Corvée du Mont-Royal

Corvee2011_BlogImageAfin de souligner l’année internationale des forêts, les élèves du Middle School ont décidé de participer à la 20e édition de la corvée du Mont-Royal. À 8h30, tout le monde était au rendez-vous et, pendant toute la matinée, les élèves ont planté, planté, planté…
Photos

    Planter des arbres au Mont-Royal était très amusant, on a travaillé pour le service communautaire et on a passé une bonne journée. Je voudrais faire ce type d’activité encore une fois. Cela a ouvert mes yeux sur le monde et sur les changements que je peux faire pour aider l’environnement.
    —Arielle Shiri ’14

    Mon expérience au Mont-Royal a été une tonne de plaisir. Quand nous sommes arrivés, un groupe de personnes a parlé de l’importance de planter des arbres. Ensuite, en groupes, nous avons eu du matériel et des t-shirts. Nous avons ensuite creusé des trous et planté de jeunes arbres qui deviendront grands. J’ai eu beaucoup de plaisir et j’aimerais le refaire.
    —Samantha Adessky ’14

    Planter des arbres au Mont-Royal était une expérience que je n’oublierai jamais. Maintenant chaque fois que j’irai là-bas, je pourrais dire à mes amis « Voyez-vous cet arbre ici? C’est moi qui l’ai planté ». Rien que ça est assez pour dire que c’était une bonne expérience.
    —Matthew Kaspy ’14

    Planter des arbres pour la fondation “les amis de la montagne” était une expérience que je ne vais pas oublier. Une pelle dans une main et un sceau dans l’autre, nous avons planté toute la matinée.
    —Montana Black ’14

    L’expérience au Mont-Royal était très amusante! Premièrement, j’ai fait beaucoup d’exercices en montant et en descendant la montagne! Je n’avais jamais planté d’arbres de ma vie. Je suis très heureuse d’avoir pu faire une différence dans la communauté et de la rendre plus belle! J’espère qu’il y aura beaucoup d’autres activités comme ça à l’avenir.
    —Kaitlin Markus ’14

    C’était un matin chaud, le soleil brillait, une journée parfaite pour planter des arbres. Quand nous sommes arrivés, la guide nous a montré comment faire. Après, nous nous sommes mis au travail. À la fin, nous étions fiers de notre travail.
    —David Rosenberg ’14

    Pour moi, planter des arbres était une nouvelle chose et je ne pouvais pas être plus heureuse avec ma première expérience. Tout était très bien organisé et que les instructions étaient très claires. Notre guide a été très gentille et elle m’a énormément aidée. Elle m’a donné le goût de planter d’autres arbres.
    —Stephanie Shannon ’14

    J’ai vraiment apprécié planter des arbres. C’était la première fois et ce fut une bonne expérience. C’était une bonne journée pour cette activité. Je suis impatiente de retourner au Mont-Royal pour voir les beaux arbres que nous, en tant que groupe, avons plantés ensemble.
    —Jaclyn Lavy ’14

    Cette expérience m’a fait du bien. C’était ma deuxième visite à la montagne pour travailler au service communautaire et c’était aussi satisfaisant que la première fois. Je sentais que je faisais vraiment quelque chose de bien et qui faisait une différence. Cela m’a permis d’apprécier la nature et l’environnement. Planter juste un arbre était beaucoup de travail mais j’en ai planté 4 avec l’aide de ma partenaire, Julianna. Je le referai encore si j’avais la chance. —Stephany Hwang ’14

    À lire:
    Corvée du Mont-Royal 2011

    À regarder (film et photos):
    Des forêts et des hommes par Goodplanet.org

Ethics Dilemma – Politics and Leadership

I want my political leaders to do a lot of things for me. I want them to manage the economy; to deliver good educational programs; to provide health care, pensions, good highways, museums, parks, etc. But, often not considered—I want the politicians to be leaders of “character.” We can argue about how effectively one political party supports health care or highways, and we can differ in opinions about who is a good politician or not. Unfortunately, however, it’s pretty clear that most politicians don’t provide us with behaviour representing good character. This is especially true during an election campaign.

