Round Square: A Global Experience

Posted on October 11, 2012 by admin

September 29

Tonight we visited the Blue Moon cafe. Sitting on a hill facing the stage, we ate, chatted with some of our new friends, and heard from local artists. The musicians, many of them alumni or even students of our host school, played a mix of their own music (in a South African style) and songs we knew and could sing along to. We also had the experience of looking up at the South African night sky, free of light pollution. This enabled us to see all of the stars in their full glory – there are, after all, different constellations in the Southern Hemisphere.

So far, I believe I can speak for all of us when I say we are having a blast. We’ve all made friends from the four corners of the globe, listened to speakers on a range of topics on the theme of coexistence, and participated in a range of adventure and service-based activities. Personally, my baraza group (a sort of discussion group) includes two Canadians, a Bermudian, three South Africans, a Brit and two Indians. Our speakers have included an Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker, a motivational speaker and the first African to climb the Seven Summits (he has also made an unassisted trek to the South Pole). We also had an “adventure day,” where we participated in our chosen adventures and made even more new friends, since we weren’t in our barazas or our school groups.

We have had amazing sessions with the Jump! Foundation, a group which encourages participation in leadership. In one activity, our right hand became our “heart,” and our left, our “sword.” The objective of the game was simply to survive. By the second round, we learned to band together in groups of 2-4, and the third round featured people in groups of 30. We eventually learned to follow the objective to the word : there really isn’t a need to kill each other at all to “win” at the game.

We’ve had an amazing time, and Tuesday will definitely be a sad day, as it is the last time we will see many of these people. — Andrew Hamilton ’13

MS Pride: Les arts

Posted on October 10, 2012 by admin

Bonjour, je m’appelle Michael et je suis un de vos représentant des Arts cette année. Comme membre du Middle School Pride, j’aimerais vous inciter à faire les Arts. Je suis fier de vous dire que j’essaierai d’avoir le « Glee Club » comme activité, et la pièce de théâtre serait toujours là. Si vous avez des idées pour des activités artistiques, n‘hésitez pas à m’écrire un courriel. J’espère que votre année sera la plus artistique possible! – Michael Hamilton ’16

Hello my name is Ryan Hawa, the other Arts representative for the 2012-2013 school year. Michael and I are committed to giving you, the grade 7 and 8 students, the opportunity to enjoy and enhance your knowledge and understanding of the arts. This year, my goal is to keep arts activities going strong with new possible additions, such as musical jam sessions and workshops. We would love to hear your ideas so please email us! Remember, we want your help to make these activities work to make it a memorable year. Have fun this year, and remember to give us your suggestions. The more ideas the better! – Ryan Hawa ’16

Round Square: Children Welcome LCC Students With Open Arms

Posted on September 27, 2012 by admin

: It didn’t really matter what we did with the kids, all they really wanted was love. Many of these children were orphans or neglected by their parents. It was incredible to see how much they appreciated just a little one on one time with us. We will always remember the children we met and the day spent at the school.

: This is one of the girls from the day care centre. As one of the youngest children there, she hadn’t seen people like us before and was frightened by our new white faces at first. However, as the day went on, she warmed up to us and we learned how much she actually craved attention.

: It was amazing to see how so little could go such a long way with these kids. We were given only two boxes filled with a couple of toys but this was enough to entertain them for an entire day. No matter where we are in the world, face paint seems to be a big attraction to the children. Whether it be the LCC BBQ or the daycare centre in Africa, it brings us closer to children.

: The Marie Daycare Centre has a very limited budget, however they make due with what they have. Their roof was originally a patchwork of materials donated or found. Here is Zach, he was lending a hand to Jack with installing a new stable roof.

: On September 24 the Marie Daycare Centre welcomed us with open arms. As we pulled into their driveway, the kids were waiting for us with eager smiles and waving hands. Our responsibilities for the day were to help clean up the center as well as entertain and care for the underprivileged children.

