Photo by Alan Tian, 701
Staying Sporty in COVID Times by Will Armstrong, 803 No matter what sport or activity you play and are passionate about, there can often come a time when a break from it is welcome or the excitement of shifting your focus to something new is energizing. Tossing aside a ski suit for a swimsuit signals the changing seasons, and perhaps your extracurricular activities are, too. Personally, I find that pushing the hockey bag to the back of the cupboard and pulling out the golf clubs puts a smile on my face. During our April break, I was really getting into “the swing of things.” Little did I know that when I walked off
the course after my last round, all golf courses would be closed three hours later. What to do now? It’s funny that when all your activities get snatched away, you are suddenly willing to play anything!
I decided to start getting creative. I cranked the heat in our pool. My dad complained that I was increasing the humidity in surrounding cities, but this allowed me to swim laps and pretend for a moment that it was spring break in Florida. I set up an old net in our garage and created my own driving range with plastic indoor golf balls and cans to putt into, hoping to be ready for when the courses reopened. I also turned my focus back to being a superfan of just about any televised sporting
event: Formula 1, NHL, MLB, NBA, UFC, etc. My mom suggested channelsurfing as a new household sport. Formula 1 has begun a new season. We watch time trials on Saturday to prepare our predictions for the Sunday morning race. Our family makes predictions on the final outcomes to keep everyone engaged—and that’s our version of sideline competition! I've won a couple of Dairy Queen outings for my victorious predictions, but my poor guessing has also made me sweat. The NHL is edging towards the playoffs. Go Leafs Go! Also, the UFC and favourite take-out foods make up my Saturday night entertainment. Maybe your idea of a fun competition is challenging your parents to a video game (this can test your patience) or cracking open the board games: Catchphrase is our family favourite. Whatever injects a spirit of competition / activity / fun into your house can keep things interesting. Have fun—we will play together soon!
Hillfield Strathallan College—Middle School Student Newspaper
Diversity: Different but Equal…. Article by Alia Wahban, 805
“Diversity is the engine of invention. It generates creativity that enriches the world.” - Justin Trudeau Diversity is defined in many ways and comes in many forms, but how might we understand it better? It isn’t something we should discourage, but something we should hope and strive for. Diversity is all around us. It is part of our everyday lives, and we genuinely need to accept the fact that this is okay! Diversity is one of the most critical parts of an active and compassionate society. However, when something breaks apart in the puzzle, and someone disrespects a diverse culture / community, things can all go haywire! Consider, for example, the BLM movement that took place last May. A police officer looked down upon and stereotyped another race and culture, invariably leading to the unnecessary murder of a citizen, which rippled into multiple protests for social justice and equality. The citizens of the US, and many other countries, were awakened by this problem, learning that no matter what race or culture you are from, we are all equal.
Your neighbour might originally be from a different country, with different beliefs, opinions, values and traditions from yours. This is an example of cultural diversity!
how and why religious diversity is crucial. In 2019, Islamic hate crimes rose about 151%, and Jewish hate crimes have risen by more than 63% in Canada alone.
Cultural diversity is also extremely significant in the workforce. Cultural diversity can promptly open one’s mind to various perspectives and innovative ideas that can positively enhance a project. A culturally diverse workplace empowers people to develop their talents and skills. It can also enhance problem-solving capabilities and increase happiness and productivity. Multiple sources claim that cultural diversity can also lead to a prosperous company… Something to keep in mind when you are an entrepreneur!
Religious diversity can help us see how one religion is as good and valuable as any other.
As previously mentioned, there is a wide range of types of diversity, and another often-stereotyped one is religious diversity. Allow me to back up for a moment: Religious diversity is where there is more than one religion in an area. Canada is very religiously diverse!
Since some individuals do not understand this statement, it could potentially be one of the reasons for hate crimes against a specific religion. Much like cultural diversity, religious diversity in a workforce can frequently offer insights on team projects. It can equally empower a productive community within an office. Understanding religious diversity can, in a way, help recognize someone better! How might I be able to promote diversity in a working environment and/or school? There are multiple ways to promote diversity anywhere, and here are a few to consider:
Disappointingly, some people haven’t come around to seeing @theHelm ~ page 2
Acknowledge differences by reminding peers / colleagues that it is okay to be different!
Value all diversity and consistently emphasize that everyone has different perspectives, beliefs, and values. This also means that everybody can have a place and a voice on projects and goals!
Actively seek out new ideas and viewpoints; sometimes people can surprise you with their diverse experiences.
Treat others the way they want to be treated; it can be as simple and efficient as asking them. This makes your workplace more welcoming and productive for everyone.
Be a respectful ambassador for your own culture, while also observing diverse traditions, celebrations, and holidays from other cultures!
With all that being said, you might be thinking about how diversity can be useful to you now. Diversity education exposes young people to various cultural and social groups, preparing students to become better citizens in their communities. By gaining this education and experiencing the effects in schools, we can obtain the tools so we can eradicate stereotypes and properly serve others with respect, regardless of their race!
Revisit the following question the next time you think about diversity and making a difference: How can you be part of the solution?
We need our future leaders to work behind the scenes to help prevent further inequalities and injustice.
As Gandhi said, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
“Flowers” by Elly Chen, 701
Middle School Student Spotlight: Alia Wahban, 805 We know Alia Wahban as the creator of Nouvelles Positives videos, and supplier of thoughtful @theHelm articles. She is also a determined and supportive house captain and all-round excellent Middle School citizen. What you may not know is that she is also a math ace! Currently working alongside Grade 10 enriched math students, Alia recently competed in several math contests going up against Grade 9 and 10 students across independent schools worldwide. She participated in the Caribou Contest (total of 6 competitions) and the University of Waterloo’s Cayley and Fryer contests. The Cayley is a 60 minute test open to Grade 10 students, consisting of 25 multiplechoice questions. The Fryer, a 75 min test, consisting of 4 questions requiring full solutions with marks assigned for form and style of presentation. Alia—who turned only 13-years-old in March—placed 6th among all participating independent schools in the last Caribou Contest, which led to a top-4% finish worldwide in the Caribou Cup among all Grade 9 and 10 competitors. After writing the Cayley, Alia earned a place on the student honour roll amongst all Canadian participants and most recently, Alia earned a distinction on the Fryer, placing 2nd among all participating Grade 9 and 10 HSC students. Participating in math contests takes a great deal of preparation, commitment and dedication to the craft. Alia is a passionate mathematician who has worked hard to become a competent problem solver. Please join us in sending a huge congratulations to Alia on her wonderful achievements! @theHelm ~ page 3
‘Capture,’ by Maria Titov, 604
Three Female Artist Updates by Chloé Hill, 806 Warning: some of the artists’ songs contain explicit language What’s going on in the pop-music world lately?
love her deep and meaningful lyrics and can’t wait for the album.
Lana Del Ray released her seventh album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club, back in March. The tracks have a smooth and reflective theme, each song perfectly put together with her deep words and calm instruments. This album includes a contribution from Nikki Back in January, actress and singer Lane in “Breaking Up, Slowly” and Olivia Rodrigo released “Drivers even a cover of Joni Mitchell’s License” which swept the floor as “For Free” featuring Zella Day and the longest-running No.1 hit on Weyes Blood. the Billboard Global 200, over 707 million streams on Spotify— and The album has also made it to all this while the artist is only 17! No.2 on Billboard’s top 200! Fans Following up on this success, her are hoping touring is safe as soon second (not so) single “Deja vu” as possible so they can hear their was released on April 1 and will favourite tracks performed live. soon also be on her debut album Sour, set to release May 21. Fans If you’ve had that same question in mind, you’re in luck—thankfully, music has been thriving throughout Covid-19 as artists have had more time and listeners are quite bored. Here are three female artist updates to keep you in the loop.
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Lastly, Billie Eilish has been promoting her second album, Happier Than Ever, with an expected release date of July 30, added to the release of “Your Power” back in April. The artist seems to be contradicting her darker style with this new album’s classy cover art. “Your Power” is an incredible song based on deep topics—Eilish says the song isn’t about her experiences; instead, she leaves it to the listener to shape it to their situation. Fans are incredibly excited for the album drop and to hear her new lighter style come to life. I hope you enjoyed a muchneeded update from your favourite music connoisseur! So, please take a listen, and feel the song.
Helping the Community: Soul Food and the Parkview Street Mission by Mlle Sima (student teacher)
the food going to waste. When I heard of HSC’s involvement with the Parkview Street Mission, I was thrilled! Parkview is a small registered non-profit organization that serves over 3,000 people per month. This means their organization receives no government funding or support. Parkview Street Mission picks up leftover food from HSC’s Lawson Hall every Wednesday and serves it to homeless people in shelters and on the street. Regular foods offered include sandwiches, pizzas, pastas with meat sauce, cookies, muffins, and water.
