A Privileged Visit by Author Alan Gibbons

2013_14_LCCReads_AlanGibbons_065It is not every day that one gets to meet a celebrated, world-renown, prize-winning author (though truth be told, it is, at LCC, an annual occurrence – courtesy of our very own librarian and the LCC Reads Committee). It isn’t every day that students are treated to the words and wisdom of a great storyteller, a master at building suspense and at fuelling reflection on social issues. It certainly isn’t every day that students are so privileged as to be taught narrative fiction by a real live author. And yet, it is precisely what LCC students got to do in October, when British author Alan Gibbons came to LCC.

 

Alan Gibbons is, as all of LCC knows from the chilling summer read, the author of the book Caught in the Crossfire. In front of an assembly Middle and Senior School students, he recounted in his inimitable style, the salient points of his life and career. He shared the story of when he received the Blue Peter Book Award. But Alan Gibbons is also, and perhaps above all, a teacher. He came to the grade 10 PREP class to teach us how, from a variety of known narrative techniques, we can write a story in our own personal style. Appropriately enough, since it was, after all, the month of October, of witches and warlocks and things that go bump in the night, we learned how to use tension to write a great ghost story.

It was, really, a very successful visit. –  David Elbaz ’15

Student Exchange: Having the Time of My Life in Armidale, Australia!

HOW YOU GOING MATES!!!!!!!!! It’s been about two weeks that I’ve been here in wonderful Armidale Australia and it is really awesome. I’m going to give you guys the whole rundown of my trip.

When I learned that I was going Armidale the first thing I wanted to do was find a little bit about where I was going and what it was like. I discovered that it was a VERY small town. I emphasize very because the population is approximately 23,000. I was intrigued when I learned this because it gave me an opportunity to live in a small town and to learn a little bit more about how different they are from larger cities.

The first time I spoke to Jack, my exchange partner, I learned that he lived on an operational farm even though his mother is an anesthesiologist and his father is a pilot for Qantas.

Now for the travel. That flight, that terrible, dreadful flight to Sydney was actually not so terrible, and that was a plus! When I arrived at The Armidale School I was welcomed by everyone with open arms and huge smiles. Making friends was a breeze. Once I was settled in the questions started. Some a little strange such as: “Oy mate, do you think we ride kangaroos to school”, “do you have a pet polar bear” and “ha ha ha your cops are called Mounties”.

So far this experience has been the time of my life. – Jared Blatt ’16

Student Exchange: Fantastic Experiences in Adelaide, Australia

After a grueling 15 hour flight (a total of 30 hours in transit) to Adelaide, Australia, I had had it. I was tired, hungry, and generally looked certifiably crazy. Was it worth it? Definitely.

During the weekend before school started, I went with my exchange student Mikayla and her mom to a wildlife park where we saw tons of amazing Australian animals, such as kangaroos, wallabies, emus, and Tasmanian  devils. I even got to hold a koala, which was awesome!

On my first day, I was pretty freaked out. I’ve been a student at LCC for practically my whole life, and now I had to start all over. What was I thinking? When we arrived at the Westminster School, I saw that all the lockers and hallways were outside, just like in the movies! Once I had met some of the people in my grade, I started to feel more at ease and enjoyed the lessons. The great thing about Westminster is that you get to be outside all the time between classes, at snack, at lunch, and recess.

All my classmates have been really friendly and curious about my foreign Canadian lifestyle, and all the teachers and students are really great. Australia has been an fantastic experience so far and I can’t wait for the new things to come. – Katina Gardilcic ’16

Thailand Exchange: Swimming With Baby Sharks

Every week is passing by so quickly. As the days pass, I am coming to the realization that my stay here in Thailand will end soon. I am having such a great time and will miss Regent’s school and all of my friends when I leave.

School here is great but it is quite different than LCC. Considering the fact that Thailand is a tropical country, almost everything is outdoors, from the hallways to the lounges. Here at Regents, instead of an arena they have a large pool. Consequently, Regents has much more of an outdoor feel in which I have come to greatly appreciate. I enjoy simply going outside to my next class.  They also have a huge campus consisting of many buildings. There is a language building, the main building, the primary school, a pre-school building, two boarding houses, and a very spacious building for the staff whom live on campus. Altogether, everything is quite different but it is quite an enjoyable change.

On Saturday, I went scuba diving with my friend Ellis and her sister Chloe. For the first time in my life I saw two baby sharks up close. This was an event that I will never forget!  As we were swimming, we spotted two baby sharks. I was stunned at first; I had felt my heart rate begin to increase as the fear began to wash over me slowly but in the end, I had nothing to fear as the sharks had actually swam away from us as one of the instructors had, without fear, grabbed its fin. Not only had I seen two amazing creatures but I had also saw many remarkable types of coral and fish; in all sizes, colours and forms. I swam into many schools of fish where we saw a stingray and other amazing sea creatures! The corals were also quite mesmerizing, some actually turned into different forms as we gently touched them.  Scuba diving is something that I would love to do again.

Though Regents and Thailand in general  has many aspects that make it very different from what I am use to, I am loving everything.  All in all, my journey to Thailand has been a great experience filled with challenging opportunities, adventures and encounters. – Kamy Roberge-Carrington ’16

Thailand Exchange: Time Passing Too Quickly!

Everyday I am learning more and more about the Thai culture, vocabulary and I am meeting new people. Thailand is a beautiful country. It is very green and has many mountains. There are many animals as well as reptiles and insects. For the first time in my life I observed a gecko in action as he discretely hunted for his prey. There are also many cockroaches and lizards! From the climate, to the food, to the culture, animals, infrastructure and much more, everything was so different from what I was used to but I love it all and was so glad to have chosen Thailand!

On Friday, our boarding group went to a mall named Bixi. At this mall we found many small Thai shops as well as the common stores. At Bixi I got the chance to see many of the traditional Thai clothing, bags and foods. Traditional Thai clothing is very colourful and has many designs varying from animals to shapes.

On Saturday, we went to a huge shopping centre, Siam Paragon, in Bangkok. At this centre, anything was possible to find. It consisted of seven stories, each having its own purpose. It had many European and American stores as well.  As we drove I was able to see little parts of Bangkok that were very industrialized and busy. Every street was crowded with people. Many people drove on motorcycles, and those who didn’t fit into cars sat on the back of the vehicle as they drove to their destination. Though it is very industrialized, there are also many poor areas. There are many people who live on the streets and many others simply asking for money. It had come as a shock to see so many people living on the streets in a city that seemed very industrialized and quite developed.

On Sunday, my friend Ellis took me to an elephant orphanage! I sat on a 40-year-old elephant as he walked the green mountainous streets of Thailand. I not only experienced something exceptional but I also witnessed the ways many people unfortunately live. On the trek, we passed many slums, where people lived in very small shacks and in horrible conditions. I somehow knew that this was a reality but did not realize how serious it was.

I never thought I could build such great relationships with people that I had only known for two and a half weeks. I am having a great time here and I enjoying every second, of every minute of every day. As everyday passed, I realized that soon I would have to leave and I just wished that I could stay longer. – Kamy Roberge-Carrington ’16