L’exposition du musée canadien de la guerre arrive à Lower Canada College

Posted on February 26, 2015 by admin

Le musée canadien de la guerre organise une exposition itinérante d’objets de la Première Guerre mondiale. Ceux-ci ont été exposés à la bibliothèque de LCC. Cette boîte de découverte comprend des objets et des plans d’apprentissage, le tout lié à l’expérience des Canadiens qui ont servis outre-mer durant la Première Guerre mondiale. Elle a été assemblée par les experts du Musée canadien de la guerre, le musée national d’histoire militaire au Canada

Voici quelques commentaires d’élèves de 9e année:
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J’ai trouvé que c’était une excellente expérience qui me permettait d’apprendre encore plus sur la Première Guerre mondiale. The exhibit helped me to imagine life in the trenches and really made me feel closer to the soldiers, nurses, and all the people in the war. – Alethea Ng

C’était une excellente expérience d’être capable de voir tous les différentes armes et outils utilisés pendant la Première Guerre mondiale. I really enjoyed trying on the uniforms and gas mask of the soldiers that participated in the war. – Alyssa Howard

Même si je viens d’essayer plusieurs vêtements, chapeaux et outils de guerre, je ne pourrais jamais savoir comment c’était horrible pour les soldats de vivre une telle expérience. This experience really opened my eyes to how lucky and fortunate we are. – Sophie Rivest

J’ai eu l’opportunité d’apprendre à propos de cette guerre d’une façon créative en essayant des uniformes, des équipements et en lisant de nombreux livres intéressants. Today, in our own school library, I put myself in the shoes of those who lived during World War I. – Abby Shine

Les artefacts qui étaient en vedette, entre autres des uniformes, des cartes et des éclats d’obus étaient fascinants. They truly breathed some life into all the dates and statistics that we’re taught in class. – Adam Vandenbussche

Aujourd’hui, on a vu les difficultés rencontrées lors des combats avec des masques à gaz. Les soldats ne pouvaient pas tirer facilement avec eux, mais, les gaz pouvaient les tuer s’ils ne les mettaient pas. Today, we have seen how the soldiers of the First World War fought with heavy artillery while waiting in the trenches for the opportunity to fight. – Max Topiol

La belle peinture illustrant la Première Guerre mondiale montrait le sacrifice de nombreux soldats canadiens qui ont malheureusement perdu la vie. The artifacts on display demonstrated the struggles and efforts made by the soldiers as well as the women’s role during World War 1. The nurse’s outfit is made out of silk similar to Edith Cavell’s. – Priscilla Johnson

J’ai appris qu’il y a plusieurs peintures magnifiques qui ont été créées pour capturer certains moments de la guerre. I saw many artifacts from WW1 that carry stories of war and represent the struggles and efforts of the armies from over 100 years ago. – Alyssa Cohen

Nous avons appris à propos d’artefacts utilisés pendant la Première Guerre mondiale. We also had the opportunity to try on these very interesting (and somewhat suffocating) relics that many of the Canadian soldiers that served for our country wore. – Ben Rossy

C’était intéressant d’être capable de toucher de vrais artefacts de la Première Guerre mondiale et j’ai découvert l’art de la guerre. I learned a lot from this experience but I know I’ll never know what it feels like to be in their shoes even if I tried on some of their clothes. – Erika Kaperonis

J’ai été capable de voir nettement une partie de la vie des soldats. It was a very interesting look into the First World War once we got to interact with the different objects used during that time. – Andrew Zhang

Nous sommes allés à la bibliothèque pour observer et essayer des objets de la Premiere Guerre mondiale. We went to the library to see some of the artifacts that were used in the First World War. – Adam Mahrouse

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Round Square: To Err on the Side of Compassion

Posted on February 26, 2015 by admin

I walked in someone’s shoes the other day. What I mean to say is that for one night, I voluntarily slept outside. For one night, I was like the homeless who more and more frequently sleep on the doorsteps of stores and churches, right here in my prosperous city. But, in truth, not really. Unlike the men and women who cannot find or who refuse to seek shelter, I was in the warmest sleeping bag my neurotic and overly protective mother could find; I slept in a quinzee which served as a perfectly adequate shelter, surrounded by friends, protected by teachers. Unlike the men and women who sleep outdoors, I haven’t been ignored, eyed malevolently or stared at contemptuously. My night spent outdoors has earned me a lot of (frankly not quite deserved) sympathy. Still, a little glitch in the zipper of my ultra warm sleeping bag meant that I shivered during the night. It was not totally pleasant, and perhaps explains why today, a few days after my winter experience, I stopped before the man seated on a threadbare blanket in the snow. He held a cardboard, with the heartbreaking words, ”hungry and cold”. I just couldn’t do otherwise. I couldn’t bear to ignore him. I gave him all the change in my wallet.

