• Please describe the impact that Sparking Life Niagara is having on the participants of the program as well as the school as a whole.

The Sparking Life Niagara Program is having a very positive impact on the student participants and the Culture of Lakeshore Catholic High School as a whole.  I see kids of all grade levels embracing their daily exercise routines, and I see teachers doing the same.  This is just the beginning of our Sparking Life initiative here at LCHS, we’re all really excited about bringing much needed attention to Healthy Active Living.

• Briefly explain the kind of impact that the Sparking Life Niagara program has had on you as a teacher:

Exercise has always been a very important part of my life and Sparking Life makes it easy to share this with my students.  I look at this program as a great opportunity for Lakeshore Catholic to take a leadership role in Niagara in relaying Dr. Ratey’s research.  Many of us exercise to build or grow our muscles, but few of us realize the same concept applies to our brain (neurogenesis) - the actual creation of new brain cells!

• Explain why having the Sparking Life Niagara program is important to you and your school:

This past August our principal arranged to have 8 teachers represent our school at a 4-day workshop sponsored by Dr. Ratey and his research team.  It was an amazing professional development experience, where we were exposed to the abundant research supporting the benefits associated with exercise and the brain.  We also learned about the many schools across North America that are successfully implementing Sparking Life models into their schools.  
As teachers we get exposed to many new ideas and initiatives designed to help us better meet the needs of our students.  Some ideas stick around, but many do not.  I believe the timing couldn’t be better for Sparking Life Niagara because we must put a stop to any growing trends associated with a sedentary lifestyle.  We at Lakeshore Catholic feel very fortunate to have 100% support from our staff and administration on this project.  We look forward to working with our partners at the Niagara Public Health, The Niagara Sport Commission, and the District School Board of Niagara to grow Sparking Life across Ontario and hopefully beyond.

Lakeshore Catholic High School Spark Program

Sparks Program

Sparking Life Niagara - Key Messages

Sparking Life Testimonials

Teacher Testimonials