Organ Donations

Posted on May 4, 2011 by admin

I saw both courage and hope speak passionately before a large audience the other day. One of our graduating students, who was the lucky recipient of a liver transplant in 2009, addressed our assembly of Middle and Senior School students. She explained how fortunate she was to receive a new organ after a difficult 10-month wait. Her surgeon, Dr. Lallier from Hôpital St. Justine, also gave a broad overview of the topic of transplants in Quebec. He reminded us that there are never enough organs available to people in need. In fact the gap is quite striking – only about one in ten patients are able to receive an organ in a timely fashion and, unfortunately, dozens die in Quebec every year while waiting for a final lease on life.

There’s a simple solution to the organ supply problem. More of us should sign an organ donation sticker and place it on the back of our Medicare card. It authorizes medical officials to use our organs at the time of our death. It is a unique way to give life and provide a lasting legacy.
I was inspired by today’s presentation and will definitely be a donor some day. Maybe you should too.

For more information, visit www.quebec-transplant.qc.ca

Non Nobis Solum

—Chris Shannon, Headmaster

DQ 2011: Broadening our Montreal Perspectives

Posted on April 18, 2011 by admin

The coming of April brings about a shift in the overall mentality of students, and the city as a whole. Snow is melting, sun is shining, the Habs are battling it out in the playoffs, and it’s time to re-discover the wonders of the outside world. The increasingly pleasant weather evokes a dormant passion in us all to explore new ideas, and how better to kick it off than LCC’s 12th annual Destiny Quebec conference: an event for Montreal youth to discuss pertinent issues and current events.

In recent years, our committee has oriented itself towards global and environmental themes such as “A World Without Oil” and the eminent global water crisis. This year however, we chose to go with something a little closer to home. We elected to focus on a most beautiful and cosmopolitan city: Montréal.
Over the course of the one-day conference, which took place on April 12, we sought to explore the various facets of our city’s unique character, and speculate on how it will evolve with increased immigration, globalization, and population. As the city faces challenges and changes in the years to come, our goal was to broaden the delegates’ understanding of, appreciation for, and responsibility to the city that we will one day inherit.

The day began with a small reception hosted by our headmaster, where my co-chair Kasha and I had the pleasure of meeting with several of the seminar speakers before the conference began. Our keynote speaker, Mr. Alexandre Trudeau, kicked things off with our opening assembly, where Senior School students and other delegates gathered. Mr. Trudeau’s remarks were highly engaging as he took us through the history of Montreal and emphasized how the city has always preserved a diverse, accepting, and multi-cultural identity. He concluded by asserting that Montreal will continue to develop and flourish as Canada’s most cosmopolitan city and lead the way towards a progressive and innovative future.

Following the general assembly the delegates broke off into five different seminar sessions led by 10 different thought-provoking speakers, covering a wide array of topics: business/economy, public/social institutions, infrastructure, culture and festivals.

After two hours of discussion in our smaller groups, we gathered in the WLAC (Webster Learning Activity Centre) for a break and to share ideas. It did not take long for us to realize that everyone had been inspired by their seminar discussions. Disagreement on certain political issues sparked an intense debate between Mr. Patrick Cigana, Director of “Projet Montreal,” and Professor Saeed Mirza of McGill University concerning Montreal’s infrastructure problems. The former CEOs of Alcan and Positron, two of Canada’s biggest industries over the last decades, used their acquired wisdom to lead an exceptional “Business” seminar. Messrs. Culver and Weiser had some stiff competition however, as students laughed up a storm with the Just for Laughs Chief Operating Officer, Bruce Hills, and explored Montreal’s arts & music scene with retired teacher and prolific musician, George Doxas, in the “Festivals” seminar.
Other delegates were able to travel through the world of Montreal’s sports with former Expos commentator and journalist Rodger Brulotte, and enhance their perspectives on Montreal’s situation as compared to rest of the world with Mr. Trudeau’s extensive worldly experiences and knowledge in our “Culture” discussion. The remainder of the conference attendees talked about the future of our great city’s academic and social infrastructure, as well as public works projects such as the new MUHC with the Director of Marionopolis College, Len Even, and local urban planner, Mélanie Veilleux.

Refreshed yet stimulated by the break, the delegates broke off into their second block of seminars. Discussions were even more intense than the first set of seminars as the delegates and speakers eased into the rhythm of the conference.

Closing presentations took place at 2 pm in the Chamandy Auditorium where we listened to LCC alumni John Christou ’95 and Alec Mathewson ’95 break down Montreal’s film industry with great enthusiasm. They explained the difference between independent and unionized filmmaking, and elaborated on the process of movie production as a whole. Mostly, they described the challenges and perseverance that their profession requires, and emphasized the diversity in style and concentration of creativity that our city proudly houses.

