Talon Newsletters 2006 by Meadowridge School

Meadowridge School’s Alumni Newsletter

the

talon

issue 8

june 2006 Celebrating 21 years of quality education for children.

Funding Decision Goes Ahead A

A general meeting of the Society passes a special resolution in support of additional funding for an $8 million expansion.

t the Annual General Meeting of the Meadowridge School Society on September 28, 2005, the Board of Governors presented a proposal to expand the facility and enhance the grounds of the school. The Board of Governors proposed an expansion of the existing school facility in order to address the need for additional space due to increasing enrollment and program requirements. The project would involve the addition of a new secondary wing, sports fields, sports track, redesigned traffic flow and an expanded parking area. In April 2006, in an extraordinary meeting of the Society, 65 out of 68 members in attendance voted in favour of the financial model that would allow the expansion to go ahead. In the most recent developments, the school has secured financing for the project, has completed architectural drawings, and will soon have its rezoning application heard at City Hall. All being well, construction will start this summer. A special thanks to all the Board Members, Staff, Administration, and Volunteers for their vision and dedication.

Meadowridge Alumni 95-05 Meet in Toronto

itting at the sidewalk bar of Allen’s pub in Toronto I could hardly believe my eyes. Emerging from the executive crowd in his own tailored suit and brief case was the son of one of Meadowridge School’s founding families, member of the ﬁrst graduating class, and creator of Meadowridge’s symbolic Gryphon, Sean Lind. After completing a business degree at UVic Sean went on to earn his MBA at the Shulich School of Business and now works in Toronto as a Marketing executive. Two members from the class of 97 joined the Alumni East gathering: Stephanie Bloom and Amy Saini. Stephanie, a lifetime contributor to Meadowridge School, went on a full scholarship to Queen’s University where she completed an honours degree in Chemistry. She then went on to her Masters in Biological Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Stephanie is now living and working in Toronto. Her former classmate, Amy Saini, not formerly known for her unbridled athletic energy has taken to marathon running. Wow! Congratulations to Amy on her recent marriage also (see picture on page 8 ). Amy completed her degree in Geography from UVic then went to Taiwan to teach English for 2 years. She then completed a Diploma in Marketing and is looking forward to moving to England where she and her husband will live and work for a while. Tim Yin, also of the class of 97, animated the evening’s discussion with his unique views on marriage, child rearing, land speculation, and wealth accumulation. Tim is currently working on his MBA at U of T. He also completed a Masters degree from Ritsumeiken University in Japan. Tim’s ﬁrst degree was in material engineering from UBC. Tim’s sister, Vivian, sent her regrets; she is in her third year of medical school at the U of T and was on-call for the evening. Mike Just class of 02 also joined fellow Meadowridge Alums for the evening. Mike is in his 4th year of Political Science at York University; his brother Stephen joined him at York this year. It was a great pleasure also to see Heather Lee, class of 01. Just this spring Heather graduated from the Human Ecology program at the University of Western Ontario. Disa Wilson recently relocated to Toronto where she plans to live and work.

Disa completed a degree in Classical Studies from UBC and had been working in Vancouver before relocating to Toronto. The youngest alum joining the Meadowridge East gathering was Constence Hsu. Constence just completed her ﬁrst year in the Science Faculty at U of T. She has an apartment in Toronto and is looking forward to her second year. At least one Meadowridge grad from this year’s class is planning on joining Constence in Toronto this fall. It was clear to me through the synergy of this gathering that their common values, shared educational experience, and connection to Meadowridge school will link these alums for years to come.

Right to Left: Heather Lee, Constence Hsu, Sean Lind, Alan Graveson, Stephanie Bloom, Disa Wilson, Amy Saini, Tim Yin, Mike Just.

the visitorsgallery Soraiya & Rehana Soraiya Campbell and sister Rehana came to watch

their cousin Hasan perform in the lead role of John in Tick Tick Boom. Soraiya no doubt recalled her own lead role in War of Worlds on the Meadowridge Mainstage. Soraiya is taking Islamic Studies in London and her sister is graduating from Southridge School this year.

