Photos: Students Gain Valuable Business Knowledge At Innovation Cluster's LEAPZONE Entrepreneurship Program

Students from Courtice and Peterborough gathered at Innovation Clusters Innovation Cluster's LEAPZONE Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board Entrepreneurship Program to gain insight on starting a business at the Venture North Building on Wednesday morning.

Raymond Yip Choy, Fleming and Trent business professor, addresses budding student entrepreneurs at the Innovation Cluster LEAPZONE KPRDSB Entrepreneurship Program. All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Students gained insight from networking with local business organizations, professionals and entrepreneurs.

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Local Students Mentored In World of Choices Program To Explore Future Career Options

Over 200 local students learned from over 25 mentors at the Junior Achievement of Northern and Eastern Ontario (JA-NEO) World of Choices program about career paths at Living Hope Church on Thursday.

Ja-NEO held a similar event in early March with the Peterborough Petes at the Peterbrorough Memorial Centre. All photos by Samantha Bianco.

Students ranged from grades 8 to 10 from schools such as St. Martin’s, Adam Scott, Monsignor O’Donoghue and more. Each student listened to five different mentors to gain first-hand insight into career options, benefits and career challenges. Peterborough Fire Department, Peterboro Matboards and RBC were some of the many mentors present.

WOC is a career exploration event aimed at helping students discover new career choices and learn from local industry professionals. Students had the opportunity to get familiar with potential educational paths and grasp a better understanding of the day-to-day duties of several careers.

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Edmison Heights Public School Presents The Wizard of Oz

Edmison Heights Public School is performing The Wizard of Oz May 2 to 4 at Adam Scott CVI.

Photo courtesy of edmison heights Public School.

The play features over 50 Grade 4-6 students on stage and behind the scenes.

The show starts at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $5 and are available for purchase at the door. 

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10-Year Old-Boy Catches "Walter" One Year After Stepfather Snags Fish At OFAH Fishing Derby

Like father, like son, as 10-year-old Ben Bumstead has caught the top prize ‘Walter,’ at the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) Under the Lock Fishing Derby one year after his stepfather Justin Desbarbieux did it on a gloomy Saturday morning at the Peterborough Lift Lock.

Bumstead (left) caught Walter after his third cast not a half-an-hour into the derby. His stepfather Justin Desbarbieux (right) did it last year, five days into the event. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Bumstead caught Walter, the prized rainbow trout that weighs roughly eight to 10 lbs. at a length of 20-24 inches. He caught it after his third cast less than 30 minutes into the event. He snagged Walter with worm bait near the train turn bridge just beside the barrier netting. Bumstead was overjoyed when he found out it was Walter.

“I felt like I could do a backflip,” he exclaimed.

“ I couldn't wait for him to run up to the stage and tell everyone how he just caught Walter,” said Desbarbieux.

The father-son duo was present at Wednesday’s fish release where all the rainbow trout were put into the canal in preparation for the event.

Bumstead gave himself an ‘extra advantage’ prior to Walter being tossed into the water.

“I touched his tail for good luck and I said to the guy, ‘I'm catching Walter this year,’” explained Bumstead. 

Desbarbieux caught Walter last year and has participated in the fishing derby since he was a child. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The two have bonded well over the years as Desbarbieux came into Bumstead’s life at an early age. The two often go hunting and fishing together and call each other father and son. Desbarbieux says he had a ‘proud father’ moment, seeing Bumstead catch Walter.

“You got to love it, especially so early in the derby like that,” he said. “It’s a very proud moment for the kids for sure, you got to love it.”

The Norwood District Public School student is walking away with the grand prize of $1,000 cash and gets to keep Walter. Bumstead said he was splitting some of the money with his early childhood friend but has no plans with the remainder of the cash as of yet.

The derby began Saturday with the youth event — for children 15 and under — at 9 a.m. and the all-ages kicking off Sunday at 9 a.m. and runs until May 7. It includes 25 tagged fish, each with a $200 cash prize sponsored by local businesses.

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New Adaptive Children's Swim Program Launched By YMCA

After receiving a grant from the Peterborough Foundation, the YMCA of Central East Ontario has launched an adaptive swim pilot program for children, especially with disabilities announced on Thursday.

File photo.

The program welcomes children of all abilities, including those with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities, as well as those with autism, ADHD and other neurodiverse conditions according to a press release.

