Podcast: The beautiful game takes over Fairview Elementary

But if you ask Fairview’s teachers, they’d profess it’s hard to keep a soccer ball out of the students’ hands any day of the week.

The dirt-marked fields aren’t a sign of poor maintenance, though; they’re a symbol of kids’ passion for kicking a ball around together during recess, and going hard for the goal.

And that was the goal among the 16 school teams that came over to Fairview on Thursday for a first-ever event.

“We really want to change the perception of how people see our space when they come in here. It’s actually a beautiful place of belonging with a ton of diversity,” says Teresa Tataryn, principal, adding that sentiment extends to many schools on the north side of Red Deer.

(Image Credit: rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

“We thought a good way to do that would be to highlight the role of physical fitness, wellness, engagement, and connection to soccer.”

It doesn’t hurt, Tataryn says, that there’s a certain massive global tournament set to be played on North American soil in mere days.

“Because we have a lot of newcomers to Canada here, our demographic really loves the world’s game. We know things like soccer or the idea of unity through sport, can tend to transcend language barriers,” she adds.

“We wanted to take those things, put them all together, and then, in terms of generosity, give back something to our district.”

When one gives, they quite often receive in kind.

A large reason the tournament was able to happen was because of generosity towards Fairview, including a donation from Red Deer-based 100 Women Who Care.

Other groups were involved, including but not limited to Soroptimist International Central Alberta, Hope Mission, and the Red Deer Food Bank.

(Image Credit: rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Also lending a helping hand were students from Westpark Middle School, and Lindsay Thurber High School.

Westpark lent students to act as game officials, while Thurber brought theirs to offer skills sessions throughout the day.

Monique Stennes-Koot, staff facilitator for Westpark’s intramural soccer league, which they call WIFA, recalls her one year teaching at Fairview.

“In my 30 years-plus of teaching, I spent one year here, and it was absolutely one of my favourite years. The kids here appreciate every opportunity, and this is one they won’t forget,” she shared.

“I truly hope that my kids [from Westpark] really enjoy the fact that they can be leaders, and that they realize that in this sport, it’s not always about winning — it’s about heart, it’s about fun, and I want them to walk away with a big grin on their face, proud of who they are and what they represented today.”

(Image Credit: rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Opening ceremony. (Image Credit: Fairview Elementary)

(Image Credit: rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

by Josh Hall

Podcast: The beautiful game takes over Fairview Elementary

What's Trending