mwplanet.tumblr.com
MARY WARD PLANET
volume 21 || issue 1 || winter edition
Wo r l d I s s u e s | O A S I S | S o n g s f o r S y r i a
tableof of contents contents table
cover
exec team
TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 5
Editorial
15
Francais Intensif
Ready or Not, Here He Comes
7
Life
19
Horoscopes
WACT
5 Favourite Chrismas Movies Teen Angst at its Greatest
Community
Shows You Can Fall For
DECA
Go Wolverines?
La Musiciens Francais
Welcome to Quantico
During) Christmas Break
Singing to Make a Difference
Limitless Exceeds Limits
22
Creative Spaces
Community Wrap-up
Seven Billion
OASIS
Back Again
A Taste of the Business Word
Winter Memories
COVER PAGE aiken chau
COLOURED PAGES bianca gomba
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 02
Fun and Games Spot the Differences
From Page to Screen
The Nightmare Before (and
9
24
Xavier Dolan
ses Amis
Are You Fit for the Job? Makeup
Comics
Une Playliste pour Danser avec
Feel the Christmas Burn In Defense of Girls that Wear
Photography
17 La Petite Planete
H2O in a New Home
Christmas Day Illustrations
Sports Wrap-up
La Vie Quotidienne dans la
December Baby By the Ice Rink
The WNBA: In Perspective
Gun Control: the Facts, Please! Once in a Red Moon
22
It’s WAC(K)
World Issues
Paris Attacks: A Survival Story
Sports
Layout Designers allegra fiorino bianca gomba kieona george nimmy ayekun yanelle bardhan-mendonca nancy abora-zei aiken chau andrea nijmeh serena singh don qarlo bernardino julia d’silva john velasco joyce giolagon davenand harrack madeleine mac-isaac sun adrienne dacoco kayleen dicuangco veronica iskander leanne cortez cathy nguyen kaitlyn pontanilla
code of ethics
All content © 2015-2016 Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this newspaper, in part of whole, is prohibited without the approval of the Planet executive members. The mary Ward Planet is the official student newspaper of Mary Ward C.S.S. All members of the Mary Ward community may voluntarily contribute to the Planet. Everyone exhibits professionalism and respects one another in all exchanges while keeping Christian values and practices. All submitted articles, layouts, and photography are subject to moderation. Material submitted is subject to approval by the Executive, staff moderators, and administration. All material must positively support the ideas and spirit of Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School. Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School is a self-directed learning centre located at 3200 Kennedy Road that was founded in 1985. It became a member of the CCSDL (Canadian Coalition of Self-Directed Learning) in 1995.
exec team team exec
table of contents
20 15
editorial
Planet Executive
20 16
MESSAGE FROM THE EDITORS
Hey, Wolverines! We are so excited to be the Planet’s 2015-2016 Editors in Chiefs! Since the Planet has 3 Editors in Chiefs, this year’s issues contain 3x the fun, the quality, and content for Mary Ward students and faculty to enjoy. With our unique Illustrator skills, writing skills, and our perspectives on Mary Ward and the world we have put a new spin on the Planet. Much of the amazing publication you are holding in your hand right now is a result of an awesome sauce executive team. Just look at this issue’s cover! Our new art editor, Aiken Chau, has made a spectacular cover that’s so pretty you could use it as a Christmas card. Organizing this new team has shown us the passion there is in the Planet, and we are excited to show you what we’ve got in store! Follow @holymolyart on Instagram, by the way.
- ALLEGRA, BIANCA, KIEONA
Ms. Powell Teacher Advisor
Allegra Fiorino Editor-in-Chief
Bianca Gomba Editor-in-Chief
Kieona George Editor-in-Chief
Serena Singh Editor Support
Don Qarlo Bernardino
Julia D’Silva Redactrice
John Velasco Redacteur
WACT Editor
Nimmy Ayekun Junior Editor
Yanelle BardhanMendonca Junior Editor
Nancy Abora-Zei
Planet Relations
Davenand Hasark Madeleine MacIsaacSun Community Editor Sports Editor Joyce Giolagon
World Issues Editor
Aiken Chau Art Editor
Andrea Nijmeh Web Master
Adrienne Dacoco Life Editor
Kayleen Dicuangco Creative Spaces Editor
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 03
exec team
editorial editorial
world issues
Do You Know the News like You Know Those Song Lyrics? In 2015, teenagers are getting their driver’s license, making their own income and even starting their own companies before the age of twenty. Everyday, students prove their irreplaceable role in society with unbreakable work ethics and everlasting independence. But in spite of this, educating themselves about what is happening around the world is not something most teenagers will do on their own. “There aren’t enough hours in a day;” “Units;” “It’s too much negativity” and “It doesn’t affect me” are just a few of the excuses that serve as reasoning
Without knowing what is happening in different parts of the world, a student is living blindly.
for the mediocre global awareness of today’s youth. This ignorance regarding current global issues amongst teenagers is becoming a worsening problem. An educated student is not completely educated if they aren’t aware of what is happening right outside their door.
that pulls on your heartstrings. Be sympathetic but separate yourself from the issues. Don’t let them weigh on your spirit, or there will always be something to worry about. Instead, acknowledge the issues with an aim to understand and be up to date about how people and the environment are being treated around the world.
“I know enough.” Reading your friend’s tweet about a global topic with a sincere hashtag does not count as being informed; investigate farther than scrolling through Twitter’s Trending Topics. Coming across information concerning global issues from a secondhand source leaves you vulnerable to hearing a version of ‘broken telephone,’ or getting opinion rather than fact. Global issues should not generate the negative attitude that is reserved for math tests and biology cell maps. VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 04
“There’s too much negativity.” The greatest reason for students not educating themselves about global news is that often times important information snowballs into problem after problem. And we can all agree that Mary Ward students don’t need the extra worry. But no matter! Read about what’s going on, even if it means stumbling upon a picture
“It doesn’t affect me.” Actually, it does. Although students should try to control their emotional attachment toward global issues, they should understand how what happens across the world affects them. The fact is everything is connected. The Syrian Refugee Crisis affects students in Europe, and the Trans-Pacific Partnership impacts students in all of the twelve countries involved. But don’t think that just because you
don’t know any of the families suffering that the news does not influence your life and the lives of those around you. Canada is not impenetrable to tragedy or problems that don’t directly threaten the nation, and keeping up to date is a way of being on the lookout. Studying the New York Times or the Toronto Star won’t make you an expert on international affairs, but it will show you the causes, effects and consequences needed to understand a particular issue.
“I can’t solve anything so what’s the point in worrying about it?” News is not meant to numb students and create greater distance between people already oceans apart. News about world issues should show students the world they’re living in. Today, students are a force to be reckoned with, and they will soon be our leaders of tomorrow. Nevertheless, students cannot lead a world that they don’t know. Social awareness is armour; it forges passion to help others, and it educates. Students have the greatest reign on technology, and are more expressive and less doubtful than most adults. The collective actions of these millions of passionate teenagers can lead to something powerful. “There aren’t enough hours in a day.” A person will always make time for
something they love, and Mary Ward students somehow seem to find the time to scroll through Instagram, Twitter, or Netflix. Not to say that students should solely dedicate themselves to the news. However, if there’s time to dabble in social media, then there is definitely time to read through news articles or watch videos that update you on global issues and raise awareness. Thankfully there is a beacon of hope for students, and it’s name is the Planet.