Hello, HSC! My name is Andreea Sima, and I’ve been delighted to join the Zoom French classes of Mme Camus for the past few weeks as a student teacher. I am studying to be an elementary school teacher In the Concurrent Education Program at Queen’s University. I also love to be involved in different volunteer opportunities in my community. At Queen’s I have been a volunteer in various places, including helping in It has been more difficult during a retirement home, being a soccer the pandemic for Parkview to continue all of its usual efforts, but coach, and joining a mentorship program at the university. Of all these different opportunities, one of my most memorable experiences was volunteering at SoulFood. This non-profit organization gathers volunteers who are willing to pick up leftovers in the school cafeterias and deliver them to local shelters instead of
Take the Helm? We are recruiting for the following positions for next year’s digital student newspaper: • • • •
Section editor Visual Art Guru / Correspondent Community News / Interviewer Wellbeing Wizard
To apply to one of these amazing leadership positions, email Mr. Hoad. @theHelm ~ page 5
with the help of volunteers and community, it has remained an integral part of help for the homeless. Accompanied by HSC volunteers, Parkview even had a special Easter meal that included festive eggs and chocolate! Parkview continues to serve meals every Wednesday night at Ferguson Station (7pm – 8:30pm) and Barton/Birch (9:30pm – 11pm). It’s lovely to see what we can do as a community. I hope this organization continues to grow and be given support. I also hope that my own experience has helped shed some light on those lovely organizations, maybe inspiring you to check it out or even help out!
Let them eat bread! French Culture Focus: Baking Baguettes by Mlle Sima (student teacher with Mme Camus)
baking, which simulates a mini steam oven, the baguettes turned out crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside!
Along with cheese, wine, and the Eiffel Tower, the baguette is an iconic symbol of France. Baguettes are essential items in the classical French bakery, with over 30,000 bakeries and over 10 billion baguettes being consumed a year! That is 1.3 times more than the total An “egg wash” was also used (egg and water) for an number of people in optional brown glaze on top! the world! As Mme Camus’s class of 802 has been learning more about the French culture, they decided to try making this traditional recipe! With ice water under the baguette while talking to a camera, and by Kaiet Ruiz Reyes, 805 making sure to produce the The new HSC production, Memory Lane, is soon to be best online musical that released on June 8 and 9 via Vimeo, so make sure they could! We you tell your friends, family, and peers about it! hope you enThe year is 2100. The story follows two elderly wom- joy this wonen, Jay and Kay, as they reminisce about their times derful digital theatre experiduring the pandemic, while listening to some iconic ence! tunes from other hit musicals via flashbacks.
Memory Lane
The cast has spent a few months tirelessly practicing online, pushing through internet difficulties,
A huge round of applause to Ms Gutauskas for writing the script and creating this incredible online opportunity. Thanks to Ms Ferrell for rehearsing with us, too, and ensuring everybody knew what to do throughout the process. It was a wonderful experience to take part in this online musical theatre revue. We hope you enjoy it!
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Math Corner by Mr. Cormican
Grade 5 and 6 May Challenge Five friends are playing a game of snakes and ladders with a 12sided dice. All players are in a different position on the board.
At which number does each player arrive?
Grade 7 and 8 May Challenge
Fool’s Gold Answers from the April issue: 1. Gold Rush, 2. Gold Coast, 3. Gold (Rewards) Card, 4. Gold Medal, 5. Gold Record, 6. Gold-Standard, 7. Fool’s Gold, 8. Golden Gate Bridge, 9. Silence is Golden, 10. Rube Goldberg Bonus: All that glitters is not gold.
Congratulations to our word puzzle winner, Vinnie Wolski (805)! @theHelm ~ page 8
Prepared by Kaiet Ruiz Reyes (805) who adds, “I thought the word ‘Meme’ was appropriate for this version of Word of the Month because of the increased online time during the pandemic. People have more time on their hands to post or look at memes, as we are all at home.”
Grade 5 and 6 April Math Challenge ANSWERS
Do you Duo? Mr. Buchanan does, and he just reached a 1000-day streak! Congratulations! Students looking to practice their French conversation skills need look no further—ce prof est en feu !
Grade 7 and 8 April Math Challenge ANSWERS
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Friday Night Funkin’ by Brayden Scott, Kaiet Ruiz Reyes, and Shantea Thompson (805)
Beware of Minor Spoilers Friday Night Funkin’ *Warning* Explicit Language - Ages 13+
Gameplay: Gameplay is quite simple. To beat your opponent, you have to replicate the notes on your opponent's side (on the left), which appear on your side (on the right) while timing it as well. The notes come from the bottom (unless you enable downscroll), and you press the arrow keys on your keyboard and match it with the screen! There are many different combinations and patterns used in each song, so it takes lots of practice and the game always keeps you on your toes.
The Kickstarter: Starting April 20, the Friday Night Funkin’ team started a fundraiser on Kickstarter to raise money to further develop the game. The Kickstarter raised over $600k by April 31!
The way the KickFriday Night starter Funkin’ is a works is if game feayou pledge turing Boyyour monfriend, Girley, whethfriend, and er it be $5, many other Songs: In Friday Night Funkin’, the $15, or $65, characters. game is set up in weeks, each week you get a reward based on the Boyfriend containing three songs. These weeks amount of money you pledge. The has to defeat his enemies by singing also have different difficulty levels, thing is, Kickstarter does not charge or rapping to save his girlfriend, Girlwhich are Easy, Normal, and Hard; the you until it is over. You can refund friend. The gameplay revolves around notation in the song changes to make your money at any moment during copying the opponent’s notes and it easier or harder for you. There are the Kickstarter, but as soon as it trying not to run out of health till the currently seven ends, it charges your account. If the rest of the song. weeks, all congame does not raise the goal, then taining different the money is sent back to your acThis game is a recently-famous songs, oppocount and Kickstarter does not rhythm game, developed by Newnents, and charge you. grounds Users. It was created in Octhemes, with a tober 2020 as a submission to the total of 22 songs. The Friday Night Funkin’ Kickstarter hit Ludum Dare, which is an annual game its goals within 24 hours. By the end jam in which you create a game based Mods: If you ever get bored of the of the Kickstarter, which ended May on a theme and submit it to be remain game, there are tons of mods in 13, it raised $2,247,641 to fund the viewed. The original game only conthe community. From a murderer game. The team was shocked! tained two songs you could play in clown / scarecrow or a blue anime girl the first week. to a literal bomb, there’s a lot of con- Overall, Friday Night Funkin’ is a great tent to experience outside of the reg- rhythm game to play and practice all Friday Night Funkin’ then gained popular game, including references to of the songs. There are loads of mods ularity after its release on November other games on Newgrounds games. you can download and play anytime, 1, 2020, adding a new title screen, a If you are looking for an extra chaland there are endless opportunities new song, free play, story mode, a lenge, there are plenty of extremely for songs and characters. tutorial, and much more. From then difficult mods out there. on, there have been many additions to the game, as well as 22 songs and more to come. “Dream Big Click the image
Project” - a Minecraft World Video by Bryan Chen, 603 @theHelm ~ page 10
for the video!
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review by Adi Katoch & Julian Marchetti (703)
NOTE: story spoilers ahead... many environments. From bombs to Winner of 2017’s Game of the Year and Best Game Direction, Nintendo’s hit game The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild has a wide variety of gameplay and a diverse player base. The game has been praised by critics, noted for its amazing graphics, openworld adventure, player vs environment struggles, and interesting story and puzzles. The story is based on the Legend of Zelda franchise, a hallmark of Nintendo. This game strays from the normal formula of Zelda games, but it is still one of the best Zelda experiences you will ever find. The Breath of the Wild has a wide variety of animals and wildlife to tame and hunt throughout the gameplay: this includes the beautiful horses you can ride or the hostile bokoblins, Yiga clan wizards, Lynels, and Guardians who protect the ancient shrines throughout the vast environment. With a diverse set of tools and weapons, it’s up to the player to get creative and experiment with different ways to slay different enemies in the
hero named Link. As the main characancient relics and swords, anything is ter, Link, you explore an open and possible if you test it out. eerily quiet world. While on your adventures, you see an old man who The main story catalysts in this game directs you toward a tower. This toware the bosses, and they mostly all er activates your map and you realize, follow the same design, based on the “Wow, the world is huge.” In truth, design of the final boss Calamity Ga- we have spent tens of hours on this non, the strongest and toughest boss game and still haven’t seen every corin the entire game. To fight Calamity ner of the map. After you leave the Ganon you will need to defeat the mysterious Great Plateau with a Paraother 4 elemental Ganons: Windglider and cool new runes, you are blight, Fireblight, Waterblight, and ready to experience the full game Thunderblight. All are masters of their and story! Upon your first playrespective elements. Other enemies through of the game, the story may could be classified as bosses because not be obvious as it is mainly based of their difficulty level. Lynels are one upon the lost memories of Link, the of these enemies. I have struggled fallen hero. immensely with these mini-bosses. Zelda Breath of the Wild is a masterUnlike most Legend of Zelda games, piece of a game. The graphics of this the story follows loose bullet points game make real-life look bad! The rather than every single step being sound quality and music are astoundplanned out. If you don’t want to, ing, the plot progression is wellyou don’t even need to follow the paced, and the world seems nevermain storyline. With all of this said, ending. the story is incredibly engaging with dramatic-cut scenes, powerful char- We highly recommend this game to acter arcs, and a mysterious history. people of all ages and all genders. The story follows a fallen legendary @theHelm ~ page 11
Dungeons and Dragons Club
attack and accidentally attacking your friends).
