As part of their Centennial year celebrations, the girls at the Westmount school are making a long-term commitment to protecting and enjoying the natural beauty of the mountain that has always been so close to ECS. From the time it opened on Guy Street in 1909, to its second location on Cedar Avenue, and finally in its current Mount Pleasant home, students and staff alike have enjoyed everything “the mountain” has to offer.

As Grade 11 student Samantha Walsh explains, when the ECS Centennial Committee she sits on decided that Mount Royal should feature in their celebrations, Les Amis de la Montagne seemed like an obvious place to turn, “Like ECS, Les Amis are an organization committed to education and community involvement. We are proud to be associated with them, and with their network of supporters, who have a passion for protecting and enhancing the mountain.”

The partnership will be marked with a new, annual event called “Tuques Vertes” in homage to the well-known “Tuques Blues” event organized by Les Amis that takes place on Mount Royal every February. Called Tuques Vertes both because ECS colours are green and white and because their support marks a certain “green” consciousness, the first-annual school event featured various outdoor activities, including a caleche ride for some and a brisk walk for others up to Beaver Lake, followed by skating, tubing, a lantern walk, and (thanks to Java U) hot chocolate and other warming treats.

Students have been busy fundraising for the event (selling Les Amis “We’re Tied to our Mountain” shoelaces) and presented a $2,100 cheque to Les Amis on the afternoon of Feb. 4.

ECS hopes Tuques Vertes will be the beginning of a new annual tradition, which will catch on with students at other schools in the years to come.