Footy and Eureka Tower Down Under

Posted on March 31, 2010 by admin

It’s the end of week one, 11 000 miles away from Montreal, in Ballarat, Victoria. The weather has been great, the family amazingly friendly, and my short time at Ballarat Grammar School has been fun.

So far I have spent a week at school followed by a great weekend in Melbourne approximately an hour and a half away from Ballarat. The school, Ballarat Grammar School has been interesting. I have made good friends, experienced new and different things, such as “footy,” or Australian Rules Football–a great combination of various sports which is an action packed and highly skilled game. During the weekend, we went to a professional footy game in Melbourne to see some real “blokes” play a fun nail-biter of a game. On Saturday we spent the day in the city, taking in the view from the Eureka Tower, the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere. At the top of the world, we witnessed an aerobatics show. We spent the rest of the day walking around a beautiful and multi-ethnic city.

Ballarat Grammar School is presently on an end of term holiday. Awaiting us is a couple of days at the beach, to catch the surf followed by a week in Sydney. — Nick Lighter ’12

South Africa Exchange: A Great Experience Comes to an End

Posted on March 24, 2010 by admin

As I pack my bags and get ready for the long journey home, I look back on possibly the two greatest months of my life. Every week I did something new and unbelievable. Whether it was climbing mountains, spotting leopards in the Kruger or just chilling with the great friends I made here, I was always having a blast. So now that it is time to go, I can’t help but feel disappointed at how quickly my exchange has passed. It feels as though it was yesterday that I arrived at Saints for the first time. — Julien Miller ’12

As well as having a great time, being here for two months has given me a sense of connection with my South African heritage. My dad’s side of the family is originally from South Africa. Consequently, living here has let me relate to what it must have been like for my dad and grandparents when they lived here.

Overall, my only regret about my experience here is that I’m not staying longer. I will forever treasure the great memories I have of South Africa.

Olympic Addiction

Posted on February 18, 2010 by admin

I am suffering from a strong addiction. I can’t help myself from watching Olympic events late into the night. It’s easy to forget how interesting and dynamic the Olympics games can be until they are on home soil.

Although focused on sport and athleticism, the games are really much more than that: I believe they embody interesting human tales that go well beyond sport.

Think of the stories which have emerged only a few days into the games: the tragic death of a courageous 22-year-old Georgian luge competitor during a practice run, the spectacular opening ceremonies which weaved innovative technical effects with one of Canada’s greatest cultural attributes, which I think is our capacity to produce divas (i.e., outstanding female singers). The performances of K.D. Lang, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado and Montreal’s own teen sensation, Nikki Yanovsky, impressed a massive audience worldwide.

At the pivotal moment of the lighting of the Olympic flame, rather than choose one person, we came up with a classic Canadian solution and shared the honours with five outstanding athletes who symbolize the best of Canadian achievement and Canadian values: Nancy Greene, Katrina Lemay-Doan, Steve Nash, Rick Hansen and Wayne Gretzky.

On the slopes, organizers struggled all of the first weekend with rain and mother nature, and during the first ski competition—freestyle moguls—we were dazzled by the talent of all competitors, especially our athletes, netting Canada a silver in the women’s category by Jen Heil and a gold by Quebecer, Alexandre Bilodeau. I was even more impressed by what both of them said and how they expressed themselves when dealing with the media after medaling in their respective competitions. Both thanked the many people instrumental in getting them to the pinnacle of athletic success; their coaches, parents, friends, and in Bilodeau’s case, his handicapped brother who Bilodeau described as teaching him so many important life lessons and helping him keep things in perspective.

We have seen skaters and skiers both soar and fall, unknown athletes have experienced success and flown into the media limelight, and our women’s hockey team started the games with an 18-0 and 10-1 drubbings of their opponents. Our beloved men’s hockey team also began its quest for gold with a solid victory, but that very talented team is in a pool of many talented teams filled with professionals from all over the world. Their work is cut out for them.

Over at the long-track skating oval, organizers have faced major headaches. Despite good planning and preparations, the zamboni broke down and they had to airlift a new one in from Calgary, and maintaining the ice has proved difficult. Clearly there are many visible and behind-the-scene challenges in the day-to-day mechanics of organizing and hosting something as massive as the Olympic Games.

In the Vancouver games there are still stories to be written, surprises, upsets, profiles and special profiles and insights into the remarkable beauty of the city of Vancouver. Lots of spectators are keenly following sports they rarely pay attention to. It’s fantastic to watch the best of the best, including some who are still pure amateurs in the modern sense…..thrilled and ecstatic when they achieve for the sake of achievement, not purely for some enormous financial payoff.

Try to get enough sleep in the coming days. As Canadians, be sure to watch lots of events, celebrate the achievements and the challenges and revel in the honour of not just Vancouver, but all of Canada hosting the world. —Chris Shannon, Headmaster

Hardships Make You Realize Your Good Fortune

Posted on January 20, 2010 by admin

The drama of the real world came crashing into our living rooms this past week with the earthquake that occurred in Haiti. The human calamity we have all witnessed on our TV’s as people have desperately tried to cope with the aftermath of such a devastating natural disaster hardly seems believable.

The scenes of devastation have moved Canadians, and citizens of the world are responding to what is both an infrastructure and human crisis. It’s almost impossible to fully appreciate the breadth of the challenges that poor, small island nation is currently facing.

My personal connection to, and appreciation for, large scale human tragedy came in the winter of 1980. As a young university graduate I travelled to Southeast Asia a few years after the end of the Vietnam War. After that terrible conflict, a civil war erupted in Cambodia.

