CONNECTS January/February 2014
SCIENCE EXPO SCIENCE AT MORVEN
WRITING IN PROVENCE
ONE TEACHER’S SABBATICAL
ROBOTICS TEAM NEXT-STOP --THE WORLDS
COLLINGWOOD SCHOOL
Barrie Bennett, a professor from the University of Toronto, visits our Morven campus to work with the English and Socials departments.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE 3
SCIENCE EXPO 2014
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WRIGHT ON
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HOUR OF CODE ROBOTICS TEAM QUALIFIES FOR WORLDS
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HUNGRY FOR CHANGE
JANUARY/ FEBRUARY 2014 ISSUE
Week of Science
Keeping the Game Going
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Fasting for a change
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A WRITER IN PROVENCE
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WINTER EXPLORE
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CAV PROM AT CARNEGIE HALL
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YEAR OF THE HORSE
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One teacher’s sabbatical
Back of cover: Photo credit CBC News
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science expo 2014
[Top:Bottom] Science teacher, Katie Geale, demonstrates the Flying Car of Death for her class. A Grade 8 student takes a picture with his pinhole camera.
The Science Expo at Morven was a success this year. Grade 8 science students made their own pinhole cameras, took photographs with them and developed the pictures in the Science department’s ‘dark room’. The results were stunning! Grade 9 students had a choice of two challenges: Mission to Mars – Egg Drop Extreme or Flying Stunt Car of Death. Mission to Mars involved building a Martian Lander that would protect an egg from a high fall onto concrete after being on a BBQ at 200C and a 200C liquid nitrogen bath. The lightest lander that protected the car through all trials won. The alternative challenge was the Flying Stunt Car of Death. This involved designing and creating a stunt car that would jump off a ramp and fly as far as it could go. The car that flew furthest won. Mr. Hall, Ms. Geale, Mr. Ho and Ms. Bruner had a lot of fun designing and judging these challenges.
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Science 10 enriched students produced a traditional Science fair project that they presented in class. Then the top projects were presented to the entire Science 10 enriched group. These projects were well received and gave the Grade 8 students an idea of the type of projects they will create once they reach Grade 10.
During Science Expo week students participated in many activities including the Robotics competitions, science trivia challenges, salmon education and science courses that were offered in the Senior School while showing off their own projects. Science Expo is an important part of the Collingwood educational experience that sets our students up for success in Science and other fields in their future educational endeavours. Once again, Science Expo was a huge success as a result of the student’s participation and hard work. Shirley Frykberg
Conner T. prepares his robot for the upcoming Provincial Robotics Competition.
wright on headmaster’s message
KEEPING THE GAME GOING
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I’m a sucker for those mushy Olympic ads. I hate to admit it but I actually tear up during commercials for Canadian Tire. During the Sochi Olympics, the #We Are Winter promotion would take me back to my childhood days playing shinny hockey outdoors. I loved those three or four hour games, with no scorekeepers, no coaches, no fans, no refs and no parents. My only objective was to keep the game going. I remember having to stop play and shovel the ice every 30 minutes. I remember continually adjusting to new teammates as people arrived or left. I remember having to regulate my effort depending on the age and skill of the person contending for the puck. I remember doing whatever was necessary to keep the game going. When I think back to those all-day shinny hockey games, I think they taught me a lot about personal responsibility. With no adults to pick the teams, to decide on breaks, to clean the ice, to call penalties, to call offsides, or even to call goals; we kids had to do it all ourselves. And moreover, if we did it poorly, it would be a lousy game, or worst of all, it would end. We would have failed to keep the game going.
