The Talon meadowridge alumni newsletter
issue 1
December 3, 2002
What is the Talon? The Talon is the semi-annual newsletter of the Meadowridge Alumni. This year, the sixth class in the history of Meadowridge will be crossing the stage to receive their grade 12 diplomas. The six classes that preceded them have scattered across the lower mainland, the province, the country, and indeed the globe. We hope that this newsletter will keep you connected to the people who, like you, spent some of their most formative years at Meadowridge School. We will also keep you informed of the many ways that you can continue to share in the rich traditions that you helped to establish. This newsletter has been delivered to you via E-mail. Please forward it to any former students or friends of the school who might be interested in reading about the Meadowridge community. Inside each edition you will find a calendar of upcoming events, alumni updates, photos, and current events at Meadowridge. I invite you to submit individual news that you think may be of interest to other members of the Meadowridge community: births, deaths, marriages, degrees, awards, jobs, hobbies, interests, and travel. For questions or comments about the Alumni Association, please contact agraveson@meadowridge.bc.ca Alan Graveson, Director of Advancement
The Annual Holly Ball Gala fundraiser The Annual gala was held on November 23, 2002, and it was the most successful in the history of the school. For the first time, it was a sellout. For the first time, the costs of both the bar and the dinner were covered by parents in the school, which meant that the ticket prices were almost all profit for the school, and the alcohol sales were all profit. For the first time, the sale of our kids’ artwork (ceramics, quilts, scarves, and mosaics) raised over thirty thousand dollars, with, of course, the work of the two youngest classes (JK &K) garnering the most money! And for the first time, the profit from the gala raised more than $110,000.00 !
Hey, look at me! Wouldn’t you like my job?
The gala lived up to our high expectations in every way. The décor was, as always, quite stunning, with a ballroom ceiling hung in the gym, beautifully set tables, drapes over all our walls, a full wooden bar built in the corner, and tables laden with food waiting for us. The food, of course, was excellent, and the band kept the dance floor full all night. Thirty-eight staff members were there, keeping spirits lively, selling fifty-fifty tickets (nearly four thousand dollars worth), helping with the silent and live auctions, and ensuring that things ran smoothly. Mr. Olah kept things moving in his role as MC and Auctioneer, and managed to build the interest in the live auction well, which resulted in thirty-seven thousand dollars being raised in the bidding. The silent auction was lively, filling three walls of the gym with merchandise and services to bid on, as well as the much-coveted class baskets. Many items sold for more than their commercial value, as people were determined to support the school as fully as possible. More than anything, the tone of the evening was exceptional! This was an event which our community had organized; which was supported by donations from our community; which was enhanced by contributions from our kids; which was put together through our labour; and which was dedicated to building an even better school for our children! There was a sense that we all knew each other, and that we were here for a good cause...but also for fun. And we did have fun! All of this was possible because of the work of our Gala Committee, whose names appear on this page, and because of the work of a number of volunteers and contributors whose names we will be publishing in the next week. A special thanks must go to Ann Marie Orser, the Chair of the Gala, and to Anita Perler and Justine Marchand, the co-chairs. These three worked tirelessly to ensure the success of our Gala, and we owe them much thanks. And to everybody who participated in large ways and small, to our kids for their artwork and our parents for their hard work, our staff for their enthusiasm and our friends for their help - Thank you! You have made this a place of warmth and welcome, and you have helped us to build the library of which we dreamed. Hugh Burke, Headmaster
Left: Hollyball Committee members: Margot Olah, Joie Kotylak, Ann Marie Orser, Anita Perler, Al Graveson, Irena Shantz, Cheryl David, Patty Durrance, Dawn Arskey, Sarah Pegg, Eva Boyd, Justine Marchand, Cori Doering, Lee Weber Not present: Shelley Larsen, Marilyn Turner, Maureen Jeknavorian, Debbie Cloutier, Vicki Maksymetz, Rena Cross, Lyn Tyler, and Christine Bickle
Thank You Thanks to Teeara Rawjee for her donation to the Holly Ball. Thanks to Bianca Sprague, Dani Waters, and Kaila Klassen for volunteering at the Holly Ball. Way to go guys!