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK Even though the name of the school paper is only a metaphorical world, it discusses, investigates, and explores everything that is happening in the real one. While Ward students worry about units and so many other things, the Planet is a convenient source of passionate energy and information that students can read and learn from. Our Mary Ward Planet is an awardwinning publication that is meant to inform the Mary Ward community about both local and international happenings. The passionate writers and dedicated executives of the Planet have provided you, the students, with your armour to take on the issues that affect you and bring everything into perspective. Read on, and enjoy.
editorial
world issues world issues
world issues
Gun Control PARIS ATTACKS
The Facts, Please! A SURVIvAL STory By John Velasco Isobel Bowdery, a 22 year old woman from Cape Town, South Africa, went viral after her post on Facebook about her astonishing experience during the Paris attacks. On November 13 2015, Bowdery was just another person dancing and smiling at the Eagles of Death Metal rock Firearm homicide rates in select countries, per population of 100 000 concert at the Bataclan music venue in IMAGE BY THE CONVERSATION Paris. Suddenly three gunmen entered the music hall and shot blindly, in the By Madeleine shootings, when emotions run high – process killing 89 people and injuring MacIsaac-Sun and interest in new restrictions spikes many more. Luckily, Bowdery survived the attack inside the hall and posted – is not the time to debate the issue. her experience on Facebook, with a Gun control - the age-old debate. Is it Over the past 25 years, Americans’ photo of the shirt she was wearing effective, or isn’t it? support for stricter gun control laws that day, stained with blood. Due to Does tighter gun control result in less has been generally declining, even as an overwhelming amount of friend crime? What does gun control even the number of mass shootings is on the requests, as well as Bowdery’s wishes mean, anyway? Gun violence on the rise. While some high-profile shootings for privacy, the account has since been news is a constant topic in today’s have resulted in calls for increased deleted. society – leaving people for a way to restrictions, that support has proved find peace. But before one can take a fleeting thus far. Gun control is one of firm stance on a particular side of the the most sharply divisive issues in the issue, the facts need to be heard. U.S. today. “Gun control” is a broad term that covers any sort of restriction on what kinds of firearms can be sold and bought, who can possess or sell them, and where and how they can be stored or carried. Sometimes the term is also used to cover related matters, like limits on types of ammunition and magazines. It may also extend to technology; for instance, the type that allows guns to fire only when gripped by their owners. In recent years, gun control debates have focused primarily on background checks for buyers, allowing people to carry weapons in public, and whether to allow the possession of assault rifles. In the United States, gun rights advocates see weapon possession as a matter of individual rights. They say that people have the right to arm themselves for hunting, self-defense, sport – or just because they want to. Gun rights advocates, led by the National Rifle Association, form a powerful lobby that politicians fear to cross. These advocates have effectively deployed the argument that after mass
Closer to home, Canada has seen some positive effect on crime rates due to tougher gun control. In the wake of the École Polytechnique Massacre of 1989, Canada tightened its gun control laws. Stricter screening processes and restrictions were introduced, which resulted in less gun violence involving “long” weapons, such as rifles and shotguns. However, the focus simply shifted from shotguns to handguns, and Canada saw a surge in street gang violence. As a result, more restrictions on handguns were soon implemented, which appeared to be relatively effective. But with closer inspection it becomes clear that most of Canada’s efforts to control the possession of firearms has been undermined by the United States. A vast majority of guns repossessed by Canadian police are illegal imports from the US. As citizens of Canada, a more important question remains: how much influence does the US have over Canadian gun violence rates?
to keep herself alive - pretending to be dead. Due to the distracting chaos around her, it was hard for her to stay still. Bowdery says: “I pretended to be dead for over an hour, lying among people who could see their loved ones motionless. Holding my breath, trying not to move, not cry – not giving those the fear they longed to see.” Bowdery stated that she was shocked at the depravity of the people around her and that the image of the gunmen circling her like vultures will haunt her for the rest of her life. There were also people who helped her during the horrible hour, restoring some of her faith in humanity. She concluded her post by saying that it is up to us to be better people, and to live the lives that the innocent victims of this tragedy dreamt about, but will now never fulfill. She adds: “RIP angels, you will never be forgotten.”
IMAGE FROM ANTHODRAW Isobel Bowdery started her post by saying: “You never think it will happen to you.” At the time she believed the attack was a part of the concert: “…We naively believed it was all part of the show. It wasn’t just a terrorist attack, it was a massacre.” Bowdery did her best to describe the scene of the massacre, painting a very graphic scene for the reader. She said: “As I lay down in the blood of strangers and wait for a bullet to end my mere 22 years, I envision every face that I have ever loved and whisper, ‘I love you’, over and over again.” Bowdery mentions in her post that she wanted to die with focused on love, not fear. Isobel Bowdery then devised a tactic
The day after the tragedy, her post reached almost a half a million people, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. During a CNN interview, Bowdery described the attack as a nightmare: “the worst horror film.” She said that she managed not to cry, but that it was difficult not to flinch, breathe, or move. As a community, we should all be grateful and know that we are blessed to still live in this world. We should keep in our hearts those who were killed during the terrorist attacks, as those people deserved a chance to grow old too. VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 05
world issues
world issues world issues
READY OR NOT, Here He Comes
life
ONCE IN A RED MOON
By Joyce Giolagon
By Lucy Ma On the morning of November 4th, 2015, Justin P.J. Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, was officially sworn in at Rideau Hall as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada. The event attracted people from all over the country in the hopes of setting their eyes on the new Prime Minister and his cabinet. Justin Trudeau was born as the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau on December 25th, 1971, thus making him a second generation Prime Minister. After a short teaching career, he went back to school several times in different fields of study before entering politics by way of the Liberal Party, and winning the riding of Papineau in 2007. On April 14th, 2013, Trudeau became the leader of the Liberal party, winning the bid for the Liberal leadership with more than 80% of the vote. On August 2, 2015, our former Prime Minister Stephen Harper dissolved the Parliment. This led to the political campaign that became the longest federal election campaign in Canada since 1872. The various political parties put out several different ads, with an extremely popular slogan being Justin Trudeau: He’s just not ready - an attack ad published by the Progressive Conservatives. The election ended with a huge victory for the liberal party. Out of the 338 seats available, the Liberals had won 184; 54% of the total seats. Meanwhile, the Conservatives won 99 seats, The New Democratic Party (NDP) won 44 seats, the Bloc Quebecois won 10 seats, and the VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 06
PHOTO BY ERIC GOODLAND Green Party won 1 seat. With over 50% of seats won by the Liberals, they were able to form a majority government. The Liberal party gained an authority previously held by the Conservative Party, along with a heightened control over the politics of our nation. The presentation of the new cabinet members received many positive reactions from Canadians. For the first time in Canadian history, there were 15 women elected as a part of the 31-member cabinet. Not only that, but the cabinet members come from all over Canada, with both differing religions and diverse backgrounds. Without a doubt, our new PM did his best to represent Canada’s multiculturalism. Internationally, Justin Trudeau was met with much popularity. A quote from the United Kingdom’s Mirror identified the victory of the Liberals as: “what has to be the sexiest political dynasty since the Kennedys.” However not all are in support of Justin’s new found leadership. A quote from Jabar Yawar, chief of staff for the Kurdish Regional Government’s Peshmerga Ministry, established Justin Trudeau’s plans of withdrawing the CF-18 fighter jets from the fight against ISIS as “bad news for us [...] Canada was a major partner in the coalition and it was a great help to Kurdistan”. Overall, it haven’t been long since Justin took to office. The accuracy of the statement Justin Trudeau: He’s just not ready will be determined as time goes on.
