ST. FRANCIS XAVIER S.S.
Principal’s Message
J. Horvath
The 2010-2011 school year is
off to a great start with 2210
enthusiastic students and 165
dedicated staff all working to
fulfill our school motto, “Excellence through Love, Faith and
Peace.”
Over the past few
months our staff has been
involved in organizing and
running
numerous
events
which were underway even
before the start of school. For
this, I thank the entire staff
who continue to do an outstanding job in their support,
instruction,
encouragement
and care for all our students. I
am sure you will enjoy reading
about these events and activities throughout this newsletter.
At the end of September
Father Bob from St. Francis
Xavier Church was able to lead
us in prayer at our grade level
masses. Celebrating of faith
through prayer and putting
our faith into action is a
responsibility our school, parents and parish share in providing each of our students
the excellence in Catholic education they deserve. We look
forward to our continued
celebrations of the Eucharist
as a community throughout
the school year.
2
Our school continues to
become involved in new initiatives which help to keep our
students, staff and community
well informed and prepared
for
our
ever
changing
economy. The first initiative
involves making our school
more environmentally friendly
through the Eco Schools certification process. G-Team FX,
our green team, is working
very hard to meet the EcoSchools Certification criteria in
order to achieve “Bronze
Status” by June. The many
staff and students involved
are busy educating our school
community to reduce, reuse
and recycle in hopes that we
will be the “greenest school”
around.
Also, St. Francis
Xavier has also been selected
as a pilot school for the
Ministry’s new School Food
and Beverage Policy which in
September 2011 takes effect
at all schools in the province.
We will be working closely
with Peel Health, our teachers,
students and parents to create
a healthy learning environment for all our students by
providing healthier foods in
our school. Both these initiatives will involve many activities and events to inform our
school community about the
benefits of a healthier and
more eco friendly lifestyle.
Besides the many activities
taking place outside the classroom, our students continue
to impress in the classroom as
well. Our EQAO scores continue to be one of the highest
in the board with a grade 10
Literacy success rate of 88%
and a grade 9 Math EQAO success rate of 89% for academic
and 59% for applied. All of
our EQAO scores are above
the board and provincial averages. Our IB program continues to make an impact at the
world level with our students
consistently scoring higher
than the world average on
their final exams. The two
Specialist High Skills Major
(SHSM) programs in Health
and Wellness and Hospitality
continue to educate students
who excel at various skills
competitions.
As well, our
overall graduation rate continues to rise to a rate of 89% of
students graduating in their
final year.
I am extremely
proud of all our students for
their service to our community
and for their achievements
both academically and in cocurricular activities.
St. Francis Xavier welcomes
the following new staff:
Joanne DeAcetis as receptionist; Jenie Perna as Attendance
Secretary; Mary Davis as Co
op Department Head; Vice
Principals Rita Borg and Linda
Gallant.
Congratulations to
Gina Peca, our former receptionist, who is now the
school’s budget secretary. We
also extend our congratulations to Anna Abbruscato
(Board Chair) and Thomas
Thomas who have successfully
retained their seats as Catholic trustees. We also like to
welcome Enzo Baldan as our
new school council chair and
thank our former chair Grace
Williamson for her years of
service to our school.
I am excited and honored to
the principal of such an outstanding Catholic school which
continues to impress in so
many ways. This success is a
tribute to our students, the
staff who teach them, our
parish church who guides
them and the families who
support them. Thank you all
and God Bless.