I have read enough on the issue of the homelessness to know all the arguments against giving loose change to the cold and hungry men and women in the street. I have been warned that my poor dollar would be used to buy hard drugs; that most of those who appear to be homeless are not homeless at all; that they contribute to the decline of neighborhoods, that it is best to leave their fate in the capable hands of organizations. This may be true. It is undoubtedly true, at any rate that dropping a few quarters in a cup will not solve, not even temporarily, the issue of homelessness. Except that I have no hard evidence at all the man shivering right before my eyes is a drug addict. I have no real evidence that all men and women on the streets have drug problems. I have no evidence at all the man staring at me, a little incredulously, really has a home to go to. I do not know that organizations have tried to help him. I do know that he is outside in unbearable -30 C weather, and that he is cold. I do know that not a single person, not a single one, has stopped to acknowledge him. Sherbrooke is a busy street, and there have been many pedestrians. Their steps, though, did not even falter as they passed him by. They rushed past him, without a glance, as though he did not exist at all.

I wonder when we have all become so jaded that we do not shudder when confronted with human misery. This is a man sitting before me. He deserves to be, if not helped, at least acknowledged. He deserves to be looked in the eyes. He deserves an “excuse me”, a “hello”, a nod or a smile. I wonder at the level of misery and despair, which moves a man to seek refuge in the frozen streets. My loose change might not have done much good, but it at least served to remind me, and him, that he is a human being, and he matters. If there is the least little doubt, I will choose to err on the side of compassion.

Service to others is a great Round Square ideal, and it takes a dozen different forms. It does not always have to result in accountable service hours. It does, however, every single time, start with humility and humanity. – David Elbaz ’15, Round Square Head

Student Exchange Australia: G’bye Australia

Posted on February 24, 2015 by admin

The last two weeks in Melbourne have been absolutely wonderful. Time flies when you’re having a good time! I still can’t believe I’m heading back to Canada tomorrow. As much as I want to see my friends and family back in Montreal, I don’t want to leave what has become my second home yet. I have developed a lifelong connection with my exchange, Erica, and her family, the Gikovskis. Luckily, I have made many memories here that I will cherish forever.

Contrary to being “Down Under”, as Australia is known, last weekend I went to the Eureka Skydeck, the Southern Hemisphere’s highest viewing tower. It was absolutely stunning looking over the city 300m in the air. An elevator transported us from the ground, to the 88^th floor of the tower within 45 seconds! My ears got blocked so I ended up shouting with my already-very-loud voice at Erica and her dad. (It probably didn’t help that I was already half deaf from going to a One Direction concert the night before. It’s fascinating how loud teenage girls can scream…) I had to yawn about ten times before my ears finally popped! The view was gorgeous: the blue river running through the city, the open green land where kangaroos lived, the mountains in the horizon, and even the tennis courts where I watched the Australian Open a few weeks ago. It’s not something I could see when I’m standing on flat ground. After getting a 360° view of Melbourne and all its landmarks, I went on the Edge. Basically it’s a glass cube that projects three meters out of the building with me standing in it. It actually wasn’t all that scary! It was fun to see miniature people and tiny little cars running around through the glass floor while I was on top of the world!

My last weekend here was full of fun (at least for me!). I had told my family a few weeks ago I wanted to see something historic in Melbourne. Yes, it seems really weird and nerdy and the Gikovskis looked at me like I was from space and not Canada. But I don’t feel like I have really gotten to know a city if I haven’t seen it’s history. This weekend, Erica’s mom, Anna, took me to the Melbourne Museum. Despite Daniel’s (Erica’s little brother) protests, we dragged him along. We saw lots of dinosaur bones, and other animal skeletons. The history part was interesting as well. It’s amazing how much Montreal and Melbourne have in common. I really enjoyed my trip to the museum!

