@theHelm - April 2021

Art by Sophia Cober (805) and Judy Li (801)

Student Spotlights Jacqueline Arnold

Kadhir Ponnambalam

(701) recently competed in the Morris Black Public Speaking Contest, a speech contest sponsored by the Black Family and the Hamilton Jewish Federation, now in its fiftieth year. Participants in grades 3-8 were asked to prepare a three-minute speech and present it in front of a panel of judges. This year the contest was virtual. Speeches were judged based on organization, content, evidence of research, understanding of topic, originality and delivery, pronunciation and fluency.

(805) took the initiative to participate in this year’s Bay Area Science and Engineering Fair (BASEF ). His project was an "Investigation of the Efficiency of Water Vapor Collection from Air of Various Household Materials". Kadhir’s project received the following awards: Special Award - Primary Fluid System Award Merit Award - Silver category

Jacqueline placed FIRST in the grade 7 category for her speech, Antisemitism Today.

He was also selected to participate in the CanadaWide Science Fair in midMay. We wish him every success with his project at the National level!

Congratulations, Jacqueline!

Congratulations, Kadhir!

Hillfield Strathallan College—Middle School Student Newspaper

Ramadan: A Time to Heal and Recover

by Alia Wahban, 805 Ramadan is the ninth and most sacred month of the Islamic year. During this time, Muslims mark that God or Allah gave the first chapters of the Holy Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. During this time, Muslims fast and abstain from pleasures while praying to become closer to God. Muslims also read the Quran and donate to charities.

This year, Ramadan takes place from April 13 to May 12. For many Muslims, fasting is a time for reflection and testing your body’s limits. When fasting, Muslims cannot consume any sort of liquid or food from dawn to dusk (sunrise to sunset).

Ramadan is full of astounding benefits for our wellbeing, mental health, and growth. Here are some advantages to Ramadan: 

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Forgiveness: Ramadan is a time of forgiveness for the bad deeds or sins that you have committed. Ramadan is a time where if you witnessed and religiously took part in the celebration, you could earn Allah’s abundance of forgiveness.

Making better habits: Ramadan is a time for offering and getting into the habit of making good deeds.

Accountability: Ramadan is a way of helping you stay on track by allowing you to continuously take into consideration what you say, eat, do, etc. The holy month of Ramadan gives room for reflection for assessing one’s progress.

Humility and Empathy: During the month, you listen to Allah’s advice by fasting, which allows you to understand what the poor have to go through and reminds you of the virtue of helping them.

Growth: One of the most essential gains from Ramadan is the ability to grow into a better version of yourself by becoming healthier, more compassionate, and closer to God.

Not only can Ramadan help us all to become better people, but it is also amazing for your health!

Boost your brain: A study carried out by scientists in the USA found that the mental focus achieved during Ramadan increases the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factors, causing the body to produce more brain cells, which most likely improves brain function.  Lower cholesterol levels: A team of cardiologists in the UAE found that people participating in Ramadan enjoy a positive effect on their lipid profile, meaning lower cholesterol levels and reducing the risk of suffering from heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.  Detoxify: By not eating or drinking throughout the day, your body will be offered the rare chance to detoxify your digestive system throughout the month. So when your body starts eating into fat reserves to create energy, it will also burn away any harmful toxins that might be present in fat deposits.  Absorbing more nutrients: In Ramadan, you can find that you can be more efficient from the combination of fasting and eating late at night, which can release a hormone called adiponectin.

This allows your muscles to absorb more nutrients.

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims celebrate “Eid”, which is a festival to celebrate their good efforts.

During this time Muslims tend to break their fast and celebrate by eating the best desserts and pastries, along with their favourite meals and dishes! Eid is also a time to gather with family and friends to exchange gifts! But Eid isn’t all about the mouthwatering sweets and plentiful gifts—it is also a sacred time of prayers, reflection, and forgiveness.

In conclusion, Ramadan is a celebration dedicated to renewing yourself into being a better person. It is for clearing the mind and strengthening the body.

Ramadan is like rain; it nourishes the seeds of good deeds.

Happy Ramadan, everyone!

@theHelm ~ page 2

Raising Ramadan Awareness Thank you to Moutaz Serhan, 703!

He approached the Middle School Leadership team weeks ago, asking if he could help raise awareness of Ramadan in the Middle School. Moutaz produced the video that featured his brother, Hashem, and Ahmad explaining various aspects of Ramadan. He also produced the posters featured here, which we had intended to post up across Middle School. Moutaz has also been asked to present on Ramadan in the Early Education Schools.

Well done, Moutaz! Ramadan Kareem!

ZOOMPERS 2.0 (Zoom bloopers during HSC@home) There was this one time while I was doing karate that our instructor was telling us a story, and whenever he said something important he would always cut out so all we heard were sentences that didn't make any sense. 

Sophia Cober, 805

I thought I was on mute and everybody heard me yelling at my brother. It was very embarrassing. 

Maya Anderson, 805

When our teacher would lose WIFI and get kicked off a meeting, whoever was the host would sometimes make breakout rooms and we would all go into them. When our teacher came back, she would kick us out and we would all laugh about it. 

Sadie Avram, 705

In math class somebody wasn't paying attention that they were unmuted and asked SIRI a math question. 

Nico Verrecchia, 504

I left my voice changer on, lol. It was so embarrassing.  @theHelm ~ page 3

HSC student

April Fools’ Day Pranks We asked: What is your worst April Fools’ Day experience?

by Adi Katoch, 703 While my dad was in the shower, I took string and put it throughout the hallway. I attached it to doorknobs and made a maze in the hall way. I also put tons of stuffies around on the floor.

Sophia Cober, 805 I set a trap at my door that did not work. You would trip over a string and then feathers would drop on your head.

Nicole Lovie, 705 My worst experience was not getting pranked. I was disappointed because I really like getting pranked (only during April fools).

Luke Miller, 705 There was a student in China who stood in front of me wherever our class went: the cafeteria, the gym, the science room… One day when the whole class was in the cafeteria, he turned back and asked me: "Do you want a piece of gum?" "Sure" I replied. "Put your hand in front of me." he said. "Why?" I asked.

"Because I am going to put it in your hand." He sounded mysterious. I put my hand in front of him and he hit my hand with his. At first I thought he was giving me a real gum, before he touched my hand I couldn't realize that I was actually putting my hand in front of him to let him hit.

Marcus Chen, 602

I admit that I am very easily tricked.

When I was a kid, I really wanted an iPad and iPhone and all kinds of technology. But I did not have the money to afford them. One day, I was waiting for my parents to pick me up. Ahead of us was a traffic jam so we had to wait I had nothing to do, so I started to wander around. I walked there and there, looking at the ground and playing with my fingers. And then, I saw a white paper on the ground. I knelt down to take peer at it. It said "下面有惊喜“ which means "there's good things under this paper." OOOOOO, will there be a thousand dollars under this paper? OOOOOO, I could become the world's richest person in seconds! I flipped the paper. and I thought that I was going to be rich.