HOMECOMING
Editors
Christine Ang
Alexandra Sloman
XAVIER’S NEW UNIFORMS
Layout
Cathleen Ang
Christine Ang
Rollen D’Souza
Kushal Kumarasinghe
Jennevieve Quien
Alexandra Sloman
Karen Sun
Xavier students show of school spirit 16
Read up on the new rules and opinions 23
Administration
Principal’s Message.............................................................2
School Council................................................................... 4
Dates to Remember............................................................ 4
Student Council..................................................................5
Guidance Message..............................................................6
Students Without Boundaries...............................................7
I.B. Message..................................................................... 8
Youth Ambassador Program............................................... 10
Mentorship...................................................................... 11
Chaplain’s Corner..............................................................12
Chaplain’s Crew................................................................13
Uniform Rules.................................................................. 23
Events
Homecoming....................................................................16
Civvies Day......................................................................19
Pep Rally......................................................................... 22
Senior Sunrise................................................................. 22
Sports
Cross Country.................................................................. 21
Girls’ Basketball............................................................... 21
Slice of Life
“Why It’s Great to be Canadian”........................................... 6
“Our Special Lunch”............................................................7
Brother André.................................................................. 14
Health.............................................................................15
“A Nice Place to Learn”...................................................... 18
FX Music......................................................................... 20
Fashion Club....................................................................20
Contributors
Cathleen Ang
Christine Ang
Rebecca Araujo
Raj Batra
Karl Britto
Andrew Burke
Rollen D’Souza
Ahya Kamal
Thushani Konora
Kushal Kumarasinghe
Jennevieve Quien
Rosemary Rybovic
Alexandra Sloman
Karen Sun
Sunny Xia
A. Lombardi
Special thanks to:
Robert Apolito
Vanessa Azizian
Felix Chan
Katya D’Costa
Karl Go
Ashley Lopez
Alexander Palisoc
Prateeksha Ravi
Julia Zhang
R. Borg
J. Horvath
E. Ladna
C. Keaveney
W. Kirley
Z. Nassr
R. Palerma-Tokar
G. Seron
D. Sheldrake
Production Manager and
Coordination
A. Lombardi
All contents copyrighted
© 2010 Digital Arts Club
Xavier (DACX)
3
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER S.S.
School Council
Chairperson
Vice-Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Parent Members
Other Members
Enzo Baldan
Paul Pinheiro
Christine De Francesco
Joyti Shukla
Josef Budziak
Rita Iafrate
Khush Karma
Poonam Khanua
Mary-Alice Mesa
Rosa Rodrigues
Zorina Williams
J. Horvath, Principal
R. Borg, V.P.
L. Gallant, V.P.
D. Mariani, V.P.
L. O’Leary, V.P.
Karan Danaher,
Teacher Rep.
Debrah Sheldrake,
Chaplain
Tina Tran,
2011
Chaplain
Youth Care Worker
Student Services
Attendance Office
Superintendent
Catholic School
Council Chair
Trustees
J. Horvath
D. Mariani (A-D)
L. Gallant (E-Li)
L. O’Leary (Lk-Rn)
R. Borg (Ro-Z)
D. Sheldrake
J. Migliaccio
C. Keaveney (A-Cl)
Z. Nassr (Co-G)
D. Berzaitis (H-Ln)
D. Hartnett (P-Sim)
S. Rego (Sin-Z)
J. Perna
(905) 507-6666 ext1
L. Kazimowicz
(905) 890-1221
Enzo Baldan
Anna Abbruscato, Chair
Mississauga Ward 4
(905) 890-1221
Student Rep.
anna.abbruscato@dpcdsb.org
Parish Rep.
Thomas Thomas
Mississauga Ward 5
(416) 845-8225
Veronica Persaud,
Dates to Remember
Principal
Vice Principals
thomas.thomas@dpcdsb.org
Monday, January 3
First day of classes
Wednesday, January 12
Ontario university application deadline
Thursday, January 13 - Friday, January 14 Grade 9 EQAO math tests
Monday, January 24
Last instructional day of first semester
Tuesday, January 25 - Friday, January 28 Semester 1 examinations
Tuesday, February 1
Exam review day, College applications due for
equal consideration
Wednesday, February 2
Semester turnaround day
Thursday, February 3
Semester 2 begins
Thursday, February 10
Last day for semester 2 timetable changes
Friday, February 11
Semester 1 final report cards distributed
Monday, February 21
Family Day (no school)
4
STUDENT COUNCIL
Student Administrative Council
By Robert Apolito; Photos by Felix Chan
Dances, carnival, and no more
homework…All of us know
what we want this school year,
but who are the people reprerepre
senting us?
That’s what student council is
here for, to help make this
school year all it can be, from
the upcoming semi to the carcar
nival. Unfortunately, we can’t
help you get rid of all that
math work. What we can do
though, is help you remember
all those fun times you had
with your friends on the huge
bouncy castle at the carnival
at SCHOOL.
