On Friday, November 28, the Sunshine Room visited Espanola! The classroom crew, their teachers, education assistants (EAs), and parent volunteers, travelled to Venture Lanes 5-Pin Bowling Alley on Mead Boulevard. Catherine Drouin and her husband Don have owned and operated Venture Lanes since 2015, but she remarked that the lanes have been in Espanola since the early 60s. The bowling alley underwent some recent renovations and updates, including replacing the manual score system with newly automated scorekeepers and bowling pin reset. Catherine said it sure beats her having to run down the lane to fix pins that land oddly, block the ball return, or worse, delay the play! The scorekeeping system keeps track of points automatically for players, indicates the next player by flashing their name on the board, keeps players honest, and is very user-friendly! These features helped the Sunshine Class know who was on deck next, helped them learn about bowling etiquette, and tallied the scores for them, all to keep things ‘bowling’ along!
The classroom teacher, Michelle Lajeunesse, beamed proudly at her students’ achievements and all the evident fun they were having! It is a favourite outing for her class, she shared, and one she has organized for several years now. The sport of bowling has many benefits for the students, including enhancing balance, coordination, mind-body connection, name and number recognition, and the mathematics required for scorekeeping. They also build on social skills through taking turns, being patient, working as a team, and cheering when classmates successfully knocked over the pins. The entire experience builds character and confidence! “The kids are excited to be here and participating,” exclaimed Michelle, surrounded by smiling students’ faces and hugs from some of them in between frames.
Inclusive of everyone, Venture Lanes has a tool called a ‘wheelchair ramp’. It is portable and can be moved from lane to lane easily to assist someone who may need extra support coordinating ball delivery, balancing, and with strength limitations. This device offers inclusivity and ensures all people can participate in the wonderful sport of bowling. By placing the ball at the top of the ramp and releasing it, the ball rolls down the ramp, gaining enough momentum to travel down the alley and knock down pins. The ramp can be moved to help bowlers target a different area of the lane/knock down pins standing in that area. Catherine placed gutter guards up on this occasion to allow students more fun, focusing on knocking down pins instead of potentially guttering the ball. Catherine mentioned that a printed score sheet from the morning’s games would be sent back with Miss Michelle so she and students could revisit their results in further detail back in the classroom.
Finishing up the morning at Venture Lanes, lunchtime was on the horizon, and students and staff were gearing up to go to McDonalds for a sit-down lunch of “chicken nuggets” and “cheeseburgers” [according to the excited students]. Michelle mentioned that “by going out to McDonald’s” [which the kids love, and all voted on] they get to work on independently ordering their own food and using their own money to pay for it. They also learn about appropriate behaviour when out in public spaces, using bus transportation to travel to/from destinations -- all of which are key learning skills for our classroom.”
Miigwech to Michelle, the EA’s Alvina, Shayla, and Allanah, and to all the parent volunteers; Isaac, Santana, and Heather, for giving the Sunshine Room students a fun-filled, memorable outing and learning experience involving transferrable life skills.
Venture Lanes offers a Youth Bowling Club (YBC) for kids aged 4 to 19, once per week on Saturdays at 10:30am. You are welcome to join anytime throughout the year, but generally the club begins right after Labour Day in September and goes on until April/May. Contact Catherine or Don for more information at 705-869-2450 or text 705-665-6620. It is a great way to have fun, encourage a healthy lifestyle, and meet new friends. Of course they also offer opportunities for adults in a league setting, or for recreation for anyone, to get out and enjoy the sport of bowling.