On September 2728, 2015, the world experienced the phenomenon of the “Red Moon,” a lunar eclipse that caused the moon to appear bright red in colour. The Blood Moon is more scientifically known as a “total lunar eclipse,” and is very rare, as only four to five of these eclipses can be seen from Earth every decade. Four total lunar eclipses occurring consecutively (with 6 month intervals), creates a lunar tetrad. The last lunar tetrad was the Blood Moon everyone so eagerly searched the skies for. The moon got its blushing red colour due
PHOTO BY ANDREW STEELE to the fact that when the Earth eclipses a full Moon, direct sunlight is blocked. The Sun’s rays, however, continue to light up the moon and as it travels through the Earth’s atmosphere it gives the fully eclipsed Moon a crimson look. Despite beliefs that the lunar tetrad would call the world’s end, there is no evidence to prove this theory. In fact, at least eight lunar eclipse tetrads have coincided with Jewish holidays such as Passover and the Feast of Tabernacles. Therefore, it is very improbable that a lunar tetrad will result in the apocalypse. If you happened to miss the Supermoon, mark your calendars! The next Supermoon eclipse will occur in 18 years - or more specifically, October 8, 2033.
H2O IN A NEW HOME By Don Qarlo Bernardino
ways. A plethora of questions remain to be answered: Is there life on Mars? Is it even possible to shuffle a huge amount On September 28th, of people to the planet? Shouldn’t more 2015, NASA found time be spent fixing Earth, the planet strong evidence that the human race actually inhabits? liquid water flows on Mars. It’s yet to be seen where exactly this Finding water on another planet has discovery will take us. The world’s just about everybody excited for what’s population continues to grow at a rapid going to happen next. Undoubtedly, rate, and Earth doesn’t have unlimited the world is changing - for better or for resources. So stay informed about water worse. Water is the basis for all life, and on Mars - where things are headed, and now that it’s been discovered on Mars, what new discoveries are being made. one may think it’s better to start a new Not to mention, the Mars Rover has home away from home. Whether or not a twitter account @Marscuriosity! It’s that’s even possible is a whole other incredibly fascinating to learn about issue: after all, Mars is another planet these things. Who knows what the and is different from Earth in many future will hold?
PHOTO BY GBM NEWS
life life
world issues
FEEL THE Christmas burn By Daniel Santiago There are lots of great things that happen during the Christmas break: relaxation, family bonding, presents and delicious food. But too much of a good thing, is a bad thing; and the bad thing about Christmas break is the holiday pounds. This is not to say that gaining weight over the holiday break is something that people should be worried about. But for those that experience excessive hours watching movies, playing video games, or eating, your jeans may feel a tad tighter than they did in the Fall. Now, if you want to stay active during the holidays, here are some tips: Use a jumping rope: The Christmas break is during winter, so you may not want to be jogging or running outside in freezing temperatures on icy grounds. An alternate form of exercise is jump rope. As a matter of
It is done by standing hip-width apart in a wider stance, then bending your knees down until you feel a stretch in your quadriceps similar to the regular squats. Don’t do too many repetitions of the squats. You may over-train your quadriceps. For beginners, I recommend doing 10 repetitions and then take a break for a minute. Then, do another set of 10 repetitions. Do at least 3-4 sets of squats.
PHOTO BY ALFONSO CASAS
More water, less soft drinks: Many of us tend to drink a lot of soft drinks during Christmas holiday meals. Sometimes, people can even mistake thirst for hunger, which leads to overeating and weight gain. Drinking a tall glass of water before each meal will help one lose weight and reduce toxins in the body. Consumption of soft drinks, increases our risk of getting metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of risk factors which may lead to high PHOTO BY ALFONSO CASAS blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart fact, 10 minutes of fast jumping rope attack and stroke. is as efficient as 30 minutes of jogging. Plus, you can watch a movie or a show There you have it – tips to getting fit during the Christmas break. Just try as you exercise. disciplining yourself into doing these Do squats: Not only is this exercise good things and you’ll be fit in no time. Also, for your health, it is also beneficial for don’t forget to do some units! Have a the development of your upper thigh wonderful Christmas and a joyful New muscles (quadriceps). There are two Year! variations to the squats. The first is the regular squats, which focuses on the growth of the outer quadriceps. To do this, you have to stand hip-width apart then bend your knees as if you were about to sit in a chair, bending until your legs are at 90 degrees or less. Don’t let your knees pass over your toes. The other type is the sumo squat, which targets the inner quadriceps and is somewhat harder to do. PHOTO BY ALFONSO CASAS
life
Are you FIT for
the job? By Kayleen Dicuangco
They will also recognize the fact that you know the value of work. Having a job will not only give you working Having a part-time experience, but it will also give you lifejob is an experience experiences and introduce you to new that a majority of adventures. students will encounter sometime during their high school years. Working Students can develop important at the local movie theatre or grocery skills such as communication, time store comes with a variety of benefits management, and independence. You which can help students as they begin will learn how to handle being a good to plan for their futures. If you currently student combined with being a good have a job, or if you are planning on employee. If you learn how to balance applying for a job, here are some school, extracurricular activities, and benefits of working: a part-time job, you will learn the true meaning of responsibility. Students You get to earn some money. Students will also discover how to manage their tend to want a lot of things – clothes, time more efficiently. With the decrease video games, concert tickets, and so in free time that comes along with much more. But these things require a job, teens will improve their time cash in your backpocket. Having a job management skills and use their free allows students to earn an income, time more effectively. These skills will which translates into them having not only help students with school, but more freedom to buy the things also in life. they want. As students, it is also a great idea to start saving up for post- Here’s a tip: While there are many secondary education tuition. Working benefits of having a part-time job allows teens to manage finances and in high school, not all students are learn about the importance of money capable of handling it during the school management. When you start earning year, and that’s okay! If your grades your own money, you will gain a better begin to suffer or you aren’t getting understanding of how to handle it, and enough sleep, you should cut back on you won’t feel so bad when spending it! your work hours or only work during summer vacation. Working allows students to gain experience. Working will give you Most high school students will have a the experience needed for other part-time job sooner or later. Working future jobs, which is great to put on can provide teenagers with an income, a resume. Putting a record of your experience, and the development of previous employment on your resume important skills that will certainly help will let employers know that you are a in the long run. Part-time employment hardworking person, and that you have is definitely something to consider. an interest in professional development.
Introducing the MW Planet advice column! For the first time ever the Planet is proud to present an advice column. Visit mw.planet.tumblr to learn more! VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 07
life
life life
community
In Defense of Girls
The Nightmare Before Who Wear Makeup (and During) Christmas Break By Allegra Fiorino
There’s a certain soapbox people love to stand on when it comes to makeup and beauty products. Let’s call it the “be confident in your own skin” soapbox. Those who climb atop it try to urge women to put down their blush brushes and mascara wands, and tell them that women don’t need makeup in order to be beautiful. That we should embrace our natural beauty and be who we really are. That we are lovelier without any makeup at all.
psychologists with enough research to back up such broad claims? I wear makeup almost everyday – I have for a few years now. It’s part of my style, the same way my clothes and accessories are part of my overall look. I’m not wearing it out of any insecurities about my face, I’m wearing it simply because I like it. On the days I choose not to wear it, I don’t feel any different. I’m still me. Women have endless products at their fingertips when they want to cover up a zit or dark under-eye circles. But you cannot think that because girls
By Adrienne Dacoco The snow is falling, you’re wrapped up in a cozy sweater. The house smells like cookies, Christmas songs have been playing everywhere all month, and you’re probably watching Elf for the twentieth time. Indeed, It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Unfortunately, there’s that thing that ruins Christmas: The Grinch, or as it’s known to Mary Ward students – units. Christmas break - emphasis on ‘break’ - is still the perfect opportunity to catch up on all your courses. Days seem as if they have more hours from the time saved by not having to travel to and from school, set up and move to different departments, and less distractions. However, with the chaotic schedule that comes with this holiday, it can be a challenge to balance your time between family, friends, relaxing, and units.
in all the remaining days with plans on which units to work on.