I mean fun and school just
don’t usually go together, but
how can you go wrong when
you’re dancing at prom or
semi-formal? In short, we
want this to be one of the best
years you have in high school,
because you only get four.
So, who are these student
council people? There’re a
bunch of us in different grades
with different ideas. We all
contribute our own cool ideas
to make the events run
smoothly and we’re like one
big family.
All of us represent you (the
students) to get your ideas
and bring them to action. If
you ever have something to
say, all you have to do is find
one of the people in these
pictures, and just tell us what
you have to say. Who knows,
your idea could be THE one
that people remember as the
highlight of the year.
GUIDANCE MESSAGE
News from the Guidance Department
By C. Keaveney
Although school officially commenced on September 7th,
members
of
the
Guidance
Department began sorting out
timetable requests, meeting with
parents,
reviewing
summer
school achievement, adjusting
timetables, organizing visits and
helping with grade 9 orientation.
Not only is Guidance a source of
information for students, we are
here to assist in course selection,
career planning and post secondary exit options.
One important avenue for providing information is through our
assemblies. Thus far, grade 11
and 12 students have attended
presentations specifically targeting the university destination. In
these sessions, students are
explicitly told about timelines,
websites and upcoming fairs and
university visits.
Likewise,
presentations on the college and
apprenticeship destination have
also taken place.
Grade 12
students will also be visiting their
individual counsellors to discuss
credit counselling summaries,
future plans and ongoing con-
cerns. By the end of November,
grade 12 graduating students will
receive their individuals PINs for
university application and will
apply online at www.ouac.on.ca.
College students may apply to
their
programs
starting
in
November
at
www.ontario
colleges.ca.
Grade 11 classroom visits by
counsellors will take place in
November. Students will receive
their credit counselling summaries along with “My Career, My
Choice, My Plan” action sheets.
Parents are encouraged to review
these sheets before they sign
them.
Period 2 Grade 9 orientation class
visits took place in October and
early November.
All grade 9
students have a copy of Staying
Real, books which were designed
and published by the leadership
classes. Activities based on these
books will happen through English and Religion classes. Just a
reminder to parents that grade 9
students should begin their community service as soon as pos-
sible.
In early September, a
representative from Volunteer
MBC, spoke to the grade 9’s in an
assembly on the topic of volunteering. Please visit our website,
click on “Guidance” and then
“Volunteers” to access this very
helpful website. As well, grade 9’s
received a list of useful links to
our website, regarding career
planning, graduation requirements, our school website and
online courses.
Grade 10 students should be
aware that this year’s literacy
test (OSSLT) will be held on
Thursday, March 30, 2011. Prior
to the test, after school help
sessions will be offered. Sample
activities are posted on the EQAO
website; just visit, www.eqao.
com and click on “student” and
then “OSSLT.”
Lastly, we offer a warm welcome
to Mr. Cvetan, who has joined the
ranks of guidance counsellors for
the first part of semester 1. Mr.
Cvetan brings his vast experience
from the Alternative Education
and Credit Recovery program.
WHY IT’S GREAT TO BE CANADIAN
By Ashley Lopez
6
Canada is a great country to live
in. It is definitely recognized as
one of the best countries in the
world. I am personally proud to
call myself a Canadian for many
reasons. From its remarkable
multiculturalism, to its economy
and democratic system, Canada
is defiantely unique and truly a
nation to be proud of.
live in is our stable economy.
Canada is known for its economy
and its abundance of natural
resources. These are things that
make our country rich and prosperous. Canadians are fortunate
enough to have things like clean
water, education and health care
and basic human rights like being
able to vote in a democracy.
One of the things that I think
makes Canada a great country to
Another reason I think Canada is
a great country to live in, is the
multiculturalism.
In
Canada,
there are many different types of
people of many different cultures
and backgrounds. When I go out,
I feel like I have the entire world
at my doorstep. I feel that it gives
us a chance to learn and
celebrate the world’s diversity. I
think it’s incredible and it is what
makes our country unique. That
is why I am proud to call myself a
Canadian.
