It’s About the Journey!

Posted on December 9, 2015 by admin

As our high school students prepare for exams we should all be reflecting on the journey that every student has experienced since we first gathered in late August. It’s a journey of learning and personal growth with a notable impact on mind, body and heart.

This morning I asked each Middle and Senior School student to reflect on their own personal journey – asking, what it has looked like and how it has felt?

Since September each student has gained new knowledge in various subjects. They’ve completed projects, in groups or alone, honed special technology skills, become better critical thinkers. They’ve all certainly experienced proud moments of achievement as well as difficult periods of frustration. I hope they are all learning how to handle both ends of the emotional spectrum well.

On this learning journey teachers have pushed and pulled, challenged and often inspired. Every student’s development and growth is complicated. Yet, as one parent recently declared after an evening of parent-teacher meetings, LCC teachers are “caretakers”. She was very thankful that our teachers are so supportive of our students.

Some of our students are quiet by nature, while some like to speak a lot and are still working on becoming better listeners. All have drawn on their capacity for creativity in their courses, but especially in developing what are called “Studio Habits of Mind” in Art, Drama, Music and Digital Media. This is the capacity to create, refine and improve work. In essence, they are developing skills for personal and academic resilience.

Pride is something we talk about a lot here – and it has often been on display in the classroom and in our many co-curricular activities.

For a large percentage of our students, athletics is a key aspect of the journey and involvement at school. With a focus on fitness, skill development and competition, most students have navigated dozens of practices, demanding coaches and high expectations.

Some teams won league banners while others fell short. However, the highs and lows of athletic competition have been an important part of their personal experience, providing many memorable learning moments.

Beyond sports, LCC students have been very engaged in many interesting activities. Dozens were Open House Ambassadors or hosts for “Student for a Day” events. They have stepped up as members of their Houses, iPride in Middle School, Grad Pride in Senior School as well as Student Council.

The journey has included debating competitions, Model UN, participation in the Destiny Quebec organizing team, Green Team, Yearbook, LCC Reads, Amnesty International, Duke of Edinburgh, Round Square, LCC TV, The Wire, Robotics, Movember, and roles as delegates to leadership conferences in Canada and Singapore. And of course they have all participated in a wide array of service initiatives across this city.

Our students prepared diligently for Monday night’s wonderful Holiday Concert and many are preparing the upcoming Middle and Senior School plays slated for the winter.

So yes, students should prepare well for their exams. But let’s remember, much of what they do here that is important has no exam at all, but does certainly test them. Clubs, activities, various inter-school competitions and performance opportunities are an integral part of personal and character development.

Since August each of our students has been on a marvelous journey. They have exerted a lot of effort, discovered some hidden talents, grown and matured. They should take genuine pride in that. No test or exam required!

Happy & safe holidays!
Chris Shannon – Headmaster

L’Honorable Juge Trahan parle aux élèves du cours de droit

Posted on September 28, 2015 by admin

Dans le cadre de la participation au concours d’écriture sur le droit des enfants, l’honorable Anne-Marie Trahan, c.r. a rendu visite à Lower Canada College pendant le cours de droit.

Madame Trahan a exercé le droit à Montréal de 1968 à 1979, au sein du cabinet maintenant connu sous le nom de Lavery, puis elle a poursuivi sa carrière comme juriste au service du droit commercial international du Bureau des affaires juridiques des Nations-Unies; elle travaillait à Vienne. Nommée par la suite commissaire à la Commission canadienne des transports (1981-1986), elle a été sous-ministre déléguée, droit civil et services législatifs, au Ministère fédéral de la Justice de 1986 à 1994. Elle a été juge de la Cour supérieure du Québec du 5 juillet 1994 au 30 juillet 2010. Elle se consacre maintenant à diverses activités au sein d’organismes à but non lucratif.

Voici les commentaires des élèves suite à la discussion :

La semaine dernière, Juge Trahan a visité notre école pour nous parler du droit des enfants au Québec et autour du monde. Elle nous a enseigné un peu sur nos droits en tant que mineurs et c’était un grand plaisir de l’écouter parler.
– Ryan Hawa ’16

L’autre jour, j’ai eu l’occasion de rencontrer et de parler avec la Juge Trahan, une femme qui a travaillé dans le système de justice du Québec pendant de nombreuses années. Nous avons parlé des droits de l’enfant, non seulement au Québec, mais partout dans le monde. C’est toujours un plaisir d’écouter ce qu’elle a à dire, et je suis chanceuse d’avoir eu la chance de l’entendre parler à nouveau.
– Christina Papageorgakopoulos ’16

J’ai beaucoup aimé quand la Juge Trahan est venue nous parler car elle est drôle quand elle parle et elle avait beaucoup à dire. Quand on posait une question elle allait en profondeur pour nous répondre le mieux possible. C’était très intéressant de rencontrer quelqu’un qui a déjà envoyé une personne en prison, mais aussi qui était une bonne avocate puisqu’elle a pu devenir juge.
– Madison Llano ’16

J’ai trouvé la visite de la juge dans notre classe de droit très intéressante et j’aimerais bien en savoir plus sur le droit criminel et le code civil. En effet, ça ma juste renforcé dans mes intentions de découvrir plus des choses sur le droit international, le code civil et le droit criminel.
– Giuliano Latella ’17

Lors de la visite de Mme Juge Trahan, j’ai appris plein de nouveaux faits et lois sur le Québec. La juge Trahan nous a enseigné le droit d’une façon intriguante et plaisante. Elle a répondu en détail à toutes mes questions sur le droit des enfants au Quebec, avec enthousiasme! Le fait le plus captivant que j’ai appris c’est que l’article 33 répond à la majorité des questions que j’ai sur le droit des enfants au Québec.
– Ryan Garber ’17

J’ai bien aimé la visite du Juge Trahan. Elle avait une très belle personnalité et elle m’a éduqué beaucoup sur le droit en nous disant son expérience passée dans la domaine du droit. Aussi, elle répondait à nos questions avec une telle facilité et ceci m’ impressionnait beaucoup.
– Adam Mahrouse ’17

Solisterra: Building Model Rocket Stoves & Memories that will last a Lifetime

Posted on June 2, 2015 by admin

LCC is privileged to go on annual trips to Solisterra. Whether for grade 8 enriched math, Green Team leadership, or senior service trips, we have been going on these trips for the last five years.