Jordan Barber Mmmmm! Doughnuts. Jordan

Barber remembers the best way to

a teacher’s/student’s heart. There’s no conversation starter quite like a maple dip. Jordan is currently upgrading his credentials at Douglas College with a view to returning to SFU to pursue a degree in criminology.

Robert & Dan Teszka Robert and Daniel Teszka dropped by on their way to

Seattle. Robert has just ﬁnished his third year at UBC in the Cognitive Systems Program. Daniel is preparing to go to Poland in September to begin a six year medical program. Robert still enjoys musical theatre and Daniel continues to take to the air as a pilot. (Nice job on the lighting, Sir!)

York Boys No strangers to the Meadowridge Mainstage,

Stephen Just and Robert Prince came by

to enjoy this year’s spring production, Tick Tick Boom .

Susan Buzz Tidy stopped by to say

hello to the students and teachers of Meadowridge School en route to skiing at Whistler. Susan was a Gap Student at Meadowridge in 2000 when she stayed with the Verbeeks. In a discussion with the Planning 10 class Susan credited the Gap program with giving her some time to see the world, gain conﬁdence and ﬁnd direction for her post-secondary studies. Since returning to Australia, Susan completed a chiropractic degree in Sidney and now plans to move to Glasgow to begin her professional career… that is, after hitting the slopes at Whistler.

Susan Tidy

Mike Wilson is no stranger to

the Meadowridge Stage. During his senior years at Meadowridge he took lead roles in The Crowd Rose to its Feet, Halo, Our Town, State of a Nation, and Run Lola Run. It was a great treat to have Michael come by the school to lend some of his expertise to the cast and crew of Bang Bang You’re Dead. The play went on to three appreciative nights on the Meadowridge Mainstage then on to win ﬁrst place at the Fraser Valley Regional Drama Festival and subsequently the provincial Award for best play. Michael is currently completing his ﬁrst year at SFU in the Faculty of Arts.

Mike Wilson

Notes from way out there

Santorini is as spectacularly beautiful as I remember it. We are staying at a perfect little place called San Giorgio Villas, and our room opens onto a patio with a pool, and we couldn’t be much happier with our setup! Don’t let anyone tell you that cheap places are no longer to be found in the main town, Fira, because what we’re paying for our pool-side, air conditioned, 30-seconds from the old town room is less than we’ve paid for most of our 8-10 bed dorm places! We took an overnight ferry from Brindisi to Corfu 10 days ago, and met this amazingly fun couple from Regina who we hung out with for the next few days. We appreciated having some like-minded twenty-somethings along for the adventure that was the Pink Palace... The place we booked was basically a resort for hedonistic 19-yr old backpackers who were only interested in being hammered for as many hours of the day and night as humanly possible. The location was beautiful, though, and we had private rooms with balconies and stunning views, and we all enjoyed a 3-day vacation form our vacation at Agios Gordis. Steve and I headed to Athens for a couple of days to visit the sights and wander the Plaka before we hit the islands. I still think Athen’s reputation Excerpted from the for being barely worth a day’s visit is undeserved. It may be big and dirty, travel of are friendly, it has but as big cities go, it’s not bad atreportage all. The people lots of character, and it isAutumn much safer than many Phipps, Artof the cities we’ve visited. From Athens to Santorini is quite a change, though. We met up with Ashley Teacher 2001-2004 and Ryan, the couple from Regina, and are all staying at San Giorgios. I think it’s fair to say we’ve all been blown away by this island. It’s certainly as spectacular as anything we’ve seen in the past four months. Yesterday Ryan, Ashley, Steve, and I spent the day on a gorgeous sailboat, cruising around the caldera, which was amazing. We visited the volcano, which is still active and last erupted in 1950, and hiked up to the crater where we felt the hot vapours coming out of a vent. We swam nearby in the brightorange sulphur water of a hot spring, then spent a couple of hours on Thirassia (“little Thira”), which has a population of a couple hundred people and a couple dozen donkeys. The boat dropped us off at Oia, on the western tip of the island, which is absolutely picture-perfect. The four of us staked out a spot from which to watch the sunset with a bottle of wine, and by the time the sun went down there were at least a hundred others watching with us, crowded around our perfect little secluded area and trying to see over each others’ heads. We took a bus back to Fira and splurged on a great but cheap meal (including ouzo, of course!) at a place recommended to us by the owner of the villa, making it just about perfect, as days go. I think this afternoon the four of us are going to go check out one of the black sand beaches, and then climb up to ancient Thira. I am tempted to stay here forever, but there’s so much more to see in Greece, too... We feel like we’re having a perfect, perspective-altering experience on this trip, and its comforting to think that although we’ve been travelling for more than four months already, we have nearly two to go. If I didn’t have to go back for law school (and didn’t miss everybody, of course), I think it would be a challenge to get me on that plane home!