We all had a personal responsibility to make sure the game was good for everyone. If we stacked the teams, clutched and grabbed, went offside all the time, hogged the puck, or humiliated weaker players - people would leave. But if we kept the game fair and everyone engaged, we would be sure to keep the game going. And so this is perhaps the lesson learned by those of us foolish enough to play shinny hockey four hours straight. If we want anything to be really good and sustainable for us personally, we should think about what we can do to make it good and sustainable for everyone. It is not a difficult leap to extend this principle to a school, where adopting the skills necessary to sustain a good game of shinny – self control, fairness, respect and awareness of the needs and feelings of others can have a profound effect on the health of a school. We can all ask ourselves - students, teachers, headmasters - what am I personally doing today to maintain a positive, harmonious sense of community at Collingwood? What am I doing today at school to keep the game going? Rodger Wright
HOUR OF CODE In recent years, coding has become the hot new skill to learn, with successful companies like Facebook, Google and Yahoo in need of engineers and computer programmers, there is no lack of careers waiting for those who love to code. And for the rest of us, coding is a new language that is relatively simple to learn and opens up tremendous opportunities for those who stick with it. This term, Michal Hodal, a Physics teacher at Collingwood, began The Coding Club, which gives students the opportunity to increase their computer literacy by learning how to read and write code. Right now, students are learning the basics of programming through a visual programming platform called SNAP (developed by UC Berkeley).
Students pack into the Science lab to attend Coding Club; students will learn how to code in Python.
The students will soon progress into learning to code in Python, an object-oriented program widely used in research, industry, and first-year intro programming courses in university. In addition to learning how to read and write code, the course introduces the students to various publicly available datasets. The goal will be for students to combine their knowledge of coding to answer real research questions in their field of choice. The Coding Club meets every Friday during senior lunch in the Physics Lab and can be attended by any interested students and staff. Absolutely no previous programing knowledge is required, just a desire to learn. Happy coding!
AROUND THE SCHOOL
juno award winner visits morven
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Collingwood saxophone students had a rare treat Friday, January 24th when Phil Dwyer, a nine-time Juno Award winner, visited Collingwood to impart some of his amazing talent and wisdom in a clinic set up by Mr. Perkins. Phil has performed with many notable jazz artists, not only across North America, but also in Europe and shared some of his remarkable stories with us. His quiet demeanour was offset by his aggressive style on the sax and everyone was amazed at his incredible musical dexterity. Students had an opportunity to play and be critiqued by Mr. Dwyer and everyone was left with a definite impression of what an outstanding musician he is, as well as, a notable Canadian citizen. Mr. Dwyer was recently honoured with the Order Of Canada for his contribution to Music and Jazz Education. A big Collingwood thank you to Phil for taking time out of his busy schedule to come share his expertise and time with us.
robotics team competes at vex competition Saturday, February 21st, at the Provincial Robotics Championships, two members of the Collingwood Robotics team, Daniel S. and Zach T., qualified to represent B.C. at the World Robotics Championships. With the support of their mentee, Josh Park and their fellow teammates they managed to get past the challenges of the day (robot control problems) to persevere and clinch a spot to Worlds. Their history and depth as a good team allowed them to be selected to a third ranking alliance. (In the final rounds there are only 8 alliances). They won their way through to the semi-finals with their alliance partners, only to be knocked out by a few points. Despite this setback, they managed to qualify for worlds because of their high score on driver skills. Due to their hard work and performance on Saturday, they moved from 100th in the world to 86 in the world out of 7000 teams. Ten teams were chosen to represent B.C. on Saturday and they are the seventh on the list. It was a great day for all the members of the Collingwood Robotics team who did well, and will compete again at BCIT on March 8th.
Zach Y. and Daniel S. qualified for the Provincial Robotics Competition.
Special thanks and appreciation go out to the Head of the Science department, Shirley Frykberg, teachers Edel Vo for guiding and holding this energetic and creative group of roboticians together, James Ravensburg for his team support and student encouragement, and David Frykberg for his incredible mentorship and many patient hours. And a special thank you goes out to all donors of the Tartan Fund, for without those generous donations, this program would not be possible. Members of the robotics team: James C., Eric F., Tony H., Terry, J., Sanders L., Peter M., Josh P., Hugh S., Lochie S., Daniel S., Connor T., Liam W., Zach Y.
Members of the Robotics team.