Message from the alumni president Well Meadowridge Alumni, we are all back into the swing of things by now. For some of us it is school, and for others it is working. I find myself back at the University of Victoria for my third year in Psychology. Currently, I am working towards my BSc with a focus on Developmental Psyc. If all goes as planned, I hope to finish school working in the field of child psychiatry. Mind you, I still have a long way to go! I am now at the point where ‘chaotic’ September is easy and I am clear of the ins and outs of the workings of university life. The bookstore is no longer daunting and the campus is a manageable domain. I see some other, newer Meadowridge graduates on campus, and it appears that everything seems to be so unique and novel and big! We can all agree that we graduated from a school that makes the potentially scary transition from high school to a post secondary institution, a smooth one. The university work load is not as big as one would expect and the lecture format is fairly familiar. I was so grateful for the amount of essays we had during our high school years. At the time it seemed outrageous to me, but it truly was just practice for the next stage of our education. I watched other students in my lectures panic when a paper came up, because it was a concept so unfamiliar to them. We, as the first 7 grad classes, need to help the next classes to come by continuing to be active members of the Meadowridge community. As president of the alumni, I encourage you to do so. We can do this by visiting the school (we are always welcome!), speaking with the grade 12s about University life, or helping at school functions. (The Holly Ball is on November 23rd and I hope to see as many of you as possible there. If you would like to volunteer or attend as a guest please contact Mr. Graveson at agraveson@meadowridge.bc.ca.) For those of you who are living out of the lower mainland, like me, please keep in touch with the school so we know where you are and what you are up to. Stop by when you are in the neighbourhood. We are less than two years off from the first 10 year reunion, and I hope that everyone from that class will be there.
Meadowridge school completes strategic plan
A year ago, Meadowridge School began discussions on a new five year strategic plan. Opinions were sought from students, alumni, parents, teachers, administrators, and board members on a vision for the school. What emerged after many hours of focus groups, strategic planning sessions, and a board retreat was a document that outlines the goals for the next 5 years. What follows are some of the highlights of that document.
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Ensure 100% post-secondary acceptance levels, with a strong focus on university entrance.
and communication can be easily accessed.
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Provide incentives to outstanding student candidates including scholarships and bursaries.
- Assure that the school is in the position to acquire property as the need and opportunities arise.
- Ensure that the school has a technology program which is both innovative and current.
In addition, there is a plan in place to retain staff and administration, to devleop a strategic board, and to build facilities that will meet our growing needs. It is a very exciting time at Meadowridge School, and you can be a part of it. Alan Graveson, Director of Advancement
Meadowridge Stars Return Sabreena Gill and Nadia Shah dropped back to their favourite haunt, the grade 12 common room, in a recent visit to Meadowridge School. Sabreena is happily ensconced in university life at UBC where she is in her first year in a science undergraduate program. Nadia is entering her second year at SFU and is currently interested in pursuing studies in international relations. She confirmed that her brother Seena is in fact married. Brother Yasir, also a former Meadowridge student, is currently working at the family cannery after having completed his MBA degree.
If you are 19 years old and you’re going to be in the lower mainland for the Christmas break, come by the Black Sheep Pub for a bit of Christmas cheer and a chance to catch up with fellow alumni on December 30, 2002. We will be meeting at the pub at 3pm. It is located on 232nd Street just north of Dewdney Trunk Road: 23227 Dogwood Place. See you there!
Jamie Reichert is in Australia (I know because he e-mailed me) Lindsay English can’t stay out of the newspapers (I’ve seen her there more than once) Joel Warren ran for a school trustee position (absolutely true!)
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Simon Coulter got married (this is true) Seena Shah got married (this is speculation) Andrea Duprat is engaged (her Mom ought to know)
As it using come
- Develop and implement a portal system so that school publications, programs
Meadowridge is a community that we can be proud to be a member of, even after leaving as a student. There have been many positive changes within the school that have made Meadowridge an Alma Mater to be proud of! Keep in touch and I look forward to seeing everyone in the near future! Bianca Sprague (Class of ‘96”)
Second hand news (most of this is true)
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Where are they now? Hi Al! So good to hear from you. How was NY? I’ve never been... Gosh, so much has happened since we last spoke! I spent a good portion of the summer in Africa with my mom and siblings, on safari and also exploring my mom’s hometown of Mombasa. It was absolutely wild to see the farm where she grew up and mosque in which she prayed as a little girl. Definetly a life-altering experience... I spent the last month or so of the summer in a studio recording a cd. I had been wanting to do this for some time, especially since learning the guitar and starting to write my own music. Things all came together nicely after Africa- I met this producer who lives 5 mins from my house, and who is really interested in helping young musicians get their foot in the door, so to speak. The recording was intense and challenging, but loads of fun, and I now have a demo to my name!