Money. Treasure. Lamborghinis. iPads. iPhones. Supercars. Off-road cars. Laptops. Something bad interrupted my thoughts. Under the paper was a bug.

Bryan Chen, 603

On April Fools Day 2020, my brother lay down raspberries and blueberries on my carpeted floor for me to step on them when I woke up in the morning. Little did I know, they were right under my feet. I stepped on all of them and it stained my carpet, so

@theHelm ~ page 4

my parents got really mad at my brother and he got in trouble.

Ella Shcherbatykh, 504 I was doing an April Fools prank on my teacher In grade 3. I was going to scare her when she came into the classroom but what I did not know is she was in the back; she was waiting and surveying the classroom to see if she could backfire our plans, which she did very well! She asked one of the fellow teachers if she could come and help her class. The other teacher came in. I thought the other teacher was her but was wrong so I scared the other teacher!

When i was done apologizing, Mrs. Giordano came up to me and scared me out of my mind. That was my worst Prank, thank you.

Claire Parsons, 502 So basically when we were in quarantine (2020) It was the last day of March, I had set up these amazing pranks, to pull on my mom, and I was super excited, so in the early morning of April 1, I woke up and set up the pranks, Later in the morning before school, my mom woke me up, and I thought that she would rather be really mad since she didn't like pranks, or think that it was really funny.. She had neither reaction, inset she proceeded to tell me that it was still March! and the next day was April Fools! Well I thought that she was pranking me, and so I didn't believe her, until I checked all my calendars and saw that it was still March, I didn't even bother to do anything on the real April fools, I had already gone through the trouble....

Penelope Bryson-Tries, 602

people. While entering the max raid den there is a Dynamax Pokémon that you must face in order to complete the raid den, and there are also amazing rewards once you complete it, like Dynamax candies, exp candies, and Tr’s. During the early stages of the game, the Gamefreak would release specific raid dens every so often.

Pokémon Sword and Shield by Adi Katoch and Julian Marchetti (703) On February 26, 2021, Gamefreak had its 25th anniversary of Pokémon, so we decided to look back and review Pokémon Sword and Shield, the premier Pokémon games on the Nintendo Switch!

Beware: Spoilers ahead!

The Basics: Pokémon Sword and Shield’s story has a lot of twists and turns of what you have expected in standard Pokémon games. In the beginning, you choose one of three starter Pokémon. The three choices are the grass type Grookie, the fire type Scorebunny, and the water type Sobble. In the story, you will find multiple challenges known as gyms, which have a leader and a challenge to pass. You can only reach the leader once you have completed the challenge first. To complete

a gym you must fight the leader and beat the leader. There are 8 unique gyms you must complete to progress through the story.

The Climax of the Story: Throughout all of the gyms, there are some weird occurrences like earthquakes and Pokémon dynamizing on their own! Near the The Dynamax/Gigantamax end of your gym battle journey, Phenomenon: In gym battles and the main villain of the game Chairin online battles (online battles man Rose summons an ancient require an existing online service), being with all of the Dynamax enyou have the ability to Dynamax, ergy from the Pokémon, Eterwhich basically means that your natus! You, your rival hop, and ZaPokémon can become GIANT and cian and Zamazenta (the box get access to strong Dynamax Pokémon of the games) take on moves! There are also alternative an Eternamaxed version of Eterforms of Dynamax Pokémon natus. Once you beat it, you can called Gigantamax Pokémon, actually catch Eternatus! Now which basically are Dynamax Poké- Eternatus is very unique as its Sigmon that look a lot cooler than nature move Dynamax Cannon their Dynamax counterparts. On does double damage to Dynamax top of looking amazing, they also and Gigantamax Pokémon! have access to exclusive moves that offer a wide variety of strate- Now this marks the end of our gies! A quick side note is that Giamazing Pokémon Sword and gantamax Pokémon can only be Shield review, but do not fear! found within Max Raid Dens or There is a lot of bonus content to special events and giveaways; play, like the Pokémon Dlc’s these events and giveaways take Crown Tundra and Isle Of Armour. place around special occasions like Playing through this game was a Pokémon Day. very enjoyable experience, although there isMax Raid Dens: The main new fea- n’t a lot of postture of this game raid dens is that game. We think it’s a fun experience to have this game gets a online with four people. They can 10/10! be your friends or just random @theHelm ~ page 5

and Pizza, so when you give these items to him, your relationship points with him skyrocket. If you give him his least-favourite items, which are items found in the mines, this will make his relationship points decrease.

Stardew Valley

by Brayden Scott, Kaiet Ruiz Reyes, Shantea Thompson (805), and David Shcherbatykh (702)

Beware of Minor Spoilers Stardew Valley is a farming simulator crossed with an RPG. You can grow crops on your farm, venture into the mines, or take care of your beloved farm animals. You can play with up to three other friends on your farm.

(Sadly cross-platform multiplayer is not planned on being added.) The game is available on Nintendo Switch, PC/Mac/Linux on Steam, Playstation, Xbox One, and Android.

day. After 30 days, the season will change, and after four seasons, you will advance one year. This changes what the store sells, which plants you can grow, and which events there are on the community calendar.

In order to get married, you need to date the character by giving them a bouquet at eight relationship points, and then earn 10 relationship points in order to get married. You also need to upgrade your farmhouse at least once and have access to the Tide Pool area of the beach. In order for the cutscene to occur, you need to give your loved one a Mermaid's Pendant, which is the ring that confirms true love.

Your player also has an energy gauge.

After this bar is depleted, you will feel Story sluggish and move very slowly. If you Your Grandpa gives you a special let- do not go to bed by 2am, you will ter and tells you to open it when you pass out and lose some items/money. feel that life is too hard in the city.

It is key to keep an eye on the time, Years later, you move into your farm especially when you are mining, as and decide to open (given to you by running through the night from the your grandpa), in Stardew Valley. You mines to your farm and arriving just in greet your fellow villagers in Pelican time (1:50) is very stressful.

Things to Do Town. After the introduction, you are Characters & Relationships Stardew Valley is an open game with free to explore your farm. From fishing in the river to foraging in the for- As you play through the game, you’re many things to do. Here are a few: able to meet all the villagers living in Earning Money est, there’s never a lack of things to your town. Whether it be the edgy do. You can earn money by selling  Fishing things on your farm, developing rela- characters like Shane or lore-filled characters like Morris, you can inter-  Foraging tionships with your fellow villagers, and having a great time with friends. act, talk, and even get married to the  Mining people you meet. In order to gain  Harvesting Mechanics these relationships, you have to give  Taking care of animals Each day in Stardew Valley is 20 hours them certain gifts that they enjoy. (you wake up at 6am—time works in Pelican Town Looking on the Stardew Valley Wiki is intervals of 10m, with each interval a must-do in most of these cases, as  Repair Town Hall about 7 seconds in real time). This  Talk with Villagers to increase relatrying to figure out which character means you can do a plethora of tionship level likes what is a things in a single day. To pass the day, struggle. For  Attend Events simply go into your house and sleep in example,  Donate to the Museum your bed. Once asleep Sam’s favouryou will earn money for Miscellaneous ite gifts are the different things  Upgrade your House Maple Bars, you sold during the  Play with friends Cacti Fruit @theHelm ~ page 6

Conclusion

are multiple characters, special objects or skins you can collect to Stardew Valley, like other farming games (Animal Crossing, Farming Sim- boost your progress. Loot boxes are the way to get them. Loot ulator, etc.), is a great way to chill boxes are based on probability, so out. Compared to other farming you never know when you will get games, Stardew Valley has a lot of the items you want. content, and play time is basically endless, as there is no official ending.

