By Jacqui Priolo

‍

One of the most striking aspects of RLC is its inclusive community, where everyone—students, teachers, coaches, and staff—are invited to participate. This is particularly evident in co-curricular activities. In my previous coaching experiences, my involvement was often limited to demonstrating drills and coaching from the sidelines or the bench. My first coaching experience at RLC, snowboarding, was a completely different experience. I was right there with the students, tackling the drop-in. This inclusive spirit is also exemplified by events like the Rhythm for Rosseau concert, featuring performances by teachers, staff, students, and friends of the community, and the Canadian Ski Marathon, where teachers and students ski together for two days, each striving for their personal best. The Hekkla is another fantastic community event that embraces this same all-inclusive approach.

Today, while supervising the open gym with Ms. Jenny Fan, I had two realizations. First, Ms. Fan is a stellar badminton player (wow!). Second, and what allowed me to witness Ms. Fan's skill, was that our Grade 12 students invited us to play. The gymnasium was packed with over 30 students, with half the court dedicated to basketball and the other half set up with two badminton nets. Despite the crowd, the badminton players paused their game to invite Ms. Fan and me to join them. It was incredible—such a thoughtful, community-minded gesture, a true reflection of our Rosseau Roots, completely unprompted and so organic.

This inclusive spirit makes me even more excited about the new Home of the Timberwolves. It means that our RLC community values are naturally extending onto the court with us. Nowhere else have I seen this natural sharing of the court happen so authentically. Thank you to the Grade 12 students (Clement, Nathan, James, Eason, Angle, and others) for being so kind while maintaining such a competitive spirit. Playing alongside each of you brought me so much joy.

This is sportspersonship at its finest. 

Stay tuned for more updates on the REC centre, and when our doors will be open to the wider community! Alumni and parents are encouraged to contact me if you would like to book some court time!