WE WILL, WE WILL RECYCLE To kick off Wentworth’s new recycling program, members of the Environmental group performed a drum beat presentation, a la STOMP, at the weekly assembly. Wentworth’s recently purchased recycling bins will allow the School to recycle a lot more items, many of which can be collected for the Legacy project. This program will make recycling a more congruent and straight forward process for staff and students as we continue our efforts to become more green. Photo: Dana B., Rheanna P., Gabbi, A. Gabrielle B.
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sports update
sports and service
The Junior Boys basketball team claimed 3rd place in the North Shore League with a 6456 victory over Handsworth, a team they had previously lost to. The Senior Boy’s team won their elimination game Thursday, February 13th, defeating Seycove 88- 50 to move onto the double elimination game. Go Cavs!
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lady cavs play to win
[Left: Top] Celebrating their 3rd place finish at the 2014 Grade 7 Lady Cav Classic. Students come out to cheer on the Lady Cavs
hungry for change
On Wednesday, January 29, 45 students began a 30hour fast to raise awareness and raised $2300 in pledges for Action Against Hunger (www.actioncontrelafaim. ca) and the Prince Alexander Project Fund. The Round Square student committee put on an evening of events to celebrate. Some of the activities included a spa room, movie theatre, live jazz music, arts and crafts and a games room. The evening kicked off with a powerful presentation by Dorothy R. ‘14 about her experience during the India Service Project and was followed by a trivia game and school-wide scavenger hunt.
and funds towards the betterment of the cause. Joy H. ‘17 Every time I felt the urge to eat, I would just think about how at that very moment, someone across the world could be dying of hunger. This motivated me to keep on pushing through the day. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. To read more about Hungry for Change and see pictures of the event, click here.
Our incredible students have proven once again that they will not sit silent and complacent, but will take action against injustice and lead meaningful lives that contribute to the well being of others! Reflections from students who attended Rachel C. ‘16 The experience of going without food was eye opening and by the end of it, most of us were complaining and feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. The idea that people go through that every day was startling and made us realize that our famine was nothing compared to their struggle. Lucas P. ‘16 Breakfast is the most important meal because it supplies us with the nutrients we need to start our day and helps to curb hunger until lunch. … In other parts of the world people are hungry because they do not have enough food to eat. They must fast for long periods of time patiently awaiting their next meal. World hunger is a severe problem that affects many parts of the world, and through this movement, Hungry for Change hopes to raise awareness
Students at Morven who participated in Hungry for Change.
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a writer in provence If it sounds idyllic, it was! “The best part of each day was enjoying the excitement of writing and feeling that I had written some great pages that day”. In such beautiful locales, Ms. Clarke found inspiration everywhere, in Florence and then in London, England, where the sights and sounds gave her plenty to write about. Now that she is back in the classroom, it is the excitement of the re-birth of her passion for writing that Ms. Clarke wants to bring to her students. With her book, Brilliantly Lit, designed to combat some of her student’s lack of interest in, at times, dry text, Julia hopes to make reading about classic writers fun
Julia Clarke prepares for a day of writing in Contignac, Provence during her sabbatical.
Thomas Aquinas once said, “The things that we love tell us what we are”. If that is true, then English teacher and now writer, Julia Clarke, recently re-discovered her love of writing while on sabbatical last term.
faculty experiences
After 27 years of teaching at Collingwood, Julia Clarke desired inspiration, both for herself and her students. When the opportunity arose to apply for a term-long sabbatical, Julia jumped at the chance and was overwhelmed when she was chosen.
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The sabbatical program at Collingwood School has been in place for eight years. Its purpose is to enable one faculty member to participate in a venture designed to re-vitalize and enrich their professional lives. For Ms. Clarke, it was a chance to explore her passion for writing and gain the confidence to pursue her lifelong dream of writing a book. A year may feel like a long time, but Ms. Clarke eased into this experience by first teaching in Spain with the Experience the World summer program at Collingwood. “It was a wonderful way to commence the sabbatical. The evenings were devoted to cultural exposure and pleasure and it was such a charming group of students to spend time with”. Then on to Cotignac, Provence for two months, at a former colleague’s summer home, where the days were spent writing, visiting cathedrals, touring museums and art galleries, and enjoying the small delights of village life, including the delicious French pastries.