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Aya, Ms. Permanand, and Katherine join Ms. Phipps at her Art Installation at Cuppa Joe’s Cafe in Vancouver. Ms. Phipps’ art work was inspired by her recent trip to Peru where she traveled, did volunteer work, and painted. Ms. Phipps also brought a slide show of her trip to the students of Meadowridge. She has since returned to Peru where she will be teaching primary school and continuing to paint.

special events Yes, Alex and Meryl are still going strong! Alex is at the university of Calgary studying Biology and Meryl is at UBC in Sciences.

The tans are just starting to fade from the Caribbean cruise from which Jamie and Thea recently returned. Travel is big for these friends.

“Did I really say that in my grad write-up? You’ve got to be kidding. Pass me a tray of Jager Bombs.” Kurtis and Matt review their yearbook. Matt will be going to Singapore on a scholarship in the fall while Kurtis plans to stay local.

“I’ll have whatever she’s having!” Jessica will be joining Sabine at UBC next year.

Jesse and James, still friends after all these years. Jesse is an animator and James is studying engineering at UBC. www.rosencrantzcomics.com/

Mountain Shadow Pub

Riyaz and Shafﬁn pay a surprise visit and catch up with some old friends. Great to see you guys.

Christian Peters, one of Meadowridge School’s most loyal alums, catches up with Marie Payne, alum and now TOC at Meadowridge.

Sarah Orser and boyfriend, Kyle from Wisconsin stopped in for a drink on their way to Albuquerque , New Mexico where they will spend the summer working together. Sarah just completed her second year at UVic. and was recently awarded the Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.

staff stuff Departing Staff Jason Parker

Sophie Viswanantan

Smita Karam

Crsipin Elsted

Tanya Mourato

Lindsay Segal

Alumni Staff Deﬁnitely Not Maple Ridge

I’ll Meet You At Queens The paths of former Meadowridge Career Counselor Troy Hammond, French teacher, Alison McCallum, Secondary Head, Jake Humphries, and current Meadowridge Counselor, Alan Graveson converged in Kingston, Ontario for the Dialogue Conference on Ontario Universities and Colleges. Troy is currently at Bayview Glen School in Toronto and is enjoying his new role as a father. (see baby picture on pg. 6). Alison left Shawnigan Lake to take a counseling position at Glenlyon Norfolk school in Victoria. She, her husband and daughter recently bought a house in the greater Victoria area. Jake is a House Master and a Post-Secondary Counselor at St. Michael’s school in Victoria. Daughters Katherine and Elizabeth are enjoying studying musical theatre in Atlantic Canada. Alan is a Post-Secondary Counselor at Meadowridge School.

Former Meadowridge teacher and elementary school head, Bill Sinﬁeld, is setting his sails for sunnier climes. Bill spent 6 years at Meadowridge School before taking the Headmaster role at Melrose Country Day School in New York. Now after a successful 5 year tenure, he and his family are relocating to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Bill will be taking up the post of Headmaster atSt. Croix Country Day School School. He and his family, not surpsingly, are very excited about the move.

