CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. - A Grade 6 French immersion student at Sherwood Elementary School in Charlottetown is combining his love of animals with his go-getter attitude on Sunday.
Nathan Wohlgemut has put together an outdoor hockey game at the school to raise money for the P.E.I. Humane Society.
As of Friday, he had managed to raise $400. His goal is to beat the $600 he raised in a similar fundraiser last year.
Tim Hortons has donated hot chocolate and timbits for the event that gets underway at 1:15 p.m.
“It was fun doing it last year,’’ Nathan said. “I have a dog and I love animals, especially dogs.’’
Krista Gallant, his French immersion teacher, can’t say enough about her pupil.
“I think he’s just one of those kind kids, and he sees a need and he’s that kind of kid that anticipates a need. Let’s say I spill something in the classroom. Before I can even say, ‘Can somebody go get me a paper towel, he’s behind me with paper towels cleaning it up. He’s that kind of kid,’’ Gallant said, adding her student is also a natural-born leader.
“I see the love he has for animals. Every story he writes (in class) pretty much has some animal in it, so you can see there’s a real passion for animals.’’
-Krista Gallant
Nathan said he wanted to do something for the community, something that brought people together.
So he went to work, calculating the math, how many hockey players he would need for a game, how much money he would raise and how he’d set up a canteen.
Nathan says students in Grades 3-6 will be involved in the hockey game.
It’s easy to see how Nathan feels about animals when he’s around his own Portugese water dog, Miss Beasley.
“I see the love he has for animals,’’ Gallant said. “Every story he writes (in class) pretty much has some animal in it, so you can see there’s a real passion for animals.’’
Gallant believes Nathan is the type of student who will end up doing something special at some point in his life.
“He’s one of those kids you can’t wait to see what he ends up doing later in life. He’s a pretty special kid.’’
