Toward a Sustainable World

Posted on April 28, 2011 by admin

It’s Environment/Earth Week at LCC. Although we have taken a lot of steps in recent years to be a more sustainable school, we can always do more. We have diminished our impact on our environment by changing a lot of our buildings’ systems and infrastructure: we installed high efficiency furnaces and new generation fluorescent lighting, upgraded ventilation systems, limited water waste, planted trees and added an urban tree garden. In addition, student learning now has a more pronounced focus on sustainability.

Last fall our Board of Governors published a Sustainability Commitment. Our student Green Team promotes sustainable practices at school and in our homes, and faculty and staff sit on a sustainability committee. This is all in an effort to raise awareness and find ways to make LCC a greener school.
As a large and complex organization, LCC seems to be on solid footing when it comes to diminishing its impact on our precious environment. Perhaps the biggest challenge to changing wasteful and harmful habits is not institutional, but personal. David Suzuki publishes a Top Ten list of ways to make a positive impact on our shared environment. However, expecting people to make ten changes is probably too many. So how about just three? Anyone can do these:

1. Walk, bike or take public transit more often.
2. Manage your trash better and recycle more efficiently.
3. Eat more locally grown foods.

If enough people made just these three changes, our environment would surely benefit.

As they say, ”Rome wasn’t built in a day” and “climbing any mountain begins with a single step.” So however minor, decide what you can really handle. Commit to making some positive changes and before you know it, you will likely want to do more. –Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Australia Exchange: An Easy Adjustment

Posted on March 31, 2011 by admin

The last two weeks have been a blast! Just minutes after landing in Melbourne, Australia, we were off to the beach in Torquay. My first weekend was spent surfing and playing footy on the beach. Before I knew it, it was time for school. Getting used to new people and school was much easier than I had imagined. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. It was from that moment that I knew my stay in Melbourne would be unforgettable.

My first week was spent getting used to the time zone and my new lifestyle. Once I had settled in a little better my weekends started becoming more action packed. My host family has taken me to a footy match, Geelong vs. St. Kilda. It was a great match. Something I found cool about it was that the M.C.G. has a capacity of 100,000 fans, although, the turn out was only around 48,000 as it was a little colder outside than Aussie’s are used to.

By far, the most exciting thing that we’ve done was going to Healesville Sanctuary. Healesville is a zoo that focuses on Australia’s famous animals. We saw all sorts of animals such as Tasmanian devils, kangaroos, koalas, dingoes and more. However, the best part of the experience was feeding the emus and having a picnic with the family. To finish off a great day, we went out for Thai food, which was also a tasty new experience for me.

Only two weeks left of school until spring holidays. I’m really excited to be able to experience more of Australia but not excited to say goodbye to close friends. — Julie Schneiderman ’13

Asleep at the Ballot Box

Posted on March 30, 2011 by admin

The Muslim states of North Africa have undergone a fair amount of turmoil in the past two months—people clamoring for a political voice in largely one-party states. This began with significant protests in February in Tunisia. It swiftly moved to Egypt and what some are calling the “Twitter Revolution” , which led to the resignation of long-serving President Mubarak.

In most of North Africa’s kingdoms or one-party states, the Arab world is experiencing what the Economist magazine last week described on its cover as “The Awakening” —a thrust toward democratic principles and rights, and a desire, especially by young people, to have their voices and opinions heard. It’s amazing to see how powerful the yearning is in so many countries for democratic rights and the acceptance of diverse political voices. The “awakening:” it’s an interesting label for this phenomenon.

Here in Canada, we all possess the hard-won rights of a democracy. This includes the rule of law, a host of freedoms, the right to disagree with our government and even to protest peacefully when we want to take a particular position on a particular topic.

Last Saturday our federal parliament was dissolved and our political parties are now on the campaign trail from coast to coast to coast, with an election day slated for Monday, May 2— just a few weeks from now. However, with all our rights and freedoms— and an electoral process that allows us to do battle in the political arena rather than solve problems with the end of a gun— large segments of our population seem disengaged from the political process.

Too often, political issues have become someone else’s concern. In fact, when it comes to voting in Canada, voter turnout has dropped consistently since the mid 1980s, from about 75% of eligible voters participating in national elections to just above 60% in the last election. Unfortunately, the youngest sector (18-24 year-olds) seems to be the least engaged in the political process. Just above 40% bothered to go to the ballot box in Canada during the last election, close to 20% below the national average.

So blood is spilling in Arab states in north Africa over the right to participate in the political process and here in Canada we are paying less and less attention to the political process. What a sad paradox. I guess we don’t need to be concerned. Someone else will run our democracy! No need to accept the responsibilities that come with our democratic rights!