There are many things to At first look, loot boxes sound simdo when you are bored. ple; however, the truth is that With the ability to create up to five farms, mixed with the fact that you can play with friends, it's a great way to relax with your friends and vibe with your chickens.

Video Game Loot Boxes

by Michael Xiao, 802 Many video game players have

probably experienced this moment. It could be a loot box, it could be “draws” or “spins”, or it could even be something resembling a physical Gashapon machine. Your cursor or finger hang hesitantly above the “buy 50 of it” option, your mind soaring far beyond that, fantasizing about what you would do with the rewards and how hard you will flex to your friends or enemies…

This is the power of loot boxes.

For one of my favourite games, the precise phrasing is “brawl/big/mega boxes”. In case you do not play this type of video game, or the game you play has a different phrase for it, a loot box is a random reward that you can get by spending in-game currency or otherwise. In many games, there

some gamers are spending thousands and thousands of dollars on them (known as whales). Loot boxes are becoming almost viral in the video game world. Go to the App Store or other platforms and check out the famous games.

How many games without loot boxes can you find?

How are loot boxes so addictive and effective then?

Loot boxes make use of our sense of community to make players buy more. In community psychology, a group of players may be known as a “community of practice”. Players are linked together in this community by their common interest in the game and their wishes of improving and learning how to be a better player. Loot boxes use this to their advantage, by making the community of players share news about the loot they received from these boxes. Sensing others are getting a lot of limited loot, members will want to get loot themselves and maintain this connection and feel safe. Think of a game that you play with your friends; if all your friends are getting a lot of limited loot from those boxes, you may also buy more loot boxes in an attempt to catch up with others. No doubt, @theHelm ~ page 7

the fact that the internet is a huge part of our lives has contributed to the surge of loot boxes, since forming gaming communities is easier now than ever.

The risk-taking minds of players are also exploited by loot boxes. A lot of players have an appetite for risks, especially since loot boxes offer risks that are not overly serious. Risk compensation is a technical phrase, meaning people are more likely to take risks if they feel protected. Loot boxes offer just the right amount of risk to get players interested, while the costs of losing are not too high. Buying a loot box is a simple click of the button. At most, you lose a bit of in-game currency if the box contains nothing of interest. This is precisely why players would like to buy loot boxes. The risk of a loot box seems assessable, and players think they know everything about their odds of winning. The truth is that their psychology is being manipulated by the algorithms.

Details of a successful loot box are also important. From the carefullydesigned visuals, to the sound it makes when you open it, loot boxes make you feel comfortably thrilled when opening them. There are many details: 1. Satisfying graphics and music; 2. A level of interaction (for example, tapping to open a box, or clicking to throw a dice/spin a wheel of fortune); 3. Hints about the rewards before you are sure about

them precisely (image 1 depicts a box in Brawl Stars that may contain a good loot, image 2 depicts a box that does not have good loot, image 3 is one of the actual good loots).

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Loot boxes have benefits, mostly by encouraging microtransactions. Increased microtransactions lead to more revenue. For players, increased microtransactions can also be seen as a pro. If there is enough revenue There are many made by micro-transactions to Image 1 top-selling support the game, it can be free games that to download, allowing free-to-play have a huge em- players to enjoy it as well. The simphasis on loot plicity of loot boxes is also a motiImage 2 boxes: vation for developers. With only some extra animations and tun Fortnite— ing, a classic shop system can be According to upgraded into a much more addicthe official Twit- tive variant. ter account, Fortnite had 350 There are problems with loot boxImage 3 million players es as well, which cannot be igby 2020. Fortnored. A common issue is that nite uses the loot box system loot boxes cause players to spend for skins. Though it has no imexcessive currency. There are expact on gameplay, skins are a amples of some players going great way to attract players, while keeping the game f2p at deep into debt buying loot boxes.

Another side effect is the possibilthe same time.

FIFA—Loot boxes are a part of ity of rage quitting. Loot box algothis game, where the player rithms that are not well-tuned can collect cards to add new leave a few unlucky players with athletes to their team. It’s an- nothing even after tonnes of other famous series with a spending. If players are too anhuge number of players. noyed, they might delete the

When you look at this photo, what is the first or funniest sentence that pops into your mind?

It could be a winner!

Submit your photo “caption” to the Photo Caption Contest by emailing Mr. Hoad. @theHelm ~ page 8

game or even further spread hate messages and give bad reviews.

This may cause the reputation and player count of the game to lower.

Selling in-game equipment for real currency may become another issue because it is almost the same as gambling. This may have negative influences on younger players, and parents may limit access to these games for them, thus lowering the player count.

I do not think loot boxes are a foul attempt to ruin the lives of all players. However, they are indeed more addictive than a classic shop system. As a player, remember to keep a clear head when using loot boxes. Do not be fooled by the math and psychology behind a box.

Think about the consequences if you decide to spend real currency on loot boxes. Perhaps do the calculations before buying these random items, and be aware of what is happening behind the fancy graphics when you click on that big, bright “Purchase It” button.

Prepared by Kaiet Ruiz Reyes, 805

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams Book Review by Christian Leong, 703 Have you ever seen a strange fish, that when put in your ear acts as a universal translator? Have you ever heard the worst poetry in the universe? Have you ever seen the most depressed, yet the smartest robot?

Do you know what the answer to Life, The Universe, And Everything is? If the answer to all of those questions is no, then you need to read The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy

by Douglas Adams. It answers all of those questions, and brings you on a hilarious journey along the way.

hiker's Guide To The Galaxy. He really knows his way around! Knowing the Earth would be nothing but space dust very soon, Ford Prefect tries to escape with Arthur.

Eventually, they manage to escape Earth by hitching a ride on a Vogon ship. It’s an ugly yellow spaceship that came to demolish Earth.

If you ask me, I think this is a thrilling and funny start to the book; it really gave me a good chuckle. It managed to get me interested in what could possibly happen next because it’s so crazy and unpredictable.

In my opinion, this book is extremely entertaining and funny. However, some may find the randomness of this book annoying. Also, the main characters don’t really have a set goal (other than Arthur, who just wants to know what’s going on and how to get a cup of tea). They do have small goals here and there (like trying to survive), but there isn’t a large goal that they achieve at the end of The book begins on probably the weirdest and most mis- the book; it’s just a series of random—yet funny— erable of Thursdays. It first introduces us to Arthur Dent. scenarios, which is exactly why I love it. You never know Arthur’s house was getting demolished to make way for a what you’re going to get, be it getting tortured by poetry or discovering an ancient planet. new bypass. However, if this wasn’t bad enough, Earth was getting demolished to make way for an intergalactic I really do suggest you read this book; it could give you a bypass. good laugh while bringing you on a crazy and fun journey.

