Forging Peace

Posted on January 24, 2014 by admin

I have been thinking a lot about peace recently. Last Monday I attended a special breakfast at Montreal City Hall to commemorate Martin Luther King Day – a true champion of peace. Over the holiday season, we tend to be more reflective and focused on inner peace. Whether one is religious or not, the December break comes with a broad societal focus on joy, hope, calm and peace.

What is peace? Is it a value? Is it a state of mind? I have had two experiences which have had a direct impact on my thinking about this question.

First, a few years ago while at a large educational conference in the United States, I attended a seminar offered by Microsoft. The company had decided to invest in establishing a new, modern private high school in an economically-challenged part of a large American city.

As part of the planning, prior to the opening of this new-age Microsoft school, one of the senior administrators explained how she had met with a group of Middle School and grade 9 students from various economically-challenged neighbourhoods. They were put in a room for a couple of hours to discuss what one attribute the new Microsoft school would need to distinguish it from all other schools. The plan was that at the end of the two hours, Bill Gates, billionaire founder of Microsoft, and still its CEO, was going to phone in to speak directly with the students about what they felt that they needed to set up to distinguish their new school. The Microsoft facilitator believed the students might want laptops for all students, or a state-of-the-art digital media lab with all the latest in hardware and Microsoft software. Not at all. When the two hours were up, the kids were unanimous in their wish. It was neither expensive nor outrageous. All they wanted was a guarantee that they could all be safe in the new school. Essentially, the students wanted peace. Those students’ collective wish indicates the importance of peaceful learning communities.

My second experience on the peace front was very tangible and personally profound. Last summer, I was part of an international group of school principals who travelled to investigate “peace education” in Colombia, South America. Colombia is a very unique country – an amazing living laboratory for peace education. Since the early 1950s, it suffered through a period of rather vicious internal discord. Most of it was driven by poverty, political issues, and a violent civil war with radical armed communist guerrilla groups. It was made worse in the 1980s and 90s when the Colombian drug cartels waged an open war with government officials for the control of massive drug revenues from the sale of cocaine. In the mid 1990s those drug cartels were split up and neutralized. In recent years those radical revolutionary political groups have also declared a desire for an end to armed, violent overthrow, and the quest for conflict has been replaced by negotiation, collaboration and peaceful dialogue.

Along the way, the number of deaths of Colombians by violence has been astonishing – estimated at about 220,000 people between the late 50s and 2012, 80% of them innocent civilians. So Colombia is emerging after suffering seriously from a climate of fear and violence.

While in Colombia we visited 15 schools reflecting the complete socioeconomic spectrum. We saw students of privilege in private schools as well as public school students in the poorest slums/favellas in several major cities. We saw two rural schools, an arts school and a remote mountaintop indigenous native community with a school working to preserve the identity and customs of its people, the Cogi tribe.

In the context of Colombia, whose modern history has been so violent, leaders and educators are now turning to peace education in schools as a tool for producing a new generation of empathetic citizens who will create new habits-of-mind focused on trust, respect and cooperation.

In a country working to transcend decades of violence, Colombians are actively trying to achieve peace by treaty, by collaboration and by restorative processes. While there, I learned a lot from them; how important it is to be positive and intentional about building peace. In Colombia this shift is specifically centered in schools as important agents of change. Colombians are banking on the benefits of teaching peace as a core value at all levels: primary, secondary and college.

I had the opportunity to meet with many teenage student leaders who proudly told me that they were active peace agents. In different schools they even wore T-shirts and jackets that identified them as such. That image and those conversations remain strongly imprinted on my memory. I commend the students, teachers and educational administrators in Colombia who are embodying the philosophy of positive collaboration to build a better future.

There may be no single pathway to peace in any society, but for peace to be a reality, the establishment of norms, and standards begin in schools. I thank those I met in Colombia for teaching me about the power of positive human resolve under extreme conditions. My experience also reminded me that we cannot take peace for granted in Canada. We live in Montreal—a culturally diverse city—and more than ever we must each be open to, and curious about, difference. We must be empathetic and respectful of one another to truly become global citizens. At this moment in Quebec, we are facing some notable challenges on this front. But like the impressive students I met in Colombia we must also be respectful and intentional about building a peaceful community, especially when encountering perspectives we disagree with. Remember, we should never take peace for granted. – Christopher Shannon, Headmaster

Procès simulé 13 janvier 2014

Posted on January 14, 2014 by admin

Procès simulé 13 janvier 2014: Palais de justice de Montréal

Lundi 13 janvier 2014, la classe de droit de 10^e année est allée au Palais de justice de Montréal afin de faire un procès criminel simulé. Nous avons eu la chance d’être accueillis par le Juge André Perreault et son adjointe, madame Masson.

