Spirit Week Comes Alive

PhotoDay_02Feb2011_smWelcome to the dead of winter. As Canadians we are used to the demands of this season – short days, storms, biting cold weather. As a reputed Canadian writer once expressed, we Canadians are the “People of the shield;” we are defined by our harsh natural environment and the demands it places on us day-to-day. In short, we live in a difficult climate, but we know how to adapt, and part of adapting is appreciating the best of winter.

Welcome also to Spirit Week. For years we have held a Spirit Week in the middle of winter so we can come together and have some fun despite the cold weather and short days. Interestingly, this short academic term is actually particularly busy outside of the classroom in terms of co-curricular activities. In fact, winter is actually the busiest athletic tournament season of the year, with many evening and weekend competitions for both boys and girls. Last weekend I attended several basketball and hockey games at LCC and some at local high schools. For all the teams it was a busy and successful weekend. Congratulations to players and coaches, and best of luck as teams wrap up their seasons in coming days.

In addition to athletics, student debaters have had a great success at local and university tournaments and the annual Montreal Robotics competition is coming up. There have been several creative One-Act Plays in grade 9, and the Middle School play, School Daze is coming up soon. We are also preparing to host 90 delegates from February 13-18 for the 2011 Young Round Square Conferences for schools from North and South America. All of these are wonderful vehicles for learning and engagement.

So here we are in the middle of Sprit Week, a special chance to have some fun, to promote broad student involvement and hone school pride. But it seems to me that LCC spirit and school pride are not only on show during this single week – a strong school spirit is alive and well throughout the year. Impressive! Go LCC go! Enjoy a great Spirit Week! —Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Supporting Your Child During Exams

StopStressHere are a few very pragmatic suggestions, which will provide support to students preparing for exams. The goal related to these suggestions is to minimize stress and to maximize health.

The atmosphere in a home contributes to the stress level of all family members, so it is possible that a family could try to change the atmosphere in the home during exam time. Obviously most parents provide support by asking how it’s going, etc., and pushing the child to study harder. However, if it falls into the category of “nagging” then it is probably not very beneficial. Assume that exam time is different; therefore the atmosphere of the home might be a bit different, too.

There are three very pragmatic things, which I suggest to students: the appropriate amount of sleep, regular exercise and good food. You could ensure that there is a really large supply of “good” food in the house and not much of a supply of “bad” snack-like food. Snacking on nutritious food (especially teenagers) while studying can help. It improves concentration, makes the studying less boring, and feeds the brain with good nutrients.

Exercise: Perhaps family members can help ensure that the student gets exercise during heavy study days (e.g., go for a run together, do a fitness class, etc.). Similar to the food suggestion, this helps restore the brain and helps ensure better sleep.

Sleep: Well, some people just have a harder time than others to sleep, but staying up late to study is a bad plan. Many students have trouble with this suggestion but one can deal with this by studying well in advance so that last minute studying is not about covering material for the first time the night before an exam.

Finally, while it is good to encourage our children to work hard to do their best, too much of this “encouragement” can inhibit top performance because of the pressure.

I am sure that you realize all of this, but sometimes my suggestions serve as gentle reminders. –John Gordon, School Counsellor

Into the Light of Day

MediaExpo2010_WebLast Saturday morning a bright light pierced through dark rain clouds that hovered over Royal Avenue. It was the light of creativity and innovation beaming from one of LCC’s “lighthouse programs”—applied digital media. We held our first Digital Media Expo, an event for the general public and our own extended community.

In recent years, LCC has developed a strong integrated approach to information technology. This begins in our primary years and continues with a well-supported laptop program in the Middle and Senior Schools. The focus is not on equipment and hardware, but how these tools can be applied to unlock the creative energy of our students.

I was very impressed by the work of our students on Saturday morning, which included: video production, green screen applications, integration of special effects, and useful musical software for sound production and refinement of instrumental skills. Our students were proud, energetic and completely engaged.

It may have been a dark and dreary day outside. However, there was a powerful and positive buzz inside the Webster Learning Centre on Royal Avenue. It is exciting to know that this energy begins with LCC teachers in our classrooms and is inspiring students to reach new heights using wonderful facilities and modern tools—the advantages of 21st century learning. — Chris Shannon, Headmaster

LCC Going Local

GoLocalGiven that what we eat has a large impact on the environment, the LCC Sustainability Committee is reviewing LCC’s food sources.

Thanks to the efforts of five graduating students from the Class of 2008, as well as our excellent chef Alain Thirion, we already have much of the data we need for this project. Make no mistake, in this day and age, it is challenging for a North American to figure out where their food comes from. We take it for granted that we can get fresh fruit in the middle of a Canadian winter. This luxury comes at a steep cost to the environment.

LCC is in the process of setting long-term sustainability goals, and we are attempting to create a balance between optimism for what can be achieved and realism for what may be expected. Ideally, we would like the vast majority of the food served at LCC to come from within 250 km of the school. This is not as difficult as it might seem. For example, Première Moison (bread) already gets all of its flour from Quebec. Much of the beef and chicken is from within the province as well.
Vegetables and fruits are another matter. They are one of the reasons we will likely not reach our 100% local food goal, at least until there are enough greenhouses supplying mid-winter fruit. Thus it is here that we face our key challenge.