OUR SPECIAL LUNCH
STUDENTS WITHOUT
BOUNDARIES
By C. Keaveney
By Prateeksha Ravi
Well, here we are with our good people for lunch,
Ms. Nassr asked Mr. Zerdin to cook up something with punch,
The admin and the guidance team too
Are pleased to get together to spend some time with you!
Now let’s share some information with our special friends,
We are here to work with you and serve to no end,
Mathew, if you want to see your counselor, what do you do?
Anthony, would you go to Ms. Korchinos? I think that you do.
Mitchell will try some work experience this year,
Amanda and Rhea have tried art with our Ms. Boutette dear.
Enid, Vanessa and Sean are getting used to this new space,
I would call St. Francis Xavier Secondary School a pretty nice
place!
Now Chester, our friend, still cooks his chicken and rice,
Gertram just shared some cupcakes which was really nice.
This year, Emily and all of you are trying new things,
Woodshop, cosmo, phys.ed, art, auto, foods,….who sings?
This year it’s fun to go out on trips,
Everyone likes to invite those nice people in PIP,
Ms. Kennedy works hard to set up a plan,
Amore and Darling work hard to keep this place spic and span.
Ms. Peddie, Margaret and Mark come in with their tricks,
Working with this PIP class is definitely their favourite pick.
Ms. O’Leary comes for a visit each day,
Ms Dovale as well, just to find out what you all have to say.
Mr. Horvath has shown each of you, the STFX spirit,
It really shows when you see the boys clap with Peter in Stratford with cheer.
Did you all see Bautista, our Blue Jay hit a grand slam,
One day we’ll play baseball and see who can hit like that man.
Look at our football team win 0 to 50,
Now that St. FX junior team is pretty nifty.
So you know you each have your own counselor and V.P, who
are always here,
You know we will help you, and Mr. Migliaccio is near.
So keep smiling, have fun and be the best you can be,
Then you will get to learn more new skills, you’ll see!
Your counselors love to see you to discuss all your plans,
You have made many achievements to which we clap our
hands.
We like the way you all enjoy the spirit and fun,
You teach all of us to smile and bring out the best in everyone!
Remember to pray with Ms. Sheldrake each day,
So you will always remember the positive things to say.
Here’s to the new adventures this year in 2010,
To be experienced with all of your St. Francis Xavier Friends
God Bless you.
In grade nine, Tiffani Rorras,
Priyanka Gupta and I wanted to
start a group in our school that
is involved in activities concerning social justice and bringing
about positive change in our
global community. There are
several issues that are affecting
our world today and most of us
turn a blind eye to it. It is high
time that we all take a stand
and do something to help fight
the injustice that is present in
our daily lives.
The main purpose of Students
Without Boundaries is to bring
awareness about various social
justice events such as the
ShareLife Walk-A-Thon and
Pakistan Relief ‘Toonie’ Tuesday.
We started off in grade 9 by
holding fund raisers in order to
raise money for our sister
school in Grenada, St. Modern
Rose Secondary School to
rebuild their school after the
hurricane. So far, we have been
able to raise enough money for
desks and chairs for the students and we are currently
working on building a science
laboratory for them. We have
received letters and pictures
from the principle appreciating
our gratitude for them.
Students Without Boundaries is
expanding
every
year
to
become a bigger part of our
school community and we are
really looking for students to
become involved and become
the future of tomorrow. It is a
call for social justice - which
demands that people have
equal rights and opportunities
in all aspects of society. If there
are any students who would like
to explore, develop and articulate their personal leadership
styles, this is a great place to
start! Furthermore, being part
of a Catholic School we want to
educate and empower our students to make this world a
better place for everyone.
7
IB AT XAVIER
By: Mr. E. Ladna
Our Diploma Programme
has been in existence for
over ten years. We began
humbly in 1999 with just
some 20 students in Grade
11 and in the following
years, expanded to Grade 9
and 10 IB preparatory
years. Presently, in both the
I.B. preparatory (Grades 9
and 10) and I.B. Diploma
(Grades 11 and 12) programs, we have around 360
students. Every year in May
our 70-80 graduating students write their final International
Baccalaureate
exams.