births,deaths,

better by degrees

marriages

I’m writing to let you know that, after much deliberation, I’ve accepted a PhD at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK. I think you know that after I graduated I began working at the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, Glasgow and am working here until the summer. My plan was to gain a lot of quality work experience for a year after I got my BSc so that I would start my PhD with somewhat of a head start. I applied to Cambridge and London and got accepted to both programs! So it was only after much thought and consideration over the projects that I decided on London. Needless to say, I am super excited about it!!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been four years since I left Meadowridge! I just graduated from U of A with an Honors BSc in Molecular Genetics (with First Class Honors). Also, I was awarded the Dean’s Silver Medal in Science. It wasn’t easy to get! Andrea Bloom

i heard it through the

Frank and Karen Klassen of Maple Ridge are pleased to announce the marriage of their oldest daughter Kaila Helene to Kevin Mark Stumph, youngest son of Brent and Betty Stumph of Surrey, in an intimate wedding ceremony with family and friends on the beaches of Playa del Carmen, Mayan Riviera, Mexico on December 6, 2005. The newlyweds now reside in Maple Ridge.

Amy Saini and husband, Jon Reimer, were married June 5th 2005. In their nuptials they celebrated both of their cultures. Amy and Jon will be moving to England this summer. At 7:24am on Wednesday, December 21, 2005 Maeve Isabel Coulter Hammond was born at the Toronto East General Hospital. Proud parents are Troy Hammond (teacher and Post Secondary Liaison, 1998-2002) and Natalie

grapevine The Talon

I am very happy that I was persuaded into coop at Waterloo. Co-op was a great idea for me. I’m on my ﬁrst co-op job now (which means I am a junior) and I managed to get a placement ﬁrst-round for an intermediate/senior position at Health Canada in Ottawa. It is a desk job, but still very interesting. At the moment I am working on a huge project on Adverse Drug Reaction Systems, which I will have to present to a group of Ph. D’s. My next project is to update Bisphosphonate product monographs. I work in the Bureau of Metabolism, Oncology and Reproductive Sciences, in the anti-neoplastic division and will be doing cancer drug research and helping my supervisor with drug submissions.I attend weekly divisional meetings where I get the chance to present projects, watch other presentations, and last week sat in on a drug company presentation which was very intimidating, very “real world”. I also had the chance to ask questions. Needless

to say I have been learning a lot! Hopefully I’ll continue to get good co-op placements. I’m considering going to Guyana, South America in the fall to work for Red Cross. Melissa Upjohn

Jennﬁer Martin had a baby. Monika Milewski got married. Jennifer Jones graduated from Columbia’s MBA program. Nicole Salloum is doing a Masters study in oncolgy at U of A. Jenny Chang and Chris Wu got married. Marie Owen married Steve Devantier. Aliya Rawji graduated from Waterloo in Economics and Finance.

The Talon is a semi-annual electronic newsletter. It is distributed by e-mail to all former students and staff of Meadowridge School. If you would like to receive news about Meadowridge School and its alumni, send your e-mail address to alan.graveson@meadowridge.bc.ca

Alternatively, you can read The Talon on the Meadowridge website: www.meadowridge.bc.ca Design Work by Saba Taghvai-Arabi

Former Meadowridge Student Paddles To Success

aggie Henderson transferred from a Core French environment to Meadowridge School in grade 5. She adapted to new and challenging academic and social situations while coping with the obstacle of new language expectations. Maggie’s positive attitude and uncomplaining persistence led her to astronomical progress. It was apparent even then that her versatility extended beyond the intellectual realm to include the world of both athletics and of music. When she ﬁrst arrived in grade 5 she was a skilful and devoted gymnast and she has since expanded her repertoire to include kayaking. In her brief four year involvement with this sport, she had distinguished herself almost to the point of qualifying to compete in the nationals with team BC. Just look at her now! Maggie is currently in grade 10 at Thomas Haney where her schedule permits her to train and travel as a competitive kayaker.

