Denis Castonguay
École secondaire Roger-Comtois

Denis Castonguay is one of those people who are always on the lookout for solutions to a problem. Concerned about school drop out, mainly among boys, the vice-principal of Secondary 5 and director of student life at Roger-Comptois high school came up with the ingenious idea of setting up a football program to tackle the problem. Five years later, it is obvious that the initiative has accomplished its purpose as statistics show that the program has improved the success rate of male students while providing the school with two provincial championships in 2009.

When Denis Castonguay looks back, he is still surprised by the arduous path he had to take to achieve today’s results. Though it may seem easy to set up a new school football program, it’s quite the opposite, and even more so for a school that wasn’t recognized for its sports programs.

“Just imagine. We were starting from scratch: we had no equipment or infrastructure. I developed the project and then started knocking on doors. I met with the school board, municipal officials, the city council, people from various ministries and the list goes on. I needed to be really convinced, as well as convincing, but I was,” asserts Denis Castonguay.

Mr. Castonguay then began garnering support. Every time he’d meet someone, he’d talk emphatically about the fact that it was time the school and the neighbourhood set up an infrastructure that would promote youth development and that the school, with several thousand students, had the population needed to make up the teams. But more importantly, he did it all to give his students a reason for hanging on at school and this was his key message. And he in no way claims to have defended this message alone as the support of his colleagues was central to his crusade.

“It took a year and a half before we could finally set up the first team. There were times when we became discouraged but I think we managed to be assertive and defend our position to the very end. This is what made all the difference.”

Today, after only five years in existence, the football program at Roger-Comptois high school is already renowned across the province for its excellence. In fall 2009, the three teams at the school, which are called the Patriotes, won the regional championships and the two teams allowed to play on the provincial circuit both made the grade, a rare if not unique feat in the history of high school football in Québec.

Above and beyond all the achievements on the playing field, those attained in the classroom are probably the ones Denis Castonguay and his colleagues are the most thrilled about. The initial idea behind the football program was to offer boys a tighter academic framework while requiring that they invest more of themselves. The disciplinary and academic aspects are just as important as the sport itself and regardless of whether a boy is a star player or not, all members of the team must meet the requirements.

“The statistics compiled at our school clearly show that the football program has substantially improved the perseverance of boys involved in student life, and this is definitely attributable to Denis Castonguay’s efforts,” points out the man in charge of the Patriotes, François Letarte.

The football program has also had a tremendous impact on the feeling of pride and of belonging among students. Cheerleading teams were also set up enabling more than 50 boys and girls to also contribute in their own way to the program’s influence.

“I come from Loretteville and I’m proud to have helped our area acquire excellent sports installations and to have given our school a new image. I am a dreamer who believes that you can attain your goals if you really put your heart into what you do. And I know that this is something young people also now realize and it makes me twice as proud,” says the vice-principal in conclusion.

Denis Castonguay
École secondaire Roger-Comtois