An example of some of the artwork provided by Derek Rowe, a professional artist and Ms. Clarke’s husband .
and engaging. How does she plan on grabbing the attention of teenagers who are more likely to tweet than read pages of poetry? One tactic is the use of gossip! “That’s what students are interested in.” Many of Mrs. Clarke’s former students remember the stories she used to tell them of such colourful figures as Byron and his many love affairs. “That’s what sticks in their minds.” Hopefully it will ignite their curiosity in literature. Another tactic is the inclusion of fun and colourful photos taken by Ms. Clarke’s husband and sabbatical partner Derek Rowe (a professional artist) at various European literary sites that they visited. Ms. Clarke is quick to admit that this experience has made her a much better teacher and writer.
one teacher’s sabbatical “Since working on Brilliantly Lit, I have a better idea of how to teach extended pieces of writing.” And now that she has written 40,000 words of a novel, the experience has made her better at creating stronger characters and scenes in a way that is more rich and textured.
this program was offered at a high school. It is so rare for schools to offer a sabbatical program and we should really cherish this opportunity. I feel really fortunate to have been the recipient of such an extraordinary program and it is something I won’t soon forget.”
For those teachers who are interested in the sabbatical program, Ms. Clarke offers a piece of advice. “If it is possible, try to get away.” For Julia, living a completely different lifestyle from her norm made the experience more multifaceted and enriching.
For Ms. Clarke, the experience was one that reinforced her enthusiasm for writing and reinvigorated her as a teacher. Although living as a writer in a beautiful village was a wonderful respite from life, if there was one thing that she was truly excited to come back to, it was her students. “Being in a classroom is always the most exciting part of my job and something that I really missed”.
While discussing the many places she visited and the people she met, Julia shared a common occurrence that would happen every time she explained why she was traveling for six months. “Most people I met assumed I taught at a university and were surprised to learn that
Sharifa Samuels
professor in residence at morven
[Left: Right] Barrie Bennett, an associate professor at the University of Toronto visits Collingwood and chats with teachers at Morven. Mr. Bennett works with staff while visiting from Toronto.
From February 11th to February 13th, the faculty at Morven welcomed Barrie Bennett, an associate professor at the University of Toronto whose research focuses on teacher training, instructional intelligence, and pedagogy. Barrie is the author of such works as “Beyond Monet” and “Graphic Intelligence” and co-authored “Cooperative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind” and “Classroom Management, A Thinking and Caring Approach”. Mr. Bennett’s current research focuses on how teachers acquire an instructional repertoire, how they extend it, integrate it and what effects
this has on student learning. During his brief stay, Mr. Bennett was a teacher in residence with the Socials and English departments but spent much of his free time with other departments who signed up to have him work in their classrooms. To learn more about Mr. Bennett and his extensive work, click here. It was a pleasure to have such a notable figure on campus and his time at Morven was a great asset to the School.
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winter explore They learned how to cross country ski and how to connect these winter camping experiences to benefit their everyday lives. Explore week began with a day trip up Cypress. Despite the lack of snow, students enjoyed a fabulous hike up the mountain, making hot chocolate on their stoves in the snow, checking out the frozen lakes and attempting to slide down the snow-less hills. In January, with the return of snow, students were able to have their cross-country ski lesson, which was a blast. They had the unique experience of seeing a temperature inversion at the lookout point where one felt as though they were
Grade 8 Winter Explore students take a group shot before a day of activities.
student experiences
The Grade 8 Winter Explore program ran from December 2-13 and January 13-24. This program offers one night in cabins and the other night camping outdoors, a nice transition into learning to thrive in a winter environment. The Grade 8 winter experience provides a wonderful opportunity for students to build on their skills developed from the Grade 8 Fall program. The winter environment provides the unique challenge for all the students to cook dinner, set up tents, and learn how to stay warm and comfortable while living in the snow. Once again, emphasis was placed on the students maintaining a positive attitude while becoming more selfreliant.
