We are 300

By Helen White, Grade 11

"Spartans!! What is your profession? Au au au au!!"

This has been a rallying cry for our school this past year. They were the first words opposing teams heard of our senior girls soccer team as they fought their way to a league championship this year. They were a unifying cheer at one of the most memorable assemblies. And finally, they represent our school in a way more profound than we realize.

The movie 300 is, as we all should know, the story of the heroism that took place at the Thermopylae pass thousands of years ago. Three-hundred Spartans fought to protect their country from the hundreds of thousands of Persian invaders. Against all odds, these men fought with great success until treachery changed their fortunes. Even when their deaths were inevitable, they stood and fought and fell.

This story of overcoming numbers, funding and odds is the story every Stanstead sports team relives in the modern world. This year, our school of 185 has managed to win 2 league and 2 playoff ETIAC championships, and that’s just soccer season. Schools like Galt and Massey-Vanier have over a thousand people from which to field teams. Even BCS has 100 more students. We are lucky even to have enough people to field bantam teams, Galt usually has two.

This past weekend our girls basketball team won the Montreal Independent Schools Tournament and our boys hockey hosted and won the Stanstead Invitational Tournament. Both these teams defeated schools with more students and more sports funding.

We may not be large in numbers, but we are mighty in heart. This is why I suggest we make 300 our official school movie. No film represents us better, sure we don’t wear togas or fight Persians, but when it comes to Pipers and the like, we stand, we fight, and we win.

*Helen and Grade 12 student Ives-Hugo Lanoie recently qualified to compete at the 10th Annual National Debating Championships to be held in Calgary, Alberta in April