Luckily, Arthur Dent has a friend who knows exactly what Overall, it’s an exciting and fun page-turner. to do. His name is Ford Prefect, and he’s not exactly from Earth. He’s been stranded on Earth for 15 years, and he’s NEXT BOOK REVIEW COMING SOON: The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe ! an extraterrestrial from a planet in Betelgeuse. He is a researcher for a marvelous and helpful book, The Hitch@theHelm ~ page 9

Soccer This Month

By Zander Greco, 703

English Premier League During the events of the past month, the premier league continues to entertain. The city of Manchester keeps up a reign of terror, fighting off Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea.

Manchester City in particular has been harassing almost every club in England, pulling off wins on their neighbor, Manchester United, Mönchengladbach, and German team, Borussia Dortmund. In the south of the U.K., Liverpool has been struggling immensely, both domestically and internationally. Struggling with Spanish giant Real Madrid

Why I Value Soccer

by Abdullah Tahir, 504

and even losing to relegation-plagued side Fulham. Speaking of relegation, five sides are warring for a spot in the league next season. Brighton Albion, Burnley, Fulham, West Bromwich, and Sheffield United. Important Upcoming Matches: Arsenal vs. Everton, Manchester United vs. Liverpool, WestHampton vs. Everton, and Manchester City vs. Chelsea.

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Championship has just gone through the Quarter Finals phase of the competition. Top teams such as Real Madrid, Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain, and Porto went into this stage of the top league in Europe. The German giant Bayern Munich was knocked out due to an increased number of away goals at the famous Allianz Arena in southern Bavaria. Real Madrid competed with a stalling of 2019 winners against Liverpool in the second leg. Although the game was quite boring, the Spanish serial winner fulfilled a longtime lust for European greatness, inspired by their victory in 2018.

Respect is also key to being a good soccer player.

When you help someone up from the ground and bring them to a higher level, you encourage them to still strive up to the top; that will earn you respect.

Soccer: well, why?

Soccer has different elements to becoming great or I like soccer because of the interesting tricks and really good at the sport, and I'm not just talking skill the sport has. It teaches you sportsmanship and about your skills and tricks. I'm talking about your respect. sportsmanship and respect. There are four elements: skills, tricks, sportsmanship, and, most imSportsmanship is key to portantly, respect. being a good soccer player. When you shake It is really important to keep trying even if you fail or hands, that’s sportsman- fall down to the bottom of a well. Just focus on ship or when you say climbing back up the well—that’s it, just focus on “Good game”, that's also one thing at a time, then you will strive back up sportsmanship. from to the tallest building in the whole world. This is what happens if you keep trying and trying. @theHelm ~ page 10

Writers In Residence: Who are we?

by Chloé Hill, 806

Writers in Residence is a marvelous program for young writers in middle school where you can work with published authors, create among those with the same passion as yourself, and of course, write.

We’ve had multiple Zoom meetings led by authors, Claire Tacon and Jordan Blackburn. brainstorming ideas, and brewing our own soon-to-be-finished products. We are ultimately creating chapbooks or zines, small homemade booklets of hard work and creativity.

I’ve loved working with such amazing writers and sharing ideas thus far. During a short interview with Claire Tacon, writer of award-winning novel, In The Field, says she’s excited to see what we create. Tacon doesn’t expect to see anything specific from us, as she believes “it’s not up to the older generations”.

Author Claire Tacon

I’d highly recommend this program to anyone with even the slightest passion for written creation.

We’ve been given the chance to share and involve each other through this story-telling art form, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

@theHelm ~ page 11

Photo by Tia Robinson, 803

BIRDS

by Ahana Kulkarni, 504 Watch, and listen They are flying free, Oh, to soar up with them, How nice it would be!

They see the clouds They reach the sun, They touch the stars.

Through the air, they sweep and run.

Life as a Loon

by Chloé Hill, 806

Small though they may be, They are light yet strong, They’ll fly up to a tree, To watch the night go on.

They call to the Earth, They sing with the breeze, They dance with sunrays, But they rest in the trees.

Life as a Loon Squirrels scurrying down trees Worms flapping their non -existent wings Seeds sprouting under the shine Home isn’t home, as this one isn’t mine Spring is here, and so is my time to run I must go home, up north I will be redone Life as a loon, so lonely it can be Life as a loon, no other way I’d rather have it be @theHelm ~ page 12

Just Because I’m Alone

by Sophia Cober, 805

Just because I'm alone Doesn't mean I’m on my own Doesn't mean I don’t have bones that sticks and stones may break Doesn't mean that I’m a mistake.

Just because I’m a little shy Doesn't mean my life is a lie Doesn't mean I don’t know why people always ignore Doesn't mean I don’t know the reason of war Just because there is jealousy Doesn't mean I don’t know empathy Doesn't mean I don’t know sympathy for the ones who break their backs every day, Doesn't mean that I don’t pray.

Just because I may not have a family Doesn’t mean my life is a dark fantasy Doesn’t mean I don’t have someone who cares Doesn’t mean that my feet are bare So just because I’m alone, doesn’t mean I’m on my own

My Three Arts

by Niamh Mercer, 604 They sit, precious jewels on top of a crown, And hold in my place my golden throne, Without one, the others would come spiraling down, These talents I call my own.

The first art is a way of showing inside, A place where only determined ones go, And though in my many mentors I confide, It is through my first art, I let my soul show.

Through colours and images, my first art is true, A course that we all have to take, And though my first art belongs now to you, It is something that I had to make.

My second art is purer still, silver and gold, It comes from inside and inspires the third, And as I play, the song grows not old, And I fly on its wings, free as a bird.

Through the sounds of song, my second art comes, To bring about the third in its wake, Pure as a silver river, it runs, Though you hear it, it was mine to make.

Though the others are my soul, my third is my heart, Free, pure, and flying, These are my words, my third and final art, Golden, lyrical, defying.

We listen to words every day of our lives, But none of them are ever like mine, We can listen to golden words, words like knives, But mine are all poetry, the finest of fine.

Take now with you reader, my three golden arts, And allow them to bring you great joy, Images and songs, and words that spark hearts, These are the things I deploy.

@theHelm ~ page 13

Photographs and Two Haikus

Just Because...

by Jacey Goldberg, 806

by Ella Shcherbatykh, 504 Just because I am different, Doesn't mean you can bully me for being weird, Doesn't mean you can make fun of my unique features, And doesn't mean you can tell me who to be and how to act.

Just because I try to be nice, Doesn't mean you can not say thanks when I hold the door, Doesn't mean you have to push me when I say hi, Doesn't mean you have to hurt me when I try to help someone else that is hurt.

