Athol‑South Marysburgh Public School’s Grade 7 and 8 Intermediate Boys team soared this year. They deserve recognition from the entire community, not only for the results, but for the leadership, determination, and teamwork they showed from start to finish.
Every time Athol‑South arrived at districts, the boys walked in quietly and under the radar. But once events began, it didn’t take long for the other schools to realize that this group was something special. Their focus, effort, and heart stood out right away. “Where is Athol?” quickly became the most common question asked by parents from competing schools.
Many of these boys have grown up together and learned to trust one another in a way that shows in how they play and how they carry themselves. That connection was visible in every decision they made, in the calm confidence they carried into each competition, and in the support they had for one another when things didn’t go as planned.
Their hard work led to the most successful season Athol‑South has ever seen. The boys earned three regional wins in soccer, volleyball, and basketball. They followed that with two district wins in soccer and volleyball, and finished just eight points shy of the basketball final. For a school of our size, these accomplishments are remarkable. They speak to the spirit, passion, and collaboration that defined their entire elementary experience at Athol‑South.
This season also highlighted the strength of our community. PECI athletes who once wore the Athol‑South jersey returned to help run practices and mentor the boys, giving them role models who know exactly what it means to represent this school. Parents stepped in to coach, assist at practices, drive players to events, and make sure every child who wanted to participate had the chance. Athol‑South will be remembered as the loudest cheering section at any event this year. Special thanks go to Mr. White, who coached volleyball and soccer, and to Coach Mike Thompson, who guided the boys through an outstanding basketball season. This level of involvement is the heartbeat of county school sports, and Athol‑South showed that spirit all year long.
Most of these boys will now move on to high school, taking with them the confidence and character they built at a school that truly supported them. The younger athletes who remain will carry the legacy forward and lift Athol‑South even higher. Go Eagles.
Alison Kelly, Proud Athol Mom
RE: Cost of Groceries Defies Belief (Letters, March 11). Dear Matt, I hear you, and I imagine most people appreciate where you are coming from. The grocery industrial complex has proved again and again that it is in the business of making money by any means necessary. Recent news has shown evidence of price gouging and manipulation (bread price fixing and manipulated weight scales). A recent local news report told of a food grocer that prevents competition from a certain distance.
The good news is we have a choice to change the system while supporting the local economy and environment. We have local farmers from whom we can purchase directly. Buying directly from a farmer at the farmers’ market or at their farm stand or via a subscription service is the best way to support them and help them build their business to produce more.
We have people engaging with the municipality to create food hubs in places like the Picton Town Hall that could provide farmers with an outlet to sell year-round.
Many people think the prices for food at local farmers’ markets and farm stands are higher than grocery stores. This is not always the case, as the price of transport increases every year. In the County, all roads leading to town have farm stands. Every village has a farmers’ market.
With all the things wrong in this world, this, the cost of the food that nourishes us, is something we have the power to fix, or at least improve.
Mike Barnes, Picton
Re: Cost of Groceries Defies Belief (Letters, March 11). Matt Roth wrote last week to detail the high cost of even peanut butter and a bag of milk. It made me think, not of the cost of groceries, but of declining purchasing power.
That $125 grocery bill wouldn’t mean so much if wages were what they should be. It would represent a much smaller fraction of the weekly paycheque.
Over the past 40 years, the basic cost of living, especially of food and shelter, or real estate, has risen dramatically — while wages have more or less stayed the same. That means wages have declined in real terms.
Even more outraging, Canada’s GDP growth has been just fine. Only all the gains have profitted the top 1 percent. For the half of Canada’s earners in the bottom 50 percent of the wage brackets, real incomes have declined. There are many reasons for this, but among them is the decline of unionized labour and the growth of low paid work: contract jobs, permanent part-time jobs, Uber and Amazon jobs.
It’s real wages that have to increase and conditions of work that have to improve, back to what they were 40 years ago, when jobs were stable, permanent, and full time.
That would take care of the grocery bill.
Lou Forth, Picton
See it in the newspaper
-3° Light Snowshower