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Winter Explore students have a little fun out in the snow.
standing on the clouds above the city below. Then it was off to Manning Park for a three-day overnight trip. This trip is often a favourite for students and the last Explore experience for these students until next year! We look forward to furthering their outdoor experiences in Explore 9, beginning February 2015 with winter camping in Callaghan Valley. Students will get to further develop their winter skills by learning safe decision making and leadership through winter travel and camping. We enjoyed our programs this year with these students and hope that they will continue to take advantage of all that our outdoor environment offers.
A day of snow allowed the students to get out and cross country ski.
Brei Souza
on exchange down under Staying with another family for a long period of time was a new experience for me. The family that I stayed with had a fabulous home only a few hundred metres from the beach; they were very inclusive spending time with me and teaching me how to surf which helped me not become too homesick. Overall the exchange was very positive, I was able to make new friends and try new things. The application process was very easy and my concerns about homesickness were unfounded. This opportunity is one of things that make Collingwood standout and I recommend that everyone in Grade 9 try the exchange program. Edward C. ‘17
Edward C. learns to surf while on exchange in Australia.
This year I was lucky enough to go on exchange to Australia where I attended Knox Grammar School, an all-boys school. It was amazing, with almost twice the amount of students as Collingwood and had some of the best facilities that I have ever seen at a school. There was a full size pool, multiple gyms, one of the best rugby fields in New South Wales and many high quality classrooms. I found Knox to be more formal than Collingwood; students addressed their teachers by calling them Sir or M’am and there was less student-teacher interaction. In class, there was more group work and long-term projects instead of short or overnight homework. The amount of schoolwork and difficulty was comparable to Collingwood; however, I prefer the style of teaching at Collingwood where teachers work closely with each student. Not only were the academics at Knox slightly different, but the sports and activities were different too. Since I was on exchange from October to December, which is spring and summer in Australia, the type of school activities were very different from those in Vancouver. At Knox, I took part in Surf Lifesaving, which included swimming in the surf, swimmer rescue training and board paddling. Doing this course also gave me the chance to get my bronze certificate, which is a recognized lifeguard course all over the world. While I did this, my exchange partner played cricket, one of the many other summer sports at Knox.
[Top:Bottom] Knox Grammar School in Australia. Edward and his exchange partner.
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school life
CAV PROM 2014
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old hollywood This year’s Cav Prom was quite the movie star event as the Prom Committee provided a night of amazement, great music and lots of dancing. Students walked the red carpet enjoying the experience of ‘Old Hollywood’ and were dazzled by classic pictures, sparkly lights and golden Oscars! The Grade 11s, 12s and invited Grade10s had a great time re-enacting Old Hollywood movie scenes, getting pictures at the ‘Oscar style’ photo booth and losing to the teachers team on the trivia game! All in all, it was a spectacular evening at Cav Prom 2014.
#lovegrams
Students purchased singing and dancing grams for that special someone on Valentine’s Day.
happy valentines day
at carnegie hall Congratulations to Siu Lee, Chris He and Yundi Li who all performed February 8th in New York at Carnegie Hall. They auditioned against hundreds of students for the opportunity to perform in this prestigious event.
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Students and teachers cheer on the women’s hockey Gold medal win against the U.S.
year of the horse
The Collingwood Chinese Parents’ Club organized a wonderful Chinese New Year Dinner celebration on February 8th. Parents and children enjoyed an incredible 10 course meal and welcomed in ‘The Year of the Horse’. Rodger & Louise Wright, Susan Hazell and Monica Clemiss were honoured guests at the dinner. Special thanks to Justina Hui and her committee members, Maggie Ma, Tracy Lu, Wendy Sheng and Claire Liu for all their work to make this such a fabulous and fun evening!
upcoming DATES/events • • • • • •
2/21 Gr. 1-5 Jump Rope for Heart 2/27 PC Fashion Show 3/3 Open House at Wentworth and Morven 3/7 - 2014- 2015 Re-registration Deadline 3/15-30 Spring Break 3/31 - First Day of Classes after Spring Break
connect with us on instagram and facebook @collingwoodschool @collingwoodHM
Amy Camblin celebrates the Gold medal men’s hockey win early Sunday morning.