What Went Down: Our team met at a bar in Waterdeep, a denselypopulated coastal city. We all arRecently, Mr McGall, along with a rived in search of adventure. Our third-party program, has started a team consistsed of Wilson (Kyle), D&D club. Dungeons and Dragons Pepino (Brayden), Cal (Alex), Tiery is a great game to play with (Shantea), Marideth (Kaiet) and friends, as you have a lot of crea- Jesse (forgot your character's tive liberty to do what you want, name). from killing your teammates (I have firsthand experience) to As we hung out in the bar, we scamming random civilizations. talked to people getting drinks There are endless imaginative pos- and overheard some gossip about sibilities as to how the game can receiving a large amount of monunfold. ey if we retrieved “troll blood”. by Kaiet Reyes Ruiz, 805
The Game: D&D is a fantasy roleplaying game with dice. The higher your roll is, the better chance your action will have of a favourable outcome. For example, if you choose to attack an enemy and roll a natural 20 (maximum roll possible without bonuses), your attack will work perfectly. If you happen to roll a nat 1 (or a critical fail), your action will fail horrendously and can hurt you and your teammates (such as missing your
Our team came to the conclusion that it would be a good idea to find this troll blood and get our hefty sum (Marideth wanted to scam this man for infinite money, but the team outvoted that plan). As we walked down the Traders’ Path, we strayed and encountered some goblins. As we engaged in battle, Jesse attempted to be friends with the goblins, but that plan failed as Tiery flew into a rage and instantly defeated one of them. Marideth then at-
The winner is…Vinnie Wolski (805) with her caption:
“HSC's Paradise Lounge”
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tempted to attack one of these goblins, but immediately rolled a nat 1, then shot and killed one of the team's members, Pepino. Conclusion: This is the extent of what went down in our first session, as a lot of our time was spent getting to know our characters and each other a bit better. D&D is a very fun and exciting game to play, and we enjoyed bringing our characters to life in an amazing roleplay game.
such as Lego minifigures make great props. You can also craft your prop enby Michael Xia0, 802 tirely with things such as paper, wire, Stop-motion is an animation tech- and clay. nique, in which photos of actual objects are combined into a video. If you don’t have Each photo (known as a frame) props, you can use appears only for a short interval, everyday objects. Animating life tricking the mind into believing for small objects such as a water that we are viewing fluid motion. bottle automatically draining wa-
Stop-Motion Animation
Video recording for stop-motion animation works similarly. Typically, films are presented at 24 frames per second, meaning the frames appear and change so quickly that 24 distinct frames would have been displayed every single second. Think of it like a flip book but displayed digitally. In stop-motion animation, the “pages” of the flip book are photos of real objects, taken one at a time. Stop-motion animation defies physics and brings lifeless objects to life—or at least they appear that way to the viewer! A few stop-motion animations that you might know are Aardman Studio’s Wallace and Gromit series and Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas. Interestingly, back when computer-generated animations weren’t as developed, stopmotion was used to animate things like the drones, spaceships and mechs in sci-fi films. A lot of the war scenes in Star Wars were made with small models of them. Setup: Stop-motion requires the use of real objects as props. Toys
ter can be a mind-blowing experience for the audience.
with both mobiles and computers. It’s also relatively simple to use.
Remember that stop-motion animation requires multiple frames A proper background is also imevery second to be smooth, just portant. You can choose any envi- like a flip book. This is extremely ronment. Blank walls and a table time consuming. Professional animay serve as a plain background. mators often need months of hard If you want to use a fantasy back- work to capture all the necessary ground, print a picture of such a frames. For someone filming this setting and place it behind your for fun, 12 or even 6 frames per animation. Green screens or heavy second should also suffice. editing can modify the background to something you want. For every frame, move the props slightly, then take a photo of them Holding your filming device is not with the app. Make more adjustadvised because you will likely ments, and take more photos. Reneed to hold it at the same posipeat until you are satisfied with tion for hours. Place it on a tripod the length and quality of the anior a stack of other objects you can mation. gather to keep it stable. Try to find the perfect angle and direction. If Editing: If your animation is short you are using a computer, a and simple, this step can be igwebcam can make your shots a lot nored and the animation is done. more versatile. However, editing the animation can improve its quality by quite a Sometimes, adding a bit of lighting lot. can make the scene look more polished and vibrant. Having a Stop Motion Studios and many lamp or placing a flashlight on a other animation softwares come tripod are both methods that with the ability of editing. work. Your animation may require pausFilming: I recommend using Stop es here and there, or a few closeMotion Studios for the filming, be- ups can build up tension and allow cause it is a free app compatible the audience to see better detail. @theHelm ~ page 13
You can insert a few sound effects or even some background music. There are many free sound libraries for you to use online. Download them and insert it into the animation.
Once you’ve found a frame like this, use the editing software to extend this frame, or enlarge it.
toshop and adjust lighting, size, canvas size, and blurring until it is perfect.
If you find stop-motion interesting, there are many detailed guides you can find for free online. Stop motion communities can also help answer some of your quesSingle-frame editing is important if tions. you want a lot of detail. Use a photo editing tool like Adobe Pho-
to the theme as well. For example, if your theme is “Coming of Age”, you could by Alex Ruiz Reyes, 805 have the main character go through a Now that you’ve read about the “Person vs Self” conbasics of writing and useful tool from my last two articles, it's time flict to reinforce the to learn about the parts of writing theme. that tie it all together. These, of Setting: Setting is something that course, are the parts of a story. Knowing about a story’s compo- is sometimes overlooked. A good nents can help you focus on indi- setting can help convey where the characters are in a story and what vidual sections and make your it looks like. This component mainwriting as effective as possible! ly relies on descriptive sentences Theme: The theme of a book / sto- or imagery to set the mood and paint a picture of where the action ry can set the tone and mood of takes place. Settings can be anythe whole book. It's essentially your main message and what hap- thing from a school to the ocean pens within it. Some examples of bottom to an alien planet.
@theHelm Writing Tips: Story Writing
themes are “Coming of Age” and “War and Peace”. Themes embody the overall idea of your book and what you want your readers to take from it.
Characters: Characters are one of the most important parts of the story. They should have interesting personalities and a way that the reader can relate and connect Conflict: Conflict is important in a with them. Character traits and story. There can be many different other personality parts can be types of conflict, such as “Person shaped by conflicts or themes. For vs Person” or “Person vs Society”. example, if you have a character These conflicts contribute to the that is hardworking and kind, you could demonstrate those qualities overall story, and can contribute @theHelm ~ page 14
through various conflicts they experience or through the overall mood or theme. Plot: This is the most important part of writing a story. A plot should have conflict, an overall message / theme, interesting character progression, and more. Some of the most important parts of a story can be the rising action, climax, and resolution, which are all parts of the plot. The plot shapes the overall progression of the story and is the basis of everything in the story. Now that you know all about the parts of a story, you can use them effectively to create any story that you might fancy making over the summer! Happy writing!
fisheries guzzle more gas than others. It depends how long and how hard the engine works.”
Meatless Mondays: Research on Seafood by Saejin Yoon, 602 Generally, seafood has a smaller carbon footprint than other animal proteins because fishing doesn’t need farmlands or care of livestock. However, all seafood has varying impacts on the environment. According to experts, the best food choices are small species like anchovies or herring.