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Also, on the flight home from Africa, I met a really interesting photographer. Turned out he lives in Coquitlam... we had such a great chat on the (long) flight home, that he asked me to do a photo shoot for him. We worked together on a bunch of different themes and ideas, and came up with a lot of interesting stuff. In fact, I think I’ll attach one of my favourites to this email... we were exploring the idea of the burqha (which we had both seen lots of in Zanzibar)... As it happens, I am in the midst of designing the ‘front cover’ of my cd- and I’m using one of the abstract pictures from the photo shoots. Funny how life comes together so seamlessly at times...
The busiest time of the school year is now falling upon us. I have meetings, plays or fund-raising receptions every night of the week for the next two weeks, complete with weekend commitments of at least one day for the next 5 weeks. By Christmas I usually have the hair of Santa (whiter than ever) and the eyes of Scrooge (sunk well into my head). Oh well, better busy and accomplishing something than idle and getting a full night’s sleep. Wait a second, let me think about that again...
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As for the school-year, I am currently studying at the U of Edinburgh. I arrived in Scotland at the end of September, and got settled in a flat (with 4 other international students). I’m about 3 weeks into classes (spanish, Islamic history and music history) and I’m really enjoying it. The teaching style here is so different from Canada- much more in depth. Students are required to do much more background reading, along with regular course reading... Upon arriving, I decided I wanted to get involved in theatre again- it’d been a couple of years and I was missing it- so I joined the theatre here and have already been in a production. We spent a week writing the script (horror theme), developing characters, directing, producing, and then memorizing the lines... and the very next week we performed (to sold out audiences much to our delight). It was very intense, and a lot of work, but I had a ball. Saturday night was our last show, and of course, as final nights go, we were all sorry it was over... I’ve also joined the Edinburgh rowing team, as I decided I wanted to try something different than marathon running... I’m currently training for that and Nov. 30th is my first race... eek! As for singing- last night I played at an open mic to a very receptive, fun crowd. The local music scene here is fantastic, and I am very much looking forward to soaking it all up. In the opera news, I have an audition tomorrow evening for an opera being put on by the uni as well.... Unfortunately I have a horrible chest cough (happens when you spread yourself thin as I always manage to do!), but I’m looking forward to it anyway. And a final fun project that I decided to go for is a proposal to the U of Ed. for a walkhome program. Queen’s has the oldest, and most established walkhome program in Canada, and it is a great service for students. There is a lot of demand here for this kind of program (if students are out late at night, and don’t want to walk home alone, a team of 2 from walkhome come pick them up and walk them wherever they like). I got the go-ahead today to attend a student government meeting next week in which I am to propose the whole thing. Yay! Well, aside from all this, I am trying to keep up with studying, but there just seems to be way too much other fun stuff to do!
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Guess thats about it for now :) Hope you are very well... take care, Soraiya Campbell (Class of ‘00)
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Weather - Mid-80 days, and mid-60 nights. I know I’m sounding repetitive but that’s really what the weather is like here. It’s either really hot and sunny or perfect and sunny!
Greetings From The Hookey Family
My football team won the semi-final but lost in the final 6-0 to the only team that went undefeated in the season. The kids gave everything they had and except for one lucky play (from my own biased perspective of course), they played as well as the winning team. At the end, they were proud of their performance, even in losing, and walked off the field with their heads held high, congratulating the other team like gentlemen and showing no signs of depression. As for me, once I got my foot out of the bucket I’d bent around it with a mighty kick, and taken a couple of Valium, I felt a lot better. (Just kidding but it sounds like a better story and much more Californian than simply shaking their hands.) I will say though, that sports are not for the meek in the U.S. Every competition is intense and coaches and parents often lose complete perspective on the game. Interestingly enough, if they win, no one cares how crazy they or the coaches got. There’s not much room for losers in the American psyche. So what do I do about it? You guessed it. Now I’m coaching basketball (and thus Mitch and Cam) and we’re running a full court press, fast break offense intended to tire out the opposition since we don’t have any players tall enough to go man on man. They doubt a Canadian can coach basketball, even if the inventor of basketball was a Canadian. Time will tell! Garrett ran cross-country in the state championship recently finishing 36th in the state in his division. Considering California is as populated as all of Canada, he did pretty well. He’s had a few nagging injuries and has suddenly become aware of the fact that in sports, avoiding injury is as critical to success as is being well trained. He’s eating better and paying some attention to taking care of himself so there may be some good things that come out of this challenge that will last long beyond the races. Donna remains saintly, picking up the pieces from four hyperactive males. She is a full-time, make that full-time and a half, volunteer in the school and pretty well runs the show there. Some things never change. Above all, we have kept healthy and happy and life has been kind to us. Graham Hookey, Former Headmaster
On the road again
Good-bye and thanks
Take four kids, four adults, two dozen timbits, the latest Tragically Hip CD, enough luggage to boost American Tourister stocks, a few thousand kilometres of pavement, an eight seater Ford Explorer and what have you got? ROAD TRIP!!