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK Be realistic. Don’t plan on finishing two units in one day if you haven’t even started them. Don’t overwhelm yourself by planning to finish a ton of units if you know that you already have a packed schedule. The idea is to do units whenever it’s possible. It’s winter break, so you don’t have to prioritize units; you have the rest of the year to do that. Have your break and enjoy it, but when you have some time, it may be a good idea to do some units. It could even be just an hour a day, or two days a week.
But it can be done by keeping two things in mind: planning ahead, and Remember that it’s okay to take a break. being realistic. You don’t have to let units take over
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK All of this sounds well-intentioned, and on the surface, it almost feels like female empowerment. It can be easy to miss the actual problem with this message, because it’s so subtle and unspoken, but the problem is a huge one. The idea of becoming our true selves by stripping away makeup implies that we are wearing it solely as a facade. It implies that we aren’t confident. It implies that we only feel beautiful when we wear makeup. It implies that we are struggling with self-esteem issues merely because we shop at Sephora. Quite simply, it implies that we aren’t as strong as the women who face the day with bare faces. As a society, and especially as an Internetbred one, we’ve become incredibly judgmental of one another. We jump to the deepest conclusions about the most superficial things – taking a selfie is a cry for validation, plastic surgery is a surrender to the media, and wearing makeup is a sign of poor selfimage. When did we all become expert VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 08
dab a drop of concealer on a pimple, it means that they have deep-rooted self-esteem issues. Sometimes, a touch of concealer is just a touch of concealer – nothing more. I know there are thousands of women just like me – women who love browsing the makeup sections of department stores. And so, for these women, I’m going to get on my soapbox. I’ll call it the “your mascara doesn’t make you weak” soapbox. To these women, I want to say this: Embracing the “red lip” trend doesn’t translate to insecurity about your natural lips. Just because you love your Diorskin bb cream doesn’t mean you have body image problems. It’s okay that you spent thirty minutes doing your makeup today – it doesn’t mean you are superficial, or shallow – it just means that you have a different routine than the women who don’t wear it. Different is not better or worse. It’s just different.
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK First, plan the days that are like breaks during your holiday. Don’t plan the days when you’re going to do units. Figure out the dates of family events and other social excursions first. You have a whole two weeks, so know which days you’re going to parties, which days you’re spending with family and friends, and which days you just want to do absolutely nothing. Then you can fill
Christmas break, but don’t push them aside completely. A little a day is better than nothing at all. Everyone works differently, so find what works for you. Spend this break wisely and you’ll return to school well-rested, caught up on TV shows, caught up on some units, and still have a bit of holiday cheer left.
community
community community
community
A Taste of the Business World
By Aiken Chau Picture this. Everywhere you look, youth are dressed in business suits and blazers, practicing their handshakes and presentations while mingling with one another. What might be happening, you ask? The answer is DECA Regionals, a business competition on November 13th, which Mary Ward students attended at Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute with great success. Eleven Mary Ward students came home with awards and many more are moving on to the provincial level of competition. Aiken Chau placed 3rd and Sarah Phen, Samantha Lee, Emily Rong, and Robyn Ching came in the top 10 for both exams and “role plays” in their respective categories. With a record number of 87 DECA members in the school’s DECA@Ward
Anika Peng, one of Mary Ward’s very own co-presidents, explains a situation: “I had a case on pricing steaks for Father’s Day. The steaks were getting expensive and my grocery store wasn’t making as big of a profit. I acted as the manager, explaining to my judge, the president, to increase prices and lower them back to regular price for Father’s Day, as well as promotional methods to help market this idea.” DECA students had to think on their feet and understand different As the first part of the DECA competition, aspects of business procedures in the DECA members had already order to come up with creative and written an exam to test their business professional plans. knowledge in October. Now they were on to the second and more exciting part: Many students had a great time at DECA Regionals, as they presented their role doing a live action business role play. During the role play competition at plays, made new friends from other Cedarbrae, students were given a schools through exchanging social specific business scenario and were media contacts, and improved both required to problem-solve individually business and communication skills. “As or in teams of two under a short period a new member, I think that DECA was of time. After this, they presented their an amazing experience. I met a bunch ideas and findings to a judge in the form of students from different schools. The highlight of the day was when the fire of a business meeting. chapter this year, the team was training hard for this big day. The dedicated group consisted of students interested in getting a taste of the business world, whether it be in marketing, finance, or even just wanting to network with new people. Meetings were held every Wednesday at lunch for the students to learn about business concepts and hone their communication skills when doing sales pitches.
alarm went off during my prep time, since it was a funny moment. Because of DECA I feel more prepared than I was for the future. Definitely joining next year too!” Christy Hoang says. A large number of chapter members felt that their experience with DECA was able to decrease their nerves when giving oral presentations and gain invaluable professional skills. Overall, the increasing interest and commitment to the club was very pleasing for the Mary Ward DECA advisors and executive team to see. The team’s secretary, Ofelia Hung, states: “I’m proud of everyone who came out for the competition because I know they gave it their best shot, and I know I speak for everyone when I say I’m excited for Provincials!” DECA Provincials will take place from February 7 to 9, 2016 downtown at the Sheraton Hotel. Good luck and keep up the good work DECA@Ward!
ALL PHOTOS BY NINOSHKA PAIS
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 11
life
Songs for
Syria
PHOTOS BY NATALIE ALMOSA VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 10
community community
community
community
community community
Songs for Syria By Andrea Nijmeh
On October 23rd, in collaboration with the charity Life Line Syria, Mary Ward hosted a concert in the hopes of raising enough money to bring a Syrian refugee family to Toronto. Performing at this event were
PHOTO BY BEA SERDON students from Mary Ward, Conditional Zero, and the Juno Nominated folk duo Dala, alumni of Mary Ward. The emcee for the event was award-winning City TV news anchor Tom Hayes. The creation of this concert was a community effort, as students spread posters around the school to promote the even and t-shirts were designed and sold to help raise additional money. At the concert, Mr.Morra shared what motivated him to put together Songs for Syria. He explained that the more he learned about the Syrian refugees, the more he wanted to make a difference: “I immediately donated some money to the Red Cross, but it really didn’t satisfy my conscience,” Mr. Morra explained. “The lesson I always pose to the kids
to go forward with their idea. It was an entertaining evening with many acts: the students who performed showed incredible talent, with some even composing and writing original pieces, and blew the audience away. Conditional Zero - a band consisting of teachers Mr. Carabine, Mr. Morra and Mr. Dabbagh - performed many inspiring songs. One of these songs included “A Song for Someone” by U2, which was the inspiration for the name of the event. However the headlining act was folk duo Dala, whose members are Mary Ward alumni, Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine who met while students at Mary Ward. Amanda and Sheila added a surge of positive musical energy to the night. Dala went above and beyond as the headlining act. Audience members laughed, sang along, and connected with the special lyrics of Dala. Amanda and Sheila’s background in Mary
GO WOLVERINES? By Veronica Iskander range was 0-3. When I asked what would make them interested in attending, the Ward has clubs and students said that they would like to see sports teams galore more hype about our teams, and more along with a great advertising that relates to upcoming student body and games. Some suggestions would be to dedicated teachers that stay late into advertise on the board next to the band the school day. Why then, are we lacking department to inform students about in being a united and cohesive student upcoming games and tournaments, body? and also putting up posters around the school for each sport to attract more Well, first we need to talk about what attention. that actually means. The magical things that every school needs in order to be a participating community are to win more games, to succeed in their competitions, and to become unified. It’s called support, and it involves each and every single person in this school as we are all part of this community, and are responsible for this school’s reputation. Most schools in our school board are all PHOTO BY OSE IBAZEBO about ensuring that enough supporters come out to their games. There are This is not to say that Mary Ward’s organised pep rallies, and pre-game student body hasn’t improved a little events with the goal being to entice bit. I do see more people coming out students to watch the games. The to games, and have noticed some question still stands: why are people cheering going on our bleachers. not coming out to games? Thanks to WAC, one of our newest clubs,
PHOTO BY BEA SERDON Ward and their passion to contribute to a solution brought the energy of the concert to a level that made the experience unforgettable. Overall, Songs for Syria was a huge success as it inspired students and teachers alike to make a global difference. The concert not only showcased the spectacular talent, but the compassion of the Mary Ward community. Students, alumni, and many other people apart of the school board were able to commemorate
the unity, talent, and passion that could only come from a community is: Is this your best effort? Think. Apply like Mary Ward.
PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA
yourself. What can you do better? And then I found myself facing the same Missed the concert? A recording question.”
of it is available online, the link Mr. Morra introduced the plan of can be found on our planet a small concert for the students to website here: http://tinyurl.com/ Mr.Carabine, and soon the two decided songsforsyria
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 10
community
PHOTO BY OSE IBAZEBO The primary reason of course is units there’s a bulletin board across from the and work. But games are only 1-2 hours staffroom with a game schedule and maximum and they are definitely not statistics, and a great Instagram account with new photos of of teams in action. boring. When I asked some Mary Ward students about our lack of participation, So c’mon, Wolverines, we can do so they said that the main reasons for not much better. There are so many sports coming to games are because they are to choose from, and so many hours in not that interested in watching sports, the day. In the end there really aren’t or they are really busy with their part any excuses. Participate and be part of time jobs. When asked how many games the Mary Ward community! they usually attend per month, the
community
community community
community
? GR. 9 OASIS ?
PHOTOS BY LEANNE CORTEZ AND MARY-ANNE BUERANO By Nimmy Ayekun
?
This year, as always, the Grade 9’s had an opportunity to participate in OASIS, an orientation program filled with a wide range of fun-filled and team building activities. From 2 PM- 8PM, grade 9 students were able to interact and get to know their OASIS teams members through interactive icebreakers. They also created skits and participated in a friendly cheer competition. The second part of Oasis was held at Camp Robin Hood where camp activities challenged students to work together and develop their group learning skills. Students participated in activities such as archery, wall climbing as well as rock climbing and variety of other high rope courses. Also, as part of the religion portion of their excursion, students engaged in meaningful group discussions that allowed them to learn more about themselves and their peers.
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 12
?
community
community community
community
Business Day 2015 By Aiken Chau Students are familiar with Business Day as a fun day to attend workshops and earn a ‘free’ unit, but this year the Mary Ward business department decided to transform it into something much more exciting. On November 26th, students were given the opportunity to run their very own businesses. All the business students at Mary Ward participated. Elementary school students were invited to be part of the experience and professionals in the industry attended to share their expertise. The student-run businesses had to present a product pitch to a panel of judges in a Dragon’s Den style of friendly competition, gaining new teamwork skills and business knowledge for the future. Even before Business Day, students were hard at work. The businesses spent two weeks beforehand developing their products and presentations throughout constant company meetings. Divided into technology, food, fashion, and eco-friendly businesses, they were tasked with specific situations; for example, tech teams were to develop an app to increase the course completion rate in the school, while fashions group were given the challenge of creating an outfit for Taylor Swift. Students were given company positions such as accountants, marketers, and CEOs in order to simulate a business environment in the industry. The immense effort that each company put into their projects was what made business day a success, as a result the event was recognized across the TCDSB and even in the Toronto Star. Congratulations to the winning team of Eco Clean,. We can’t wait to see what innovations emerge in next year’s Business Day! PHOTOS BY PATRICK BLICK
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 13
community
community community
sports
Community wrap Up By Joyce Giolagon The past couple of months at Mary Ward have been a busy one, especially with the need to balance units and school excursions. Here are just a few of the highlights since the beginning of the school year:
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE CHIN PPL 401 Sandbanks Trip & PPL 301 Sibbald Point Trip – Senior students taking physical education courses spent several days camping and enjoying everything the Canadian wilderness has to offer.
have the opportunity to view plays visited our capital city. Not only did in some of Canada’s most renowned they enjoy the grand Remembrance theatres. Day ceremony, but they also got a close look at Canada’s new Prime Minister. Waste Reduction Week – From Oct. 1923, Greenquest held their annual Waste DECA regionals – While many Reduction Week. Each day of the week students spent their PA Day lounging had a theme centered around helping around at home (trying to do units) or the environment. The committee also spending time with friends, members had a big raffle that rewarded students of DECA competed in regionals. Some and TAs at the end of the week. honourable mentions include Aiken Chau who came 3rd in the category of apparel and accessories, and Sarah Phen, Samantha Lee, Emily Rong, and Robyn Ching who came in the top 10 for both exams and “role plays” in their respective categories.
the week included the spoken-word artist Wali Shah who visited Mary Ward as a guest speaker.
PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA
Honour Roll Breakfast – Mary Ward students who qualified for honour roll spent their first period eating a Science PLN – Grade 11 biology delicious breakfast, listening to guest students spent their morning at speaker Chris Tate, and receiving a pin Epiphany of Our Lord teaching science for their hard efforts. PHOTO BY VARSHAA RAGURAMAN lessons to younger students. The day was a great success and a good Awards Night – Students spent their learning experience for not only the evening being rewarded for their elementary school students, but Mary academic success from the previous Ward students as well. school year on Oct. 26 for the annual Mary Ward Awards Night.
PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA The next couple of months will only be busier, so stay tuned for the next community wrap-up!