On Sunday, we took another trip to the zoo. This time, we went to Healesville Sanctuary, a zoo featuring Australian animals. My first stop was the koalas, which were absolutely adorable! They pawed at tree branches and took their time chewing the leaves before proceeding to take a nap. Australia has many species of exotic birds (unlike the seagulls and the pigeons that poop everywhere in Montreal…). I got to see these upfront and personal at the Spirits of the Sky Show. One bird swooped so close to my ear, I thought it would clip some of it off! I also saw emus, kangaroos, platypus, dingos and many different types of venomous snakes. I heard someone say to their child, “We are really lucky to live in Australia. We have the top ten most venomous snakes in the world!” I don’t know if she was being sarcastic… My favourite animal I saw at Healesville was the Tasmanian devil. It was like a huge, chubby black mouse that jiggled when it ran. It was really cute! It became less adorable when I saw it eat its dinner: a dead wombat. Is it a coincidence I also saw wombats that were alive at the zoo a few hours before?

I can’t believe I’m leaving Australia tomorrow morning. Six weeks have zipped right by me. I’m very sad to be packing my bags, I will not only miss Melbourne, but I will sincerely miss the Gikovskis who have been truly wonderful to me. I could not have asked for a better family to stay with. From the moment I arrived, they made me feel like part of the family. They have made every experience here fun and unforgettable. I will miss Emilyan’s jokes, Anna’s laugh, Erica’s stories, and Daniel’s craziness. Daniel was the little brother I never had (my brother from another mother) and Erica was the person I could turn to and have a good laugh with.

Today, I did not say “G’day mate!” but “G’bye.” I’ll even miss the times my friends laughed at my imitation of the Australian accent. I knew the day would come where I would have to say goodbye to my friends and my family, but I did not realize it would come so soon.

Words cannot describe how I feel about Australia and the time I have spent here. I can ramble on for hours and it still would not serve the experience justice. I think this exchange has had a big impact on me. I will return home with a different perspective, as a more independent person and most importantly a lifelong friend! – Lucia Huang ’17, Exchange Student at Ivanhoe Grammar School, Australia

Community Service-Mackay Center: Learning From Each Other

Posted on December 3, 2014 by admin

On Monday, November 17, I along with six other students and Ms. Leiter, had the privilege of going to Camp Massawippi with several students and teachers from the Mackay Centre for three days. Most, if not all the students who go on the trip from year to year, have cerebral palsy and are in wheel chairs. However, this year along with these students, we were accompanied by deaf teens as well.

After two visits to the Mackay Centre prior to the trip (to get to know the students a little bit better), the seven of us from LCC were anxious to get up to the camp. Since I had already gone on the trip last year, it didn’t take long for me to become comfortable at the camp with the kids. Despite the very snowy weather, we took the kids on long walks and adventures during the day. We also did arts and crafts, played board games, and even got into a pretty intense competition of air hockey. Although you could see on everyone’s faces that we were having a blast doing all of these activities, all of the Mackay students and LCC students would probably say that their favorite times were when we all just sat around, talked, and laughed a lot.

Because there was a group of deaf students who came on the trip this year, several Royal Vale High school students and teachers came up to the camp with us as well. Royal Vale has an integration program for teens that are deaf, which allows them to be in certain regular streamed classes. Because of this, the students that came knew how to communicate with the students who are deaf through sign language.

I can’t even put a number on the amount of highs experienced on this trip, however I can say that one specific moment was definitely learning sign language. We learned simple things like how to sign the alphabet and how to say yes, no, please and thank you. On top of that we learned how to sign words like ”swag”, and even a new sign that had just been created for “Ebola.” – Zoe Young ‘15

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Community Service-Mackay Center: Creating Unforgettable Memories

Posted on December 3, 2014 by admin

Being given the opportunity to participate in a once in a lifetime eye-opening experience has really changed the way I perceive the world. Before this experience, I had never worked with children who suffer from cerebral palsy let alone any major disability. The fact that I was able to witness and learn what these children could do on their own really made me rethink my ability to do things I didn’t think I able to do. In reality I am capable of achieving anything on my own unlike the majority of these children.

Despite the challenges that they face, they were always smiling and happy. It was incredible to see that even though these kids struggle daily with so many different things, they still manage to be constantly happy. It really made me reflect and realize how fortunate I really am for the life I have been given. I now realize that the small things in life shouldn’t be taken for granted like being able to walk, dress and feed myself. It is truly unbelievable how much these kids are able to do on their own even though to an average person it may not seem that impressive.

These students have the ability to communicate and express how they are feeling in ways that help them function and survive. As well, the staff at the Mackay Centre were incredible and treated the children as if they were their own, which is certainly an amazing quality. The students are so fortunate to have a team of people who are always looking out for their best interest, making sure that they are on the right path to success.

Overall, this experience was amazing and I am so glad that I got to hang out with these amazing children for three days at camp where we all created unforgettable memories. – Alexandra Meltzer ‘16

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