Meadowridge School is not a building, a property or a program; it is a community of learners, a collective of citizens. The sum of the creative energy, effort and enthusiasm of all who have contributed to this fine school is what makes Meadowridge stand out. Unfortunately, we had occasion to say a final farewell to two of Meadowridge’s outstanding contributors last month: Darrell Cursons (April 16, 1943 to May 29, 2002) and Leon Morel (April 6, 1980 to May 30, 2002). Both of these individuals will be fondly and gratefully immortalized in the collective memory of our community. Leon was a student of Meadowridge from 1993-1996. During that time he overcame great challenges to his health to be a spirited, courageous, and inspirational young man. Despite his illness, Leon was an optimistic and positive influence at the school.
This summer the Sinfields and the Gravesons met in Hamilton for a long anticipated reunion. Any of you who have heard Mr. Sinfield’s stories of growing up in Hamilton- and let’s face, who hasn’t?- would have loved this historic trip down memory lane: the pubs, the sports fields, the family home, the train tracks, and of course the high school where Bill met Brenda. Not far out of Hamilton (unless of course you have several children, a weak bladder, and Toronto traffic) lies the Sinfield family cottage. We spent several days there on a rustic retreat with the Sinfield clan. The kids played together while the adults talked, ate, and well... drank. Does it get any better! Since leaving Meadowridge three years ago, the Sinfields have relocated to the US where Bill is currently the Head of Melrose School. Unlike Meadowridge, Melrose is a religious school established by an order of Episcopal Nuns. In his gregarious way, Bill has drawn the Melrose community together and has succeeded in increasing enrolment and initiating a building plan for this dynamic day school. He enjoys his work and can be heard saying, sometimes in his sleep, “I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.” The students and families of Melrose recognize and appreciate what a fine leader they have in Bill Sinfield. One of the great things about a road trip to the Sinfield’s house, besides the fact that they are super hosts, is that they live only 90 minutes out of New York City. No road trip would be complete without a trip on the Staten Island Ferry, a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, dinner and clubbing in Greenwich Village, and a ride on the NY subway. We did all this and more during our ten-day stay at the Sinfield Hilton. While not a day goes by when I don’t think of the great times we had during our 10 years together at Meadowridge, I am excited by the prospects that Bill’s move to the US presents for him and his family. If he can do half of what he did for Melrose as he did for Meadowridge, I am sure that he will enjoy a long and distinguished career there. Alan Graveson, Director of Advancement
Darrell Cursons taught Math and Sciences at Meadowridge from 1994-1999. He was known for his inspiring intellect, passion for learning, devotion to his students, and his ardor for Star Trek. In his years as a teacher in Vanderhoof, Meadowridge, and St. George’s, Darrell contributed to the intellectual development and personal growth of several generations of youth. Our gratitude and sympathies go out to the families and friends of Leon Morel and Darrell Cursons.
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A Visit from across the pond Carolina Kern breezed into town recently and I was lucky enough to catch up to the former Golden Gryphon at her parents’ home in Maple Ridge. Carolina, who now has an English accent, is living and working in London, England. After several somewhat interesting jobs she now finds herself as assistant to the Director of Public Services in the Design Council of London. She finds her boss very inspiring and loves her job. Most recently, she actually paid a visit to The Home Office. Carolina is continuing her studies while working, and by all accounts is loving life. Would we expect anything less from this eccentric, energetic, entertaining alumnus? There would have been a picture here had I remembered to put film in the camera. As it is, you’ll have to draw on your own images of her sitting in the senior atrium singing Beatles songs. Alan Graveson, Director of Advancement Compiled by: Advancement and Marketing Office Meadowridge School (604) 467-4444 ext. 205 (604) 467-4989 fax www.meadowridge.bc.ca Please direct all questions or comments regarding the The Talon to: agraveson@meadowridge.bc.ca
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