Founding Student, Pam Morrey, Co-Publishes Book on Family Life. Darren Morrey has no trouble expressing his love for his two children. His sons Mark, 8, and Luke, 6, inspired the Maple Ridge resident

to write a book that fathers can buy to pass along life lessons to their sons. His self-published 55-page book, For You, My Son, includes life letters from father to son as well as space at the back for personalized letters and photos. “I am passionate about this book because our sons need to hear that we love them, and this book is just another way of expressing our love and care,” said the 37-year-old mill worker. The book is based on short letters that Mooney began writing after wife Pamela gave birth to their sons. Mooney said he wanted their boys to know that he loved and cared for them deeply. “My intentions were not to become an author,” said Mooney. “On the contrary - I am just a simple hard-working dad who cares about kids.” Mooney said most fathers share many of these same feelings and values for their sons, but sometimes they have difficulty expressing themselves to their children. “This book would be similar to a greeting card and would reinforce a father’s love, encouragement and guidance to his child in a simple yet significant, long-lasting way,” he said. Dads from all walks of life have bought the book, said Mooney, and a fair share of moms - who buy the book so dads can give it to their sons - and grandparents have also purchased it. The self-published book has sold more than 500 copies in a few months. The feedback, he said, has been positive and “touching.” “I never expected it to be so well received.” There isn’t anything on the market like his book, said Mooney, who has looked hard to find something similar. Now, after selling it locally, he has plans to make it available to dads everywhere. “I’ve been out and showing this book to schools, churches and businesses in the community and now throughout the Lower Mainland, B.C. and Canada, and the response has been great,” he said. I, Pamela, attended Meadowridge for 3 years (grades 8-10) when the school first opened. My husband Darren and I have recently self-published a book called For You, My Son.

To buy a copy, the book can be purchased at Crystal Vision Hearing Centre, Just Ducky in the ValleyFair Mall, Dreamscapes Gift Gallery, Westgate Dental Care, Chapters and Black Bond Books in Haney Place Mall.

20th Anniversay Yearbook Cover.

198 5 1986-2006 2005 LCID: None, Black, process photos, C=15 M=100 Y=100 K=0, Paper, New Gradient Swatch 3

Recognize Anybody?

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Meadowridge

2006

Meadowridge School’s Alumni Newsletter

the

talon

issue 9

fall 2006 Celebrating 22 years of quality education for children.

The Foundations are Set

Construction of the new wing of Meadowridge School is on schedule and on budget.

The excavation stage of the construction went extremely well thanks to the good weather. Before the Pineapple Express inundated the site, Titan Construction was able to remove 4,000 cubic metres of dirt to prepare for construction, and we stockpiled an additional 8,500 cubic metres for future landscaping needs. There is a growing sense of anticipation as the Meadowridge community watches the forms being constructed. Can the concrete be far behind?

IB Accreditation teams are impressed by Meadowridge Meadowridge is only a few dotted i’s and crossed t’s away from receiving status as an IB World School in both the PYP and MYP programs. Under the leadership of Terry Donalson (PYP) and Kuldeep Thendal (MYP), the Meadowridge Faculty and Administration have seamlessly integrated the methodology of inquiry based learning into our curriculum. The IB accreditation teams that visited the school gave high praise indeed to Meadowridge School. They were impressed by the quality of student work, the atmoshpere of the school, and the preparations for IB integration. The proportion of ‘commendations’ to ‘recommendations’ was heavily weighted in favour of the former. It is now only a matter of time before the paperwork is processed and Meadowridge is declared an IB World School. Perhaps one of the most interesting school culture footnotes to this change is that with the realignment of the curriculum model comes a realignment of school divisions. Up until now, Meadowridge has been viewed, for better or worse, as the sum of an elementary division, JK-7 and a secondary division, 8-12. The IB curriculum runs along cognitive development lines that sees divisions at grade 5 and grade 10. What this means for our school is that JK-5 will be the Primary Years Program, and grades 6-10 will be the Middle Years Program. Grades 11 and 12 are the graduation years, also known as the transcript years. After care-

ful consideration, Meadowridge School elected to go with the AP program at the grade 11 and 12 level instead of the IB Diploma program. The AP program gives students greater ﬂexibility to choose the high level courses that suit their interests and post-seceondary aspirations. In effect we will have three curriculum models that are sequential and age appropriate. Not coincidentally, the third wing of the school will be opening just in time to accommodate, in physical space, this tripartite model of intellectual development.

