It's the first time that École Arthur Meighen principal Tracy Vanstone coached such a winning team! She notes their basketball team went to the final last Thursday and played against Crescentview School.

"Crescentview had a very strong team and we were able to pull off a nice win in our home court," says Vanstone, This is especially special being a new school. And so it was really nice to see that."

She says, as a coach, she focused on discipline and strong teamwork. 

"It is about always playing as a team and we had a large team, with many, many players and a large range of abilities," continues Vanstone. "It was about respecting one another and lifting up one another and supporting throughout the entire season. So, I think just their teamwork was very strong. We had some very naturally-skilled athletes and they served as great mentors to our new players. The chemistry on the team was really strong and their dedication to the sport, their love of the sport, all contributed to our success."

She adds they're planning a special supper for the team. 

"Dan Rosset is also the assistant coach with me," notes Vanstone. "This is a repeat for me. I really want to celebrate. And I'm really, really happy about that. We plan to take the kids to a Winnipeg Sea Bears game in May as a celebration, as well. They're really looking forward to that."

She adds she loves coaching, and it's really helped her as a school principal to build connections with students. 

"I think it's just a wonderful way to build relationships and connect with families," says Vanstone. "The parental involvement has been super and we've loved having all our parents come out filler gym. All of that combined has just made for really successful year."

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