Larissa Bruzzese instructs students from Ruth Thompson Middle School during Recreation Service's Positive Active Living for Students (PALS) program this year. The 19th year wrapped up June 26.

Recreation Service’s Positive Active Living for Students (PALS) program completed its 19th year of end-of-year trips for elementary schools.

The program, which this year started May 5 and ended June 27, follows Ontario Physical and Health Education Association guidelines to provide alternative activity-based programs for children from Grade 1 to 8 as their year-end school trip.

Activities may include: omni-kin ball, rowing, archery, tchoukball, flag rugby, co-op games, fencing, swimming and more.

Brock University students design lesson plans to suit each class that attends.

Brock alumna Janine (Sproul) Angus (BPhEd ’98) has brought 10 classes each year from Ruth Thompson Middle School in Mississauga for the past 11 years.

She said the children love the variety of activities, the setting and facilities at Brock, and the enthusiasm of the student instructors.

Approximately 4,000 youth attend the program each May and June with their teachers, and some even bring their parents.

Most schools that attended this year were from Niagara, but others travelled from the Greater Toronto Area.