PHOTO BY VANESSA DAQUIPIL Remembrance Day – On November
PHOTO BY TIEN CHAN
PHOTO BY NINOSHKA PAIS 11th, Mary Ward held its very own
SAC Halloween – SAC did not Charged Up – On Oct. 16, SAC held disappoint with another great their annual SAC Dance. Students spent Halloween. Students headed down the night dancing and “charged up” on to the studio to get their costumes energy. photographed and then spent their afternoon watching The Ring . Stratford Excursion – During the beginning of October, senior drama Ottawa Excursion – This early students were able to go Stratford and November, Grade 10 history students
Remembrance Day ceremony that featured cadets, as well as senior drama students who sang in honour of Canadian soldiers. Bullying Awareness Week – The members of Safe Schools spent Nov. 16-20 organizing activities to bring awareness to bullying. A highlight of
PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA
PHOTOS BY NATALIE ALMOSA VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 14
community
sports sports
sports
By Daveanand Harack
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK By Leanne Cortez
have intramurals for different sports in the near future, but it is currently soccer WAC... we’re not intramurals. So check the schedule to talking about see when you or your friends play! crazy or eccentric, we’re talking about Of all of Ward Athletic Council’s the Ward Athletic Council. To many, this responsibilities, their most important may seem like a whole new club, but task is to heighten our school spirit. What there actually used to be one back in better way to raise school spirit than 2009. As Athletic Director, Ms. Sersanti to get a mascot? Hearing that Francis revived this club and now runs it with Liberman CSS got their own falcon Mr. Kennedy, Mr. McAlpine, and Ms. mascot, WAC just knew that we had to Patel. Along with a group of students, get one too. WAC had a “Rep Your Team they help promote healthy active living Day” where you could wear any sports as well as school spirit. jersey for $2. All of these proceeds went to funding for the mascot which got One of WAC’s priorities is informing the them a little more than halfway to their Mary Ward community about our sports goal. Hopefully, you’ll be able to see our events. How can you support one of very own wolverine mascot soon. our teams if you don’t know when the game is or what the final score was? Another of WAC’s current projects is the The teams might not show it, but Athletic Banquet which celebrates the when a huge group of students come success of students, athletes, and teams. to cheer them on, they truly feel the Even though the banquet is months support of the community. The athletic away, a lot of work goes into it. This year, council updates their bulletin board WAC has set their minds to finding ways and social media frequently, and if you of further improving an already great follow them on Twitter you can hear the ceremony. If you have any ideas, you the scores and schedules when they should definitely let WAC know. happen. On their Instagram, you can see great action shots of those games Sports are a huge part of the Mary Ward taken by our very own students. community that bring all of us together. Everyone can get involved; you can be Besides keeping Ward posted on a coach, an athlete, or even a fan in the our sports activity, WAC also helps stands. If you want to be more involved, with scoring, set-up and clean-up WAC meets every Wednesday in Room during games for both the season 110B and is always welcoming new and intramurals. Intramurals is a great members. Don’t forget to also follow opportunity that allows students to them on Twitter and Instagram at form their own teams and face each mwwac. other in different sports. WAC plans to
The World Cup of Hockey is back for the first time in twelve years and it will feature eight teams trying to the win the cup for their country or continent. This year the teams are: Canada, Czech Republic, Europe and U.S.A. in Group A; and Finland, North America, Russia and Sweden in Group B. The tournament will start off with round robin play in each group from September 17 September 22, 2016. Followed by the semi-finals (which are sudden death games) on September 24 and 25, the final round (best of three) will take place on September 27, September 29 and October 1 of next year. Day one of the tournament will have Europe vs U.S.A. and Czech Republic vs Canada. Then day two will feature Russia vs Sweden and Finland vs North America. Day three of round robin will then feature Czech Republic vs Europe and Russia vs North America. Day four, in my opinion, will feature the most action as Canada takes on their age old rivals U.S.A., and Sweden and Finland also renew their intense rivalry. On day five Canada will be right back at it as they face Europe. The final day of round robin will have U.S.A. vs Czech Republic and Finland vs Russia.
from Group B will play the second place from Group A. Whoever wins those sudden death games will advance to the finals which will be a best of three series. As a proud Canadian I have to predict that Canada is going to win this, as hockey is our national sport and we have won so many Olympic gold medals. Other than U.S.A, Canada has no real competition. We also have a brilliant coaching staff and amazing players. Thanks to NHL.com we know the coaches for each team. Team Canada’s head coach is Mike Babcock of the Toronto Maple Leafs; and team Canada’s assistant coaches are Claude Julian of the Boston Bruins, Bill Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes, Joel Queneville of the Chicago Blackhawks and Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals.
Team Canada also has a star lineup which includes: Sidney Crosby, Johnathan Toews, and Steven Stamkos as forwards; P. K. Suban, Duncan Keith and Shea Webber as defencemen; and Carey Price, Marc Andre Fleury and Braden Holtby as goalies. These are only a select few of team Canada’s lineup, and if the Canadian coaches use their players correctly, we’ll have a trophy in our Following round robin play, two teams future! from each group will advance. The first place from Group A will play the second place from Group B and the first place
PHOTO BY WWW.SI.COM VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 15
sports
sports sports
petite planète
SPORTS WRAP UPp By Daveanand Harack
Jr. Boys’ Flag Football Coach: Mr. Adourian Wins and Losses: 2-1 The Jr. Boys’flag football team played exceptionally this season. Their two wins came from their matches against St. Michael’s Choir School and Francis Liebermann, and qualified PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA them for the semi-finals in a close game pull through four losses and led them to against Neil McNeil. Congratulations on two victories this season. an incredible season, boys! Sr. Girls’ Basketball Coaches: Mr. Rossi and Mr. Dever Wins and Losses: 4-4 This year, the Sr. Girls’ basketball team gave it their all, tying their record at 4-4. The girls rallied through numerous high-level teams, and made coaches Rossi and Dever proud. PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK Jr. Girls’ Flag Football Coaches: Ms. Sersanti and Mr. Kennedy Wins and Losses: Lost all games This was a learning season for the Jr. Girls’ flag football team. Despite their record, the girls gained valuable experience that will help them improve their skills for next year.
gave a valiant effort, and demonstrated the importance of working as a team. This season left the boys with more experience and room for improving their skills in seasons to come.
with Spirit Scores of 90%. As a newly found sport at Mary Ward, the team gained valuable experience for seasons to come.
Varsity Girls’ Field Hockey Coaches: Ms. MacIssac and Ms. Visconti Wins, Ties, and Losses: 0-1-5 It looked to be a hopeful season for the Varsity Girls’ field hockey team. Giving their all and trainingintensely, the girls were able to score a record high of two goals. Despite their record, PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA the team rallied together and left coaches MacIsaac and Visconti with an Cross Country unforgettable season. Coach: Ms. Hayes As always, Mary Ward’s Cross Country team was hugely successful. Notable runners include Jerome Jude and Trinity Espirit, who placed in the top ten at the first meet, and demonstrated true Mary Ward spirit in their second meet. Great job, runners!
PHOTO BY NATALIE ALMOSA
Ultimate Frisbee Coach: Ms. Breen PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK Wins and Losses: Ward A and Ward B – Lost all games but tied once while Sr. Boys’ Volleyball Jr. Boys’ Soccer Coach: Mr. Toth Coaches: Mr. DeRose and Ms. Lena facing each other. This was the first year Wins and Losses: 2-8 Wins and Losses: 2-4 The Sr. Boys’ volleyball team played of the Mary Ward Ultimate Frisbee Team. The determination and will to win of the with a lot of passion this season. They Through their unyielding team spirit, Jr. Boys’ soccer team allowed them to both teams qualified for the playoffs
PHOTO BY ANNA GALANG
The WNBA: In Perspective By Yanelle Bardhan-Mendonca
Everyone knows about the NBA, LeBron James, and plenty of other male ballers. But what about the WNBA? Why doesn’t anyone say: “Hey, did you see the game last night?” in reference to women’s basketball? Why do channels like ESPN continue to feed its viewers an almost strict diet of men’s sport? Why is the WNBA stigmatized? If these questions duplicate your thoughts, you’re definitely not alone. If they don’t, maybe it’s time to look at another viewpoint. To give you a visual aspect of the topic, think of it in this light: if someone were to type “n” into the Google search bar, one of the first results is “nba”; alternatively, typing “w” into Google creates a primary search result of “walmart”. One could VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 16
PHOTO BY AALBC easily justify this with the idea that some people just value great deals and sweaty men the same amount, but what about putting sweaty women and sweaty men on the same level? Now, this isn’t to say that people can’t enjoy Walmart. Walmart is a terrific place to be: you’ve got relatively cheap school supplies, cheap food; what more could you need? Unfortunately, this article isn’t focusing on discount stores.
The WNBA was founded in April of 1996, with its first season beginning the following year. Its most recent president, Laurel Richie, has resigned just this past November from the position, namely due to her pursuit of more opportunities to advocate for young women. The WNBA currently has 12 teams across the United States. Sports news channels such as ESPN and Sportsnet have been known to broadcast a male sport majority, even with the headlines at the bottom of the screen being more than 95% men’s information. This displays the reality that women might play sports, but they sure as heck don’t play sports on television. Still, in an effort to bring an equality to sports as entertainment, ESPN launched a website called “espnW” in 2010. Kelly McBride, a journalist for ESPN, criticises the website, stating, “ESPN is late to the game. Forty years after the passage of
the federal law that required schools to create equal sports opportunities for girls, the worldwide leader in sports has discovered that women might be interested?” Everyone has their own opinion on the WNBA and the severity of the stigma surrounding it. Nevertheless, what everyone needs to understand is how important it is to young women for their gender to be represented in their their favourite sport too.
