Men’s Hockey: Ohio State Student-Athletes Promote Education and Athletics at French Immersion School – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Buckeyes Hood, Filion and Toy practice their French during visit
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On a visit to Ecole Kenwood Elementary in late November, senior Kyle Hood, sophomore Nick Filion and freshman Corey Toy of the men’s hockey team discovered something rather unique. The school, less than five miles from Ohio State’s main campus, is the state’s only French immersion school, offering a curriculum balanced between learning in French and English.
While many of Ohio State’s six Canadian team members, which include Hood and Filion, are used to hearing both English and French in their daily lives at home, it is a rarity in the United States.
For Nicole Kraft, Ohio State School of Communication lecturer and Ecole Kenwood Elementary parent liaison, the French speaking student-athletes were a perfect fit as guest speakers.
“We have several kids really into hockey so we were looking for a way to connect education, athletics and speaking French and the Ohio State hockey program welcomed the chance to send some of their French speaking student-athletes,” Kraft said.
Hood, Filion and Toy spent the afternoon showing off their knowledge of the French language and putting on a show with their hockey skills. The children and parents of elementary school were so impressed by the three student-athletes that 55 people sign up for the first Ecole Kenwood Elementary Night at Ohio State men’s hockey. The group will make its excursion to Value City Arena Saturday for a 7:35 p.m. game vs. Michigan State.
“All we expected from the Ohio State student-athletes was for them to come and answer a few questions in French but they were incredible with the kids,” Kraft said. “They were poised and accommodating answering every question. They were just phenomenal.”
Taking charge of the question and answer session was sophomore goalie Filion, a native of Cornwall, Ontario. To kick off the Q&A session, the Ecole Kenwood students asked questions in French, receiving Ohio State men’s hockey posters autographed by the team in reward for participating. During the 45-minute session, the questions continued to roll in long after the supply of posters had run out.
“The kids loved it,” Hood, a native of Osoyoos, British Columbia, said. “I haven’t taken French in seven years so I was a little rusty but Corey Toy is pretty good and Nick Filion is fluent. Nick did a lot of the talking, answering their questions while Corey and I showed them pieces of equipment. The support we received there was extraordinary.”
While 25 to 30 percent of the students at Ecole Kenwood originate from French-speaking Africa, Canada and France, the majority of students have no previous experience with the language. Yet the skill in which the youngsters command the language is quite incredible.
“It was a big shock for me,” Hood said. “In Canada, we have a lot of French-speaking classes but I didn’t expect to find kindergarteners and first graders in Columbus with better French speaking abilities than I did. It put me back a few spaces.”
The visit turned out to be an enlightening experience for both groups. While the Ecole Kenwood students learned about hockey, the Ohio State student-athletes learned something new about the community in which their university resides.
As hockey grows in popularity in Columbus, the Buckeye men’s hockey team continues to do its part, serving as role models for the city’s youth.