I think we should call the Economist magazine and ask who really needs an awakening, the countries of North Africa or perhaps it’s us, the sleep walking citizens of Canada. I suggest we all wake up. I asked our senior students this week to pay attention to the issues in this election campaign. They need to become familiar with our political processes as many of them will be voting next time. We will all be better off if they connect with their local communities, their Canada. —Chris Shannon, Headmaster

The World At Lunch

Posted on March 25, 2011 by admin

One of my most powerful memories from my grade seven year at LCC was an event planned by Grad Pride called, “The World at Lunch.” We had been told that instead of having our 5th and 6th period classes we would be going to the Velan Gym for a special event. Upon entering the gym, my hand was marked with a red dot and I was told to sit down at a table at the back of the room. A few other students from different grade levels soon accompanied me—around 12 students. Roughly four or five times as many students were marked with blue dots and told to sit at separate tables along the sides of the gym. The majority of the students sat on the floor in the middle of the gym. The sounds of periodic snapping could be heard, approximately every three seconds. Among the crowd could be heard a distinct sense of confusion and wonder to the meaning of such an odd procedure. We were soon told that the select students sitting at my table, represented first world countries and that we would be served a three-course meal. The blue tables represented second world countries and they would be eating pizza. As for the rest of the students, they inevitable represented the majority of the human population; the third world countries, and they would be served rice and dyed water. It was only later that we discovered that the periodic snapping that rang in our ears was the representation of a single child dying due to lack of food, resources, care and money.

It was only a fluke that I had been chosen to sit at the first world countries’ table. I couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind it. Why me? Why had I been chosen? Why was it fair that I lived a life of surplus in Canada and not others? Listening to the guest speakers, hearing devastating facts, and being tormented by that ever-lingering series of snaps, a single question rang in my mind: what could I do to help? The money that would be gathered from the upcoming free dress would be designated to helping children living in poverty. Even knowing that the school was making an effort to help such a great cause, I somehow felt personally connected, I felt like I wanted to do more than donate the mere $2 and move on. For that free dress I had gathered over $100 to donate to the organization. It seemed as if I was not the only person who was touched by this assembly and many students decided to bring more than the required minimum. Perhaps it was a sense of guilt that compelled us to bring more. However, I would like to think that a sense of widespread community was felt that day.

The Grad Pride of grade 11 chose to hold a “World At Lunch” this year that took place on Friday, March 25, 2011. We felt that it was our responsibility, being the last year that would have experienced the initial “World At Lunch,” to share with the rest of the school the event that, for many of us, allowed us to truly feel a sense of global identity and responsibility. One of the major values that LCC tries to pass onto its students is the sense that, due their luck in having been born in such a great country, it is their responsibility not to turn their back on the majority of the people in the world that find it hard to live day-by-day with the money and food that they have. It is our responsibility as a prosperous community, to look out into a world where people struggle to get by and realize that we have the potential to, in some way, improve their standard of living. It would be unrealistic to think that this single event would drastically have any major impact on child poverty or human rights, however the point of this event isn’t to make a single change. The reason behind the event is to allow students to begin wondering about their role to play in a world that they are just beginning to discover.—Noah Schouela ’11

Weeks 5 & 6: Adelaide, Australia – Best I Ever Had!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by admin

The past two weeks have literally been non-stop action, activity and emotion. In spite of doing some of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life, I had an absolutely amazing time. I went on a trip called Westventure for 12 days, and it taught me so many valuable life lessons.

Thirty-four of us arrived at the base camp eager for the days to come. We were split into four groups that we would be spending most of our time with for the next few weeks. The first two days were spent learning the basics of kayaking and sailing and going for 5 km runs in the afternoons. On the third day we went for our first overnight, and after a few hours of hiking we arrived at our destination. The next day we finished off our lessons with the kayaks and sailboat and prepared for the first big adventure; a 15 km kayak/sail, navigated and led by the kids, to a nearby town. My group kayaked all the way there with all our packs and we were awarded with money to spend at the little shops. After some fun games and a restful night, it was our turn to sail back home. We had a blast “getting our lean on” and nearly capsizing several times! The next day we pushed our limits as group members by running 17 km sticking together and cheering each other on. The afternoon was spent doing more team building activities, and it was a struggle getting our exhausted bodies to work. The next three days were spent camping out on a special island with some spectacular sand dunes and a beautiful ocean view. Once again our group kayaked to the destination and sailed back home.

Some highlights of our days there were a cheesecake competition–using our little tin cooking kits; some reflection time on the beach watching the sunset (although it was too cloudy to see much); and the night we spent singing along to songs while one of the instructors led us on the guitar.

The final full day was without a doubt the most challenging, since had to push ourselves through a gruesome 17 km individual run. In the end, everyone felt so proud of themselves, having been determined to push past their limits and into a whole new difficulty level. Although it was physically draining, it was even more exhausting mentally, since we had to keep focused on the task at hand and keep our legs going.

The memories, laughs and good times spent at the camp will never be forgotten by any of the lucky students who got to go on the awesome trip. I cannot explain how amazing I felt being there; the rollercoaster of emotion, and the bonds that have been made to last a lifetime. This week brings with it my final days here in Adelaide, and surely it will be a great last few days. –Sarah Salzman ‘13