From the coordinators’ perspective

Terry Donaldson

Kuldeep Thendal

Once again I would like to thank the staff for rising to the challenge of implementing a new program. They have made my job as coordinator that much easier. I believe the students have already begun to feel the excitement of inquiry based learning. In many respects the MYP is a validation of what we have been doing all along; challenging students to ask hard questions then seek the answers and connections from their learning, both formal and informal. The IB has given us a pedagogical framework from which to build our programs across grades and currcicula.

campus tours Grads Meet Meadowridge Alumni

he graduating class of 2007 took the opportunity during Outweek in September to visit the campuses of Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Victoria. At all three campuses the students were given tours and admissions information from a university representative. Perhaps even more informative were the informal conversations that students had with Meadowridge Alumni at all three campuses. The former Meadowridge students were able to provide the grads with real insight into the transition from high school to university. We are hoping next year that the Meadowridge Alumni may even be able to conduct the tours for our university bound grade 12s. It was great to see so many Meadowridge Alumni doing so well in their undergraduate studies.

Sabine Kempe and Tim Magowan

Simon Fraser University Andrew Ward, Zimone Pople, Johnny Jurani, Ushna Badiani , Mike Wilson

University of Victoria Claudia Kempe, Michelle Prince, Morgan Barber, Lukas Montani, Kirk Eksyma, Alanna Coady

University of British Columbia Robert Teszka and Meryl Herberts

Robert Tezka, James Clelland, & Christian Peters

Jessica Price and Michelle Prince

Matt Coady

Sabine Kempe & Kathleen Cloutier

Notes From Way Out There How are u? Im sure u are somewhat surprised to hear from me. I hope u still remember me. Anyways im doing fine back home in Malaysia. Maybe i should start by giving u a brief update on what life after meadowridge turned out to be. As u may still recall, i got into UBC under the Engineering program. I actually only spent about a year there and then dropped out; think it had something to do with moving out and staying on my own and all the freedom that brought with it. One day i received a call from my parents and they said that there was this Australian University called Curtin opening near my hometown Kota Kinabalu and if i would consider coming home. Because it was pretty financially draining for them to support me in vancouver while they were back in Malaysia earning ringgit currency, i decided it was time to go home and start afresh. So i enrolled into Curtin and after 3 years, i received a Commerce degree in Accounting and Finance. After that i relaxed for another 6 months, then i took up a job in the audit firm Ernst & Young. I am still currently there, and am enjoying working in that environment. Yeah, usually audit firms tend to be quite boring, but the manager which im under, undertakes less audit related jobs. For example im currently involved with the corporatisation of the water company here in Sabah and after that a feasibility study on a new resort. So as u can see, the projects are nowhere near as mundane and boring as an audit, so im enjoying my work here. I actually got promoted 6 months into my tenure, which i belive still stands as a record and we just had our annual assessment last week in which my manager rated me very highlly. So if all goes well, i would be promoted this coming september to a Senior Associate. Anyways, i was thinking back to my days in vancouver and meadowridge. Having matured over the years (its been 7 years and going now since we graduated), some of the things that happened and that i did, i definitely wished i had done it differently, but i guess thats life and u learn thru those experiences. Kieth can be reached by e-mail at work:

Hey guys, How’s it going? Things are good here in Toronto. I hope you are well and enjoying your summer. Jon and I just got back from Peru and it was absolutely amazing. What a great country full of color and warmth. So much to see and do! We did the hike through the Inca Trail and saw Machu Picchu which was unbelievable. It is such a beautﬁul hike.....so high up in the Andes. We got up to an elevation of 4200 meters above sea level...boy is the air thin at that altitude! Lots of love, Amy xoxo

Notes From Way Out There Dear Mr. Graveson, Ms. Hops, and Mr. Noble, I hope you remember me as much as you! It’s May Globus, but you’ll probably remember me as May Bolouri. I had a mom who owned the Husky gas station around the corner and a brilliantly smart little (well, not so little anymore!) sister named Roya.