Successful students receive
both the Ontario Secondary
School and International
Baccalaureate
Diplomas.
Our school has consistently
performed much above the
world averages. In some
subjects, our results have
been close to a perfect
score of 7 (e.g., standard
level economics this year).
Our I.B. pass rate (with an
I.B. Diploma that is subject
to several conditions) is
close to 96%.
Even though such statistics
is not available, based on
available data and comparison with North American
results, we can deduce that
our school is one of the top
I.B. schools not only in
North America, but also in
the world (North American
pass rate for 2010 is 70.6
8
percent, and the world pass
rate is 77.7 per cent). Even
the students who do not
receive and I.B. Diploma
are able to get admission to
a university based on the
Ontario Secondary School
Diploma and equivalency
for their work in the I.B.
Diploma Programme. Kudos
to all the teachers for their
hard work, professionalism,
and commitment to students, and not just in the
I.B. program. In their testimonials,
our
graduates
express gratitude for this
commitment and exceptional level of preparation
for post-secondary education.
The driving force behind the
idea of bringing the I.B.
Diploma Programme to St.
Francis Xavier Secondary
School was a desire to provide an academically challenging senior years’ program for the students in the
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board. Later on
the program was also
established at Notre Dame
Secondary
School
in
Brampton and presently
both programs are fully
subscribed with almost no
space for expansion. Xavier
serves all students who live
south of Highway 401
(including the catchment
area of St. Marcellinus Secondary
School),
Notre
Dame accepts students who
reside
401.
north
of
Highway
The I.B. Learner’s profile
states that the main focus
of the program is to “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young
people who help to create a
better and more peaceful
world through intercultural
understanding and respect.
[The programme] encourages students across the
world to become active,
compassionate and lifelong
learners who understand
that other people, with their
differences, can also be
right”. Our school is proud
to have such a great variety
of programs which serve all
our students: Specialist
High Skills Major, Planning
for Independence, business
and technology focus programs. I.B. is just one of
them
serving
different
needs of our students.
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
starts in Grade 11 and is
“designed as an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, normally aged 16 to
19, for success at university
and life beyond.” Each I.B.
Diploma Programme student is required to choose
six courses in Grade 11 and
Grade 12, 3 at higher level
and 3 at standard level.
IB AT XAVIER
Higher
level
subjects
require at least 240 hours
of instruction (3 semesters),
standard
level
courses require at least 150
hours of instructions (2
semesters). There are six
groups of subjects ensuring
breadth of experience in
languages (groups 1 and
2), social studies (group 3),
the experimental sciences
(group 4) and mathematics
(group 5). The sixth subject
may be an arts subject
chosen from group 6, or the
student
may
choose
another
subject
from
groups 1 to 5. We offer English, French, History, Philosophy, Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics,
Mathematics, Music, Visual
Arts, Computer Science as
options
for
the
I.B.
Diploma.
The I.B. grading system is
based on the 1-7 scale, 7
being the highest. Almost
all universities grant university credits for higher level
courses taken in high school
if the final score in a higher
level subject is at least 5
(the U.S. Ivy League universities require a 6 or 7).
Many of our students accept
this offer and start their
university from year 2
courses. Leading Canadian
universities do appreciate
our graduates’ preparation
for university.
There are also three other
components of the I.B.
Diploma Programme “that
are included to broaden the
educational experience and
challenge students to apply
their knowledge and understanding.” The 4,000-word
extended essay is an indepth study of an academic
topic and is based on the
student’s own research and
experiments. This serves as
a great preparation for
university-type
research
papers. Theory of knowledge is a special course
designed to bridge all
knowledge into a cohesive
and coherent entity. This
course, which encompasses
all studied subjects, allows
students to examine different
ways
of
knowing
(perception, emotion, language and reason) and
different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic,
mathematical and historical). The last component in
the
additional
diploma
requirements is Creativity,
Action,
Service
(CAS),
which is part of the experiential learning in the I.B.
Diploma Programme. The
CAS requires involvement
outside
the
classroom,
active
participation
in
physical and creative activities and learning from
them. The CAS, as all the
other I.B. Diploma Programme components, can
only be taken once a stu-
dent enters Grade 11.
