Unfinished Business??

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

In August, Google took special steps to acknowledge the birth of Pierre de Fermat – an outstanding French mathematician from the mid 1600’s. Although he made important contributions to calculus, optics and number theory, he is largely remembered for his last theorem that was jotted in the margins of an ancient Greek mathematical text, which apparently he solved, but never shared with anyone when he lived. In fact, the unsolved elements of the theorem frustrated mathematicians for almost four full centuries before it was finally figured out. For a long time “Fermat’s Conjecture” was in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most difficult math problem.

It was finally fully solved in 1994 by British mathematician Andrew Wiles, whose proof took seven years to complete and ran over 100 pages in length. For his efforts he was knighted and recognized widely for his achievement.

Because of this extraordinary story, Fermat actually became more famous for what he had left undone rather than what he did achieve in life, and in so doing, he has been identified as the “patron saint of unfinished business.”

Unfinished business—we all suffer from the plight of unfinished business. Whether it’s a school project, a personal hobby, a desire to develop a new skill, or simply organize to meet up with an important friend who you haven’t seen for a long time, I think we live in a world where the trail of unfinished business is now longer than it has ever been before. According to the so-called experts, our attention spans are getting shorter, and because of all the interesting things we can read about or watch on the Internet, completing projects or tasks has seemingly become more challenging these days.

So, work at being organized and disciplined with your major responsibilities in life. However, whether it’s your school work, a personal project in your basement, an unfinished novel, or a technical idea that may be as good as Google or Facebook, think about Pierre de Fermat—the Patron Saint of Unfinished business. Great ideas sometimes take a long time to come to fruition. I hope that your greatest ideas eventually see the light of day… and despite all our modern distractions, many of them likely will.

Persist, mes amis, persist! —Headmaster Chris Shannon

Ottawa Trip: Remembrance Day Ceremonies

Posted on November 17, 2011 by admin

On November 11, 2011, three LCC students and I joined over 250 students that came from coast to coast, in Ottawa for the Remembrance Day ceremony. This trip was organized by Operation Veteran, which was founded by an LCC graduate, Dr. Paul Kavanagh ’70. Operation Veteran ensures that all veterans who visit the Canadian War Museum are able to get a free meal at the cafeteria. This cause is supported by private donors and student fundraising initiatives which run throughout the year, and is an ever-expanding project.

We left for Ottawa at 6:30 am. When we arrived, all the students went to the Canada Room of the Laurier Building, where Dr. Kavanagh gave a short talk about Operation Veteran. We then went outside for the ceremony, which was amazing. Governor General David Johnston and Prime Minister Stephen Harper were there, along with a host of other government and military officials. It seemed like half the people that I saw were in uniform! There was a 21-gun salute, and bagpipes and a bugle were played. There was also a choir that sang during the laying of the wreaths at the National War Memorial. There must have been 30 groups that placed wreaths on the monument. There were also two fighter jets that flew overhead and a formation of helicopters. The speeches were especially moving because, every minute or two, a gun would go off. It was a poignant reminder of the sacrifices that we were remembering.

After the ceremony, we placed our poppies on the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which is part of the War Memorial. Afterwards, we made our way to the Canadian War Museum, which was a really great experience. I discovered the meaning of a couple of the medals that were won by my great-uncles. There were also some really memorable exhibits. I walked through a replica of a trench and touched a chunk of the Berlin Wall!

On the whole, this day was just such an incredible experience, and I’m so glad that I had the chance to go!—Julia Peterson ’13

Paris Échange: Les Champs Elysées, l’Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

Dans deux jours, je retourne au Canada. Honnêtement, je peux dire que ces six semaines en France étaient vraiment quelque chose que je chérirai toute ma vie. Cette expérience m’a appris à avoir davantage confiance en moi et dans les autres.

Avant le départ pour Montréal, je vais rester à la maison avec Gwen et sa famille pour être ensemble et regarder des films. Durant cet échange, j’ai rencontré plein de personnes avec lesquelles je vais rester en contact grâce à Facebook. Samedi, la mère de Gwen m’a emmené à Paris avec Gwen pour faire une journée entière de shopping. On était au Printemps et aux Galeries Lafayette pendant une journée! C’était vraiment fatigant! On a marché dans ces deux magasins pendant 8 heures. Après, nous sommes allés dans un café très célèbre qui s’appelle Angelina où j’ai mangé le meilleur millefeuille du monde.

Dimanche, nous avons eu la plupart de la journée pour nous détendre et faire des devoirs. Dimanche soir, les parents de Gwen m’ont montré Paris la nuit. J’ai eu la chance de voir les Champs Elysées, l’Arc de Triomphe et la Tour Eiffel illuminés. Durant ce tour, j’ai appris que la « vraie » statue de la Liberté est en France et que celle de New-York était un cadeau donné par les Français.

En fin de compte, mon séjour dans ce lycée a été incroyable et je ne l’oublierai jamais.—Brooke Stein ’13

Green Team: Web Seminar with Dr. David Suzuki

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

David Suzuki, the prestigious and award winning environmentalist, held a web seminar this past Wednesday, on November 2. Along with his co-workers, he set up a virtual classroom where elementary and secondary schools from across North America could partake. If questions were submitted in advance, different schools could ask Dr. Suzuki their personal questions themselves via video chat.

LCC did not have the chance to submit any questions, however, several members of the Green Team, along with Ms. Scattolin and myself, had the privilege of watching. Suzuki took the time to answer approximately ten different questions. I was impressed with many of the questions that were asked and with the elaborate answers that were given in return. In particular, one student asked: “How is it possible to become an environmentalist?” Concisely, Suzuki replies that anyone can really become an environmentalist, as it is not a real profession. If you have a passion for helping the environment then it is important to pursue it along side your career, but it should not be one’s principle occupation. He then said “You should follow your heart and do what makes you happy.” This statement is very encouraging and I appreciated Dr. David Suzuki’s responses a great deal. — Jacklyn Greenspoon ’13

Green Coalition: Montreal Students Exchange Environmental Ideas at LCC

Posted on November 10, 2011 by admin

The first ever Green Coalition meeting was held on October 17, 2011. Don’t let the word “coalition” fool you, this was not an activist meeting. Environment-enthusiast students from many different schools, including Royal Vale, Bialak, ECS as well as Elena Poulakis, Kelsey Wiseman, Rebecca Torralbo, Joseph Wiltzer and myself gathered in our LCC auditorium to dialogue about our deteriorating environment.

The meeting was organized by one optimistic second year Marianopolis student, Leehi Yona, whose goal was to have us all combine our ideas and come up with new ways that we can help achieve our common objective, doing all that we can before it’s too late. Getting us, as students, involved in bettering our own future is essential. She gave us ideas such as talking to our city council representative, as she has done. She also suggested some summer internships where you can raise green awareness.

The feeling in the room was indescribable. I had no idea what to expect from this conference. Would the other students be excited, shy, engaged, involved? Everyone had the same goal and we were all keen to achieve it together. Leehi was so charismatic and got us even more motivated and ready to make a change. My personal favourite part was when all the students had a chance to mingle and exchange ways that their schools contribute to helping the environment. A couple of students from Royal Vale even complemented us on our recyclable paper!

Overall, I think everyone really enjoyed the conference and would love for it to become an annual occurrence. — Sabine Hawa ’12