COP21

Posted on November 27, 2015 by admin

I was driving along highway 401 on the recent mid-term weekend. At Ingleside, Ontario we passed a large solar panel farm on the south side of the road. It’s an impressive facility that is situated on previously underused land, close to the Ontario Hydro power grid. It opened last spring and covers 100 acres. Forty-three thousand solar panels cover the land and provide enough electricity to power 1,800 homes (16.8 gigawats/hour). The private company is now looking for other similar opportunities in Ontario.

I was impressed by this facility. A quick look online also revealed that much larger solar parks are becoming quite prevalent across the world, especially in sunnier climates.

The largest are in California’s deserts. Whereas the solar farm I saw near the 401 had 43,000 panels on 100 acres of land, the largest solar farms in California are mammoth – with 1.7 million solar panels over 13 square kilometers. Impressively, a single such facility powers close to 150-thousand homes. Other parks use large mirrors that generate heat – another innovation that channels abundant natural energy available from the sun.

Solar parks of this size are also now emerging in India, Pakistan, China, along with smaller but significant projects across Europe.

So on the eve of the global UN environment conference in Paris – COP 21 – I think we should all investigate the growing application of renewable energy – solar, wind and other natural initiatives such as wave power. They are now becoming significant elements of countries’ national energy infrastructures and priorities. Let’s hope that innovation will continue to present new alternatives and help us to meaningfully diminish our dependence on fossil fuels. – Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Round Square: A Sacred Experience, from Bogotá to Guatavita

Posted on April 10, 2015 by admin

The Round Square conference in Bogotá, Columbia, has been such an amazing experience. Today, we had the chance to visit the beautiful town of Guatavita located very high in the mountains, one hour away from Bogotá. First, we visited the Guatavita Museum. There we learned all about the artwork and traditions of the native people who used to live there. Next, we went to the main square of the town to complete a fun scavenger hunt.

After going to a beautiful sailing club for lunch, we went on an afternoon hike up a mountain to see the lagoon of El Dorado. The view was breathtaking; the lagoon was almost perfectly round and surrounded on all sides by forest. We learned that the lagoon is filled with gold due to the traditions of the Muisca, who believed the lagoon was sacred. In all, the Round Square conference has been such an amazing experience and I am excited for new adventures to come. -Alexandra Gardilcic ’16, Round Square Participant

Round Square 2015: Building in Bogotá

Posted on April 8, 2015 by admin

We arrived in Bogotá on a chilly Friday afternoon. Greeted by familiar faces, the staff from Anglo Colombiano, I could not control my excitement about being back in this beautiful city. After a well-needed rest in our hotel, we went to the school to meet our host families and spend the rest of the afternoon with them.

Our second day began with a conference; we got to listen to Pedro Medina speak about the evolution of Colombia, which helped to dispel stereotypical views of the country. Next, we got to know our Barazza groups (basically, our advisory group or “homeroom” for the rest of the week) by playing name games and doing different activities. On the third day, we set off at 7:00 am to La Calera, which is situated just on the other side of a huge mountain. To put things in perspective, Bogotá is 2,640 metres above sea level and we trekked up to about 3,000 metres. Therefore, by the time we got to our destination, we were completely out of breath.

The plan for the day was simple. Change the reality of a family while changing our own perspectives by building a house. One floor, three rooms, for three young boys and their parents. We met and worked with the family throughout the day. They were overjoyed to see us helping to make their dream come true.

Still, building the house was confusing to us. Similar to the theme of the conference – magic realism – it really seemed as though magic was the only thing keeping the concrete blocks stable while we stacked them on top of each another – with no cement or anything that was really setting them in place. We worked from around 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, and then took a break for lunch, which was provided by the family. They made us a traditional Colombian soup, which had chicken, corn, potatoes, and other delicacies. Afterwards, it was back to work until 4:00 pm. Although the roof still had to go up (so we did not completely finish the house), we could see in the eyes of the family members how happy they were, as we kissed and hugged them goodbye. It wouldn’t take much to finish the house and the final walls stood strong.

Throughout the day, I could barely wrap my mind around the idea that our team could help improve the lives of a family all in one day. I was happy because not only was I able to participate in such a fulfilling experience, but I also got to know the family. I spoke to the mother about her life in La Calera and held her little niece while they prepared the soup. This is a day – and more importantly, a family – I will never forget. As I sit on the bus on the way to Guatavita, a lagoon, and yet another beautiful destination within the city, I know that there are many more memorable experiences ahead and I am looking forward to the rest of the week in Bogotá, Colombia, at the 2015 Round Square Conference of the Americas. – Mikaela Ludwick ’16, Round Square Participant

Student Exchange: Memories of Thailand

Posted on April 8, 2015 by admin

Sadly, my time in Thailand has come to an end, after six amazing weeks of being among newly made friends and in an exotic new country. I am writing this on the airplane heading back to Montreal, and as much as I want out (because of boredom), half of me wants to turn the plane around and head back to Thailand. I already miss a lot of the food, fruit, and customs of the country and of my exchange school, Regents International School Pattaya. Of course, life must go on, and I have to come back to Canada and readjust to the time zone and the ways here.