y goodness, where to start?! My mom, sister, and I moved to Southern California two years ago -- for me, the move was about staying close to my loved ones (the rest of my family is down here, as well) and about kick-starting my career. After graduating from UBC with a BA in English Lit and leaving Canada, I spent some time as an editorial intern at the Vancouver branch of FASHION Magazine. I realized there how much I loved that industry. I’m currently juggling several different occupations: I do freelance fashion publicity, and just left my freelance position at a ﬁrm called Tracy Paul & Company (based in New York but had an LA ofﬁce) to pursue other endeavors. I’m also a freelance fashion writer, mainly for a fashion/ lifestyle print publication called 944 Magazine (www.944.com) -- it has editions in 5 major US cities, and I, of course, write for the Los Angeles edition. I write for both print/online publications, and also have my own fashion blog called “Confessions of a Fashion Fanatic” (http://confessionsof-a-fashion-fanatic.blogspot.com) that I write in my spare time for fun and stress relief! It’s great because people write to me through my blog from as far asLondon and New Zealand sometimes. I work in interior design as well, and have just joined the family real estate biz as the PR/Marketing Director and Lifestyle Consultant. Whew! As you can see, I sure like to keep myself busy :) In case you’re wondering, I’m not married. My legal last name is actually Globus, but it was just easier to call me May Bolouri to avoid having to answer too many questions! My home here is in Santa Monica, which is gorgeous: right near the beach and a reminder of Kitsilano, where I used to live before moving. Mom lives about 45 minutes away and Roya is at the University of Northern California. Roya’s going on opposite path of me and is on her way to becoming a radiologist. My mom’s now in real estate and happily married to a very, very, very nice man whom my sister and I both like a whole lot. I have a great group of friends down here, and I sure can’t complain about the nearly year round sunshine! Speaking of friends, do you remember Khaleel Ayoubi? I’m still close to him, in fact, he’s my best guy friend (we ended up at UBC together in the same dormitory), and he just came down to visit me in May. He’s working in accounting at BDO downtown and is working away diligently on his CASB. Well, enough about me! How are you all? Mr. Graveson -- You probably always knew I was going to be a writer after all :) Ms. Hops -- I may have decided last minute just as I got accepted into Sciences at UBC not to be a doctor, but I remember every science class you ever taught me! Mr. Noble -- You’ll be happy to hear I still have my alto sax and choir music. And I still play the piano when I go home to visit my mom! And remember, if you every make it down to Southern California, you are always more than welcome to stay with us. Take care! Much love, May

Bill Sinﬁeld is pictured here with some students from St. Croix Country Day School. He and his family relocated to the Caribbean Island of St. Croix where Mr. Sinﬁeld took on the role of Headmaster.

special events Like father, like son. Aryian Ayromoloo and his Parents and teachers, Crispin and Jan Elsted, dad celebrate graduation and Ayrian’s acceptcelebrate the graduation of their daughter, Polly. ance to UBC. Good thing he didn’t go to UVic.; Polly will study English at UVic. he might get lost...again.

Ishtar Esmail, former Meadowridge student, Katherine Drasic, and Aya Tomioka reunite to celebrate the end of 12 years of school.

Leslie Thornton-Cronin, Elyce Thomas, Taryn Smith, and Aya Tomioka wind down the school year in elegant style. It will be a few months before they reunite as Leslie heads to Alberta, Elyce to Maine, Taryn to BC, and Aya to Quebec. Bon Chance a tout le monde.

He can recite Shakespeare, master physics, and look... he can sketch too. Is there anything Mr. Wells can’t do?

GRAD 2006

Kathleen Cloutier and Molly Sprague all grown up.

