J.D. Potié
SHAWVILLE April 25, 2019
On April 25, around 25 grade five and six students from Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary in Shawville visited the Pontiac Archives to do some in-depth research on a community icon.
According to Principal Anne Valcov, the school is officially naming its gymnasium after former Ottawa Senators’ Head Coach and Shawville native the late Bryan Murray.
As part of a school project for the school’s French-immersion program, students were assigned to write a report on Murray’s life, which will be displayed next to a photo of him at the gymnasium’s entrance.
Divided into four parts, the kids’ research will focus on Murray’s hockey career, his teaching career, his family and his involvement in the community.
After a brief introduction to the archives from their teacher Bryn Jones, kids spread out into groups and peered into various binders laid-out on the tables, containing documents depicting almost every detail of Murray’s life.
Having already done some basic research in class, the student’s visit at the archives served as an opportunity for them to obtain some more in-depth information on the subject.
The outing is an excellent opportunity for the kids to learn about various skills and traits that will help them succeed later on in their lives, Jones said.
“We’re learning our research skills, our computer skills and teamwork as well,” he said. “It’s really important for them to learn research skills because when they go off to high school they know about plagiarism, they know about referencing and citing where you got your information from.”
For grade six student Cade Kuehl, the project is somewhat sentimental and the chance to help commemorate someone he’s always looked up to and is something he’s definitely interested in doing.
“I knew Bryan personally and it kind of hit me hard when he passed,” said Kuehl. “So, it’s really cool to do this project. I love his family.”
“It’s pretty cool to learn about the legacy he left on this community and the whole hockey with the Pontiac Lions and everybody in the community,” he added.
After the visit at the archives, Jones is hoping his students learn a little bit more about the importance of respect, responsibility and working together.
“These are the kinds of values I’ve been teaching them, ever since I started as a teacher,” said Jones.
In 2018, nearly a year after Murray passed away, Valcov felt like the school had to do something to honour him, considering his countless contributions to the community, as a gym teacher, a hockey icon and a philanthropist.
“Once upon a time when this was a high school, he was the gym teacher here,” said Valcov. “He’s been a great presence in this community. He’s done a lot for this community. And this was one way of keeping his legacy here at the school.”
After being unanimously embraced by the school’s board of governors, Valcov verified with Murray’s family to make sure they were on board with the plan.
Murray’s family will provide the school a large photo of him, which will be framed and hung up at the entrance of the gymnasium. It will feature his biography put together by the students and a locally-made plaque displaying the name of the facility, according to Valcov.
While the exact name of the gym has not been set in stone, one thing is for certain: by the time the summer rolls around, the exact place where Murray started his legendary teaching career will forever commemorate his legacy.
On April 2, Murray’s brother Barry will meet the students at the school for an interview session in the gymnasium to tell them even more tales about his brother’s past, Valcov said.