I think that as educators and parents we have a problem. Politics do not emphasize civility. Civility is behaving politely, calmly and reasonably even during heated debates. Civility means that we do not engage in personal attacks or harassment. Civility means we should treat each other with consideration and respect.

Yet our politicians speak in very disrespectful ways to, and about, their opponents. They stretch the truth and pretend ignorance when their misrepresentations are pointed out. They would have us believe that their opponents could ruin the country. They support “attack” ads. They continually represent bad character.

We teach our children/students to speak civilly to one another. We teach them to problem solve when relationships come into conflict. We have honour codes in schools emphasizing respect and consideration towards others. At home we don’t allow our children to speak disrespectfully to us as parents. We teach students about tolerance of opposing points of view. We work very hard in schools to shape a civil environment. We want our homes to be civil as well.

How are we to explain to our children/students that our leaders do not have to adhere to the same expectations that are required of us as children, students, co-workers, spouses, employees, etc? Do we say: “that’s politics?” Do we tell our children that this is not the way one should behave? One student pointed out to me that if students behaved the way that politicians behave they’d be sent to the office for a discussion about appropriate behaviour and if that behaviour persisted they might face disciplinary actions.

If the lack of civility in politics bothers me and if I want good characters to lead our country, whom do I vote for? I will exercise my right to participate in this democracy, but this ethical dilemma is challenging.—John Gordon, School Counsellor

Students Compete to Support Local Charities

YPI2011_Winners_WebLast night, six groups of grade 10 LCC students made presentations on behalf of six grass roots charitable organizations in Montreal. Their purpose was to convince a panel of four judges that their chosen charity was deserving of a $5,000 donation provided by the Toskan Foundation through an active learning project called the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative. Students in grade 10 had been working since the starting week of school, learning about the need for charitable organizations, the role of philanthropy in our society and doing actual volunteer work at various charities. They then researched each organization to find out about their mission and history, impact on the communities that they serve, and the nature of the volunteer experience. Working in small groups, the students then put together intricate presentations with the sole purpose of convincing the judges that their respective organizations were deserving of the donation. The presentations took place in the Chamandy Auditorium.

Once again I was amazed at the abilities of the students and the good work that takes place all around Montreal. The students used their oral presentation skills to convey the passion that they felt for their chosen charities. They also seamlessly wove the use of technology, including still images, music and stirring videos to make their respective cases. All six groups were amazing, but the judges had to choose some winners.

Due to a generous donation from members of the Class of ‘85, the usual $5,000 donation from the Toskan Foundation was to be doubled. For the first time we would now be able to give $3,000 to the second place charity and an additional $2,000 to the third place finisher. It is really hard to talk about “winners” because all of the groups did an exceptional job. One day we hope to be able to give donations to any group that makes it to the finals.

Congratulations to all of the students, and a special nod goes out to Centre Philou, which took away the $5,000 donation from the Toskan Foundation, Generations which will receive $3,000 and Share the Warmth which will receive the $2,000 donation, both of which come courtesy of the Class of ‘85. –Patrick Peotto, Assistant Head – Advancement

    This Year’s YPI Finalists:

Taylor Hodhod, Yvonne Hercun & Gabby Rappaport (Centre Philou)
Alix Faraggi & Alex Sinor (Generations Foundation)
Alexa Weiser, Helene Osterman & Valerie Rivest (Share the Warmth)
Christie Heseltine, Chelsea Voronoff & Chloe Stroll (Welcome Hall Mission)
Emily Tiberi, Olivia Auclair & Alexandra Masella (The Friendship Circle)
Julian Miller, Max Rabinovitch & Greg Wainberg (NDG Food Depot)

DQ 2011: Broadening our Montreal Perspectives

DQ_SiglerBlog_18Apr2011The 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

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)

DQ2011_28Congratulations 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