Fisherman or fish companies that fish for anchovies, mackerels, and similar fish save the most fuel, according to a 2015 study coauthored by Peter Tyedmers. Their average fuel use is Small schooling fish have a low impact because catching less than 80 litres of fuel per tonne of catch when the them doesn’t burn much fossil fuel. Peter Tyedmers, who fisherman use purse-like nets to surround schools of fish. researches the environmental consequences of food sys- This is because these fish swim in swamp-like areas where tems at Dalhousie University in Halifax, says that 90% of the water isn’t too deep. Compare this to crustaceans the greenhouse gas emissions from wild seafood come like Australian Tiger prawns or Norway lobsters, which from fuel use. can burn more than 10,000 litres of fuel per ton of catch! “If you think about fishing, where does fuel get burned?” he said. “On a fishing boat, it’s driving the engine. Some
Information source: Oceana.org
cakes turned out amazingly and my by Maggie Urbshas, 806 family ate them for dessert that night! HSC@Home lets all the bakers in Middle school get toOne of my favourite gether to share the love of baking! Every Wellbeing recipes to bake so far Wednesday at 1:00 pm, the Baking Club has met virtually was Dr. Annable’s to prepare delicious treats to share with friends and fami- chocolate brownies! ly. Mrs. Hubner, Mrs. Robertson, and Mrs. Whitmore They were so moist walk students through each step of the recipe to help us and tasty—my whole make something super tasty every week. family loved them and they were gone by the weekend! I will definitely make Some examples them again soon. that we’ve made recently include The Baking Club welcomes everyone, from experienced Mrs. Stezkorn’s bakers to beginners. If you want to join the Baking Club delicious chocofor the final Wellbeing Wednesday, check out the recipe late chip cookies, ahead of Mrs. Espinola’s time so you yummy oreo balls, can gather and Dr. Annable’s your ingrescrumptious choc- dients. olate brownies. Anyone can share new recipes and we are always looking We hope to for fun, new treats to bake. One time, I suggested that see you we could try making chocolate lava cakes and the teach- there! ers were able to find a perfect lava cake recipe. The lava
Baking Club
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The Crow’s Nest is a space for wellbeing 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
Arguments vs Debates: What’s the difference, and which one’s better for your health and wellbeing? by Niamh A. Mercer, 604
Arguments I’m sure we’ve all had an argument with someone at some point in our lives, whether it is a family member, friend, or classmate. You have one strongly opinionated belief, while they believe the opposite thing, and you cannot agree to disagree, you must convince your friend, family member, or classmate, that your belief is right and theirs is wrong. However, this is not always an argument. It only becomes an argument when you start to get angry, begin to shout and lose control, and don’t listen to what the other person is saying. They could have a valid point for why they don’t agree with you, for example, they could not like ice cream because they are lactose
intolerant or have a traumatic memory associated with it. If you listened, you could be comforting the other person rather than screaming at them, and then you could both walk away feeling good. An argument is generally not a good thing, but if you don’t lose control, an unescalated conversation could be good for both of you. No one ‘wins’ an argument. Some of the things they say will upset you, even if you do convince them that your belief is ‘right’, and it doesn’t feel good to shout and scream or to be screamed at. However, there is a more healthy way to settle your differences…
Debates A debate is similar to an argument, but they are not the same. You both have strongly opinionated beliefs, and you probably don’t agree to disagree, and you are trying to convince the other party that your belief is right, but you @theHelm ~ page 16
still listen to what they are saying. After all, they could convince youwhat if you’ve been missing out on something really neat? It doesn’t hurt to try some of the things they say, even if it doesn’t end up working out for you. In a debate, you don’t usually shout or lose control of yourself. Instead, you are calm and precise, but listen to what the other person is saying to counteract it cleverly rather than screaming unrelated information. Most of the time, we do all have arguments, and that’s okay. Besides, it’s natural to get fiery, and you probably will during a debate as well. But just try not to lose control- and who knows, you might just find out something awesome!
by Clare Lin, 604
@theHelm ~ page 17
tive self-talk, you might be able to calm your selfhatred. You can do this usby Abdullah Al-Sheikhly, 705 ing many techniques. One of them is trying to not say I’ve struggled with perfectionism, expecting too much from myself, and thoughts of self-hate. It can things you wouldn’t say to feel awful. Self-hate can feel like having a person fol- a child or close friend (you lowing you around, all day every day, criticizing you wouldn’t tell your close and pointing out every flaw or shaming you for every friend, “I knew you would fail!”). Another technique is giving your inner critic a mistake. Typical self-hate thoughts may include: nickname to create some distance. I knew I would fail. 2. Shifting your perspective Why do I even try? A lot of times self-hate is caused by perfectionism. Why do I always screw everything up? Try to shift your perspective and think about wheth Look at me screwing up again. er the things you are bullying yourself about will Nobody wants to be around me. matter in five years or even a year. Also, think about I’m a loser, I’m stupid, I’m annoying, etc. things on a global scale. You are one of almost eight Why can’t I just be normal? billion people, so the things you are worried about Self-hatred develops over time due to factors such are probably insignificant in the grand scheme of as past trauma, perfectionism, expecting too much things. from yourself, comparing yourself to other people, 3. Be more compassionate and forgiving to yourself and attempting to please others. There are many negative effects caused by self-hatred, such as nega- Try your best to be more gentle and kind with yourself. Don’t get all flustered when you make one tive relationships with yourself, family, loved ones, friends, and classmates / co-workers. This is because small mistake. Try to think of these small mistakes as setbacks instead of catastrophes. I know this is very you may feel like these people don’t like you and tough, but you have to try your best. that they say all the negative things that you say about yourself behind your back. Self-hatred can al4. Find your strengths so impact your school / work life. When you feel worthless or incapable, you may be less likely to take Finding your strengths can drastically change your on projects or find it difficult to work collaboratively mindset. Ask a friend or loved one what your strengths are or do the VIA character strengths surwith others. You may also put yourself down for pervey (most of us have already done this at HSC). ceived lack of performance. Social situations can be harder and skills like decision-making and goal5. Practice meditation setting can be impaired. Meditation may help you slow down and detach
How to limit negative self-talk
yourself from your negative thoughts. Engaging in meditation is a very effective way of shutting off the negative voice in your head. Just remember that So now you might be wondering how to stop selfmeditation is hard, so don’t get mad at yourself if hatred. Here are some habits you can try in order to you can’t calm down your mind in your first few sesstop the cycle of negative sions. thinking:
How to stop the cycle
1. Tame your inner critic Negative self-talk is a big part of self-hate, and if you can lower your nega-
6. Talk to someone
If nothing else works, seeing a therapist or counselor might be the right path for you. Talk to your family physician for more information.
@theHelm ~ page 18
by Emily Drumm, 604
Maria Titov, 604
Daniel Sassi, 604
Lamar Attar, 603 @theHelm ~ page 19
Editor’s Note: Mr. Hoad created Reese’s recipe for a Mother’s Day treat and it was delicious, truly a taste of summer! A few modifications that you may want to consider: We used quinoa to keep the dish gluten free and substituted vegetable broth to keep things vegetarian. Thanks for this great recipe, Reese! @theHelm ~ page 20
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The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Wardrobe scene Giaus Atse
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Wardrobe scene Holly Yates-Krull
604
My Octopus Teacher - Trailer Lamar Attar
The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Wardrobe scene Daniel Sassi
Andrew Yang Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban - Quidditch Match Lauren Thompson
A Wrinkle in Time - Transformation Scene Annie Collins Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban - Quidditch Match James Li
Rahda-Maria VargasSaravanamuttu A Wrinkle in Time - Transformation Scene Emily Orovec The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe - Wardrobe scene Sean Robinson
The Force Awakens Millenium Falcon Scene Nischal Amin Vishnu Gupta
Bryan Chen
“Tropic” by Carter McLeod, 802
“Chillin in Space” by Queena Qian, 702 “Music on the Moon” by Kyle Ding, 704
“Stairway to Winter and Back” by Svana Chang, 704
@theHelm ~ page 21
“Happy Vibes” by Oliver Cassis & Isabella Minetti, 804 “Spicy Tanterines” by Ryann Clark & Abby Hartwick, 806
A School Season of Publishing: Reflections from the Creative Team of @theHelm
ted. I would see all the amazing work you have the inspiration, the everyone did, and the work I worked @TheHelm team will follow through. on. - Alex Ruiz Reyes, 805 - Shantea Thompson, 805
What has been one of your favourite parts of contributing to @theHelm?
I think my favorite part of @theHelm has been seeing everyone who spent time working on an issue have their work seen and appreciated by the HSC community and more.
One of my favourite parts of contributing is the art gallery.
Finish the draft even before the submission date and keep editing it, this way the article can be finalized by the time it gets published. - Michael Xiao, 802
- Emma Ma, 803 Writing articles for the Crow’s Nest has been really fun. - Abdullah Al-Sheikhly, 705 Seeing my article in the paper and getting praise from teachers and peers alike. - Zander Greco, 703 It's definitely been writing the articles with my friends in a breakout room, and also discussing my idea's in our weekly meetings. - Shantea Thompson, 805
- Adi Katoch, 703
What is something you would say to a student who is considering being involved with @theHelm? I would say that @the Helm is a fantastic way to showcase your strengths/talents. There are different jobs that you can choose to contribute, you can even suggest new ideas to @theHelm if you would like to have it included in the issue. You could choose to keep the job that you were working with in the last issue or choose a different job for the next issue. We encourage everyone to participate!