PHOTO BY SELF.COM
sports
la petite planète la petite planète
petite planète
La Vie Quotidienne Haïkus français Dans La Francais Intensif L’HIVER Par Albert Caayao Le vent est trop froid Neige au dessous de mes pieds Quand l’hiver commence
LA PLUIE Par Tristan Lim Aujourd’hui il pleut Sur les rues de Toronto Et je reste dans l’ombre.
By John Velasco
très proches avec les personnes dans notre classe du français intensif, parce Savez-vous une personne qu’on est dans la même classe pour à Mary Ward qui étude longtemps. « Extended French » ? Ou, comme on dit en français, le Pourquoi avez-vous le pris? Beaucoup français intensif? Je suis une de ses des enseignants en école élémentaire personnes. Si vous ne savez pas qu’est- nous ont recommandé ce programme, ce que c’est le français intensif, c’est un parce que la connaissance du français programme spéciale, plutôt en Ontario, et le bilinguisme ont beaucoup des qui commence en école élémentaire et avantages quand vous écrivez un CV. qui vous enseigne la langue française à Alors beaucoup d’étudiants du français un niveau plus avancer. Ce programme intensif l’ont pris pour cet avantage. existe pour les étudiants d’améliorer leur connaissance de la langue français, et le programme vous aiderez de devenir bilingue. Le bilinguisme est un grand avantage quand vous écrivez votre CV. Beaucoup de personnes à Mary Ward nous posent des questions relatives à nos expériences dans le programme de français intensif. Quelques questions qui IMAGE PAR VARSHAA RAGURAMAN sont souvent demandés sont: Comment décririez-vous votre expérience dans le programme? Est-ce qu’il y a beaucoup Est que vous pouvez parler le de travail? Pourquoi est-ce que vous français couramment? Considère des avez le pris? Pouvez-vous parler le francophones, ils parlent vite et ça français couramment? Est-ce que montre leur aisance en français. Quand vous parlez toujours en français? Et la nous parlons en français dans notre question la plus exigé, est ce que c’est classe, nous parlons lentement, et nous difficile? faisons de notre mieux. Comment décririez-vous votre expérience dans le programme? Premièrement, je peux dire que votre horaire quotidien va souvent dire 306, 307 ou 308, selon les horaires de vos professeurs. Aussi, il va avoir un jour où vous êtes dans le département du français pour 2-3 périodes pour vos séminaires. Au français intensif, il y a plus des rédactions et des lectures, pour améliorer votre français. La religion, la géographie et l’histoire en français sont similaires aux cours en anglais, mais en français, bien sur! Alors, on peut résumer que c’est actuellement plus de travail et nous travaillons très forts, mais c’est souvent intéressant et amusant. En français intensif, vos amis vont vous demander des questions relié au français car ils croient que vous savez bien le français. Honnêtement, j’aime aider mes amis, parce que j’apprends aussi du français quand je les aider. À la fin, je pense que nous sommes
IMAGE PAR PATRICK BLICK Par Redah Tan Comme un couverture, La neige reste calme sur la terre, Les belles nuits d’hiver. Par Tiffany Cheung Couche de coton blanc, Les traces d’eau dans les couloirs; L’hiver est venu. NOËL Par Kathryn Potenciano Noel s’approche vite Les lumières se brillent autour Cadeaux sous l’arbre Par Veronica Bolis Les lumières sur l’arbre Les cadeaux déjà emballés C’est presque Noel
Est-ce que vous parlez toujours en français? Oui, mais si c’est difficile d’expliquer quelque chose, on peut parler en anglais. Pour la plupart, on essaye de parler seulement en français. Finalement, est-ce que c’est difficile? Non, ce n’est pas vraiment difficile. Si vous avez commencé le français intensif en élémentaire, vous allez le trouver plus facile. Le français est actuellement facile, si vous voulez apprendre plus. Ça prend du temps d’apprendre le français. Je pense qu la vie dans le français intensif n’est pas trop difficile, mais il y a plus d’écriture et de la lecture; nous dépensons beaucoup du temps dans le département du français, et nous sommes souvent demandés de l’aide. Mais si vous avez beaucoup de la difficulté en français, vous pouvez : 1. Consulter avec votre prof, et 2. Demander à vos amis ou des étudiants qui sont dans le français intensif.
AMOUR Par Stacy Chiu Les étoiles sont belles Je peux les vois dans tes yeux; T’es mon univers.
IMAGE PAR PATRICK BLICK
LE CHAT Par Ninoshka Dans la maison verte Le chat dort sous le lit rouge Calme et silencieux LE DOUTE DE LUI MÊME Par Jerome Mabbayad Couché sur mon lit Ce qui me confond le plus Pourquoi j’ai les doutes L’INSPIRATION/LA MEDITATION Par Ose Ibazebo Un, inspirez. Deux, Expirez. Ferme mes yeux. Je Suis calme pour l’instant.
IMAGE PAR PATRICK BLICK L’AUTOMNE Par Jan Domalaon Les feuilles déménagent Ses couleurs couvrent la terre Rouge, jaune et orange Par Sharon L’automne est gentil Mais maintenant il fait froid L’automne disparu
IMAGE PAR PATRICK BLICK VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 17
petite planète
la petite planète la petite planète
Les Musiciens Français Par John Velasco
Kendji Girac : En 2014, Kendji Girac a gagné la troisième saison du « The Voice : La Plus Belle Voix » avec 51% de la voix de la France. Né en France, sa famille vient de la Romanie et l’Espagne. Sa première langue est Catalane. Il fait des chansons mélangé avec le pop latin, la musique de danse, et le flamenco contemporain. Ecoute : Andalouse, Conmigo, Color IMAGE PAR THE WINEHOUSE MAG Gitano (De son album « Kendji », que vous pouvez trouver au Spotify) Louane: Comme Kendjir Girac, elle était un candidat sur « The Voice : La Plus Belle Voix ». Elle est arrivée deuxième. Elle est française. Quand son père est mort trois mois avant son audition pour « The Voice : La Plus Belle Voix », elle a chanté « Imagine » par John Lennon en l’honneur de son père. Elle a aussi agir dans le film français La Famille Bélier. Ecoute : Avenir et Jour 1 (De son album « Chambre 12 », que vous pouvez trouver au Spotify)
IMAGE PAR UKMIX Indila: Andila Sedraïa, ou Indila, est une chanteuse née en France. Elle est algérienne, cambodgienne, et l’égyptien. Elle est fameuse pour sa chanson, « Dernière Danse », avec 250 000 000 vues sur YouTube. Le style d’Indila est pop, R&B et le raï, qui est une forme de la musique arabique. Ecoute : Dernière Danse, SOS, Tourner Dans Le Vide (De son album « Mini World », que vous pouvez trouver au Spotify)
IMAGE PAR JEUXACTU
IMAGE PAR CULTURES WITH VIVENDI Stromae : Paul Van Haver, ou Stro mae, qui est moitié Belgique et moitié rwandaise, est né en Etterbeek, Belgique. Son père a été tué dans le génocide rwandais. Il a été intéressé avec la musique d’un jeune âge. En 2005, il a décidé de poursuivre son rêve d’être un chanteur du rap. En 2009, sa gloire à grandir avec sa chanson « Alors On Danse ». Il a fait des collaborations avec des grands rappeurs d’aujourd’hui comme Kanye West, Push T, et Q-Tip. Ecoute : Papaoutai, Alors on Danse (De son album « Racine Carrée », que vous pouvez trouver au Spotify) VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 18
Black M: Alpha Diallo, ou Black M, est un rappeur qui est moitie français et moitie guinéen. Il était un membre d’un groupe de rap qui s’appelle « Sexion d’Assaut ». Comment il joue avec les mots a lui aider à agrandir sa gloire. Il a gagné le prix pour le meilleur acte français aux « MTV EMAs » cette année. Ecoute : Sur ma route, le Prince Aladin et Je ne dirai rien (De son al bum « Le monde plus gros que mes yeux », que vous pouvez trouver au Spotify)