Nous remercions aussi Me Shea et Me Longo qui travaillent avec les élèves depuis le début de l’année en leur offrant de précieux conseils.

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J’ai beaucoup apprécié l’opportunité de discuter avec le juge Perreault. En écoutant les questions qu’il posait aux deux parties pendant le procès, j’ai appris comment faire une analyse profonde de la culpabilité d’une personne tout en considérant tous les aspects de la situation. Après, quand on discutait du verdict, j’ai appris comment juger une situation à plusieurs niveaux : si l’avocat de la couronne ne réussit pas à prouver, hors de tout doute raisonnable, la culpabilité de l’accusé, le juge est obligé de l’acquitter (ce qui s’est arrivé dans le cas aujourd’hui). Iris Bi

J’ai trouvé très intéressant de mieux comprendre comment le processus d’être au tribunal fonctionne. Le juge était très gentil. Je pensais qu’il serait trop sérieux. Sa personnalité amusante m’a permis de travailler plus facilement. J’ai aussi beaucoup apprécié passer du temps avec tous mes amis en dehors d’une salle de classe habituelle. Je me suis beaucoup amusé au palais de justice. Francesco Cammalleri

J’ai grandement apprécié notre expérience au palais de justice. Avoir pu véritablement plaider contre d’autres élèves de ma classe a vraiment été amusant et en même temps une belle occasion d’apprendre davantage à propos du droit. Je suis ravie d’avoir fait partie de cette belle expérience réaliste. Emma Leroux

En entrant dans le palais de justice, j’étais honnêtement vraiment intimidée. Quand on est entré dans la salle de cour, j’étais encore plus énervée parce qu’il y avait beaucoup de parents. Je suis une personne pas mal nerveuse, et je n’ai pas vraiment aimé être interrogée devant beaucoup de personnes, mais je pense que c’était quand même une très bonne expérience. C’était très amusant. Lydia Safi

En arrivant au palais justice, j’étais assez nerveuse. Je ne savais pas à quoi m’attendre. Dans la salle. J’étais vraiment impressionnée d’être dans une vraie salle de cour. Durant le procès, c’était tellement stressant avec les parents qui regardaient. Mais, même si j’étais assez nerveuse, j’ai quand même aimé l’expérience. Dorothea Vlahogiannis

Notre expérience au Palais de justice a été vraiment intéressante et instructive. Voir comment un vrai procès se déroule m’a donné beaucoup plus de perspective et a été très amusant. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé rencontrer un vrai juge. Il nous a donné beaucoup d’informations qu’on n’apprendrait pas normalement. C’était une expérience merveilleuse! Julia Ryan

C’était incroyable de pouvoir participer à un procès simulé dans une vraie cour devant nos parents et un vrai juge. Ma partie préférée était de voir comment un professionnel (le juge) travaillerait dans une vraie situation. Il était très calme et il avait une allure très neutre et professionnelle. J’ai appris que le juge a toujours raison! Nora Althani

J’ai appris qu’il faut être clair et précis en délivrant la plaidoirie afin de convaincre le juge que notre côté a raison. De plus, j’ai appris qu’il faut écouter, comprendre et utiliser l’opinion (la plaidoirie) de l’autre et l’utiliser à son avantage. Finalement, j’ai appris que si l’avocat de la couronne ne peut pas prouver hors de tout doute raisonnable que l’accusé est coupable, il sera acquitté. Cassandra Heward

J’ai beaucoup aimé la manière dont le juge s’est comporté durant tout le procès. Par exemple, il a agi comme si on était des vrais avocats et avocates, mais en même temps, il corrigeait nos fautes quand on en faisait. J’ai aussi aimé le fait qu’on était dans une atmosphère réelle. On était dans le vrai Palais de justice, pas dans une salle de classe! Gabriel Mashaal

J’ai beaucoup apprécié le procès simulé. J’ai trouvé que j’ai beaucoup plus appris pendant cette activité que dans un cours régulier. J’ai aussi beaucoup aimé que le juge fût très impliqué et il nous a beaucoup aidés. J’ai aussi appris que c’est difficile de défendre quelqu’un et qu’on doit être très attentif à tous les détails. Francesca Scardera

