Schools on Tundra 2: Settling In

Posted on March 28, 2013 by dlevy

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

“Students and teachers participating in the Schools on Tundra program [had] the unique opportunity to conduct authentic field research in the sub-arctic, engage with scientists working out of the [Churchill Northern Studies Centre] and participate in lectures and workshops. Participants also [experienced] the diverse geology, biodiversity, cultural history, and wild beauty that the area around Churchill offers.

The program was hosted at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre (CNSC), a hive of scientific activity located outside of Churchill, MB Canada. Here, scientists are trying to increase our understanding of the changes that the sub-arctic is experiencing due to global climate change.”

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February 26, 2012

So here we are. Churchill. Our train pulled into the station today, full of anticipation. After 45 hours on the train (and in towns along the way), I’d say that the arrival has also solved our restlessness. We are now a group of nine, waiting for our final member to arrive tonight. As far as the students go, there are four from Quebec, four from Manitoba and a pair from Nunavut. I already feel as though I’ve known these fellow participants for much longer than what time and addition say. Between midnight games of ninja in the snow in Gillam, MB, the (friendly) provincial competition in our card games, and the shared suffering of trying to sleep in seats on the train, we have grown incredibly close as a group.

For the next eight days, we will be staying at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. This is a non-profit organization dedicated to education and research on climate change in the North. The building that houses the organization (and us!) was purpose-built through donations from the provincial and federal governments, as well as through private donations. My favuorite part of the building has to be the Aurora Dome. As the name suggests, this is a dome on top of the building used to watch the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights. Although we are out of season for polar bears, getting to see the lights from such a great vantage point will more than make up for it.

As I am writing this, we are preparing to hear a lecture from Dr. Pete Kershaw. He will be speaking to prepare us for tomorrow’s main activity, taking snow samples. We will also be hearing from a specialist on one of this area’s main attractions, the Aurora Borealis. –Andrew Hamilton ’13

Schools on Board – 1: Tired & Anticipating

Posted on March 28, 2013 by dlevy

LCC students Victor Zhao’13 and Andrew Hamilton’13 had the opportunity to participate in ArcticNet’s Schools on Tundra program during the March Break.

Enjoy the blogs!

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

It’s around 9 pm Winnipeg time, 10 pm Montreal time, and even without the trip really beginning, I am, in a word, tired. After a delayed flight, Andrew and I arrived yesterday at around 4:30, and unfortunately we missed the first orientation activity, where the group just walked around Forks, a town named after the fact that it is at the fork of two major rivers, the Red River and the Assiniboine. We had a nice dinner, a highlight of which was Andrew ordering the “muddy burger,” a burger big enough that he had to cut it into pieces with fork and knife to eat it, and met the four girls and two other guys that formed our current group before we met the other two boys in Churchill. We had a nice time skating along a barely-frozen path that was also at times terrifying and quite painful due to the skates we were wearing. By lights out at 10:30, the four guys in our room still hadn’t showered or decided where people were sleeping, as we only had two beds for four people, and the sleeping arrangements were really only decided at 4 in the morning when Tyler, the boy from Iqaluit who had elected to sleep on the floor, decided that it wasn’t worth it and climbed into bed with Andrew.

After a restless night, we had a nice pancake breakfast and continued to marvel at Manitoba’s ridiculous course sizes before climbing onto our 45-hour long train ride. We’ve been on the train for about 9 hours now, and it’s been surprisingly… well, not eventful, but not the long, boring experience we had expected. Playing cards and looking at pictures of polar bears in anticipation of the next week and a half have been keeping the group occupied, as has sleep. Sleep has been great. That, as well as watching people stumble along the train, have kept me quite amused, and excited for the days to come. –Victor Zhao ’13

Spring: The Season of Firsts

Posted on March 28, 2013 by dlevy

We felt it for the first time this week; spring was definitely in the air. After a long, dark winter, we are finally about to experience the change of season. Spring is such a wonderful time of year. It is a time of rebirth and renewal for the natural world and one cannot help but be inspired its magic. I love the smell of the earth reemerging after the snow melts. Then comes the return of green grass, colourful flowers, bushes and a canopy of leafy trees. Without fail, every spring I marvel at how this annual cycle of renewal occurs.

Spring is symbolically the season of firsts and things new. In recent weeks, in the larger world, there have been a lot of new developments and firsts worth paying attention to.

Pope Benedict resigned and a new Pope was selected as the spiritual leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics. This new Pope is a first in that he is the first non-European to take on this leadership role. As a cardinal from Argentina, Pope Francis is the first Pope from South America – and his first decision was to choose the name “Francis” in honour of St. Francis of Assissi who lived in the 13th century. Inspired by the writings of St. Fancis, this new Pope is clearly orienting his papacy toward the world’s poor, oppressed and marginalized. He has also pointed to the significant importance of nature and its protection.