“Swimming is an essential life skill, and we have seen there is a need for affordable, adaptive lessons,” said Shannon Hunter, YMCA regional supervisor of aquatics and camp. “Parents are fearful that their children will get left behind without the skills they need to stay safe this summer.”

The program is designed with guidance from Heads Up for Inclusion and Five Counties Children’s Centre. It was developed after all three organizations received multiple requests from parents for a water safety program.

“We recognize that every child is unique and we are committed to providing individualized instruction that caters to each child's specific needs and goals,” said Hunter. “With the help of Five Counties Children’s Centre, our team of experienced and certified swim instructors has received training in adaptive teaching techniques to ensure that every child feels comfortable and supported.”

Registration for the pilot program is full but you can be put on a waitlist or get more information placed on a waitlist by contacting Shannon Hunter at shannon.hunter@ceo.ymca.ca.

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Five Counties Returns Second Year of Backyard Summer Social Fundraiser To Support Kids Therapy

The second year of Five Counties Children’s Centre’s (FCCC) Backyard Summer Social fundraiser returns on June 24 announced on Tuesday.

$45,000 was raised in last year’s inaugural event. Photo courtesy of FCCC.

The event is in FCCC’s outdoor backyard space that was created almost four years ago. The space is primarily used for outdoor treatment and therapy for kids and clients.

The inaugural raised more than $45,000 last year and went towards critical, high-demand treatment services for kids at FCCC.

All money raised goes towards FCCC’s Building Abilities For Life Campaign. It helps high-demand services such as speech therapy and occupational therapy in an effort to reduce long waiting times for these critical services.

“We know kids do better when they have the immediate support they need to learn to communicate, be heard, move independently and carry out everyday activities that many of us take for granted,” said Lyn Giles, FCCC director of fund development. “That’s why we invite everyone to come out to our Backyard Summer Social to have fun and show their support for Five Counties children and their families.”

This year’s event features music, food, entertainment, fun activities and doubles as a high-end gala experience for adults with a summer twist.

“Our Backyard Summer Social is an adults-only gala event that celebrates the arrival of summer, lets you be like a kid again and allows you to swap out the tux, gown and heels for T-shirt, shorts and sandals all the while supporting a great cause,” said Giles. “Our initial Backyard Summer Social was a smashing success, and we plan to make it even bigger, bolder and better in 2023.”

Tickets are available online, via email (development@fivecounties.on.ca) or by calling or calling 1-888-779-9916, ext. 300 and are $125 per person.

A charitable tax receipt, all food, one drink ticket, live music, access to all activities and door prizes ballots are included in the admission.

Features of the Backyard Summer Social include:

• Fantastic food/fare catered by La Mesita and SKH Catering

• Sweet treats from Central Smith and Flossophy

• Drinks from Rolling Grape and Brock Street Brewery

• Musical performances by Irish Millie and the Boogie Time Ramblers

• Live auction and door prizes

• Axe throwing, lacrosse shootout, inflatable jousting, old-fashioned picnic games and more

• Behind-the-scenes tour of Five Counties’ Peterborough location

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GreenUP Naturalized Playscape Welcomes the Public To Ecology Park

GreenUP welcomes the community to visit Peterborough’s first natural playscape on public lands; celebrating with a ribbon cutting event on Friday afternoon.

A naturalized playscape is one way to introduce children and those willing to unleash their playfulness to natural play in an urban landscape. Photo by Lili Paradi.

GreenUP donors and supporters alongside Executive Director Tegan Moss play around to celebrate the opening at GreenUP Ecology Park. (Left to right: Ian Attridge, Mark Zippel, Tegan Moss, Kim Zippel, Sue Sauve.) Photo by Lili Paradi.

The Keresztesi family plays on the new naturalized playscape at Ecology Park. Photo by Lili Paradi.

Tegan Moss, executive director at GreenUP, cuts the ribbon to signify the opening of the Peterborough's first naturalized playscape on public grounds at Ecology Park, to the excitement of the many children who then ran onto use the playscape. Photo by Lili Paradi.

Thanks to a $52,800 grant from the Government of Ontario and the Ontario Trillium Foundation in 2021, as well as the support of GreenUP donors, the organization was able to fund the playscape.

The climbing structures added in 2022 were designed by Henry Kortekaas & Associates Inc. and constructed by The Little Building Company.