The very first year LCC students went to Solisterra, they built a three-storey playhouse fully equipped with a fireman’s pole and slide. The next year, the students participated in a community project building a gazebo in Kazabazua made from the ruins from the oldest house in the town. During the third year, our most “ambitious” year, the students built an 80 foot tall windmill made with cement blocks weighing 1.2 tons each–not to mention the straw bale workshop as well as chicken coop which is now home to 15 roosters and hens. The following year, student leadership along with the grade 8 enriched class built a solar shower, straw bale generator shed, chicken run and rocket stove to keep the chickens warm. In April of this year, the senior service trip students finished the solar shower and straw bale workshop. A big thank you to all who have participated over the years.

I was lucky enough to be a part of this year’s enriched math trip and I would like to share what it was like for us.

Three weeks ago, 20 of my classmates, Ms. Webster, Ms. Saunders, Mr. Clark, M. Tremblay and I embarked on a three-hour bus ride to Solisterra not quite knowing what to expect. When we arrived, we quickly learned that bug spray was absolutely no help against the vicious swarms of insects that attacked us the second we walked off the bus. Ms Saunders got us quickly engaged building model rocket stoves followed by roasting marshmallows and a nighttime hike. For our sleeping quarters we were separated into two houses, Pinia and Rose.

The next day we were on the building worksite by 7:30 am after consuming the best homemade bread ever. One small group went to parge, another worked on the rocket stove bench, and the other worked on a pizza and bread oven. The work was hard and tiring, but always exciting and rewarding. Thank goodness for the amazing snacks and meals that were made for us by Deb! We spent the next two days alternating projects and having a blast. It goes without saying that we were all a bit reluctant to get on that bus back to the city.

I’m so grateful to all the people who helped to make this trip a reality and on behalf of all the students who attended, wish to thank to Ms. Saunders, Ms. Webster, Mr. Clark and M. Tremblay. We had a great time and we made new memories and strong bonds that will last us long past our graduation. –Emma Belhadfa ’18

Middle School “Survive or Die” Mount Orford Outdoor Ed Trip

Posted on May 20, 2015 by admin

Last Friday, our group of 24 Middle School students (grades 7-8) embarked on an outdoor ed trip to Mount Orford. Ms. Saunders, our trip leader, had been preparing our group of “adventurers” since the beginning of the year, through a variety of in-school training sessions that taught us the basics of survival in the outdoors. For example, we learned how to set up a tent, operate a camp stove, and administer basic first aid (fortunately, there was no need!). Our group was well prepared for a great trek and camping experience.

When we boarded the bus on Friday for our 1.5-hour drive, we were all bustling with energy, until something horrible happened: THE TEACHERS TOOK OUR PHONES AWAY. WE WERE FORCED TO TALK. Although this was horrifying, it wasn’t long before we started conservations with other kids on the bus. In fact, the teachers taking our phones away allowed us to bond, which I realized was one of the major benefits of taking the trip.

Upon arrival at the base of the mountain, we immediately got our bags, ate a small energy bar, applied bug spray and sunscreen, and then we got moving. We hiked by some fast water and saw picturesque views of the lake. After about two hours of hiking and talking (which seemed to be getting easier), we reached our campsite.

Our campsite was in a nice, secluded location, away from everything and surrounded by trees. We were fortunate to have the luxury of wooden platforms on which we could pitch our tents. Our tents went up in less than an hour and then we started preparing our dinner. Of course, we could not help but realize how difficult this all would have been without Ms. Saunders’ guidance, preparation sessions, and her humour (mainly because we were all scared of burning ourselves using the stove!)

We woke up the next morning at 6:30 am to prepare our breakfasts, followed by a seven-hour hike. Although it was challenging, we felt satisfaction as we climbed over smooth rocks to see incredible views of the scenery around us. We had climbed so high that it was possible to see over other surrounding mountains! For as warm as we were during the hike, we quickly realized how freezing we were once we stopped at the summit. So … we quickly put on extra layers. (Thanks, Ms. Saunders, for teaching us to pack properly!)

We finally went back to our campsite and enjoyed the rest of our afternoon. We ate marshmallows roasted over a fire pit, and some chocolate as well. Our group continued talking, realizing that talking was not painful anymore, as we had all become very close friends.

We left the next morning feeling sad that it had all come to an end (and, personally, feeling really tired, mainly because I realized that I’m not in as good shape as I had thought!). All in all, I believe this was one of the best experiences that I have had at school this year, and I will certainly not forget it. I benefited so much from this trip: I bonded with many students that I don’t usually spend much time with, and I challenged myself to do something new.

On behalf of the “Survive or Die” crew, I would like to thank Ms. Saunders for making this trip possible. I would also like to thank our other supervisors, Mr. Murphy and M. Maurice.

We will most certainly be doing this again next year! – Andrew Vandenbussche ’19

View photo gallery

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