Au palais de justice, j’ai appris deux nouvelles choses. J’ai compris que le droit criminel est différent du débat (on ne plaide pas avec des opinions!) et que nous devons être sûrs à 100 % que l’accusé soit coupable. S’il y a seulement un doute, l’accusé ne sera pas coupable, même si tout le reste de la preuve est considéré comme recevable. J’ai aussi appris à mieux écouter les juges. Spencer Albert

Community Service: Forming Life-Long Friendships

Posted on December 13, 2013 by admin

On November 18, several other students and I went on a life-changing trip with the Mackay Center to Camp Massawippi. On the first day of the trip we started to settle in, helping the kids unpack and making their beds. We went for a small hike around the camp, bonding with both the kids and the teachers who accompanied us. After a short walk, one of the kids, who I think is absolutely hilarious, had a problem with his wheelchair which was going extremely slow. So we turned back and went to the balcony next to the lake. We hung around listening to music and really just having a good time taking “selfies”.

Soon after, we headed inside because it was getting so cold. I immediately crashed. Believe me when I say these kids put you to work. Once I woke up, it was time for all of us to have dinner. Soon after that, the kids had to go to bed, but that wasn’t the end of the night for LCC students. We all started to play one of the most addicting games ever, involving codes, playing cards and teams. Long story short, it was one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I had never gotten so competitive in my life.

I was hoping the second day would be a bit easier. Thinking that this would be a bit of a getaway from school, I assumed that we would relax, take it easy and maybe wake up a bit late. I was so wrong. After everyone got ready and made their way to the “village” (the building where we did most of our activities) we had breakfast. Soon after that we went on a hike with the kids up a mountain. I would say that pushing the kids up the mountain while they were in wheelchairs was my workout for the year! Once we arrived at the top, we took some pictures and really just hung out for a bit. I thought the hard part was over, but what I had forgotten was that we still had to bring the kids back down to the bottom of the mountain.

Once we finally got back to the village we chopped down Christmas trees for the kids and hung out. A couple of us built a fire while the kids watched a movie. We all went down to the fire and roasted marshmallows and made smores. After that, we all hung out playing board games and really just having a good time until sadly the kids had to go to bed. Then some wise guy thought it would be a great idea to bring out the cards again, once again huge mistake. Everyone got super competitive. But all in all everyone had fun.

But waking up the next morning we all came to the realization that this amazing trip was coming to an end. It was going to be our last day there. In an effort to show how thankful we were, all the LCC students contributed to making a giant brunch for both the teachers and the kids. We spent the rest of the morning hanging out and just having fun.

I must say it was one of the best trips I’ve ever been on. The friendships formed over the course of these trips are ones I’ll truly cherish for the rest of my life. – Alessandro Dumoulin ’15

La classe de droit de 11e année avec Me Marin Cojocaru

Posted on December 12, 2013 by admin

Réflexions sur le procès simulé R.c.Wai en présence de Me Marin Cojocaru du lundi 9 décembre 2013.

J’ai vraiment apprécié la visite de Me Cojocaru. Je crois qu’il nous a bien aidé durant le procès. J’ai apprécié ses corrections, car je crois que ce cours est là pour nous aider, et il nous a bien expliqué comment la cour fonctionne. – Luca Saputo ’14

C’était une très belle expérience et j’ai beaucoup aimé la façon dont Me Cojocaru nous donnait ses idées pendant le procès. Ces points de vue ont été appréciés et je vais les appliquer au prochain procès. – Eric Tellier ’14

Au cours du procès simulé, j’ai appris quand faire des objections. J’ai aussi appris quelles questions vous pouvez poser pendant le procès. Me Cojocaru m’a vraiment aidé à m’imaginer dans un vrai procès, j’ai adoré son implication et ses explications pour nous dire ce que nous ne faisions pas correctement. – Arianna Silla ’14

Je pensais que c’était une bonne expérience. Ça nous a aidé quand il nous interrompait quand nous faisions quelque chose d’une façon incorrecte. Il nous donnait des conseils que j’utiliserai la prochaine fois. Dans l’ensemble, j’ai beaucoup appris pendant ce procès. – Carina Bertoldi ’14

J’ai beaucoup aimé l’expérience du procès simulé. Comme l’année dernière, je trouve qu’à chaque fois, j’ai plus de connaissances en sortant de la classe. Je vous remercie M. Maurice et je suis content que Me Cojocaru puisse venir, ça a été un grand plaisir. – Matthew Filgiano ’14

Lundi quand Me Cojocaru est venu regarder notre procès simulé, il avait beaucoup d’informations précieuses à offrir. À certains moments, je me suis sentie très frustrée, car chaque fois que je posais des questions, il m’interrompait. Avec le recul, j’ai compris les raisons et j’ai appris beaucoup de choses pendant cette heure passée avec lui. – Lindsay Eiley ’14