- Emma Ma, 803 I have really enjoyed sharing my work with the Middle School and seeing @theHelm is really fun and you my work in a beautiful format on the should expect going into breakout page. rooms with small groups of people that are working on the same topic - Niamh Mercer, 604 as you (Video game reviews, recipes, wellness, editing). I enjoyed working with my friends on the articles for Crow's Nest. - Abdullah Al-Sheikhly, 705 - Clare Lin, 604
Don't decide to commit to the Helm unless it's something you really want to do: but I still highly recommend it! - Niamh Mercer, 604 @theHelm is a great place to share your ideas and thoughts, and it is very enriching to do something for @theHelm and just be a part of it. Having lots of people read and see what you contributed and give you feedback is fulfilling and beneficial. - Clare Lin, 604 I would say join @thehelm because it’s a great way to express thoughts and emotions within articles. - Julian Marchetti, 703 I would tell them that it is a great experience and that they should definitely try their hardest when working on work that will be submitted. - Alex Ruiz Reyes, 805
@theHelm is a creative platform and I would say you should join as the newspaper for aspiring young writers team is very friendly and supportive My miles morales review with my and doing the work is actually fun as such as yourself. peers because that’s what introyou get to write about a subject that duced me to such a wonderful club. you enjoy. The way it works is pretty - Zander Greco, 703 simple too as you just sign up for - Julian Marchetti, 703 something you want to write and @TheHelm is a great way to share your interests and show other people submit your writing before the deadMy favourite parts of contributing to your knowledge, so write about line. @theHelm was being to read the - Adi Katoch, 703 things that inspire you! The team is entire newspaper after it was submit- very open to any and all idea's, and if @theHelm ~ page 22
Birding @ HSC by Mr. Hannah with Liam Thorne (703) A banding station at HSC was envisioned in 2019 by Liam Thorne and alumnus Mia Castell to learn about birds on our campus and take advantage of the natural areas we have and the ability to expand them. We dreamed of making this initiative a reality because it would be a worthwhile project for hands-on learning, and bird banding is a great way to contribute to citizen science. We also thought it would be great to be able to document and track individual birds we see around campus.
We caught and banded birds each day we were on campus for a total of about 15 birds representing over five species, including House finch, American goldfinch, Northern cardinal, Red-breasted nuthatch, Mourning dove and House sparrow. Mr. Hannah and I (Liam) hosted workshops on Bird Identification, Banding Birds, and general knowledge plus question and answer sessions for students in the Middle School during Wellness Wednesdays and flex time activities. So what’s next?
Plantings at Willow Landing have enhanced the quality of habitat for birds at HSC. With the addition of prairie wildflowers and grasses, there will also be natural The banding operation was supervised by Rick Ludkin seed sources for birds in the winter. With a return to of the Haldimand Bird Observatory, where he holds a in-person learning on campus, we will eventually host master banders permit. This project was made up of 2 guided bird hikes, more banding events and we will mist net lanes and two traps set up in Willow Landing continue to enhance the space with plantings, bird houses, feeders and a water source or bird bath. Of where there are trees and ground cover frequently used by birds. The banding station was set up nearby course, Liam is always happy to host a class workshop or webinar to share the amazing developments as in the parking lot on a portable table, with all of the more and more birds flock to HSC! necessary equipment. The banding efforts occurred for about two hours each morning on weekends in the fall of 2020.
The plan for plantings around Willow Landing
Left: the first bird captured and banded at HSC, a Northern Cardinal. Right: the mist net lane at HSC.
Rick Ludkin, Mia Castell, and Liam Thorne dreaming big for birds at HSC.
@theHelm ~ page 23
Ode to Middle School by Jacey Goldberg, 806 my old friend Middle School you welcomed me like the fun big cousin you were much more than bricks and glass you were the teachers, close friends and the joy of learning
COVID came and changed so much it was hard in so many ways being online was challenging
you were a soft spot to fall when we needed to get up and try again your walls heard debates, laughter and tears you witnessed us growing and maturing
we didn’t ask to lose out on being together trips and special activities being separated from friends but we made it through as a school
memories were made inside and outside of school at campsites and ski hills on buses, in class and at recess during games, competitions and activities
house events and Chapel happened, @theHelm flourished we became more creative we supported each other
we learned how to be our best selves and how to stand up for our beliefs we learned that it was okay to make mistakes and try again
and here we are graduating saying goodbye to our teachers closing a chapter in our story
some of us are lifers some of us joined later new friendships were formed that we carry with us to the Senior School
you are like confetti at a party fun, colourful, surprising and hard to clean up the signal that the celebration was done a memory that will last forever thank you, my old friend, Middle School
Photo by Vinnie Wolski, 805 @theHelm ~ page 24
Poem and sketch by Lamar Attar, 603
The Earth Cries by Sophia Cober, 805 A beautiful planet, Gaea slumbers, Down below, Down below numbers;
It won’t be only humans Visiting Hades; It’ll be every living thing From roses to daisies.
Apollo’s chariot races, And sets in the west. Artemis brings the moon, As we rest.
Persephone stays with Hades forever, Making the world an eternal winter, The spring butterflies and flowers, Disappear like a small splinter.
A gentle rain, Showers the earth, Flowers come up, In a spring burst.
Poseidon’s waters will flood With garbage and plastics, Killing fish in the sea, Now things are getting drastic
Wouldn’t this be nice Basking in the sun? But it isn’t reality, Just a dream in one.
Hephaestus’ forges of fire, Will destroy our world of life, With sparks and flame;, Life will shatter like ice.
We’ve polluted the world, Mother Earth had her peace, We’ve disrupted her rest, No longer a restful sleep.
These good dreams that we dream, Given to us by Morpheus, Seems so real, Seems so glorious.
But this isn’t the problem. The earth cries in pain, Trying to tell us to stop, But its tears are in vain.
But our Earth is falling apart, No matter what we have at heart. We have to play our part, And let our actions take start.
@theHelm ~ page 25
Out of Doors by Radha Maria Vargas Saravanamuttu, 604 A patch of green, and not the largest But through the green, I’ve danced around. So many dots of colourful plants I’ve stared at surrounded by a jumble of sounds. Here’s where I’m unrestricted and free Where I forget all that happened before Where I can feel the warmth and the life Just as soon as I open the door. Sometimes, here, there are rays of bright colours Dancing, unknowing of the joys they’ve brought, At other times, the colours are softer Quiet, a backdrop for all of the thoughts. The birds here aren’t bothered by all of the things That lurk in our heads with their distracting cry They sing and they flutter and they move along And if they can do that, then maybe so can I.
Photo by Sophia Cober, 805
A Road With No Obstacles by Evaluna Larrazabal, 805 Damaged people are dangerous because they know how to survive, If you've never been damaged you don't know the thrill of staying alive, See struggle is the business of all honest people, when life kicked you down it was doing you a favour. You didn't break down, you just had a flat tire so persevere and relight that fire. Keep it burning and churning at the pit of your heart and keep on learning and yearning and never fall apart.
Photo by Angela Xiong, 702
Stare life in the eyes and say "I won’t break how matter much you try" So throw me a burden I won't lose my composure, It's for this reason that life gave me shoulders. Take a deep breath and concentrate on your stare because a road with no obstacles never took you anywhere. @theHelm ~ page 26
The Two Deer by Sophia Cober, 805 Bounding through the woods, A live little deer, On this peaceful night, No dangers here.
You could hear the earth cry, As the rain started to pour, Covering the fire, More, more, and more.
Who would’ve thought, That she found her mate, By looking in the water, And there he waits.
Then they saw a light, An almighty eclipse, For it was god’s promise, No one could miss.
His eyes gleamed like diamonds, As he looked her way, And as he came a little closer, The leaves began to sway.
His voice was strong, A lion’s roar, “Let there be peace, Forever more.”
The wind just stopped, The calm of a storm, When the waves began reaching, For the white sandy shore.
“In the dark, There shall be a light, And within the wrong, There shall be a right.”
Something was wrong, Nothing quite right, Since that’s when it started, That very night.
“Tho’ the world, Is cowering in fear, Just remember the story, Of the two little deer.”
The flames began to lick, Right up to the path, For they were experiencing, A god’s mighty wrath.
“Their lesson will guide you, Wherever you go. There’s someone for you, You’ll know when you know.”
The smoke and the heat, Were too much to bare, They burned all the trees, Soon it would be there,
These proud words, Were all that were needed, Love and joy, Like a new farm seeded.
The deer ran and ran, As fast as they could, Through scorched woods Nothing was left, Not a single piece of wood.
The promise is with us, Even still now, Why the fire happened, I guess we’ll never know how.
Bottom photo by Amelia Kiung, 805
Top photo by Jacey Goldberg, 806 @theHelm ~ page 27
The Room Of Ghosts by Niamh A. Mercer, 604 When I settle in and close my eyes, From my memory, they rise, Swirl ‘round my head, up towards the skies, I find them in the room of ghosts. An eye for art, a mind for books, She smiles everywhere she looks, Her hand I held when my world shook, I find her in the room of ghosts. A quiet voice, a gentle hand, The latest in my shadow-land, Hidden at the edges, yet she understands; I find her in the room of ghosts. Every day, I see her, yet, Every day, I seem to fret, And remember my thoughts the time we met, I find her in the room of ghosts. Once an inseparable friend, Is this the time we drift, is this our end? I wonder what message it sends when, I find her in the room of ghosts.