Only birds calling I am small amongst the trees Clouds ever watching

Just because I have feelings, Doesn't mean you have to harm me without thinking, Doesn't mean you have to slap my lunch from out of my hands, Doesn't mean you have to take the anger that you got from someone else and put it on me.

Just because you are disrespectful to people, Does it mean those people have to be disrespectful to you?

Should you bully someone because your friend is?

Is it ok to bully someone that was once your close friend?

Whenever someone is in need, There is an opportunity for you to stand up and make a difference.

Down the rabbit hole The world is topsy-turvey Hope is just ahead

Illustration by Meleesa Hamzehian, 501 @theHelm ~ page 14

Photo by Tia Robinson, 803 @theHelm ~ page 15

Blackout poem by Maya Anderson, 805

Don’t Choose To Abuse

by Vinnie Wolski, 805 Why do we treat animals like they have no feelings?

And that they are unaware beings We want to make the world a better place But so many of us don’t care for what so many animals face Dogs forced to fight and then labeled as ‘dangerous’ Elephants chained to poles and forced to perform A fox's leg caught in a metal trap And a leg has to be chewed off for freedom Six to eight million animals are abandoned, lost, or abused, It would cost us all nothing to help but instead, they are beaten and bruised How would you feel if every single day you were locked in a cage.

If you didn’t run fast enough, you were beaten If you spoke a word or tried to communicate, you were starved If you were chained to a pole until your next fighting match with the closest friend, you grew up with We are supposed to be the smartest creatures alive.

But what does that mean if we can’t put all of that mentality aside and actually do some work because, if you ask me, we actually need to try As you read this poem Yet another innocent animal is being abused, neglected, or forced to fight.

Animals should be protected, for it is their right. @theHelm ~ page 16

Annie Collins, 602

Marcus Chen, 602

Holly Yates-Krull, 602 Sabrina Kiung, 602

Esmé Vedelago, 602 @theHelm ~ page 17

by Chaya Ganatra, 802 Why does every human feel the need to be “normal”? Why can’t we just be who we are—why is that not good enough? Why do we feel the need to shame ourselves? Why do we feel the need to cover up who we really are, what we really think—why can’t we just accept that’s who we are? Why is there always that one person who makes us all feel lesser

than? Why do they feel the urge to make us feel less than human, like a speck of dirt stuck on somebody's shoes? Is it because they feel lesser than, and they want to feel superior again?

Why do we lie? You and I, we lie every single day.

It’s sometimes “insignificant”, but every lie we tell covers something up, whether it’s our perspective or personality. This “normal” we’ve created; it’s purely based upon lies. Lies about, again, our personality, our likes and dislikes, our brainpower, and most importantly, who we are.

ness, a complex relationship, breakEnd of the World”. It's okay to feel down or financial ruin, we are lost in a distressed and worried about the dark void. stuff that you cannot control, but you

by Alia Wahban, 805 must find the courage to snap out of Through the it!

One of the wealthiest men in the darkness, world, Bill Gates, failed his first busicomes light, 3) Try considering a change in perspecness. He once established a local through the tive: Most of the time, we over-worry company called Traf-O-Data, which fear comes and overthink about what is botherwas a device that could carefully ex- love, and ing us. We do this without realizing amine traffic tapes and process data. through the the damage that can be done. OverGates and his partner could not get fierce pain worrying and stressing about things the device to function. The company comes triwill solely make it worse. had only average progress, but endur- umph. When ing this hardship was significant in you are in that dark place, looking for 4) Don't let anything or anyone make Gates’ creation of Microsoft a few a way out of your hardship, you have you question your belief in yourself: years later. two options: to give up or to tap into When hardships hit, it's easy for our the inner resources that you didn’t self-esteem to take a powerful blow, Hardship represents a situation that even know you had. but you need to realize you are NOT requires you to demonstrate your defined by your challenges. Hardships strength. Hard work is the key to ulti- Well, you’re not alone. The good aren't a part of your identity. They are mate success, but hardships are the news is that there are ways to proper- simply an experience. doorways to success… ly deal with and conquer these obstacles. Here are 5 ways to overcome 5) Never stop trying: Obstacles in life If you fear hardships, you fear life. hardships: can be overwhelming, and most of the time, they are also persistent…

None of us can avoid hardships in life, 1) Don’t depend on others to resolve But never give up! and some situations do trouble us to your problems: Change should invariaour very core. The essential nature of bly begin with you alone. You’re the I genuinely think that hardships are being alive and being human is to ex- only one who can overcome your like a mighty wave. You can ride it perience life and its unique challeng- problem, so try to find strength in safely to the shore, or it can suck you es, good and bad. What we don’t unexpected places. under, making you drown. So, next come to instantly recognize is that time you find yourself standing in struggles are a gift from life itself.

2) Never drown in self-pity: When try- front of a mountain impossible to ing to handle a serious and personal climb, don’t avoid the climb; push When we come face to face with a problem, never let the negatives get through, and remember your freebattle, a low point in life, be it an illyou, and never think that it’s "The dom lies on the other side.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

@theHelm ~ page 18

Nature Photos Gallery

Emma Ma, 803

Amelia Kiung, 805

Tia Robinson, 803

Want a role @theHelm?

We are recruiting for the following positions for next year’s digital student newspaper: • • • •

Section editor Visual Art guru/correspondent Lead interviewer / Community News Wellbeing Wizard

To apply to one of these amazing leadership positions, email Mr. Hoad.

@theHelm ~ page 19

The Crow’s Nest is a space for well-being articles, images, and tips.

The Crow’s Nest Team is Niamh Mercer, Daniel Sassi, Clare Lin, Radha Maria Vargas-Saravanamuttu, Emily Drumm, Penelope Bryson-Tries, Devyn Pavic, Maria Titov, Tia Robinson, Abdullah Al-Sheikhly with the

help of Mrs. Espinola

“Sensory Finger Rings” by Maria and Radha Maria

Sitting alone at your desk for most of the day can be boring and irritating, and sometimes, you just can’t concentrate. Here’s where fidget toys come in. Fidget toys are small objects that you can quietly play with when you’re distracted and need something to help you focus or take your mind off things. Fidget rings are made of 10 beads that you can stretch and move around as much as you need to. Here are instructions to make your own!

1. Find 10 beads (they can be any kind), and some stretchy, thin string. One of the beads should be blue or teal. The teal bead symbolizes well being 2. String the beads along the string.

3. Make a loop with the string and tie it at the ends like you would tie a balloon.

4. To do this, take your two fingers, and wrap the string around them, tie a knot between the two fingers, and then release your fingers. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work at first; this can be frustrating!

5. Slightly stretch the balloon knot back and forth to make it tighter.

by Devyn 6. Cut the excess part of the string and you’re done! @theHelm ~ page 20

by Niamh

Emily Orovec, 602

by Devyn

@theHelm ~ page 21

by Reese Tapajna, 803

@theHelm ~ page 22

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Cheetos

by Esmé Vedelago, 602

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup of Cheetos

 2 pounds of cheese  4 cups of macaroni  4 cups of milk PROCEDURE 1. Preheat the top of the stove to medium. Put a big pot on the stove. While that is happening take your milk and pour the four cups one at a time. Then put the milk in the pot. When the milk is warm it is ready.

