Gerald McShane kicking cancer with soccer friendly

With athletics at the heart of Gerald McShane Elementary School in Montreal North, Grade 6 student Alissa Minicucci has rallied her classmates to use soccer to do their part to kick cancer. 

On May 18, 25 of Minicucci’s friends took to the pitch to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society.

While the initiative was spearheaded by Minicucci, after recently losing her cousin to the disease, for all students and staff, the fundraiser is a way to honour friends and family who have lost their battles over the years.

Within the past month, both the Principal (David Lee) and Resource Teacher (Melissa Malourni) lost their fathers to cancer. Furthermore, forever etched in the hearts of all at Gerald McShane is former student  Erika Cipolla, who succumbed to cancer while attending the school in 2008.

“So many of us have been touched by this disease and we are trying to come together as a community to make a difference, even if it’s a small one,” said Kathy Vella, Community Development Agent at Gerald McShane. “So many in our community have been affected by this disease, so this event will help raise some money and more importantly, awareness amongst our students.”

 You can listen to Alissa and Mr. Lee on  CBC Let’s Go, hosted by former Gerald McShane student Sabrina Marandola.

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.