Ahmad Ramadan and Sapana Thakore

Alex Fowler, Ahmad Ramadan, Aryian Aromoloo, Lukas Montani, Tim Magowan, Kirk Eksyma, Evert Wannenberg, Jon Pattison, and Preston Hammond

new staff Carrie Mohoruk

Joyce Yeoh

Louise Kozol

Tom Slade

Veena Ramsawmy

Lynelle Johns

Jennifer Maynes

Siamak Boroomand

Celeste van Breda

Seasoned Staff Innovative Teaching No Sleight of Hand for David Noble

omewhere at the convergence of art and reality you will find musician, magician, and master teacher, David Noble. Mr. Noble started teaching at Meadowridge School in 1984. It was immediately clear that this INFP was going to shake up the music program with his electric guitar, his sense of humour, and his deep commitment to musical education. Over the years David has written, performed, and musically directed concerts, plays and special musical events. In addition, he has coached several generations of jazz vocalists, budding guitarists, and other musicians. He has also run a marathon, swung a fighting stick, and most recently bought a moped. He has also written two full length musicals, the latest of which is his tour de force, The Pact. It is the story of seven thirty-something artists disillusioned with their status in life. It seems the only way for their art to gain mass appeal is for them to join the fray of reality TV: enter The Pact. The Pact will certainly garner attention to their lives and art but there is one catch... somebody has to die. The play explores the relationship between urgency and art: How does imminent death intensify artistic expression? the relationship between art and consumer society: How can art compete with popular media? and the relationship between art and artist: Does art need public praise to be art? The play is also intensely reflective on the artistic temperament and the communities that form around artistic expression. In a true collaborative fashion he is currently work-shopping the script with the student cast. The play will debut at Meadowridge School in the first week of May, 2007. In his other role at Meadowridge, David is the master of Close Up Magic. The Magic Club has grown in popularity to the point where Mr. Noble now offers two, two credit courses outside the timetable, the only magic courses of their kind offered in a Canadian high school. On any given day at Meadowridge curious onlookers can witness vanishing coins and

ﬂourishing cards. It is class acts like David Noble that continue to give Meadowridge students the highest quality education and the greatest appetite for learning.

Above Left Christopher James, magician and teacher, donates books to the Magic Course. Above Right Students at the Welcome Back Fair learn that the hand is quicker than the eye Bottom Left David Noble and Alanna Coady perform at A Little Night Music.

better by degrees Jennifer Ford graduated from UBC in Microbiology and Immunology and began UBC Medicine this fall. She is very excited, and not surprisingly, a little nervous... She is pictured here with Heather Lee who graduated last year from Western with a degree in human ecology.

Billy is currently attending SFU studying Criminology and Psychology. One of his more daring research projects consists of interviewing prostitutes on the downtown east side to determine what social factors led them their. He plans to attend law school either at UBC or UVic upon completion.

births,deaths,

marriages

Cursons, Pamela Louise- (nee Taylor) July 31, 1948 - November 14 2006 Pamela passed peacefully into the arms of the Lord and joined her beloved husband Darrell on November 14, 2006. Pam grew up in West Vancouver and received her Bachelor of Education at U.B.C. She then went north to teach in Vanderhoof where she met “the love of her life” Darrell a Principle in Fort Fraser. She enjoyed small town life to the fullest and served in many volunteer positions until 1994 when they moved to Maple Ridge. Pam continued with her passion for teaching. She also immersed herself into helping others as a volunteer at her church, the Legion, the public library and a lay chaplain and way ﬁnder at the hospital. Pam leaves behind her mother Eleanor Taylor, her sister, Wendy Porten, nieces Fern, Suzanne and Mary; nephew David and a brother John. She will be deeply missed by her caregiver and companion Christine Vickers. Her in-laws Dave, Ron and Joyce Cursons are saddened by her passing. Pam was a very wonderful and loving person and she lives forever in the hearts of those whose lives she touched. A celebration of her life will be held at 2:30 p.m. November 26, 2006 at the St. Andrews Haney United Church 22165 Dewdney Trunk Road in Maple Ridge. In lieu of ﬂowers a donation to the Cancer Society would be appreciated. Maple Ridge News

Eric Stewart just graduated from UBC in philosophy; he is currently working with his father in the family business. Harin Desai just graduated from McGill in biological sciences and is considering starting a masters degree after Christmas.

from the archives

The Bournival-Clarke sisters, Zoe and Jessica, welcomed their new sister Amelie, May 23rd, 2006.

The Talon

Alternatively, you can read The Talon on the Meadowridge website: www.meadowridge.bc.ca Design Work by Saba Taghvai-Arabi