary and high schools. BOKS offers free resources and tools to get kids moving in fun ways throughout the day, whether they’re in the classroom, at home or outside. For each situation, BOKS offers a variety of resources that will appeal to all school-aged kids.

St. Pierre is the Manager of Business Development for BOKS Canada and oversees all BOKS schools in Quebec. She was a member of Canada’s National Women’s Hockey Team as goaltender from 1998 until 2011. She is the first female goaltender—and eight woman—to earn induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. St. Pierre has been supporting the B.A.S.E. Program in their BOKS initiative since 2016.

“Physical activity should be implemented daily for children, and schools can play an influential role in guiding kids to engage in physical exercise and play,” said St. Pierre, who is a mother of two elementary-school age boys.  “It is very inspiring to see the leadership of the daycare staff and their amazing teamwork in achieving their goal of getting kids active in a fun environment. I am looking forward to visiting the schools and meeting the students and staff.”

Participation in the B.A.S.E. BOKS contest was voluntary. Participating daycares included Leonardo Da Vinci Academy, Gerald McShane, Cedarcrest, Parkdale, Edinburgh, St. Gabriel and Westmount Park. The outcome of the contest saw 40 daycare educators from seven school daycares animating 1,287 BOKS activities with approximately 700 students in Pre-K to Grade 6 over a three-month period.

“The BOKS Program has been a game changer in getting children physically active in our daycares,” said Jennifer De Freitas—Project Development Officer for the EMSB B.A.S.E. Daycare Program and the organizer of the B.A.S.E. BOKS Contest. “BOKS proves that we don’t need lots of time, big spaces and or a variety of materials to get active.  These are often three roadblocks to getting students active during daycare hours.”

St. Pierre will be visiting the top-three performing daycares: Leonardo Da Vinci (677 BOKS activities), Edinburgh (322 BOKS activities) and Gerald McShane (319 BOKS activities) in the week leading up to National Health and Fitness Day (June 5, 2022), as follows:

SCHOOL DAYCARE VISITS:     

Kim St. Pierre will be at each school for the first hour of the event. She will speak to the students in the school gymnasium then proceed to the schoolyard to participate in BOKS activities with the students.

• Leonardo Da Vinci Academy B.A.S.E Daycare
  12025 Av. André-Dumas, Riviere-des-Prairies, Quebec, H1E 4G2 
  Tuesday, May 31, 2022         
  3:50 pm—5:50 pm     
  
  
• Edinburgh B.A.S.E. Daycare
  500 Hudson, Montreal West, Quebec, H4X 1X1      
  Wednesday, June 1, 2022      
  3:00 pm—5:00 pm     
  
  
• Gerald McShane B.A.S.E. Daycare
  6111 Blvd. Maurice-Duplessis, Montreal North, Quebec, H1G 1Y6
  Thursday, June 2, 2022
  3:00 pm—5:00 pm 

About the EMSB B.A.S.E Program           
The English Montreal School Board’s B.A.S.E. (Before and After School Enriched) Daycare Program is a Quebec government subsidized supervision service offered outside regular class hours for preschool and elementary school children. The B.A.S.E. Daycare Program’s objective is to enhance the lives of children aged four to 12 years old by providing them with enriching educational activities set in a relaxed, safe and nurturing environment.

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.