Students at Ste. Genevieve Elementary had the unique opportunity to learn hockey skills from the best around — the St. Louis Blues! From Monday to Friday, representatives from the St. Louis Blues visited SGE during physical education classes to teach hockey skills to students. This was all part of the Street Blues initiative, a free ball hockey program aimed at building elementary and middle school-aged children's interest in the game of hockey.
This program offers area schools a PE class curriculum that is a fast-paced alternative to traditional PE class units. Each student received their own Street Blues playbook containing basic street hockey terminology, rules, and practice drills that they can do on their own. The school received a complete set of equipment for a full PE class. The equipment included two hockey goals, 24 street hockey sticks, and a curriculum guide. All students were given a street hockey guide for home use, too! In addition, all SG R-II employees had the opportunity to purchase Blues tickets at a discount rate for upcoming games.
Ste. Genevieve Elementary was chosen as a participant after Coach Dennis Kreitler submitted an application. “We want to share a heartfelt SGE thank you to the Street Blues for making this happen for our students. The levels of excitement and engagement from the kids was amazing to see— there were so many laughs and smiles!” Coach Kreitler said. “As our kids left the gym each day, they thanked these representatives for the experience. They all had a blast, and I was so impressed by how the Street team explained basic hockey skills and worked with students the whole week! I’m sure this is going to be a special memory for our students.”
The gymnasium was decorated with drawings of Blues players and the logo, all artwork done by SGE students. Throughout the week, students sported Blues attire as they learned and practiced street hockey skills and participated in matches.