MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – The Montreal Alouettes and CN took part in the launch of Hooked on School Days by visiting students at Riverdale High School, in Pierrefonds, as part of their program Together at School with CN and the Alouettes.
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Centre Luc Brodeur-Jourdain is currently completing a Master’s degree in Finance. |
Hooked on School Days, which will be taking place all week, is a government program created to mobilize and involve the community to speak to youth about effort, perseverance, the risks of dropping out of school and the advantages of obtaining a diploma.
A few hundred students crowded the Riverdale auditorium Monday morning to meet and listen to nine players from the Alouettes roster.
Luc Brodeur-Jourdain spoke first, reminding those in attendance about the importance of getting an education and that learning has no age limit. Himself an example, the fourth-year Alouette is still hitting the books and is on the verge of completing a Master’s degree in Finance at Laval University.
Also leading the charge for the group of players in the program, defensive end John Bowman engaged students by briefly touching on his rough experiences growing up in Brooklyn and encouraged students to make the right decisions to better their futures. For Bowman, a change of scenery, paired with football, were instrumental in him getting his life back on track and towards a scholarship.
“The best day of my life has to be the day I received my diploma,” admitted Bowman, who envisions a life after football. “I know that when my career as a professional athlete is over, I’ll always be able to rely on that diploma and on my scholastic achievements to embark on my next journey,” revealed the marketing major.
When asked about handling adversity during the questions and answers period, veteran guard Scott Flory reiterated the Alouettes’ expertise in the area.
“You mean like how to rally back from an 18-point deficit with seven minutes left to play in the 2009 Grey Cup,” quipped the eight-time CFL all-star. “In that type of situation, you can’t stop believing that good things will happen. We fed off of each other’s positive energies and in the end, the result turned in our favour.”
Afterwards, the nine Alouettes hit the hardwood for a friendly game of hoops against a team comprised of Riverdale students and teachers. In a thrilling finish, Éric Deslauriers‘ buzzer beater stole a 34-33 victory for the visitors and delighted a packed gymnasium.
A few facts
• The Hooked on School Days program continues until Friday and the Alouettes will be visiting schools all of this week, including l’école orientale Impact, l’école secondaire du Grand-Coteau, le Centennial Academy, l’école du Tournesol et l’école secondaire du Mont-Bruno.
• Players taking part in the Together at School with CN and the Alouettes program must first undergo 32 hours of training from specialists in the field of mentoring and counseling in order to be best equipped to help the students.
• The program’s main goal is to encourage kids to stay in school while focusing a wide array of challenges that students face today from bullying and academic performance to peer pressure and the importance of staying active. The players look to inspire and motivate the students they meet and make the right choices and to reach their full potential through hard work and dedication.
• Schools interested in becoming a part of Together at School with CN and the Alouettes can log on to CN.school.MontrealAlouettes.com and fill out the application form.