La classe de droit de 10e année rencontre l’Honorable Anne-Marie Trahan, Me Shea et Me Lemoine

Posted on September 26, 2012 by admin

Dans le cadre du concours Jeunes du monde organisé par Éducaloi (un organisme de vulgarisation juridique québécois), les étudiants jouent le rôle d’un avocat et doivent donner un conseil juridique à un jeune de 13 ans. La classe de droit a eu le privilège d’écouter l’Honorable Anne-Marie Trahan, ancienne juge à la Cour Supérieure du Québec, Maitre Shea et Me Lemoine spécialistes du droit collaboratif. Le sujet de la conférence était la convention relative aux droits de l’enfant.

Voici quelques extraits de ce que les élèves ont écrit à propos de cette conférence:

«J’ai aimé quand la juge Trahan nous a dit que nous sommes l’avenir, mais aussi le présent. Il y a toujours des gens qui disent seulement que les enfants d’aujourd’hui sont le futur du Canada. C’était agréable d’entendre que nous sommes aussi les enfants d’aujourd’hui et que nous avons une importance dans la société actuelle.» — Jennifer Ben-Menashe ’13

«Les deux présentatrices étaient des femmes très charismatiques et cela m’a donné plus de confiance. J’espère aussi apporter des changements dans le monde du droit comme elles l’ont fait.» — Arielle Supino ’13

«Honnêtement, je ne me suis jamais ennuyé durant la présentation. Les anecdotes, les histoires personnelles ainsi que les informations générales ont vraiment créé une présentation géniale.» — Thomas Boucher ’13

«J’ai appris que le droit n’est pas tout noir ou tout blanc, mais que tout change d’un cas à l’autre.» — Brian Brotto ’13

«Une chose que j’ai apprise pendant la conférence est le caractère légal du respect des enfants envers les parents. Je ne savais pas que dans le code civil du Québec, ce sont les articles 596 et 598 qui le décrivent.» — Luca Saputo ’13

«J’ai beaucoup appris sur le rôle d’une juge. De plus, je ne savais pas que si un enfant voulait voir une juge, elle était forcée de voir cet enfant. J’ai appris plusieurs choses sur les droits et les devoirs des enfants envers leurs parents.» — Nicholas Tabet ’13

«J’ai beaucoup aimé la façon dont madame Trahan a parlé. Honnêtement, c’est une des présentations que j’ai le plus appréciée, car elle connaissait très bien son sujet. Quand quelqu’un a confiance en ce qu’il dit, les personnes y portent attention.» — Eric Tellier ’13

Round Square: Thrilling Experiences in South Africa

Posted on September 25, 2012 by admin

LCC students have travelled to South Africa to attend the International Round Square Conference. Before activities get underway, the group has taken the time to learn a little about the country. Here are some reflections:

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September 23, 2012

Today we woke up after a few hours of sleep plagued by raging thunder showers, ready to face the chilly 5:00 am air. After a hearty breakfast, we headed to the Ann van Dyke Cheetah Breeding Centre, where we witnessed cheetah’s run at 75 km/hour speeds. This was followed by petting a live cheetah, which, thankfully, we all survived!

The rest of the morning was spent touring the breeding centre; we saw various animals including ostriches, wild dogs, vultures and feisty honey badgers. We even had a grass spitting competition, in which Mrs. Shadley participated by spitting the masticated grass as far as she could…

Upon our return to the expansive game reserve we enjoyed a picnic lunch. After lunch, the group packed into two safari trucks and drove into the gated “predator” section of the park. There were wild dogs, lions and cheetahs roaming the untamed grasses and relaxing in the sun. Our jaws dropped in awe while watching several lions feast on an animal carcass.

As the sun started to set into the scenic African landscape, we gathered for a drumming session. Most of us felt unsure about our drumming talent, but the instructor kindly taught us some really cool beats. Once everyone caught on we played games and even sang and danced!

For our final activity of the evening we were split into groups of five to cook “Potjekii”, a special South African stew. After the meal was prepared, we got together for dinner before heading back to our tents for the night. So far, we’ve been having an amazing time and we can’t wait for the days ahead! — Sarah Salzman ’13