After their presentation had finished and the closing address was made, delegates said their goodbyes and poured onto Royal Avenue with somewhat different perspectives from when they arrived earlier in the day. They were more sensitive to Montreal’s opportunities, challenges and needs. At the conference end, we encouraged the delegates to make the best of their newly acquired knowledge by embracing their respective roles as citizens of Montreal.
As we look forward, and with the anticipated drop in Montreal’s English population, it is our generation’s duty to preserve Montreal’s cosmopolitan heritage and keep it on course towards a better tomorrow. This DQ conference took a small step in ensuring that today’s youth are on track to do just that (photos). — Greg Sigler ’11, Co-Chair, Destiny Quebec 2011

Pondering the Future of Montreal @ LCC

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

What’s the future of Montreal? This was the focus of this year’s annual Destiny Quebec student leadership conference held this week at LCC. What an excellent topic for those of us who live in this great city. (view gallery)

Congratulations to DQ 2011 student Co-Chairs Kasha Bonneville ’11 and Greg Sigler ’11 who guided an enthusiastic committee of student leaders. After months of planning, students investigated this question with visiting experts. This was done through the lens of our aging infrastructure, evolving university and health care institutions, the vibrancy of Montreal’s culture, and emerging areas of economic challenge and leadership in the city.

Keynote speaker Alexandre Trudeau presented a fascinating perspective to all Senior School students and visiting delegates. He noted that in Montreal – and indeed everywhere in the West – we need to be aware of the challenges emerging from new economic superpowers China and India. We need to respond with innovation. In Mr. Trudeau’s words, our future success is dependent on being “flexible, tolerant and imaginative.” I know our students are up to the challenge and will emerge as confident leaders who will steward Montreal into the future with care. –Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Easy Adjustment Down Under

Posted on April 13, 2011 by admin

On my way over to Melbourne, I had a very long time to think about what lay ahead. A new family, a new school, and, essentially, a new life would be just a few of the challenges awaiting me. As daunting as it seemed, I was very excited by this new opportunity. Since then, I have done all sorts of stereotypical Aussie things: surfing, feeding kangaroos, watching the Grand Prix and going to the footy.

Barely a week into this experience, I went surfing at Ocean Grove. Our Canadian instructor was good enough to get me up a bunch of times, although I did fall quickly. The important thing is that I was up long enough for a bunch of pictures. Nathan was, of course, better than me, even though they have only been surfing a couple of times.

Australia has an abundance of unique animals. From the kangaroo to the koala, Australia is typically characterized by its strange marsupials. Last weekend, we went to a wildlife park at Ballarat, an hour and a half from Melbourne. I had the experience of patting a koala and feeding kangaroos and emus. We also saw all kinds of Australian animals, from crocodiles to Tasmanian devils to wombats.

While here in Melbourne, I had the experience of going to the Melbourne Grand Prix. I “barrack for,” or support, Lewis Hamilton, for obvious reasons. The hometown hero, Mark Webber, finished just behind Hamilton in qualifying, which is the part of the race that we went to.

Another unique part of Australia is its sports, owing to the mix of British and Aboriginal heritage. The most typical Aussie sport is probably Aussie rules football, or footy. I had the experience of going to a footy game last Sunday. The Hawks, the club we like, was up against another Melbourne-based team, the Demons. Although the Hawks were down by 30 points, they came back and ended up winning by 45. Another Australian experience associated with footy is a meat pie. They have a different style to Canadian tourtière, which tasted more like a Cornish pasty.

I’m having a great time here in Australia and I don’t want this experience to end. Unfortunately, it has to end at some point, and my time here is already half done. —Andrew Hamilton ’13

Eyes Wide Open

Posted on April 11, 2011 by admin

I have just returned from the most incredible trip to a small Peruvian village named Lunahuana. My last four days have been packed with adventure and memories that I will treasure forever. As I rafted the rapids, zip-lined across the beautiful lands and climbed the Inca ruins, I was amazed with this beautiful country.

Lunahuana is a very poor area that was hugely affected by the earthquake that hit Peru in 2007. On Friday, we packed into a small van and drove to a nearby school. Along with 15 other students, I was given the task of building a garden for the children to play in. I will never forget it; the faces of the children brightened as we walked into their tiny rundown building. As I began to work, I suddenly felt small warm hands on the back of my leg. I turned around and saw three little girls looking up at me with the sweetest expressions. For the rest of day, those girls were attached to me. I was amazed by how much affection they showed me. It was very hard to say goodbye to them.

When I arrived back at the campground and started to change into warmer clothes I heard soft Spanish whispers outside my tent. As I peered outside to see where the voices were coming from, I saw two little girls covered in dust and wearing worn-out clothes. They quickly approached and motioned for me to come sit with them on the grass. Although we could barley understand each other, I sat with them for over one hour. At one point, they kept repeating one question over and over again pointing towards my shoes. I kept telling them I didn’t understand them but they wouldn’t give up until they had the answer to their question. I finally asked another student to translate for me and found out they had been asking me how expensive my shoes were. I had never thought twice about my shoes, I’ve been lucky enough to always have something to wear on my feet. When I was their age the price of shoes would have never crossed my mind. As I thought of an answer, I looked at them; neither girl was wearing shoes. Both had filthy feet covered in cuts. Lunahuana was an unforgettable experience. –Alexia Miller ’13