Digital Sketchpad image by Clare Lin, 604
One I thought I would despise, Became a quite good friend in time, And now I watch our connection unwind, I find her in the room of ghosts. One in whom I did confide, We would talk of the people we despised, But how much of her truth is lies? I find her in the room of ghosts. An unfamiliar face against the crowd, But it was her spirits that stood out, bright and loud, In a heartbeat, she was gone, and elicited a frown; I find her in the room of ghosts. We were a trio, bright and bold, Magic and adventure would never grow old, But now he’s gone, leaving us alone in the cold, I find him in the room of ghosts. Anger tore us both apart, A steady dagger to the heart, I lost a friend then, at fire’s start, I find him in the room of ghosts. I find them in the room of ghosts. I find them all in the room of ghosts.
“Reach 4 the Stars” by Maggie Urbshas, 705 @theHelm ~ page 28
With curation help from Emma Ma, 803
Niamh Mercer, 604
Pressley McIntosh, 801 @theHelm ~ page 29
Sophia Sahlas, 801
Judy Li, 801
Artists of the Month
Grade 5 Artist of the Month Sophie Munce, 501
Grade 6 Artist of the Month—Radha Maria Vargas-Saravanamuttu, 604 @theHelm ~ page 30
Grade 7 Artist of the Month—Kyle Ding, 704
Grade 8 Artist of the Month Maggie Urbshas, 806
@theHelm ~ page 31
Nature Photos Gallery
Meera Ghelani, 701
Caitlin McDonald, 804
Alan Tian, 701
Maggie Urbshas, 806
Brayden Scott, 805
Jennifer Cerello, 601 @theHelm ~ page 32
Marvin Chen, 802
Christian Lisowsky, 805
Jennifer Cerello, 601
Grace Han, 804
Emma Ma, 803
Maria Titov, 604 @theHelm ~ page 33
Mr. Hannah
A Lost Fog Horn by Juliet Finley, 602
Mike more than he missed his parents, though, because he and his father argued a lot, and he was furious at his mother for not wanting him to live with her. So whenever his parents called his aunt and uncle (which wasn’t often since they didn’t want to hear about Peter), he went down to the beach. This was how he met Brian, a boy who was fifteen years old (three years older than Peter), and together they got up to a lot of mischief. Peter normally was very obedient and wouldn’t get up to trouble, but with Brian, he was always in trouble. They egged Brian’s older brother’s car, set Peter’s aunt’s oven to maximum heat so the food was ruined, made prank calls, spray-painted the sides of buildings, and once or twice Brian even shoplifted.
Part 1 Peter sat up in bed, suddenly scared. He heard a noise coming from outside his window beside the ocean. The waves were crashing everywhere, and there wasn’t much of a moon. The dark water crashed up again and again, but Peter didn’t care about the water. He wanted to know what that noise was, so he scanned the beach. When he saw nothing, he shut the window and crawled back in bed. The water was quiet, but Peter could still hear it, which he found strange. Normally, when the window was closed, he could never hear the water. He decided he must have chipped the glass and lay down in bed, tired. He Now back to the lighthouse... fell asleep before he had thought about the noise he had heard. Brian had told Peter all he knew about the lighthouse: how it had Three hours later, Peter woke up again with the same noise, a scream. once been in good shape and had a Peter ran to his window and immedi- lighthouse keeper to keep the light ately knew something was wrong— running, how one night a ship called the R.M.S. Montana full of valuables the window he had bolted shut was had been coming to the harbour, but now wide open. Peter stared at the window and was about to head back the lighthouse keeper had been to bed when the scream came again. sleeping on the job and hadn’t turned He saw something in the distance— the light on and the ship had sunk. the light from the old lighthouse was Only one person had survived, and it on. That’s impossible, Peter thought. was the lookout. He was furious with the keeper, for his brother (the first That light hasn’t worked in years. mate) had drowned in the accident, so he climbed the stairs to the top. Before I continue, I should probably When he got there, he found the tell you about Peter's past. His parlighthouse keeper still sleeping on the ents were divorced when he was three and neither wanted to have him ground. The man searched his pockets, failing to find anything that could or his brother because they didn’t want to remember the life they’d lost. kill, so he tackled the keeper and began to choke him. The lighthouse So his aunt and uncle took Peter in, and his grandparents took care of his keeper woke up and began to fight little brother, Mike. Peter’s aunt and the man on him. The lighthouse keeper was much bigger than the lookout, uncle didn’t really like him, so he’d never had a parent figure. Peter rarely so he began to tear him off, but they were so busy rolling around on the got to see Mike since he lived far ground that they didn’t see the big away, and his grandparents didn’t drop at the edge of the lighthouse. care much for Peter. Peter missed @theHelm ~ page 34
They both rolled right off it, still trying to kill each other. When everyone discovered what happened, no one wanted to take the job as lighthouse keeper so the lighthouse became unkempt. Soon the light broke, and no ships would come and dock at night. Peter knew this story because Brian often told it to little kids to scare them. He knew quite well that the light shouldn’t be on. He quickly went downstairs but made sure he was quiet, knowing he would be scolded by his uncle for being out so early in the morning. Next, he pulled on his shoes and grabbed his coat because he knew it would be cold. Peter ran down the beach, heading toward the lighthouse. After running for half an hour, Peter had arrived at the little point that held the lighthouse. He went inside slowly, not knowing what to expect. Peter searched every floor and found nothing out of the ordinary, but now he had to search the top floor where the light was. He flicked the switch and to his enormous surprise the light went on—suddenly the world started to spin! He heard a foghorn, and mist began to come into the room from the light. Peter was thrown onto his back and suddenly felt very sleepy. When Peter woke up, he was no longer in the lighthouse. He was on the deck of a mighty ship. There were men in uniforms running everywhere. People saw him but didn’t seem to notice he didn’t belong. “Hey, you, assistant lookout!” a person shouted at Peter. “Get to the
crow’s nest! It’s really rocky tonight, and we can’t be bumping into any rocks!” Peter stared at the man who looked very official. Why was this man calling him assistant lookout? He looked at his body to see if he was wearing anything funny, and he was! He was wearing a uniform that looked like the lookout’s, and he even had a sailor’s cap on. The man in front of him must be the captain. “Yes sir!” Peter squeaked. “You’re the new boy aren’t you?” the captain asked. “We’re on a voyage, and we’re making two stops. We just stopped at one today. I heard our lookout had to quit. Are you the replacement?” Peter decided this would be a good reason why all these people never saw him before, so he replied, “Yes, I’m the replacement.” “Well then, come with me!” the captain said. “Here on the R.M.S. Montana, we have no time for daydreaming! We have a big delivery that must happen soon!” Peter didn’t hear the captain talking about daydreaming because the moment Peter heard R.M.S Montana, he froze. He knew this boat, but how could he be on it when it had sunk more than two hundred years ago. “How is this the Montana?” Peter asked as he hurried along. “Didn’t it sink?” The captain was not happy to hear this. “Boy look around you!” he exclaimed. “Nothing here is sunk! Now, if you want to keep your job as a lookout, shut your mouth and go to the crow’s nest!” He pointed to a basket on top of the ship. The ladder was
rickety, and the basket moved in the furious wind. There was a man at the top looking around.
way to escape from the boat.