Various educational jurisdictions
have
different
approaches to the I.B.
Diploma Programme. Some
state and provincial education authorities fully incorporated the I.B. Diploma
Programme into their curriculum
options
(Nova
Scotia, for example), some
treat the I.B. as a viable
curriculum
alternative.
However, all of them recognize the depth and breadth
of the program’s preparation, its model of consistency, the critical thinking,
research and writing skills
students acquire. “Amid
heightened concern about
preparing students for a
global economy, the academically demanding International Baccalaureate program is catching on fast in
U.S. schools.” One should
say, not only in U.S.
schools.
9
YOUTH AMBASSADOR PROGRAM
Xavier’s Grade 9 Mentors
By Prateeksha Ravi
10
The Youth Ambassador Program at St. Francis Xavier
Secondary School has been
ongoing for the past few
years. Student leaders in the
school apply to become Mentors for the new grade 9 students who come into Xavier.
These are students who wish
to be a positive influence and
make the transition from
elementary to secondary as
smooth as possible.
There are 100 mentors who
are each assigned to mentor a
group of grade nine students.
During the summer of 2010,
the mentors went through a
training session on what was
expected of them and how
they are supposed to interact
with their mentees. At the end
of summer, the new grade
nine students had their orientation where they got an
opportunity to meet their
mentors, take a tour around
the school and familiarize
themselves with their lockers,
timetables and their new
“home” away from home for
the next four years.
The mentees were all given a
warm welcome and were
hyped up by our guest
speaker, Noel who gave an
inspirational talk about the
transition stage and what it is
that they should look forward
to for the next year. They also
got a chance to meet with
their mentors who lead them
through some ice-breaker
exercises and other fun activities that built a chain of communication between them.
The main goal this year is to
have the grade nine students’
voices heard! The role of the
mentors is to be a positive role
model for these students and
to help them voice out any
concerns or issues they may
be facing. Also, a goal is to
help them overcome their
issues as soon as possible.
The Staying Real books that
were formulated by the students of St. Francis Xavier a
few years ago are a great
guide for both mentors and
mentees to glimpse through to
find solutions to any problems. It has articles on a variety of different articles that
relate to teen life and the various dilemmas they face. The
mentors and mentees will be
given other occasions apart
from the orientation where
they can get to know each
other even better. This year,
the mentors are also helping
the guidance department in
going over option sheets with
the grade nine students.
Very soon, Youth Ambassadors are going to take over a
large portion of the school!
One piece of very important
advice that I have learned
and would like to pass on to
my fellow mentors and mentees is to “Aim for Perfection,
Settle for Excellence.”
MENTORSHIP
A Day in the Life of a Mentor
By Ahya Kamal
Under intense pressure to get
this article in by the deadline,
while trying to keep up with my
major load of homework (*hint*
*hint*, teachers) I rushed to my
friends for help. I had to write
about the mentorship program
for the grade nines and many of
them were mentors. However, I
was rejected by those who didn’t
want to see their name in print
and I was crushed. I still had one
more person to go to and that
person was a very enthusiastic
Katya D’Costa and after begging
and pleading asking politely, we
got a chance to get an interview
done during lunch. Not only is
she one of my best friends but
she’s one of the many mentors
out there who genuinely wants to
make the lives of the grade nine
students better. As a grade
eleven student, she has been
there and done that, so she definitely had a lot to say when I
interviewed her while chewing on
a delicious sandwich.
duty to help one another out so it
seemed like being a part of this
program was a step in the right
direction. I also wanted to give
back in the community because I
remember when I was in grade
nine my mentors were really
willing to help me, so I felt this is
how I could repay them and
maybe this way I could start a
chain of kindness or something!
Ahya: That’s great. What about
your mentees? What did the
grade nines gain from wasting a
day of their precious summer?
having a good time whenever I
see them!
Ahya: I see. Did you learn anything interesting about the grade
nine students this year? Like
maybe you discovered one of
them is secretly a superhero or
something?
