STANSTEAD– Mrs. Jeanne Beaudry’s third graders from Derby Elementary School took their classroom across the border this holiday season to learn about the Olympic sport of curling at the Border Curling Club located in Stanstead, QC.
“I learned the students were studying the Olympics and Mrs. Beaudry and I thought having them come to the curling club would be a great opportunity to try out one of the sports while also learning more about its history,” said Caroline Aubry who is a member of the curling club and helped to organize the field trip.
Mrs. Beaudry’s class had been studying geography through the origins of various summer and winter Olympic sports and had several other activities geared around the international competition in addition to the field trip to Stanstead.
They included their own Olympic mini-games complete with certificates and medals and a visit by Susan Dunklee, a local biathlon Olympic athlete. The lessons weaved geography into the classroom in a fun way that excited the students and provided them with the opportunity take a fun field trip.
“The third grade visit to the Border Curling Club to learn about curling was a great experience for the instructors and students,” said Bruce Amsden, match chair and current member of the board of directors for the Border Curling Club. “They asked very intelligent questions and on the ice, the students paid attention to safety instructions and learned how to deliver stones and sweep in front of them.”
The third graders were the first American school, in recent memory, to have visited the club in Canada. The curling club prides itself on the friendly international camaraderie it shares between the two countries. The membership of the club is 60 percent Canadian and 40 percent American.
“My favorite part of the club is the sense that members are not American or Canadian, they are just curlers,” said Amsden.
In addition to welcoming students and teachers into the club, the Border Curling Club holds lessons and clinics for curlers of all ages throughout the year. There is a juniors program on Saturday that helps young curlers learn the game and to practice. It is open to anyone that it interested. The club will also be holding a “Learn to Curl Clinic” in January where all community members, of any age, are welcome to attend and learn how to curl for free.
For more information on the Border Curling Club and lessons to learn how to curling, visit www.BorderCurling.com.