2. Get your two pounds of cheese out and cut or break it off into small pieces.

Every couple of minutes put a few pieces of cheese into the pot. Stir slowly.

If the pot starts to bubble, make the heat lower. Stir until you think it is ready. If you want it to be gooier, keep it on for longer.

3. After you take the pot off the stove get a bigger pot and put the water to boil. It doesn’t matter how long the pot boils. When your water is boiled enough, put the macaroni in. The macaroni should be boiling for eight minutes. You want it to be half cooked.

4. While that is happening you want to crush your Cheetos while they are still in the bag. When that is done take the Cheetos out of the bag and put them in a blender. Blend them until half of the Cheetos are blended.

5. Get a big pan. Once you have finished your macaroni put the cheese sauce into the same pot as the macaroni. Then pour them both into the pan. Pour the Cheetos mix onto the macaroni. Make sure it's all over the macaroni.

Then heat the oven to 400 degrees. Put the macaroni into the oven. When it is done, take it out and eat it.

@theHelm ~ page 23

Meatless Meals

by Christian Leong, 703 Do you want to make a difference, and help improve the current state of the world? If so, there’s a simple way to do it.

All you need to do is have a meatless meal for one day of the week. It doesn’t matter what day it is, but we’re trying to make it Mondays.

If you read my previous article on Meatless Mondays in the February issue of @theHelm, you know why this is such a big deal.

You can help by spreading the word and sharing alternative meals with others!

Some people think that a meal isn’t considered a meal without meat. However, there are many meatless meals that are super tasty. Meatless alternatives aren’t only tasty, but by eating them instead of meat, you are helping our planet.

To those of you who haven’t yet tried meatless alternatives, why don’t you give it a shot? You may end up really enjoying them.

Now, I just want to thank all of the Meatless Mondays supporters! I know it may be tough not eating meat (especially when it’s in so many meals!), but you guys have really showed some grit. I’m glad you are on board with this! In fact, some excellent Meatless Mondays supporters have provided us with some delicious recipes for this issue of @theHelm.

Thank you to Layla Jahshan (701), Liza Izotova (802), Annie Collins (602), and Saejin Yoon (602) for sharing their wonderful meatless meals! @theHelm ~ page 24

cont’d

Fettuccine Alfredo

@theHelm ~ page 25

THE MATH CORNER Grade 5 and 6 April Challenge: Work with a partner to investigate whether these statements are always, sometimes or never true.

For each investigation show a counterexample or proof to support your answer.

Grade 7 and 8 April Challenge:

@theHelm ~ page 26

English Words from the Irish Celtic Language Congratulations to our word puzzle winners, Jacey Goldberg (806) and Mrs. Espinola.

Answers: banshee F; bog O; boreen M; boycott T; brock K; brogues A; brogue U; clabber H; colleen N; corrie W; craic B; drumlin L; esker: R; Fenian S; galore I; hooligan X; kibosh G; leprechaun V; limerick Y; phoney C; shamrock E; shillelagh P; slew D; smithereens J; tilly Q.

Think you know your school?

Try the HSC Kahoot Challenge

by Jedidiah Arimoro, 705 Click on the school’s logo! —>>>

@theHelm ~ page 27

Shelter-building How hands-on time in nature is needed more now than ever

by Mr. McGall Like many educators in Ontario during COVID, I wanted to get my class outside more frequently for their mental and physical wellbeing. There is often a disconnect with students—especially in the winter months—in their relationship with the outdoors: something experts call “nature-deficit disorder”. People my age recall when the local forest or stream was always a good excuse for a day of exploring, putting bugs in shoeboxes and jars with grass, and building “forts”. You were so busy and engaged that you often did not think of returning for lunch, which is something I later rectified when my parents gave me a portable grasshopper stove, a can opener, and a can of Campbell’s Soup. I was eight at the time.

snow, sticks, rocks, etc., and no tools. It also had to be able to hold all members that were building the structure.

I rotated among the two classes and observed for the next few hours. The good news is that kids still like to build a lot, they supported their design choices, and had a whack of fun. It was interesting to see them choose a location because many would have had a rough night in slush, rain, or melting water! Some decided to build low to the ground which is ideal because it conserves the heat better, while others constructed A-frames that were impressive, but only if humans were comfortable sleeping upright on their feet! The eventual winner used an unusual design based on a structure that Indigenous Peoples had used in this area for thousands of years. Given more time, they may have even fully insulated their miniwigwam.

As you can see from the photo to the right, this group even bent the sticks they used which demonstrated that they did some decent research. I left feeling that our students need more time to develop a stronger and more engaging relationship with nature, but it was clear that being in a forest had awoken a basic human desire that sees nature as an inspiring, calming, and, I daresay, a healing force we could all use right now. I hope to do some outdoor cooking with some of the grade 8s this spring using only clay pots, heated stones, and some three-sister vegetables!

I wanted to give my students an opportunity to see what they could achieve in nature and see if there was any truth to what the experts have been saying about the lack of outdoor activity. Students from two classes were given a simple challenge to fulfill during a short, local field trip they took along the Bruce Trail near Hillfield Strathallan College. They were asked, “If you had to spend a night out in the forest in the middle of March, what could you build to increase your chances of survivial?” The rules? They could use only deadfall timber, leaves, Stay tuned! @theHelm ~ page 28

Evaluna Larrazabal, 805 Angela Zhang, 806

Emma Ma, 803 Maggie Urbshas, 806 @theHelm ~ page 29

Grade 5 Artist of the Month—Ella Shcherbatykh, 504

Artists of the Month

Grade 6 Artist of the Month—Sabrina Kiung, 602 @theHelm ~ page 30

Grade 7 Artist of the Month Henry Tierney, 701

Grade 8 Artist of the Month—Alex Ruiz Reyes, 805 @theHelm ~ page 31

was five years old, and he went missing on Maltor Boulevard.

by Meleesa Hamzehian (501), Viann Some background information on Whatley (502), Abigale Guy (503), him: his name was Treno Reptolo, and Ava Cruickshank (503) his father was the mayor of Weggatel (which, by the way, was the town's name), and here is all Chapter 1 the information they figured out Hi, I’m Hickory McBlagger. I’m in a after dinner: burnt-down carnival. You're probably wondering why, but I’ll explain That night, Treno went up to his room to go to sleep, that later. I was the one who solved the case of the missing chil- “Goodnight, Treno” said his mothdren. So let's go back to the begin- er.

“Goodnight Mommy” he replied. ning of the story, 30 years ago, when my best friend went missing.

He was not the first missing child, At exactly 11:00 pm at night, Treno went missing! but I didn't realize that children Duh, duh, duh… were going missing until he did.