Katya: Unfortunately, I didn’t
learn anything that interesting
but I do think the grade nine
students this year are probably
the most outgoing bunch of kids
I've ever seen! They were eager
to work with us so it was a great
experience.
Ahya: Does this mean you’re
going to ditch me for the grade
nine students?!
Katya: -laughs- No, of course
not, but I do plan to stay in touch
with my group because you never
know; one of them may be the
next Einstein!
Katya: The mentorship program
is all about support and guidance,
which is what I hope the grade
nines got, so I hope that they
didn’t think it was a waste!
–laughs- My goal was to help
make
their
transition
from
[elementary or] middle school to
high school as comfortable as
possible and to be a good role
model so that they know that
there is always someone looking
out for them.
Ahya Kamal: Let’s start with the
basics. Why did you want to be a
mentor and what did you gain
from it? Aside from it being
another thing to write on your
university application...
Ahya: So since you had the
chance to spend some time with
the new grade nine students,
what did you do during the orientation? Did I miss out on anything?
Katya D’Costa: -laughs- Well, I
was inspired by my older sister
because she was a mentor too. I
think that as people, we have a
Katya: Basically, we played
games and tried to encourage the
feeling of belonging. I really think
it worked since they seem to be
Ahya: That’s a relief. So I guess
this means you’re going to be a
mentor next year?
Katya: Definitely! I want to help
contribute to the positive atmosphere. And hopefully you’ll join
me!
Ahya: Sure, why not. Thanks for
agreeing to do this interview.
So I’d really like to encourage
everyone to join this awesome
team and maybe next year when
you’re all mentors, you can ask
me to be interviewed and I won’t
have to waste my time running
after you.
11
CHAPLAIN’S CORNER
By: Ms. D. Sheldrake
A new school year begins
and we reflect on belonging
to a community of “one
mind”, the mind of Christ.
This means we look at the
world through the Gospel
lens – with a vision of what
it can be, with our help. As
Catholic Christians we are
challenged with living as
though the world is as it
should be and through our
actions we show the world
what it can be. We are not
only trying to change the
world but we are trying not
to be changed by it, “Do not
conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (St.
Paul’s letter to the Romans
12:2)
The role of Classroom Faith
Ambassador is a new initiative that has been added to
the chaplaincy office’s repertoire
of
opportunities
12
offered to encourage students
to
be
actively
involved in the faith life of
their school. Each homeroom has chosen a student
faith
ambassador
who
attends information meetings with the chaplain
regarding
upcoming
faith/social justice events.
In turn they relay the information to their peers in the
classroom
–
students
engaging students in faith
is the goal. They also assist
the teacher with the chaplaincy activities that are
based in the homerooms
such as counting and keeping a record of food items
being brought into their
class each morning for the
Annual Food Drive and
helping to load the food for
delivery to Canadian Food
For Children (CFFC).
We acknowledged and celebrated the canonization of
Br. Andre of Montreal which
took place on October 17.
He is the first Canadianborn male to be declared a
Saint
by
the
Catholic
Church.
The
reflection
began with the prayer to Br.
Andre over the PA then students watched on the televisions in their classrooms
and in the cafeteria a 6
minute DVD put together by
the chaplaincy office which
told the inspiring story of
Br. Andre’s life and why
Saints are important to us.
Saints are role models for
us and were ordinary
people just like us, who
lived
with
very
real
struggles yet remained true
to following Christ even in
extraordinary
circumstances.
The
chaplaincy
team
Chaplain’s Crew started off
the year with a retreat for
all 80 students from grades
9 to 12. Students discussed
God believing in US. Jesus
chose fishermen to follow
him and He calls us, right
here, right now - in who we
are and as we are to follow
Him. God believes in us and
He calls us to be His disciples and to carry out His
work.
Students
also
enjoyed some communitybuilding activities especially
the
drumming
session
where they played a variety
of instruments, from West
African djembe and ashiko
drums, to wood instruments, such as claves and
Vietnamese frogs, to shakers such as maracas and
tambourines. “Since the
earliest civilizations, drumming has brought people
together and created community, by creating a sense
of personal and group
worth
through
selfexpression, sharing and
contributing to the whole.”
(Rhythm Kingdom, Toronto)