Every James Lyng High School student receives free sneakers

For the second year in a row, every student who is enrolled at James Lyng High School in St. Henri was presented with a free pair of sneakers on October 17.

This shoe-drive was initiated by third year McGill University Social Work student Julian Grau-Brown. Julian attended three EMSB schools: Edward Murphy Elementary in Hochelaga Maisonneuve, Dante Elementary in St. Léonard, and Laurier Macdonald High School in St. Léonard. With a generous donation from retired EMSB employee Eddy Hong, alongside a sponsorship from the sneaker boutique Exclucity, Julian was able to get enough brand-new pairs of sneakers to reach his goal of donating to all students at James Lyng.  

“I am extremely excited to continue this shoe drive,” said Julian. “After I received so much positive feedback from the parents, the students, and the community last year, I really wanted to bring this project back again.”

“After last year’s success, several James Lyng alumni reached out to me and asked how they could help out,” continued Julian. “I felt it would be a great learning opportunity for them and am thrilled they will be joining me on Friday.”

Mr. Grau-Brown was presented with a Certificate of Gratitude for his kindness towards the students. He got to know the James Lyng High School community when he did an internship there. “Julian was actually my student when I was teaching History back at Laurier Macdonald High School many years ago. He always had a great energy about him and I am so proud of him,” said James Lyng Principal Giovanni Iammarrone.

“We are very pleased to have Julian return,” said Vice Principal Andrea Dillon. “We thank him for his generous support of our community.”

James Lyng High School hosts students from various communities and socio-economic backgrounds.

About the English Montreal School Board

With a youth and adult sector population of more than 35,000 students, the English Montreal School Board (EMSB) is the largest English public school board in Quebec. Established on July 1, 1998, when the province created new boards along linguistic lines, the EMSB network consists of 77 schools and centres. For more details, visit the EMSB website at www.emsb.qc.ca.