Depend on the Ancients

Posted on December 4, 2014 by admin

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending an excellent teacher workshop presentation by Mr. Vlahogiannis, one of our senior academic department heads. For many years Mr. Vlahogiannis has led the social science department and throughout his 20+ years at LCC, he has taught philosophy.

His presentation to teachers was a window into philosophy, the subject he calls the “subversive discipline”. Why subversive? Essentially because philosophy is a discipline that promotes rational thought and constant questioning. The questioning focuses on norms in our society, our pervasive ideology, and the nature of beauty, virtue, goodness, and ethics. Through disciplined questioning we can determine a better understanding of so much around us.

Many modern philosophers claim that today’s youth are more consumers than citizens; that they’ve been trained to want to consume, so it is hard for them to understand the more important complexities of citizenship and its responsibilities. These philosophers assert that young people are mixed up about how, why, and where they can contribute to the “public good” in meaningful ways.

As young people watch hundreds (actually thousands) of digital and TV commercials that promote or portray a so-called “good-life”, philosophers are concerned that it is becoming increasingly difficult to define the “good life” beyond the powerful allure of consumerism—owning stuff, more and more stuff. There are strong pressures from corporate interests for youth to define themselves with “things” rather than character and their possible contributions to a healthy society.

So to make some inroads on these important questions, I simply suggest our senior students register for Mr. Vlahogiannis’ classes. There they will be given the opportunity to ask many questions, explore the history and foundations of philosophy, discuss concrete issues, and participate in case studies.

That said, some of the first and most famous philosophers were the ancient Greeks. They were very interested in the nature of existence and they were the first to be able to distinguish the capacity of human beings for rational thought, decision-making and reason.

That legacy has had a massive impact over the past 2000 years or so. I recently ran across a book by two philosophers entitled Ten Golden Rules of Leadership: Classical Wisdom for Modern Leaders by Michael Soupios and Panos Mourdoukoutas. They have reviewed the writings of the classical philosophers and selected ten ideas that positively impact the effectiveness of leaders and remain relevant today. The authors remind us that genuine leadership is very demanding and requires courage, principles and practice. That’s something I believe all our students need to learn as we offer them different opportunities to lead and refine their skills.

Genuine leadership is difficult because in addition to simply getting things done, it actually requires leaders do the inner-work on a continual basis. And that is a lot to commit to; it’s lifelong.

So, from classical Greek philosophy, here are 10 timeless classic rules for leadership:

Rule 1: “Know Thyself.” – Thales
Rule 2: “Office Shows the Person.” – Pittacus
Rule 3: “Nurture Community at the Workplace.” – Plato
Rule 4: “Do Not Waste Energy on Things You Cannot Change.” – Aristophanes
Rule 5: “Always Embrace the Truth.” – Antisthenes
Rule 6: “Let Competition Reveal Talent.” – Hesiod
Rule 7: “Live Life by a Higher Code.” – Aristotle
Rule 8: “Always Evaluate Information with a Critical Eye.” – The Skeptics
Rule 9: “Never Underestimate the Power of Personal Integrity.” – Sophocles
Rule 10: “Character Is Destiny.” – Heraclitus

— Christopher Shannon, Headmaster

Community Service-Mackay Center: Learning From Each Other

Posted on December 3, 2014 by admin

On Monday, November 17, I along with six other students and Ms. Leiter, had the privilege of going to Camp Massawippi with several students and teachers from the Mackay Centre for three days. Most, if not all the students who go on the trip from year to year, have cerebral palsy and are in wheel chairs. However, this year along with these students, we were accompanied by deaf teens as well.

After two visits to the Mackay Centre prior to the trip (to get to know the students a little bit better), the seven of us from LCC were anxious to get up to the camp. Since I had already gone on the trip last year, it didn’t take long for me to become comfortable at the camp with the kids. Despite the very snowy weather, we took the kids on long walks and adventures during the day. We also did arts and crafts, played board games, and even got into a pretty intense competition of air hockey. Although you could see on everyone’s faces that we were having a blast doing all of these activities, all of the Mackay students and LCC students would probably say that their favorite times were when we all just sat around, talked, and laughed a lot.

Because there was a group of deaf students who came on the trip this year, several Royal Vale High school students and teachers came up to the camp with us as well. Royal Vale has an integration program for teens that are deaf, which allows them to be in certain regular streamed classes. Because of this, the students that came knew how to communicate with the students who are deaf through sign language.

I can’t even put a number on the amount of highs experienced on this trip, however I can say that one specific moment was definitely learning sign language. We learned simple things like how to sign the alphabet and how to say yes, no, please and thank you. On top of that we learned how to sign words like ”swag”, and even a new sign that had just been created for “Ebola.” – Zoe Young ‘15

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Community Service-Mackay Center: Creating Unforgettable Memories

Posted on December 3, 2014 by admin

Being given the opportunity to participate in a once in a lifetime eye-opening experience has really changed the way I perceive the world. Before this experience, I had never worked with children who suffer from cerebral palsy let alone any major disability. The fact that I was able to witness and learn what these children could do on their own really made me rethink my ability to do things I didn’t think I able to do. In reality I am capable of achieving anything on my own unlike the majority of these children.