Mon expérience pendant l’appel du procès de Jesse Wai était très enrichissante, et je l’ai beaucoup aimée. Comme juge stagiaire, j’avais beaucoup à apprendre pendant ce procès, Me Cojocaru et M. Maurice m’ont grandement aidé à décider quelles objections devraient être acceptées. Ils m’ont aussi expliqué le terme: “preuve close”. Je pense que je me suis bien amélioré depuis ma première expérience comme juge, et notre dernier procès m’a appris encore plus qu’avant. – Nicholas Tabet ’14

Comme c’est ma première année de droit, mon apprentissage est exponentiel, car chaque cours, je reçois une quantité énorme d’informations. Cependant, ma plus grande expérience est celle d’avoir eu la chance d’être un avocat. C’était une expérience très utile et j’ai appris comment poser les “bonnes” questions et comment formuler un argument cohérent et intelligent. – Elie Climan ’14

Student Exchange: Unforgettable Life Experience

Posted on December 3, 2013 by admin

On October 10, I flew out from the Sydney International Airport, excited for the journey to Montreal, Canada. After a 22 hour flight I arrived in a warmer climate than expected for Montreal, with temperatures around 20 celsius. I was given the rest of the afternoon to settle in and to adjust. The next day I was taken on a tour of the city, as well as meeting my host Charlie’s friends. On Saturday, I was taken to Ottawa, the capital of Canada. I was given a tour of the city, where there were many amazing buildings, such as the parliament buildings. Sunday was Canadian Thanksgiving and we went to family friends for Thanksgiving dinner, where we had a roast turkey and pumpkin pie for dessert. It was a different experience, as I had never had pumpkin pie before but after trying it I could see why it was so popular!

Tuesday came quickly and it was finally my first day at Lower Canada College! I was excited but also nervous at the same time. Everyone was so welcoming and helped me settle into school. I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to play with the school’s football team, training with them Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night before the final game of the regular season that Friday. I was not able to get placed on the field as the team battled hard to keep their chances of making the playoffs alive. In the end however, they went down by 21 points. This meant the team missed out on playing in the post-season. Although I did not play any game time, being given the opportunity to train with the boys and learn more about how to play the game was a great opportunity.

Three weeks into my exchange Halloween had arrived, with the school having various activities set up – the favourite being pumpkin smashing! The school was full of students wearing different costumes, some being more inventive than others.

That weekend Charlie and his family took me to Toronto. We arrived on the Friday night and I could tell it was a huge city, with many high-rise buildings everywhere. On Saturday we walked around the city, seeing the newly opened aquatic centre, however the line was way too long, so we did not actually visit. We also went shopping at the Eaton Centre, which is near Yonge and Dundas Square, the Time Square of Toronto on a smaller scale. On Sunday before leaving for home, Charlie and I went up the CN Tower, the world’s tallest free standing structure at 553m. The viewing deck is 350 meters above the ground and gives you a great view of the size of the city.

A week later and we were off again, this time to New York for the weekend. Saturday morning we went to Hoboken, New Jersey to Carlo’s Bakery, made famous by the show ‘Cake Boss’ as per my request. Little did I know that the line to get into the bakery would be two hours long! We then headed for New York City to visit the World Trade Centre Memorial. Before going to Time Square, we went to Battery Park and saw a magnificent view of the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty. We then arrived at Time Square. Everything about it was intimidating. It felt as though you were boxed in by all the surrounding buildings and you couldn’t move because of the amount of people that were there.

The next place we went to was the Rockefeller Centre, where the Christmas tree was in the process of being set up. We also went to the Apple store on Fifth Avenue which is just a glass cube with stairs leading down to the store. The next day we went to the Bronx Zoo where I enjoyed seeing all the different animals although many were not out as it was too cold.

The highlight of my exchange was going to watch an NHL ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Charlie’s dad taught me all the different rules of the game. The Montreal Canadiens won the game 6-2 against the Minnesota Wild. The atmosphere at the game was electric with employees dancing in the aisles to entertain the crowd as the music blasted around the arena.

My exchange was quickly coming to an end as I said goodbye to all my Canadian friends before flying home on November 29. I soon touched back down in Adelaide after an amazing life experience that I will never forget.

I believe if anyone is lucky enough to have the opportunity to participate in an exchange they shouldn’t think twice about accepting because you will not regret it! – Brandon Blacksell, Grade 11 Exchange Student – Adelaide, Australia