What seemed like ten hours later, the lookout came up the ladder and told “No!” Peter said aloud before he him he could have a break. “Go and could stop himself. He managed to ask someone to show you to the not say, “it’s the person the one who boys’ cabin. In the room there are fights the lighthouse keeper.” four bunks. Take one of the unoccupied ones. When you hear a bell ring“Boy, what are you doing standing ing three times in a row, come back around?” the captain asked. “Get up here. When you hear the bell ringing there!” once, go and find the cafeteria,” the lookout said. “Any questions?’ Reluctantly Peter climbed up the ladder. It was shaking the whole time, “What's your name?” Peter asked. and he felt certain he would be tossed into the cold water. When he “Paul!” the man replied. “Now get a reached the top, he looked at the move on, and don’t forget your hat.” person who was already there. He was the wettest person Peter had Peter grabbed his hat and went down ever seen—his uniform was sopping the ladder. When he reached the botand his hat was on the ground. “Little tom, he was extremely cold and wet. boy,” the man said, “take your cap He saw a man walking across the off and put it on the ground if you deck, so Peter ran to him. “Excuse don’t want it blown right off!” Peter me sir,” he said in a small voice. “Do took off his cap and put it at the bot- you know where the boys’ cabin is?” tom of the look out basket. Just then, the basket jerked from a big gust of “Go down the stairs to the last door wind, and Peter slipped on the wet on the left!” the man told him. floor, nearly falling. “Careful kid,” the lookout said. He reached into his Peter found the stairs and ran down pocket and pulled out a periscope, them. He found a lot of hallways, but handing it to Peter, “Ok boy, start he finally saw one on his left that said looking. If you see anything wrong Boys’ Room. Peter opened the door shout out! Got it?” he asked. and walked in. It was an okay room. It had four bunkbeds, two against each “Got it!” Peter told him. wall. Six of the bunks were messy, and one had a person sleeping in it. “Good,” said the lookout as he began Peter saw a bunk that had no one on to climb down the ladder. it, so he went to it and opened the box on it. Inside were two uniforms Peter stared at the man descending that looked like his and a canteen. the ladder, and he was instantly The best part of the room was the scared—he knew this boat was going porthole that was open, so the room to sink, and he knew what was going was all wet with sea spray! Peter ran to happen when it sunk. He didn’t to the porthole and closed it. He then know how close he was to the time it looked around the wet room. He shivsunk, and he couldn’t go down and ered and decided to go and put on ask because he was supposed to be some dry clothes. He went to the box on watch. Peter decided he would on his bed and changed into a dry wait until someone came to take his outfit, hanging up his old one. It was place, and then he would try to find a nice to feel dry again. Next he @theHelm ~ page 35
squeezed out his hat and put it on his small fish, and a chunk of bread. head. Just then, a bell sounded. “Be careful with that canteen, boy!” Peter grabbed his canteen, went to someone told him, pointing to the the door, opened it, and walked out. canteen Peter had put on the table. He found a door that said “cafeteria” “It’s the only one you get, but you fill on it. The door opened into a room it up every meal!” with a few tables and benches. There was a pile of paper bags sitting on Peter nodded and took a big slug one table and a group of people sitfrom the canteen. He immediately ting at another eating. Peter walked spit it all out and gagged. “What is over to the table with the food on it that?” he asked. and grabbed a bag. He assumed that it would be okay for him to sit with “Lemon juice,” a man told Peter some of the other people, so he gruffly, “so you don’t get scurvy!” walked over to the big group of people. He found a spot that was empty Peter nodded and took a small sip. It and sat down. was sour and tasted terrible, but Peter had heard about what happened Peter looked at the group and realif you got scurvy, so he finished the ized that these people probably canteen, shaking. He then looked in wouldn't want to talk with the assis- his bag and nearly spit all the lemon tant lookout, so he remained silent. juice out. The fish looked gross. He Then, a tall man looked at Peter and reached in, took out the chunk of said, “I haven’t seen you around here bread, and took a bite. It was stale before! When did you start?” and incredibly hard to chew, but Peter didn’t think these people would Peter nearly choked, and he hadn’t like if he took it out of his mouth so even started eating. All he could do he kept on chewing the lump of was mutter, “Oh, this is my first trip. I bread. When he had finished it, he used to hide from other sailors belooked at the fish and wanted to barf. cause I didn’t want to get in the The fish was grey and lumpy, and Peway!” The man seemed to accept the ter was nearly certain that it was raw. excuse because he shrugged and “Do you want this?” he asked a man. continued eating. Peter opened the bag and almost gagged—inside was a
The man grabbed the fish and chewed it, then spit out the bones on the table. Peter gulped and stood up, walking toward his cabin. He put his canteen down on the bed and was about to lie down when the bell sounded three times in a row—Peter knew he had to go back on lookout, but he didn’t want his dry clothes to get wet, so he quickly changed into his wet ones again and ran out to the look out post. As he climbed, Peter wanted to wake up. He wanted to wake up and realize he was in bed. When he got to the top of the ladder, the man standing there started descending the ladder, and Peter was left alone in the crow’s nest. Peter was getting more and more scared the more time he spent on the boat. He knew that being there was a death wish and wanted to get back to his time. He decided that he needed to find out how and why he was in this time and on this boat. Peter stood in the crow’s nest thinking for hours when suddenly the lookout came. “Go, boy. You have five hours of sleep. Don’t waste them!” Peter grinned and began to climb down the ladder but it was slippery from the rain and before Peter knew what was happening his foot slipped and he began to fall.
The Tale of the Chale A short story by Lamar Attar, 603 Swimming deep in the ocean was a creature that had never been seen before. It was called the chale, which is a combination of the words, whale and chomp. It got its name from having the deadliest teeth and the loudest chomp. It could swallow a human whole, as, just now, it was about to do! A man swam and swam as fast as he could, but the chale swam ten times faster. As the chale was about to suck this man into the deep hole of its stomach, something happened. The chale’s jaw froze—it was stuck! It couldn’t move a single fin or flipper, and most believe that it couldn’t even breathe, which is why it floated to the seashore and died. The man was so relieved and became extremely grateful for his life. He could’ve died on the spot in less than four seconds but had lived to see another day. How do I know all of this? Well you see, I was that man. A lesson I learned from my reality is to always be grateful because you know nothing will last forever. @theHelm ~ page 36
The Missing Children by Meleesa Hamzehian (501), Viann Whatley (502), Abigale Guy (503), and Ava Cruickshank (503) Continued from the April Issue... Chapter 9 They awoke to a loud hiss. They jumped out of their seats on the bus and peered out the window. Outside sat a black mamba, they tried not to move but the snake slowly slithered in the bus towards them. Suddenly, four more snakes appeared behind the first one. They had nowhere to run except to go through the fire exit and into the dark and mysterious cave. All rules forgotten, they dashed into the cave. The snakes slithered swiftly across the ground hissing even louder this time. Luckily, I was good at zoology and knew if the others held the snakes back, I could break their two venomous teeth so they can’t squirt out venom. Unfortunately, the others were too frightened to go near the snakes and kept on running away. I started to yell at them because it was the only way WE WOULDN’T DIE! It seemed hopeless, but then I found a string. I grabbed a rock and threw it at the mambas, they were still following. The only option for me was to just keep running with them. Then, we came across a two-way split, we quickly agreed that two of us would go one way, and the other two would go the other way. I was with Halo, and Mayla was with Haylatte. Halo and I ran for a while in the dark and spooky cave with the snakes behind us, until the cave led out into a waterfall! I know what you’re thinking, how did you get from the middle of the desert to a GIGANTIC waterfall? Well, strange things happen when you go looking for that carnival, very strange things. Chapter 10 Let’s go back to when Haylatte and
Mayla ran the other way. They ran deeper into the cave and only two snakes were following them. Instead of seeing a waterfall, they saw a lavender field. They walked for about half an hour, meanwhile, we also walked for about half an hour. Suddenly, Mayla remembered that she had a flare in her backpack. She carefully used it while not trying to mess up, and it worked, the flare shot up into the air, then Halo and I saw it. The boys yelled, “we’re over here”! They raced towards each other not realizing that there was a humongous canyon in their way! Halo, not looking down, slipped and started to fall down it. He grabbed onto a twig about a quarter of the way down the canyon. Hickory freaked out. Luckily, Haylatte brought a portable ladder/bridge in her backpack. She threw it down and walked across it very carefully. All of a sudden when Mayla was about to get off the bridge, it broke. She fell and accidentally grabbed Halo by his other arm, and snapped the twig that he was holding onto! Haylatte and Hickory had to find another way to get down there! They decided to jump off the top of the cliff! Hickory and Haylatte started to swim to the shore and all of their belongings fell out when they were in the water! Chapter 11 They swam so quickly, that THEIR PANTS ALMOST FELL DOWN! All they could hear in the background was, “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh''! The noise was coming from Halo and Mayla, they seemed to be in trouble, but they couldn’t help them now, they needed to get their stuff back. All of a sudden, Haylatte heard a sound…… swimming in the water. She turned around, and an enormous megalodon was swimming behind them! They screamed, “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”! Even louder than Mayla and Halo @theHelm ~ page 37