While the Pope was directing his followers to the needs of the world’s poorest citizens, two weeks ago the United Nations published its annual report on the state of the world, in the 2013 Human Development Index. It is interesting to note that the 2013 report was unveiled in Sierra Leone in Africa, a region that has actually made notable advances in recent years.

Entitled, “The Rise of the South: Human Development in a Diverse World,” the UN report notes profound shifts in global dynamics driven by the fast-rising new powers of the developing world and long-term implications for human development and shared challenges such as climate change, trade and technology.

The report identifies more than 40 countries in the developing world that have done better than had been expected in human development terms in recent decades. Progress has actually accelerated markedly over the past ten years. That’s good news – and the ramifications for all of our students in their adult lives will be profound. So we need to help them learn about these important shifts and develop skills to adapt to new realities.

A number of LCC students returned to school last week after experiencing notable firsts. Our Senior Boys Hockey team went to Scandinavia, a first time in Europe for many of the boys. Our Duke of Edinburgh Gold trip ventured down to Lima, Peru with four members of faculty. Students completed service work in an urban slum, and hiked to Machu Pichu—surely life-changing firsts.

Several of our students also returned recently from school exchange experiences in Australia, Africa and Europe where they were “forced” to be more independent and had the opportunity to explore new and interesting cultures. I read their blogs and commend them all for their courage and willingness to seek new and challenging opportunities. They all experienced a number of firsts. Those experiences are now etched in their minds and will help to define them as they progress through school and life.

As we begin this final semester of the year, I urge all of our students to be open to the wonder that comes with spring. I also encourage them to consider how and where they can experience some memorable firsts at LCC that will influence, change or maybe even define them for years to come. – Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Student Exchange Melbourne: Time Flies When You’re Having Fun!

Posted on March 26, 2013 by dlevy

This trip has gone by very fast. I have already spent roughly four weeks here but it only seems like one!

This past week was my final week at Ballarat Grammar School because they have holidays. I went to the usual netball practice and training, we watched some movies and during the weekend we went to different landmarks in Australia. On Saturday we went to the wildlife park, where I saw kangaroos and koalas for the first time. Now I want to bring one home! I saw different kinds of crocodiles and snakes, even though I’m not a fan of reptiles. After that we headed to Sovereign Hill, which is like an isolated part of town where they have kept it as if it’s still in the 1800’s. You have to buy a ticket to get in and you get to go to different shops and houses to see what Australia’s history is like. We went to an old bowling alley, made some candles from scratch and then went to an old candy shop (or as they call it here, “lolly shop”) and got some different flavoured drops. Finally we went to an old mine tour to learn about a disaster that happened there in 1882, where 27 miners were trapped inside the mine. At night, we had a small gathering of Georgia’s friends and watched a couple of movies. On Sunday, we went down to Melbourne again with Georgia’s friends to go shopping. The Melbourne city is much more similar to Montreal then where Georga lives because everything is much closer together and city-like. I am now writing this on my last day of school in history class and I’m very sad to leave it all behind. I hope that my next 12 days here are as exciting as the past few weeks!–Arianna Galbraith ’15

Vive la France! Semaine 2: La vie au Lycée St-Vincent

Posted on March 26, 2013 by dlevy

J’ai commencé mes études au Lycée St-Vincent. Le lycée reçoit plusieurs étudiants comme moi qui font un échange avec un lycéen français. J’ai donc rencontré des étudiants de la Finlande et de l’Angleterre. La plupart parlent principalement l’anglais. Les lycéens français ont donc été surpris de constater que je pouvais parler le français.

Cependant, ces étudiants ne resteront en France que pour une période d’une semaine. Le lycée recevra de nouveaux étudiants dans deux semaines. Ainsi, au cours de mon séjour, je pourrai rencontrer plusieurs étudiants de différents pays européens.

Mes classes au lycée sont principalement des cours de conversation. Je pratique mon français avec des professeurs. Ici, les étudiants ne travaillent pas sur des ordinateurs. D’ailleurs, il n’y a pas d’internet WiFi accessible pour les étudiants. C’est bien différent de nos habitudes à LCC.

Les professeurs nous offrent aussi la chance de visiter Chantilly, Senlis et Paris. Je suis allé à Paris deux fois. J’ai visité le Château de Chantilly, Notre Dame, la Bastille, le Palais de Tokyo et le Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature. Je me suis promené autour de l’Arc de Triomphe, sur les Champs Élysée, le quartier juif et la Place des Vosges. Et finalement, bien sûr, la Tour Eiffel. J’ai même eu la chance de monter jusqu’au sommet!

Mon échange ici se déroule très bien. J’ai rencontré des gens fantastiques, dont les amis de Gaspards; Igor, Alex, Dimitri et des correspondants d’Angleterre; Adam, Daniel et Emma. La semaine prochaine, une série de nouveaux étudiants arrivera. À suivre.– Zachary Shine ’15