R-A-I-D-E-R-S! R-A-I-D-E-R-S!
The cheers rang out from the bleachers as future and current Raiders teamed up to root for the Chippewa intermediate girls basketball team. The hoopsters were participating in the intermediate edition of the long-running Tomahawk tournament, founded by venerable former Raiders coach and teacher, Art Gabor.
Those who cheer together, stay together, and this group of Raiders-to-be have a great head start on transitioning to intermediate school. The visit to Chippewa by the Woodland students was another in a series of events to help the transition of students from the feeder school.
Eighth-grade Raider and student council member Kaden acted as a mentor to the Woodland students.
"I think what happens is, as the generations of the school go on, more Chippewa students could teach other younger students the spirit of the school," said Kaden, "with the spirit alive, everything else falls into place."
Kaden said that he enjoys passing on the traditions of his school, as his older brother Luke previously did for him.
Sixth-grade Woodland student Evan, taking a timeout from cheering during the basketball game, said that learning and practicing the Chippewa cheers with the older students was a fun group activity.
"Getting to know the teachers and other students," was a key to Evan's success at Woodland this year, he said. This group of students will be going to a new school for the second September in a row, and Evan feels that adapting to a new environment will not be difficult this time around.
Like Kaden, Evan has an older sibling who attends Chippewa, and he thinks that will help the move to the bigger school go smoothly.
Chippewa Intermediate and Secondary School is a grade 7 to 12 school that opened in 1958. The school excels in academics, athletics, arts and activism and offers full French Immersion and Extended French programs at both the intermediate and secondary levels.
With recent talk of combining the three public high schools into one, Chippewa, with its central location, has been touted as the site of the sole public secondary school in North Bay.
Asked what advice he gives to the younger students, Kaden replied, "Don't get lost. Have a great time, because this is an amazing school."