Despite the challenges that they face, they were always smiling and happy. It was incredible to see that even though these kids struggle daily with so many different things, they still manage to be constantly happy. It really made me reflect and realize how fortunate I really am for the life I have been given. I now realize that the small things in life shouldn’t be taken for granted like being able to walk, dress and feed myself. It is truly unbelievable how much these kids are able to do on their own even though to an average person it may not seem that impressive.

These students have the ability to communicate and express how they are feeling in ways that help them function and survive. As well, the staff at the Mackay Centre were incredible and treated the children as if they were their own, which is certainly an amazing quality. The students are so fortunate to have a team of people who are always looking out for their best interest, making sure that they are on the right path to success.

Overall, this experience was amazing and I am so glad that I got to hang out with these amazing children for three days at camp where we all created unforgettable memories. – Alexandra Meltzer ‘16

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Procès simulé: Palais de justice de Montréal

Posted on December 2, 2014 by admin

Lundi 1 décembre 2014, la classe de droit de 10 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. Marin Cojocaru (au centre de la photo) qui a travaillé avec les élèves lors de la préparation du procès en leur offrant de précieux conseils.

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Aujourd’hui était très intéressant. J’ai vraiment aimé l’expérience, particulièrement quand on m’a donné l’occasion de parler et d’être mis en doute, c’était tout à fait stressant, mais cela m’a enseigné beaucoup et je suis heureux de l’avoir fait. J’ai aussi aimé la visite à la Cour d’appel, car l’édifice était spectaculairement beau. J’aimerais certainement travailler là-bas dans le futur. – Ryan Hawa ’16

Pendant la classe de droit nous avons pratiqué un procès simulé. J’ai beaucoup aimé mon expérience aujourd’hui à la Cour d’appel et aussi au Palais de justice. J’ai appris qu’après et pendant le témoignage, le juge a le droit de poser quelques questions. C’était une très bonne expérience et je pense que ma partie préférée était la visite de la Cour d’appel. – Rebecca Ross ’16

J’ai aimé plusieurs éléments de cette expérience comme le procès simulé et la visite de la Cour d’appel. J’ai appris que le juge a le droit de demander des questions à l’avocat et au témoin. Le procès de LuKa Magnotta se déroulait en face de la salle où nous étions. Je remercie toutes les personnes qui on aidé à réaliser cette journée possible et mon professeur M. Maurice. C’était une expérience dont je me souviendrai.– Joshua Mindel ’16

Au cours de ce procès, j’ai appris plusieurs choses. J’ai appris à écouter l’information qui m’est offerte. J’ai aussi beaucoup appris sur le déroulement d’un procès et sur la Cour d’appel grâce à notre visite. Le fait que le procès de Luka Magnotta était juste en face de notre salle m’a fait prendre conscience de la réalité dans laquelle nous étions. – Matthew Tabet ’16

La classe de droit de M. Maurice a passé la journée au Palais de Justice et à la Cour d’appel. Cette journée unique était magnifique comme expérience pour nous. Nous nous sommes préparés pendant le mois de novembre pour le procès simulé au Palais de Justice. Ma partie préférée était les remarques faites par le juge Perreault à la fin de notre procès. Aussi, le procès de Luka Magnotta se déroulait juste en face de notre procès! Quelle bonne journée! – Christina Papageorgakopoulos ’16

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Grade 6: The Suitcase Assignment

Posted on November 27, 2014 by admin

The sixth graders were recently given a very strange homework assignment. They were asked to pack a suitcase with items which they thought were essential to them – items with which they could not do without. The problem was the students were not told where they were “going” nor for how long they would “stay”. The questions from the children were numerous, the answers were few.

The following day, both classrooms were littered with clothing, stuffed animals, books, sports equipment, flashlights, toothbrushes and paste, water bottles, and nail polish (!) to name but a few “essential” items. The children discussed and debated the necessity of some of these items and jointly compiled a list of what they simply could not live without regardless of their destination.

The purpose of this assignment was to get the youngsters thinking. What if they were suddenly told that they would be leaving home the following day? How would they feel if they had to pack without understanding where they were going or for how long they would be gone?

Our new novel, Hana’s Suitcase, is about a ten-year old child who faced deportation during Hitler’s regime. As a result of our “suitcase” assignment, the sixth graders have been sensitized to the real-life experiences of another child in another time. Hopefully, our LCC students will become adults who will show compassion and acceptance for any culture and religion without exception. – Belinda Rother, Grade 6 English and History, Geography and Citizenship; English Coordinator, Junior School