were screaming. Then, everything went silent. Hickory and Haylatte tried not to move until Hickory flinched. The megalodon swam as fast as a racecar towards them. Haylatte and Hickory swam in opposite directions, but when they did, the megalodon bit Haylatte’s leg. Suddenly, the megalodon disappeared into the water dragging Haylatte with it. Now, Hickory was all alone, helpless, and hopeless. His only option was to save his friends. He swam to shore in his drenched clothes, gathered up their stuff and started to head to the canyon. Surprisingly, the danger wasn’t over yet because there stood a huge rhinoceros in his way. The strange thing was that he didn’t seem to want to harm Hickory, to run away from him. Hickory had a book with him, if you are wondering how did he have a book? Well, he didn’t really have a book, he had memorized some of the herbivore animals. The rhinoceros named Rayan (Ray-on) said grunt=hi, snort=25 and growl=can you pass the peas? The rhino wanted to have a birthday party with him because he was all alone on his birthday, also, he wanted to help him get some friends for the birthday party. So, Hickory made a deal with him. If he helped him with the birthday party situation, he would have to help Hickory, by using his horn to lower him down the canyon. They both agreed that this was a splendid idea. Chapter 12 After the deal, I thought to myself, “why am I agreeing to have a birthday party with a rhino? I guess it was the right thing to do for my friends though''. Hickory went to the pond to see if there were any rhinos there drinking water, there were no rhinos in sight thankfully. He went to another pond, and he saw a girl rhino named Roawth-Tera in rhinoceros language... I didn’t think Rayan would mind if a girl came? So, I brought her
back to Rayan’s habitat and went on my next journey for a couple more rhinos. He went to the grassland and saw a rhino chomping on grass, his name was Arthur, and he was friendly and he loved to be invited to parties. Next, they came across a baby and a rhino mom, the rhino mom was bathing the baby rhino. The mom’s name was Lazity (La-ze-ti), and the baby’s name was Rodigo (Raw-deeg-oh). They would love to go to Rayan’s party. Hickory decided that there were plenty of rhinos coming to his party, so he started to head back. Rayan kept his promise, and carefully let Hickory down the huge mysterious canyon. When he got down the canyon, his friends weren't there, all he found was a piece of flint on the ground, he knew it must have been Mayla’s. Chapter 13 He slowly walked deeper into the canyon, trying to be as quiet as a mouse. All of a sudden, Hickory heard a noise, it sounded like a type of beast growling. Then, he heard another sound, it sounded like Mayla and Halo, they were saying, “follow my voice”. Hickory knew he had to follow their voices in order to get to them. After a while of following Halo and Mayla’s voice, he finally came across them, but they were on the other side of a huge lake! In the lake, there was the megalodon that had taken Haylatte away! The strange thing was that Haylatte wasn’t there. Until Hickory looked up and saw Haylatte tied to a rope dangling over the lake where the megalodon was jumping up out of the water trying to EAT HER! Hickory silently without trying to make the megalodon notice him climbed up the side of the canyon, took out huge pliers and cut Haylatte’s rope. Right before the megalodon ate her, Hickory grabbed her by her sleeve and yanked her up onto the little rock platform Hickory was standing on. Her eyes were
closed, then Hickory put his ear on Haylatte's chest and heard a very slow heartbeat. It sounded like there was something in her throat. Hickory did CPR on Haylett, there was a cork stuck in there. Haylett’s eyes opened and Hickory told Haylette what had happened. Haylett’s leg was badly injured, and it was like there was NO bone IN THERE! Hickory looked around and found vines that were not posies and had no spikes. Hickory picked it up and found twigs on the grass, he also used those twigs. He found a log with no wood in it, there were no animals living in it so it was perfect! He decided to put the rest of the objects in his bag. The log was not heavy at all, so he went back to Haylette with the log in his hands. Chapter 14 When he got back, Haylette was throwing pebbles into the ocean. Hickory sat down beside Haylette and put her leg on his lap. Then slid her leg into the log. Hickory then used the vines from his backpack to tied one side of the vine to the log to her backpack, but Hickory needed one more thing. He needed something sharp. He was walking around the water when the megalodons were asleep and found MEGALODONS TOOTH. He grabbed the tooth and ran quietly, so the megalodons would not wake up. He made holes in the log and took the other ends of the vines and knotted it to the log. He totally forgot about her foot, he had done her thigh, her knees and lower. He went to find the bottom half of her leg. There were a couple of vines left and a little bit of the log left. Hickory used these items to make something for the bottom of her leg. He kind of made shoes for her. He did not need the vines, he only needed the megalodon’s tooth and the half of the log. At the top of the log, he also made a hole for her foot to go inside just like a real shoe. It was also like a cast but not connected. @theHelm ~ page 38
Chapter 15 Haylett was walking fine with it, she just couldn’t run because if she tried to, the log wouldn’t let her. If you are wondering about what this sentence means (can’t run because if she tries to the log wont let her) it means that the leg is straight, and can’t break from a human's leg. If she tried to run, her knees needed to bend, now back to the story. Chapter 16 After Halo and Mayla got away from the snakes, they both looked back to see if they were still being followed. Halo and Mayla fell down a cliff into the water and screamed at the top of their lungs while they fell into the water from the high cliff. Hickory ran down the hill but he was so slow because it was such a huge hill. When he reached the bottom and followed the river he didn’t find Halo and Mayla. The only thing Hickory thought could have happened to them, was that they may have found a cave and that they were safe, but that was not the conclusion, they were swimming around the ocean helplessly trying to find land. All of a sudden, Halo heard a familiar sound, it sounded like chomping and splashing. Mayla looked down in the water and the megalodon was back. This time, it didn’t seem to notice them. Then they found the land where they could climb onto. Finally, they saw Hickory and Haylatte again. Chapter 17 Now, they could finally start trying to track down the kidnapper. They took out the map, and realized that they were only 6 miles away from the carnival! Then, they started to run. After 3 miles of running, they were exhausted! Thankfully, they found a tree that had a built-in bench. They slept for 9 hours, but when they woke up, they were terribly behind schedule! They grabbed all their bags and started running because they were so close. A mile later and out of
breath, they finally made it! Chapter 18 They couldn’t see any children in sight, but suddenly, Hickory spotted a moving figure. He went in its direction sneakily, then everyone else followed. Until the figure looked back, it was the kidnapper! The kidnapper began to race towards a cage. The cage was where he was keeping all the children captive! The kidnapper unlocked the back door of the cage and started to push the children into a trailer. He locked the door and came towards us quickly. All of a sudden, he pulled out a match from his back pocket, he also took a piece of
wood from behind a bench. The kidnapper took the matches and lit a fire! The carnival slowly started to burn down, we needed to make a plan quickly. Then, Mayla had an idea, two people would fight and distract him, while the other two would grab the keys from his back pocket and get in the trailer. The plan worked perfectly! Hickory and Haylatte fought the kidnapper, while Mayla and Halo got the keys from him. Right before the whole carnival burnt down, Halo grabbed Hickory and Haylatte onto the trailer, luckily Hickory grabbed onto the kidnapper and pulled him into the trailer. Then,
trapped him in a tiny cage in the back of the trailer. Chapter 19 Next, they all rode to the closest police station. They gave the police the kidnapper, once in for all they would finally see who the kidnapper was. A policeman lifted up the mask, all of us were shocked, it was the president, Jacob Terear! They arrested him and the vice president took his position. They had a ceremony at a church where all the parents came to pick up their child or children. Everybody had a happy life after that, and now the carnival is still there, all burnt down with nothing left in it. THE END
The Mandalorian Review
like an eternity. This season introduces the main antagonist of both seasons 1 and 2, Mof Gideon, and introduces some pretty cool side characters as well. Of course, we also have to mention Grogu (Baby Yoda) as the internet lost their minds over this adorable creature. Overall, I think the season had good pacing throughout, although in the middle of some episodes the pacing felt kind of off. We think this season had good action, drama, and plot, which was an overall good predictor of what was to come for future seasons. This season gets a 9/10!
son ends, getting right back into the awesome action you would expect from The Mandalorian. The first season was mainly focused on action, and the second is more about the relationship between The Mandalorian and Grogu as The Mandalorian is trying to return Grogu back to its people (The Jedi). We learn a lot about Grogu and his past, as he was actually a youngling at the Jedi Temple who escaped Order 66, which was pretty neat. We also see the return of fan-favourite characters like Boba Fett and Ahsoka, which was really awesome. We also saw even crazier sets than the ones from last season, and that is saying something! The climax of the season was so good, you can’t even put it into words. Mando and Mof Gideon duel over the Darksaber, and Luke Skywalker returns to take Grogu with him during his travels. This season one-upped the previous in so many ways, and the fan-service we got was incredible. Seeing Mando and Luke meet each other was so cool, and the action was almost perfect. This season gets a perfect 10/10!
by Adi Katoch and Julian Marchetti (703) Warning: spoilers ahead.
Overview The Mandalorian is about a bounty hunter from a planet called Mandalore, but unfortunately the planet has been torn apart by a war known as the Siege of Mandalore. The Mandalorian is a survivor of that war and a bounty hunter who explores the far reaches of the galaxy to hunt his prey. The show has amazing visuals and stunning planets. It shows you what life is like for someone who isn’t fighting the battle of good vs evil. In this review we will be going over both seasons of the show and giving our thoughts on them.
Season 1 This season has some fast-paced action and really good-looking set pieces. It sets the tone well for the rest of the series. There were always twists and turns, so waiting one week between episodes felt
Season 2 This season picks up almost immediately after the previous sea@theHelm ~ page 39
‘Sunset’ by Maria Titov, 604
Ms Gutauskas and I will be recognizing the @theHelm leadership and repeat contributors with That’s a wrap! The May 2021 edition of @theHelm @theHelm lapel pins and personalized certificates in marks the seventh and final issue of this school year. four categories: Thank you to the student Editorial team for meeting regularly to plan each issue. We will miss the creativity and energy of graduating grade 8 editorial leaders, Captain's Circle Leadership Award and we hope you’ll send news bulletins from Senior Spirit of the Helm Editorial Award School, or (better yet) start a Senior School edition Navigator Award of the newspaper! Rising Star Award Thank you once again to Mrs. Espinola for leading the Crow’s Nest team, Mr. Cormican for the math Look for the call for submischallenge, and Mrs. Cober and Ms Fleming for shar- sions next September! Wishing the artists of the month. Thanks also to Mrs. ing you a creative summer. Hammond and Ms Boose for sharing musical compositions. Special thanks go to Ms Gutauskas, who was Mr. Hoad-Reddick quick to accept my invitation to lead the @theHelm team. Ms Gutauskas kept us all on schedule and working to deadline!
EDITORIAL
@theHelm ~ page 40