Over the course of the past decade or so, the École secondaire catholique l'Horizon Aigles have worked their way into more and more conversations when the top end of the SDSSAA (Sudbury District Secondary Schools' Athletic Association) elite are duking it out for Sudbury high-school sports supremacy.

Whether it be in volleyball, hockey, basketball, soccer, slo-pitch or track and field, the Aigles are now among the adversaries that the Lo-Ellen Park Knights, St Charles College Cardinals, Lockerby Vikings and so many others most fear.

It only stands to reason then, given the school demographics, that when ESC l'Horizon opted to launch a new Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) program at the Valleyview venue in Val Caron, that "Sports" would be a logical option to pursue.

"Part of the reason that we came about the Sport SHSM is that we had students who were already on the sport side of things and were looking at going into Sports Administration, Sports Therapy, etc...," said Alain Sonier, who partnered with teacher Chantal Trépanier and various other staff at Horizon in supporting an initiative that they feel will provide Horizon students with a leg up in the years that follow their secondary schooling.

"This (SHSM) is a government program that tries to line up classes with coop offerings, helps student gain experience and get certain sport specific training," said Trepanier. "It's also about opening up doors for summer jobs, just because of all of the extra certification."

"Giving them all of these things helps them become a better candidate."

A 17 year-old grade 12 student who is heading to Laurentian University in the fall, multi-sport talent Madison Paris sees the potential value for student-athletes who already tend to be at the forefront when it comes to leadership positions in their high-school and such.

"Without a coop, you might never know if you have a passion for teaching or something like that," said Paris, who noted volleyball as her primary sport of choice as a member of the Aigles' family.

"Everything that you learn as an athlete helps you mature and learn in other aspects of your life."

School staff understand the attraction to their athletically-minded young students.

"It's a mix of their passion (for sports) - but also with a potential future career with it," said Sonier. "Now, you're opening it up to a whole other portfolio."

For Trepanier, who very much enjoys a family background in sport, the choice of this target audience within the Horizon student body was a no-brainer.

"These athletes are also our leaders in our school," she noted. "We will ask them to take on certain responsibilities because they have developed those skills, not only in the classroom, but also with their own sports programs."