Ryan Marinovich's award-winning speech

This oral presentation, titled 'Sault Ste. Marie - Naturally Gifted' was presented to City Council on Monday night by Ryan Marinovich, a Grade 5 student at St. Patrick's School.

It won a public-speaking contest at the school, and earned Ryan and his family a unanimous vote of thanks from City Council on Monday night.

In our photograph, Ryan is shown with his teacher, Silvana Casola.

**************************** Sault Ste. Marie - Naturally Gifted By Ryan Michael Marinovich

Your worship Mr. Mayor, Councillors amd fellow residents, I would like to tell you about Sault Ste. Marie, what a great place to live. We have it all: the great outdoors, interesting landmarks, great tourist attractions, industry and a few famous people were even born in Sault Ste. Marie.

"The Great Outdoors" - we do have it all. In summer we can swim, fish, boat and enjoy water sports on Lake Superior and surrounding smaller lakes. My grandmother has a camp at Haviland Bay on Lake Superior. We spend many hot, steamy days cooling off in the water, building bonfires and swatting flies.

Also, we have many camping sites, hiking trails and golf courses. Once fall rolls around, it's hunting season - my father's favourite time of year, moose, deer, birds - a hunter's dream. My father gets so excited it's hard to hold him down. He walks around saying "one week 'til opening day, three days 'til opening day, it's here!!"

Once the hunters have settled down after a prosperous season, it's wintertime and "Hello" to hockey, snowmobiling, skiing, skating and toboganning, not to mention snowmen, snow forts and snowball fights. Of course, I should mention that temperatures as low as -25 to 30 do take some getting used to.

But eventually Sault Ste. Marie does thaw out and it is spring time, my mother's favourite time of year. Flowers, flowers and more flowers, she dreams flowers. If we can't find her, she is either in the garden killing those nasty caterpillars attacking her beautiful flowers or she's at the nursery buying more flowers.

Sault Ste. Marie isn't only known for the outdoors world. We have great tourist attractions too. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train draws tourists from all over Canada and the United States, to see the spectacular fall colours. The Chief Shingwauk takes visitors down St. Mary's River and the locks. For those that want the night life we have Casino Sault Ste. Marie whose theme is "Into the Wild."

During the day you can walk along the boardwalk, take in the Bush Plane Museum or visit the Old Stone House. And don't forget the highlight of winter, the Bon Soo Winter Carnival -- ten fun-filled days of winter fun.

Growing up in Sault Ste. Marie is the greatest. Sault Ste. Marie is the home and beginnings of many great people: Roberta Bondar, the first Canadian woman in space. For those hockey buffs, don't forget Phil and Tony Esposito, Ron Francis and Ted Nolan, and an almost-relative of mine, Blair Peters, cartoonist, who you'll recognize by his cartoons Yvon of Yukon, Myna Leagues and What About Mimi. All born and raised in good old Sault Ste. Marie.

Why is Sault Ste. Marie here? If it wasn't for Francis H. Clergue, the founder of Algoma Steel and St. Mary's Paper, Sault Ste. Marie wouldn't be here. These industries brought my great grandparents here.

In conclusion, Sault Ste. Marie is a community rich in so many ways, it's people, it's natural resources, it's opportunities and it's history. It's a great place to live, work and play.

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