South Africa Feels Like Home

Posted on February 3, 2010 by admin

I’ve now been in South Africa for two weeks and the country has really impressed me. In general, South Africa’s tough history has left many people thinking that it’s an impoverished and disease- struck place. Therefore, when I first arrived I had prepared myself for the worst. Although the signs of Apartheid and poverty are still present, I can firmly say that South Africa has surpassed all my expectations.

In terms of the school, everything has been great. Saints has really impressed me. The sense of pride that everyone at the school has in Stithians has left me in awe. As well, my teachers have been very nice and understanding. I am not finding it too much of a challenge to cope with the curriculum. Before this exchange, I thought that LCC had the best athletics program, but I think Saints may just have the edge. The athletics are truly amazing. I’m playing on two sports teams as well as frequently using the school gym. I’m also finding that sports are a great way to meet tons of new people. Through sports I’ve already made some great friends.

When I first arrived I was surprised at how different Canada and South Africa were. One could say that I was experiencing culture shock. However, now that I’ve been here for almost two weeks and am more comfortable, I am realizing that although Canada and South Africa are over 10,000 kilometers away, the mentality of the people here are very similar to Canadians. Everyone I have met so far has been super friendly and like us, South Africans have a pretty relaxed mentality. So I feel right at home here. –Julien Miller ’12

La raquette

Posted on February 2, 2010 by admin

Notre première journée de Classe Neige s’est bien déroulée. Aujourd’hui, on a seulement eu le temps de faire une activité, car nous sommes arrivés à Jouvence à 11 h. Nous étions divisés en quatre groupes. Il y avait deux activités à l’horaire; le ski de fond ou la raquette. Nous, nous avons fait de la raquette. Dans la forêt, la piste était difficile. Monter était ardu et on tombait souvent. Descendre était encore plus difficile, car on devait glisser ou sauter en bas des rochers. C’était quand même amusant. Nous avons traversé le lac, il y avait beaucoup de vent. Nous étions mieux dans la forêt. Notre animateur nous a expliqué plusieurs choses à propos de la forêt, des arbres, des pistes d’animaux et des trucs pour se débrouiller si on se perd. Même si on a trouvé l’activité de raquette un peu difficile, c’était vraiment, VRAIMENT AMUSANT!!! —Holly Faria ’15 et Emma Luprano ’15

Community Pride

Posted on January 27, 2010 by admin

I was recently at an education conference in New York City and had the opportunity to meet with two LCC graduates from the class of 1982. Along with two other classmates, two years ago they initiated a significant fundraising drive with members of their graduating class for the creation of an endowed student bursary at LCC. These men are supportive of our programs and vision for the future and feel proud that their donations to LCC will have a significant impact on future students. After two years they have gathered close to $200,000, with an objective of raising a total of $400,000 so an endowed bursary will cover the cost of a full tuition forever. As the first class to band together to initiate such a bursary at LCC, these gentlemen are now challenging all graduating classes to match them—to create more endowed bursaries that will pave the way for students of merit from all walks of life to come to LCC. It was so great to meet with them and feel their excitement and desire to give back to their school. When they asked me to present a short update on life at LCC, one story immediately came to mind—Haiti relief.

I explained that last week we decided to dedicate our monthly free dress day funds to Haiti relief—usually an amount of about $800. Noting the extreme devastation of the earthquake and its terrible aftermath on people in Haiti, students were urged by administrators, teachers and peers to dig deeper into their pockets, to demonstrate true compassion and care in a special way beyond our borders. I had confidence in our student and staff response, but I was truly shocked by the outpouring of concern demonstrated. Parents even got into the mix with several individuals offering to match funds raised by specific groups in the school. Across the school everyone dug deeply into their pockets, raising an astonishing $18,000 for the people of Haiti. Moreover, student leaders have not stopped and continue to discuss ways to support the relief initiatives even further.

So it warms my heart to know that a deep spirit of generosity and empathy is alive at LCC. I am so proud of our community!

Non Nobis Solum,
Christopher Shannon, Headmaster

L’art de l’opéra au service du théâtre : La Princesse Turandot.

Posted on January 27, 2010 by admin

Le jeudi 14 janvier, les élèves de 9e année, français, programme accéléré, ont été voir une pièce de Carlo Gozzi adaptée de l’opéra de Giacomo Puccini; La Princesse Turandot., au théâtre Denise Pelletier.

Ce conte burlesque nous a fait découvrir un pandémonium de la célèbre Commedia dell’arte et de la Chine, une rencontre entre l’Orient et l’Occident.

L’histoire de cette princesse, qui est terriblement belle, mais qui refuse tout amour terrestre et aussi toute idée de mariage, propose à quiconque veut l’épouser trois énigmes à résoudre sous peine de trancher la tête. Quatre-vingt-dix-neuf prétendants ont déjà échoué lorsqu’un jeune Prince étranger demande à subir l’épreuve. La suite nous entraîne dans de burlesques aventures comiques, mais aussi dramatiques.

Les élèves ont pu apprécier, mais aussi critiquer certains aspects de cette œuvre. Voici quelques commentaires :

J’ai beaucoup pris plaisir à la pièce pour son mélange de style, et le jeu des acteurs.— Emily Tibéri

Un des personnages principaux, Abdallah, apportait à la pièce son côté comique ce qui m’a permis de garder toute mon attention et mon intérêt au cours de la pièce. — Claudia Trahan

J’ai beaucoup aimé le mélange Orient, Occident. De plus, d’avoir des musiciens sur scène, m’a aidé à comprendre la mise en scène de cette pièce. — Andrew Dunn

Le metteur en scène a bien réussi la combinaison de la comédie et du drame. Mes personnages préférés étaient : Tartaglia et Abdallah. Leur jeu était époustouflant. De plus, j’ai trouvé que l’humour qu’ils ajoutaient à la pièce la rendait acceptable. — André Capretti

Que dire après ces critiques? Nous avons passé une excellente matinée, et nous avons été enjoués par cette performance.
—E. Soret et la classe de 9e année, français, programme accéléré

First Impressions of South African Student Exchange

Posted on January 26, 2010 by admin

LCC grade 9 student Julien Miller set out on January 13th on a two month student exchange with Saint Stithians Boys’ College in South Africa.

Here are his first impressions of his student exchange experience:

Going on this exchange is possibly the best decision I’ve ever made. I’m simply loving it here. I could really get used to not having to wear a coat and boots every time I leave the house. However, yesterday we had a massive thunderstorm and it even began to hail. Although, I’ve seen my fair share of storms, I had never seen a storm like this one. I was surprised when the family I’m staying with told me that these storms are quite common for summers in Johannesburg.

Everything at school has been terrific. The teachers are very nice, and the workload hasn’t been too much of a problem as I discovered that I am ahead of the curriculum here. As well, there is a great selection of sports to play. I am currently deciding whether to join the water polo or cricket team. –Julien Miller ’12