Christmas wish list Learning House

Christmas wish list

January 3, 2012 – 9:13 pm

I find myself with a few spare minutes today, but instead of starting my Christmas shopping, I thought Id send off a note to Santa with gift ideas for a handful of Waterloo Region high schools.

St. Marys: New soccer jerseys. The Kitchener school has been piling up championships for years, but the players have never looked good doing it in the Argentina-inspired jerseys theyve been wearing the past few years. There are so many blue-and-white possibilities out there but Im thinking this stylish little number — minus the advertisement — from French side Marseille would look good on the boys and girls when the spring season arrives in April.

Elmira: Light bulbs. Perhaps its a design flaw and not the actually lighting but the Lancers gymnasium is more like a dungeon. Yes, the locals love it but visiting players can be seen squinting as they line up foul shots and Record photographers make a point of thanking me when I ask them to shoot a game for me in Elmira. As one photographer said to me recently: “Thanks, could you have maybe found a darker place?”

Jacob Hespeler: A senior boys football title. Hawks head coach Greg White has been with the program since the beginning and hes still looking for his first championship. He recently brought up the possibility that maybe, just maybe, he wasnt meant to win the big one. This was moments after his squad fell to the Sir John A. Macdonald Highlanders in the WCSSAA final. Give the guy a break Santa. Hes always been nice to this reporter — never naughty — so throw him a bone.

Huron Heights: Speaking of championships, the Kitchener school that opened in 2006 is still searching for a senior championship in a major team sport. The schools biggest moment since opening in 2006 was when its boys golf team advanced to OFSAA when it captured the CWOSSA crown in 2009. The gymnasium needs some senior banners Santa.

Glenview Park: A new nickname. Cambridge doesnt really need two Panthers, does it? Preston High School adopted the nickname when it opened in 1934 and Glenviews founding fathers opted for the same moniker when the doors opened in 1957. There might be some historic reason behind the decision, but its still not too late to change it, even 54 years later. There are lots of cat names out there to choose from — Pumas and Lynx both have nice rings to them — but please stay away from Sabres.

Cameron Heights: A few more hockey players. It was hard not to notice all the vacant space on the bench when the Gaels hooked up with the Monsignor Doyle Mustangs for a recent boys hockey game.

Thats it for now but theres still time for other suggestions.

Learning House