“I hope that when children play on this natural playscape, they feel a stronger connection to their natural surroundings, and are given the opportunity to learn and engage in unstructured, imaginative play,” said Sean Harris, owner of The Little Building Company. “They can test their limits with the unconventional climbing structure, or interact with the playground perimeter, which features rocks and logs for jumping and balancing. The soft texture and irregularities of the locally sourced white cedar offer a refreshing change from the familiar plastic and metal surfaces. When I look at the playscape, I see not only a fun space for children to play and learn, but also an environmentally responsible play area with low embodied carbon cost and no landfill waste at the end of its lifetime.”

The Naturalized Playscape is the fourth of five capital projects that GreenUP plans to complete in Ecology Park.

GreenUp says they are proud of how this project has re-imagined and restored the Ecology Park Children’s Garden.

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Photos: St. John C.E.S Students Get a Taste of French Culture at Delectable Fine Foods

France came to grade 4-8 students from St. John’s C.E.S as they received a French culture and history lesson from Delectable Fine Foods owner Christel Rumgay at her store on Monday and Tuesday.

Eleven-year old Marcus Alldread (left) gets a peek at a uniquely-looking tricoloured gouda from Christel Rumgay, Delectable Fine Foods owner (right).All photos by David Tuan Bui.

Students learned the origins of cheese, its making process and how it impacts French culture, all while receiving food samples.

The trip to the local artisanal store is part of St. John’s French learning curriculum based on the French Enriched School Environment Funding grant (up to $500).

The grant allows schools to explore unique experiences for learning about the French beyond its language.

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Peterborough Petes Fundraising "Big Game For Kids" For Peterborough Bigs For Mentoring Services

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough and Peterborough Petes are launching the ‘Big Game for Kids’ initiative to raise funds to support local children in need of mentoring services on Thursday’s game.

Riyen (left) and Kohl (right) enjoy a Petes game in January. Photo courtesy of Peterborough Bigs.

The Petes are playing at the Peterborough Memorial Centre against the East-leading Ottawa 67s and is the final home game of the season. Discounted tickets are $15 with all proceeds towards Big Brothers Big Sisters of Peterborough.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Peterborough Petes for this exciting event," said Brent Shepherd, Peterborough Bigs executive director. "The funds raised through this initiative will go a long way in helping us find a mentor for a child, support current mentoring matches and provide much-needed programs for children on our waitlist."

Shepard says roughly 20 tickets of the original 200 are left for purchase and can be bought online.

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Two 10-Year Old Girls Surprised With Bowling Provincial Title; Advance to National Championships In Regina

Two 10-year-old girls Tatum Hutchinson and Taylar McCallum were given a pleasant surprise when they heard their names be called champions of the Ontario Youth Bowling Championship in St. Mary’s on Sunday.

Hutchinson, 10, a Grade 5 student at Queen Elizabeth Public School (left) and McCallum, 10, a Grade 5 student at Keith Wightman Public School (right) are practicing every Wednesday in preparation for the national championships with occasional weekends. Photo by David Tuan bui.

The duo is believed to be the youngest Peterborough bowlers to win a provincial title and qualify for the national championships in Regina, Sask from May 6 - 9.

The news of them winning the tournament came as a shock.

“It was exciting,” said Hutchinson. “We didn't know until it got announced. We didn't even know where we were on the board.

“It really surprised me when they called us up for first place,” explained McCallum. “I was really speechless for a while and I still am about it. I'm really excited and all my friends congratulated me when I came back to school.”

@ptbo_canada You’ll do PTBO proud Tatum & Taylar! #ptbo #ptbocanada #fyp #journalism #journalismlife #journalist #journalistlife #peterborough #bowlingtiktok #bowling #champion #champions #sports #sportstiktok ♬ Girl on Fire - Alicia Keys

McCallum got into bowling from her father who also participated in the Youth Bowling Championships and was a former provincial champion. She started when she was four or five years old.

“It's a family thing,” explained McCallum. “My dad got me into it after he stopped doing it. I used to go to tournaments to watch him bowl.”

Hutchinson started bowling around the same as her teammate and met through bowling. That partnership helped them perform as a team when they won provincials.

“We're really close so it's easy for us to compete together,” explained Hutchinson.

This is the first time that the girls are travelling outside the province to compete in any sporting event.

“I'm nervous about going there since I've only been on a plane since I was a baby and I'm also really excited because I get to go somewhere new that I haven't been before,” explained McCallum.

“I’m nervous and excited at the same time,” said Hutchinson.“It’s going to be fun.”

The girls are practicing every Wednesday at Lakeview Bowl and occasionally throughout the week to prepare for the national championships.

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