His parents were so worried that His parents were very worried they called the police, and the inabout him. Within a few days, vestigators of Weggatel immedimany children stopped going to ately came. The police and investischool! By the time it was nearly gators arrived right away and only Christmas, there were almost no found three pieces of evidence. children at the school! Actually, I think I was one of the last ten chil- They found a blanket, which had obviously been quickly pulled dren left. The Mayor said that away, since there was a rip in it, there was no point in going to school if there were no students. and there were two black paint marks from fingerprints on the blanket (which happened to be Chapter 2 the second clue).

The Missing Children

in the black glove wearing a ski mask, taking Treno away.

Chapter 3 The next day, all the parents saw a strange man. They described him as very “odd” and “wearing all black with a terrifying mask!” He was acting very odd and was very slim. He stopped on the front porch of a kid’s house and slipped, but he got away before the parents came outside.

The child that he stole was a girl named Samantha Blout. She was a young child with unusual-looking eyes. The reason people said her eyes were unusual was because her eyes glowed in the dark and were bright orange and yellow. A week passed, and three more children went missing. Their names were Garett Farloway, Della Postale, and Zella Postale (they’re twins). Parents started getting anxious and started putting locks on the doors and windows, even putting barricades on their beds.

Some parents also hired bodyguards, but nothing could stop the man in black. Personally, I don’t When the first child got kidLast but not least, the window had know why the parents assigned napped, it was a cold, dark, and been left open. The police went the bodyguards—what if one of eerie night. The first child who got around the town asking everyone them was the kidnapper? Then you kidnapped was a little boy who who lived there about the kidnap- would be endangering your child ping. No one had any black paint, without knowing it. and their fingerprints were not the same! The police asked everyone Chapter 4 there if they had seen a mysterious person who was on the The town council called a meeting. streets at 11:00 pm. Then, they Parents went to discuss what was checked the security cameras and going on with the children of the found nothing. The footage town. The parents saw a commershowed where a person found a cial that was advertising a brand black glove and an image of a man new carnival that was opening, @theHelm ~ page 32

with one security guard per child.

The parents decided to bring the kids to the carnival, not yet knowing of the danger. At the front desk there was a clown. He said that each bodyguard cost $10.00, and all the parents got bodyguards for their kids. The kidnapper came to the carnival, but the parents were with their kids, so the kidnapper had to blend in.

Chapter 5 The parents went to meet with Jacob Terear (the president), and he said that letting the kids sit in the front of the car with their car seats, and keeping the house windows and doors locked, could prevent the kidnapper from taking more children away. President Jacob responded, “When people are passing by, the kidnapper or kidnappers could take your kids. This is why you must shut your WINDOWS!” All parents agreed to the new law.

Chapter 6 The kidnapper decided to hide the children in this old carnival from the 18th century! It was about 90 miles away from Weggatel. He went back and forth from the town to the carnival in his very speedy Lamborghini. Five more children went missing, but the strange thing was that these were only the children who had a teacher as a parent. Their names were Notatious Kaboly, Gabby Wequer, Toba Dolalet, Flora Timone, and Timothy Wilson. What was really strange though was that they were all kidnapped on the same

day! The next day more children got taken; this time, they were all teenagers. Their names were Jake Caption, Swadian September, Wequet Appelet, Treima Toloreo, Kreima Toloreo, Sreima Toloreo, and Reima Toloreo (the last four were quadruplets). Then the detective of the town, Yala Cormaia, went missing. The deputy detective searched her home thoroughly and found nothing. Suddenly, she spotted a bulletin board—it had notes about where the person was hiding the children! The deputy realized that the endpoint was very rushed, meaning that she was in grave danger and in a hurry to get away from something or someone. The new detective thought... She realized that the kidnapper must have kidnapped her so she wouldn’t tell other people where they could find him!

Then the last thing she saw was a drop of blood that had dripped down the bulletin board. It was fresh, and it started from the last pinpoint she put in. She knew the detective had been taken only a couple of hours ago.

but not least me, Hickory Mcblagger. There I was, only 24 years old, and now I’m 54. Back then I was a news reporter for the Train, Rain, and Cats (TRC).

Chapter 8 They packed their bags and got ready for the adventure ahead of them. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into. The team was watching a T.V. news report from their bus ride, then all of a sudden, the T.V. went black and showed a black glove on the screen. A man in black appeared, and suddenly there was an explosion that rocked the bus. The kidnapper on the T.V. shouted from the screen, “I know where you are. I watch your every move and I will hunt you down! I’m coming for you Hickory McBlagger!”

All of a sudden, the bus broke down in a desert. They had no one to call, the winds started to pick up, and then, a sandstorm started to form. The group quickly scanned the area for shelter and spotted a cave. They all pushed Chapter 7 the bus quickly into the cave.

Coughing up sand, they decided Sorry, I forgot to tell you: the new to sleep on the bus. They grabbed detective’s name is Mayla Christo- food and water from their bags pher. She packed her bags and and started to eat. Then they slept recruited three more members to on the seats of the bus, but since join her during her quest to save they were adults the seats were the children! The three other desmall for them so they were in tectives who were coming to help very bad positions to sleep. were a 22-year-old man named Halo Educa, who worked at the peoTo be continued…. ple magazine factory, a 33-yearold woman named Haylatte FraThe Missing Children will resume in puto, who worked as a training our May edition.! scientist and astronaut, and last @theHelm ~ page 33

Luck of the Draw

by Aaron Parasu, 602 PROLOGUE

hab centre and hid behind a dumpster. I changed into pants (finally) and went inside. Inside, I saw the psychiatrist.

“Hello, you’re Michael, correct?”

“In-indeed I am,” I stuttered.

“Sit down. You want to talk about your gambling addiction?” she asked.

“Yes, I’d love to.”

“Put your hands up!” demanded the officer.

Okay, let me explain how I got here. I’m a gambler, a big gambler. Sometimes I come home to my family with half of our money Chapter 2: New Job! Hundred gone. Yeah, I’m not really proud of bucks an hour! that one. This year I promised my“Tell me, Michael. What makes self that I would change. you want to gamble?” she questioned.

Chapter 1: Rehab “Dunno, just makes me feel good I booked rehab for 10:00 AM, yet inside. Like, it helps me relieve it was 9:15 AM and I just woke up. stress,” I replied.

“Shoot!” I yelled, trying not to “Michael, gambling can easily dewake my family up. “I’m gonna be stroy your mental awareness syslate!” I dashed out the door with tem. If you lose or lose all your my boxers on. I brought a pair of money, you could go through high pants so I could change there, and levels of stress and ultimately kill I wasn’t thinking properly when I yourself due to pressure. I suggest heard, “What the heck are you taking a break from it and start doing, man?!?” It was John. doing something else,” she told me in a genuine voice.