In the late 1970s a vicious dictator by the name of Pol Pot initiated a holocaust against all educated Cambodians with a bizarre quest to erase all western influences and return to year zero (i.e., a return to a completely agricultural society). A civil war erupted and some two million Cambodians perished in one of the worst holocausts of the 20th century. Unfortunately, Pol Pot intentionally and systematically tried to eliminate anyone with education or who represented imported western or European values.

I was amazed by what I had read and travelled with a friend to see the aftermath of this with my own eyes. In a massive UN refugee camp on the Thailand/Cambodia border, I saw tens of thousands of displaced people—teachers, artists, scientists, engineers, children—all seeking sanctuary and safety. What a shock and a challenge for a young Canadian who had only known a life of safety, opportunity and order.

I will never forget the extraordinary deprivation those people faced. There were thousands living under plastic tarps, seeking shelter from the burning mid-day sun. They had nowhere to go and were powerless. In fact, I have kept a photo of a special feeding centre for new mothers from the camp in my office for the past 25 years—a concrete reminder of coming face-to-face with disaster for the first time.

But it was the hope, optimism and creativity in the Cambodian refugees that surprised me and impressed me the most. Picture this: a number of dancers from the Royal Cambodian ballet had survived the Pol Pot holocaust. To fend off crushing boredom, they practiced their skills every day in the UN refugee camp.

I ended up there under the guise of being a young Canadian journalist. The dancers insisted that my friend and I watch them perform. They simply wanted an audience… so they got us—two young Canadians wondering how we could ease their frustration.

As we watched them perform I have never felt more humble. It taught me about the power of talent, community and hope displayed by all the Cambodians, even in the face of desperation. As I left the camp I reflected on the many privileges we all share as Canadians.

Today again I am again reminded that Canadians are some of the most fortunate people in the world. It’s time to look to our brothers and sisters in Haiti and share our compassion and generosity. Reach out and help today. People are desperate and you have the power to help. Don’t miss the opportunity. — Headmaster Chris Shannon

Vow of Silence Reflection

Posted on November 24, 2009 by admin

VowSilence November 20, 2009

Today marks the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the UN Convention of the rights of children. By taking part in the Vow of Silence, we restricted ourselves from speaking, e-mailing, going on Facebook or texting. We cut back on these methods of communication to raise awareness about the millions of children around the world whose basic rights are non-existent and who do not have a voice to speak out about the injustices they live with. These children live in a world where food is a commodity and where most things are simply unattainable. We, as representative of LCC’s Free the Children committee, have decided to take it upon ourselves to raise awareness about these injustices and try and comprehend the amount of difficulty it is not to be heard and unable to convey basic necessities and personal thought. A change needs to be made and it is our commitment to not only raise awareness but also eventually make a difference.
— Noah Schoula ’11
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This feeling of frustration is overwhelming. Having so much to say, but no words to express yourself. Having a solution to all of the problems, without the ability to tell anyone how things must be done. It’s impossible to imagine how one can handle this in everyday life. Seeing the faults in the world around you, but not being able to breathe a word. Impossible.

Student Council this morning was just the beginning. A very productive day in the Board Room, although devoid of any grade 10 input. All four of the grade 10 representatives have taken the vow of silence, and we were all chomping at the bit to propose our valid solutions to the pressing issues in the school. But we had no voice.

Walking through the halls to class was equally dreadful. Not being able to return any good mornings or hellos, walking by pretending not to hear anyone. I felt guilty not replying to any of their greetings, for I didn’t want anyone to be upset. But if the hundreds of millions of children around the world don’t get to have their voice heard, why should I?

Imagine conducting a 6-station chemistry lab without being able to communicate to your partner. As you may infer, not a lot of production was yielded. My partner, Jordan, had taken the vow of silence as well, so any questions we had for our teacher were locked inside of our minds.

Skip ahead to French class. Our teacher explains how the new French government exam will be conducted. All of the questions dying to break free from my lips are trapped. To be saved for another day. So many answers left unknown.

Recess. Everyone is in a relentless pursuit to get me to speak. Taunting. Tickling. Anything they can try. They won’t break me. I’ll just pretend they’re not there. I fear that they’re not properly interpreting the message we’re trying to spread.

English class. Essay is due. Internet isn’t working, and I need to print. But of course, I can’t communicate this problem. I feel so powerless. So frustrated. So tempted. But I cannot speak. If they can’t be heard, why should I be? Poetry discussion. Robert Frost, one of my favourites. But I cannot participate. I have no voice.

Math. Step function word problem. Who got the answer? “I did!”, I am dying to yell. But I can’t. For I have no voice.

Lunch wasn’t very easy. The same question, over and over again. “Why are you doing this?” I just show them the message on my back, and no more needs to be said.

History. Class debate. Enough said.

All in all, my day at school was enlightening to say the least. It really made me think about the unfathomable repression one without the ability to be heard must feel. However, no matter how hard I try, I will never be able to fully appreciate the silence of those deprived by hunger or a lack of education. My frustration with not being able to talk to my friends, or speak my opinion on Robert Frost’s The Road Less Taken, is incomparable to those forced into child labour that are punished for speaking out against unsafe and unfair work conditions. The evil, so rampant among them, chokes out their voice, leaving them trapped in a perpetual silence. It was my goal to spread awareness about this, in the proper way, and it is my hope that I have succeeded. Only time will tell.

— Greg Sigler ’11