To get a quick view of some locavore ideas, check out this link. –Chris Olive, Green team Faculty Liaison

Olympien Yannick Lupien inspire les élèves de secondaire I

Voici des extraits de commentaires d’élèves de 7e année après la visite de Yanick Lupien.

YannickLupienL’olympien Yannick Lupien est venu rendre visite à Lower Canada College le mardi 13 avril 2010. C’était une superbe idée car il m’a inspiré à travailler plus fort pour avoir ce que je veux dans la vie. J’ai aussi aimé sa détermination pour devenir un nageur olympique et un pompier. Il m’a montré que si tu veux réaliser tes rêves dans la vie, il faut que tu travailles fort. Je ne le croyais presque pas quand il nous a dit que toute sa carrière a commencé parce que sa mère a acheté une maison avec une piscine creusée et elle voulait qu’il apprenne à nager. Yannick Lupien est, et va toujours être une grande inspiration pour moi. —Adrien Perlinger ’14

Yannick Lupien m’a impressionné. Quand je l’ai vu rentrer dans le Chamandy, il était tout content de nous parler. J’étais impressionné par ses histoires; il se levait tous les matins à 5 h pour nager, ensuite aller à l’école, et finalement nager après l’école. Je pense qu’il est cool et il est devenu mon idole. Je vais prendre ses conseils et suivre mon rêve : jouer dans la LNH. —Zack Bélanger ’14

Je trouve que la présentation était très cool parce qu’il nous a expliqué des choses importantes, en même temps, il est drôle et amusant. Il est allé aux Jeux Olympiques deux fois et a nagé avec l’excellent Michael Phelps. Yannick est très costaud, il mesure 6 pieds 5 et il vient d’une ville appelée Elmer. Je vais toujours me souvenir de cette présentation. —Alex Desgagnes ’14

Yannick m’a appris de ne jamais abandonner nos rêves. —Kevin Ly ’14

Avec son enthousiasme et son charisme il nous a encouragé à toujours faire de notre mieux. Il nous a dit de continuer et de ne jamais arrêter une activité même si tu n’es pas le meilleur. Avec ces mots inspirants, plusieurs enfants vont continuer de poursuivre leurs rêves. Qui sait, peut-être quelqu’un en septième année ira aux olympiques! —Victoria Van Ryswyk ’14

J’ai vraiment adoré l’écouter parler. J’ai beaucoup appris de lui, ça m’a permis d’apprécier tout ce que j’ai. Quand il a parlé de ses difficultés pour nager tous les jours avant l’école, j’étais tellement surprise. Normalement, pour moi, quand je nage une longueur, je suis si fatiguée que je m’arrête tout de suite. Il m’a appris de ne jamais abandonner. Bien sûr, je ne vais pas nager 10 kilomètres, mais faire du mieux que je peux! —Kaitlin Markus ’14

J’ai vraiment aimé son discours. Il a vraiment ouvert mes yeux sur mon futur. Il nous a expliqué comment bien réussir à l’école et de ne pas abandonner nos rêves. Je serais content s’il revenait nous parler. —Eric Tellier ’14

Yannick Lupien est un homme très gentil et inspirant. Il a dit, « Quand vous travaillez pour quelque chose, vous êtes récompensé ». Même quand on se moquait de lui, il a continué à travailler très fort. Il était très chanceux d’avoir une famille qui le supportait. Il racontait toujours des blagues qui nous faisaient rire. Yannick est vraiment un champion. — Sonia Toy ’14

Il m’a tellement inspiré que je suis encore sous le choc. Il nage environ 10 km par jour, tous les jours! Après avoir célébré la nouvelle année avec notre famille et nos amis, il nage! En plus d’être un nageur professionnel, il est également pompier. Il sauve des vies, nage, il persévère (même avec une infection aux oreilles) et gagne sa course, c’est une source d’inspiration. —Claudia Melka ’14

M. Lupien nous a expliqué que rien n’est facile, il faut travailler pour obtenir ce que tu veux. Il a aussi mentionné que même si des gens se moquent de toi à cause de ton sport, il ne faut pas arrêter de faire ce que tu aimes. Il faut toujours croire en toi, même si les autres doutent. J’ai beaucoup appris de sa présentation. C’est une personne qui motive beaucoup les jeunes. —Luca Saputo ’14

J’ai pensé que la présentation était extraordinaire. Yannick m’a fait beaucoup rire, il m’a également montré qu’il ne faut jamais abandonner. Il donne son 100% chaque fois, il ne lâche jamais. —Nathan Reid ’14

Une personne très sage a dit : « Dans la vie, les trois choses dont vous avez besoin pour réussir sont; la persévérance, la persévérance et la persévérance. ». Cette personne fantastique, a réussi à motiver les adolescents, ce qui est une chose de très difficile à accomplir! Je m’appelle Lola Flomen ’14, et mon héros est Yannick Lupien.