“Look, man. I didn’t mean to do “Ok.” I handed her 50 bucks and that. I’m running late.” I could see went home. he was mad. John was my neighbour, and I really, really didn’t like On my way back, I saw a flyer on a him. traffic light pole: “New Job! Hun“Put your bloody pants on, mate!” his Aussie accent was coming out and that was when I knew he was mad. I ignored him and kept going on my way. I got to the rehab center- Oh, did I forget to tell you my name? Well, if I did, the name’s Michael - Michael Samzon. Now, back to the story... I got to the re-

dred bucks an hour!” I read off the flyer, “Hundred bucks, that’s insane!” I read again, “Call 905-9046224 for a job as a construction worker for Bob’s Builders!” Bob’s Builders was one of the most famous construction companies in the entire world. I called immediately. @theHelm ~ page 34

“Hi! I’m Michael Samzon, and I’m here to apply for the construction worker position, and spots left?”

“Lucky man,” said the man on the other end, “there’s one spot left—you’ll fit right in! I’ll see you on Monday!”

“Great!” I was ecstatic! A job at Bob’s Builders? Heck yeah! What could go wrong?

Chapter 3: New Job, New Life It was a Monday, the day I started my new job. I headed over to the construction site and saw the workers.

“What is your name?” said one. I assumed he was the boss.

“My name is Michael Samzon.”

“Alright, my name is Noah Schmidt. I’m the boss here. Bob is in Cali.”

I go over to the dig site.

“Ay, get on that loader!” someone blurted in a thick Russian accent.

“Ok.” I did so and realized I didn’t know how to use the thing. Welp, this would be how I died, wouldn’t it?

Chapter 4: Beginning to an End I bashed into the building, and it fell over.

“What the bloody heck you doin?!?”

John worked there?!?

That wasn’t important—the point was that I destroyed a building with a loader. Someone called the police, and with that, I was right back at square one.

Simple Writing Hacks and Tips to Get Your Writing Back on Track—Part 2

by Alex Ruiz Reyes, 805 We’re always looking for new ways to write more and faster when we need to, and I would like to share some of the few tips I have found online that could definitely help you with this. I am a Mac user, but I have also included the same commands for Pcs. Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-screenshoton-windows and https://www.tckpublishing.com/27-handykeyboard-shortcuts-every-writer-should-know/

So, here are the tips for this month´s issue:

Bold text. When used sparingly, bold text can highlight an extra important point you want your reader to understand. People who only scan your text are more likely to read bolded points and skim over other sections. To bold text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + B. To bold text on a PC: Ctrl + B. Underline text. Although you typically won’t need to underline text in a blog post (it’ll look like a hyperlink), if you’re writing text for printed documents, you might need to underline a phrase or certain section. To underline text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + U. To underline text on a PC: Ctrl + U. Italicize text. Italicized text can come in handy for emphasis in your documents. To italicize text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + I. To italicize text on a PC: Ctrl + I. Copy text. Once you’ve selected text, you might want to copy it so you can paste it and put the exact same word or phrase elsewhere. To copy text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + C. To copy text on a PC: Ctrl + C. Cut text. Sometimes you’ll want to delete or cut a selection of text. To cut text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + X. To cut text on a PC: Ctrl + X. Paste text. If you’ve selected text, then copied or cut it and now want to paste it, here are the useful keyboard shortcuts for accomplishing that. To paste text on a Mac: Command (⌘) + V. To paste text on a PC: Ctrl + V. Find a word or phrase. When proofreading content, you’ll often notice words you overuse. You might also spot misspellings or style errors you’ve made multiple times. To find a word or phrase on a Mac: Command (⌘) + F. To find a word or phrase on a PC: Ctrl + F. Make screenshot (print screen). Do you need to save something that’s on your screen? Capture it with a screenshot, also known as a “print screen.” To make a screenshot (print screen) on a Mac: Shift + Command (⌘) + 3. To make a screenshot (print screen) on a PC: To take a screenshot on Windows 10 and automatically save the file, press the Windows key + PrtScn. Select an entire text. You will use this for editing an entire document, or even sections of it (like changing the font size) On a PC: CTRL + A: Select all. On a Mac: Command (⌘) + A.

@theHelm ~ page 35

#MyPandemicStory Calling all kids and teens! Capture your history while it’s being made. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s had a profound effect on how you—kids and teens—learn, play, create, communicate, and so much more.

Help make sense of this moment and shape how it goes down in history—and how it comes to life in a new exhibition. Share parent/legal guardian to submit the creation on behalf of the your perspective to help build a new crowd-sourced exhibition child. at the ROM. #MyPandemicStory will be a curated display of How to Submit your original works of art this fall: watch the ROM Video Submit a photo or video of your creation at THIS LINK HERE. If your artwork is selected for display in the exhibition, the What to Submit Create a work of art about you and your life during the pandem- ROM will arrange to collect the original (so don’t get rid of it).

For this initial submission, we can accept the following types of ic. What has life been like for you? What has it looked or files, up to 5 GB: JPG, PNG, TIF, SVG, PDF, AVI, FLV, MOV, MP4, sounded like? How have you felt along the way? Is there anyMPG, WMV. thing that feels totally normal now, but would have felt strange a year ago? Your work of art could show you in a cerTell us about your artwork! tain moment or setting. It could represent something important to you from your pandemic world. Or it could be about With your submission, include: a short description of what you created and what it means to a special memory or strong emotion. It’s your art and your you, your name, age, your town or city, contact email address story and it’s an important one to share.

Post your creation using your unlocked Twitter or Instagram account with the hashtag #MyPandemicStory and You could express it as…

- a picture—like a drawing, painting, collage, or photograph tag @ROMtoronto. Be sure to tell us about your artwork in - a sculpture the caption, and send us a DM with the artist’s name, age, and - a song or video town or city.

- poem Have questions? Check out these FAQ or contact us Who Can Submit at mypandemicstory@rom.on.ca for submission assistance.

We are looking for artwork created by kids between the ages of 4-18 Note: Children 17 and under must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian in order to submit a creation. For submissions shared through a public unlocked Twitter or Instagram account, children under the age of 13 will require a

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 2021 at 11:59PM EST

Editorial: We hope you have enjoyed reading the

Thank you to the many students who contributed

April 2021 edition of @theHelm, the sixth edition this year. Spring is in the air (along with some snow!) and while longer days and sunshine warm our spirits and hearken more optimism for days ahead, we find ourselves in a third wave of the COVID pandemic, with lockdowns and stay at home orders being issued by our government.

to the April 2021 issue of @theHelm! Thank you once again to Mrs. Espinola for leading the Crow’s Nest team, Mr. Cormican for the Math Corner challenge, Mrs. Hammond for Music Notes, and Mrs. Cober and Ms Fleming for sharing the Artists of the Month.

These are hard times, but our Middle School students can do hard things! One of the ways they have persevered this year is by sharing their work in this very publication. They continue to draw, paint, cook and write, finding solace in their creations and bringing joy to the community. Their resilience this year has been nothing short of astounding. They are examples for us all.

The deadline for copy and images will be Friday, May 21.

We invite students to consider submitting their original work for the final @theHelm publication in May. Use This Google Form to upload your work (and please make sure your Google Drive docs have the necessary sharing permissions enabled).

@theHelm ~ page 36

Ms Gutauskas & Mr. Hoad