Two weeks ago, my roommate, Osman, left to help look after his grandmother. I can tell you, I was really sad to see him leave, even though I would see him in school the next day. He was the funniest guy I have ever met, and I was never bored with him. But, as I said, he left, and I roomed with another one of my friends, Jeenchai. Though not as funny, he was special and entertaining in his own way.

For two weekends, I was hosted by Osman because he had been staying with his grandmother. In the first week, his parents were visiting from Russia, so we went to see a couple of tourist places. On Friday, we saw a Chinese museum and the Pattaya Buddha Mountain. I also got to eat a coconut and lots of passion fruit. The next day, we went swimming in their pool and just relaxed. On Sunday, we went shopping and then I had to go back to school. The next weekend was a more relaxed weekend. We stayed inside a lot because it was one of the only times it rained while I was there. On Sunday, we went shopping for souvenirs because it was my last week there.

On my last day, and for the first time, I wore my LCC suit to school – all the other days I only needed to wear a shirt, pants, and shoes, because of the heat – and yes, I was sweating most of the day. I had to wear the uniform because I’d made a promise to someone that I’d wear it on the last day. At the end of the school day, after getting our grades for the term, everyone said goodbye to me. They were all upset that I was leaving, and they also said that I should’ve been there for the school Songkran (the Thai New Year) party the next day. I was told it was really fun, but sadly, I wasn’t going to be there. It was a very sad day. I got back to the boarding house and immediately started to pack, because I had to leave in seven hours and I’d barely packed. I took a break for dinner, and I’m glad I went, because it was the school Songkran dinner. It was a feast, and I can easily say that that was my favorite meal there. There were two appetizers, four main courses, an amazing dessert, and then lots of different fruit. I was challenged to eat a whole chili pepper, and I did. The next five minutes of my life was spent eating tons of fruit and breathing out sharply to get rid of the spice. It was a fun last experience in Thailand.

More quickly than I’d expected, my time to leave the school had come, and sadly, I walked down the same corridors I had walked down 100 times before to get around the school, but this time would be the last. As I got on the bus, I took one last look at the school that had become my home for the last six weeks of my life. I would miss it. I said goodbye to all the boarders and the staff who had welcomed me when I’d arrived, and then I left for the airport. After a total of twenty hours in the air, and three hours sitting in the airport, I am back in Montreal, welcomed by the thing that most of the people in Thailand have never seen, and the thing I haven’t seen in six weeks: snow. – Eli Samuel ’17, Exchange Student at Regents International School Pattaya

Ma quatrième semaine à Paris

Posted on April 8, 2015 by admin

Déjà ma 4ième semaine à Paris terminée! Je me sens finalement comme chez moi ici. Les activités que nous avons faites cette semaine étaient sublimes. Premièrement, mardi soir le 26 mars, ma famille d’accueil a décidé de me faire une petite surprise. En fait, pour moi c’était l’une des plus grandes surprises de ma vie, un évènement qui constituera ma meilleure expérience à Paris.

Ce soir-là, alors que je lisais mon livre d’anglais tranquillement, je reçois un appel de Marc Jablonski, le père. Avec une voix pressée et excitée, il me dit «Ryan! Habille-toi, on va visiter un musée!», sachant que je ne serais pas trop enthousiasmé par une sortie au musée. Marc préparait ainsi la surprise pour que ma réaction soit inoubliable. Et il a eu raison. Lorsque Marc m’a donné mon billet bleu, je suis resté bouche bée devant Le Stade de France remplie d’une foule incroyablement bruyante. J’allais vivre l’expérience d’un match de soccer, France contre Brésil avec 80 000 autres Parisiens. J’étais en manque de mots, ébahi et ne pouvant pas parler pendant 2 minutes. Même si on (je parle de la France bien entendu) a perdu 3-1, cette expérience a été fantastique et le jeu était excitant. J’ai tellement apprécié cette opportunité qui m’a été offerte, une expérience que je ne vais jamais oublier.

La deuxième activité qu’on a faite cette semaine était la visite d’une gallerie d’art au Grand Palais. Comme je l’ai mentionné avant, personnellement, je n’aime pas trop les musées ou les galleries. Mais d’abord, on parle du magnifique Grand Palais sur les Champs-Élysées, construit pour l’expo universelle de Paris en 1900. Ensuite, ce que j’ai vu dans cette gallerie a changé ma perception de l’art et éveillé mon intérêt. C’était une œuvre d’art, créée par Manuel Merida, un vénézuélien, qui s’appelle Cercle Bleu Outremer. Cette œuvre consistait en un grand cercle rempli de poudre de vitre, qui tourne très lentement, de sorte que ces fragments tombent lentement lorsque le cercle tourne graduellement. J’ai immédiatement téléphoné à ma mère pour lui raconter ma découverte et la convaincre d’acheter l’œuvre!

En conclusion, ma quatrième semaine était évidemment un grand succès. Encore une fois, c’est incroyable de penser qu’il me reste seulement 2 semaines. Je suis devenu attaché à la ville de Paris et les gens qui habitent ici et je vais avoir de la difficulté à leur dire aurevoir. – Ryan Garber ’17, Exchange Student at École alsacienne