IMAGE PAR BOR-DU-HIPHOP.FR
wact
XAVIER DOLAN Par Julia D’Silva
Xavier Dolan est un acteur, un scénariste et un réalisateur du film Canadien. Peut-être vous lui saurez comme réalisateur du vidéoclip d’Adèle pour son chanson « Hello ». Dolan a réalisé 5 long-métrages, a fini un autre qui n’a pas encore été rendu publique, et il est entrain de réaliser son septième. Il a dirigé son premier long-métrage, « J’ai tué ma mère » (2009), quand il avait seulement 20 ans, et il a complété ses 4 prochains films par l’âge de 25. Xavier Dolan est connu pour la cinématographie de ses films et l’utilisation des couleurs pour changer l’atmosphère des scènes. Dolan aime parler des issus qui sont compliqués mais pertinent, comme les conflits familiaux, les luttes des mères seules, et les difficultés de la communauté LGBT. Bien que ses films soient parfois plus beaux que la vraie vie, ils traitent des problèmes qui sont communs dans les vies du public. Grâce à Dolan, les films québécois qui sont souvent ignoré ont commencé de gagner en impor tance. En 2012, il a gagné le prix de Queer Palm IMAGE PAR LAST.FM au Festival de Cannes, un prix pour des films avec des thèmes LGBT, pour son film « Laurence Anyways ». Il est seulement la deuxième personne à gagner ce prix, et le premier Canadien d’être nommé. En 2014, il a gagné le prix du jury du Festival de
Cannes, un des prix le plus prestigieux au Festival, pour son film « Mommy ». Le film de Xavier Dolan que j’aime le plus est « Laurence Anyways », qui est au sujet de la relation entre un professeur transgenre et son partenaire. L’histoire est triste et émouvante, le scenario est très bien écrit, et la cinématographie est belle. J’aime aussi le fait que les personnages dans le film parlent du français québécois. Dolan ne veut pas cacher le fait qu’il est canadien, et je le trouve très intéressant. Beaucoup d’artistes croient
IMAGE PAR COMINGSOON.NET qu’ils ne peuvent pas devenir très fameux s’il reste au Canada, alors c’est vraiment intéressant que Xavier Dolan a décidé de situer son film au Québec. Xavier Dolan a deux films qui sortent en 2016 : « Juste la fin du Monde », une adaptation d’une pièce de théâtre écrit par Jean-Luc Lagarce. Des acteurs très célèbres comme Marion Cotillard et Léa Seydoux sont dans le film. Plus tard en 2016, son premier film de langue anglais va sortir, « The Death and Life of John F. Donovan ». Kit Harington (de l’émission de télévision « Game of Thrones »), Jessica Chastain et Susan Sarandon vont être dans ce film. Aussi, il y a une rumeur qu’Adèle va apparaitre dans le film. C’est très impressionnant qu’un jeune homme de Montréal a eu tant de succès autour du monde, surtout à son jeune âge. Ce qu’on peut apprendre de Xavier
UNE PLAYLISTE POUR DANSER AVEc DES AMIS Par Julia D’Silva Ces chansons vont vous faire danser, alors réunisse quelques amis et commence la partie!
1. Jersey par Granville
7. Apprends-moi par SUPERBUS
2. Ba$$in par Yelle
8. Alors on danse par Stromae
3. Oh Yeah par Housse de Racket
9. L’amour par Karim Ouellet
4. Debout par Ariane Moffatt
10. C’est Moi par Marie-Mai
5. Le graal par Kyo
11. Un rêve par Lescop
6. Elle me dit par Mika
petite planète
wact wact
wact
From Print to the Silver Screen By Daniel Santiago Movies based on comic books, particularly superheroes, are becoming increasingly popular with the general public. More and more comic book films seem to be released year by year. Certainly, several of us would view motion pictures based on comic book characters during the holidays and eventually watch the upcoming films to be shown in 2016, such as Batman vs Superman – Dawn of Justice and Captain America: Civil War. But if you have no idea which films you would like to see during the break, I recommend that you search for these titles: 6. Thor: The Dark World The follow up to Thor (2011), which introduced Marvel’s incarnation of the Norse God of Thunder, was even better than the film it followed on. What stood out in the film is the PHOTO BY CDN. alliance between IENTRY.COM Thor and his archrival stepbrother, Loki. The relationship between Thor and Loki in the comics is quite one-dimensional and their battles are often one-sided, while this film
brings that bond to life and give it the of those few films that are better than 1. Man of Steel oomph it desperately needed. the stories they’re based on. The film Superman (1978), with Christopher Reeve 5. Batman Forever 3. Punisher: War Zone portraying the Before the film was The Punisher is an ex-Marine and exfamed superhero, made, there was Special Forces was a great comic Batman Returns, instructor turned book film of its but because Batman into a vigilante time. Nevertheless, was supposedly killing corrupt it’s special effects a character for criminals. This and the pacing youngsters, it was movie based on of some scenes considered too dark the character is made the film by many. Batman violently rather dull. Man Forever still contains a c t i o n - p a c k e d PHOTO BY CDN. of Steel, on the COLLIDER.COM a mild, dark tone to and it captures other hand, has PHOTO BY precisely the decent special effects and the pacing IRONHEADSTUDIO it but was made far PHOTO BY more humorous. The c h a r a c t e r ’ s was just right. It was also a great re.COM film depicts Batman COMICSAGOGO. p e r s o n a l i t i e s , telling of Superman’s origins and the and Robin accurately, as well as comedy FILES.WORDPRESS. backgrounds and theme was darker and realistic than from the antagonists. (Especially from COM their stories. that of Superman. The Riddler, who was portrayed by Jim Carrey.) 2. Batman (1989) Some comic fans would rather their No other Batman film will accurately favourite superheroes stay on paper, but 4. Dredd depict how a these movies are exceptions for even Judge Dredd is a law enforcer, in which Batman story die-hard fans. The audience can see the he is a judge, jury should go. This character’s personality more through and executioner film accurately facial expressions and body language, in a dystopian presented the more detail is put into the setting, future. The film may mysteriousness speech is unlimited, and the story authenticate itself of the Batman’s becomes more accessible to everyone. from the Judge personality, the What goes on movie screens are the end Dredd stories, a t m o s p h e r e results of blank pieces of paper scribed although Dredd is of Gotham with imagination and ideas, mixed with darker, more violent City and the the super abilities of technology. Some and complex than PHOTO BY IMGS. character of the people may doubt the combination but PHOTO BY CDN. Judge Dredd comics. ABDUZEEDO.COM Joker. these recommended movies prove my COLLIDER.COM This is probably one point. See it for yourself.
Welcome to Quantico By Nicole Crawford
Some say the art of deception lies in actions not words. So what would speak louder than a ‘terrorist attack’ on an American landmark such as grand central station? Deception is a cherished attribute to the stunning release of the American television series Quantico.
with the full rage of the FBI on her tail, Perish must follow any and all leads left by her so called ‘classmates’.
specifically? Perhaps the culprit has ulterior motives? An accomplice? A grudge? But I digress.
This hit thriller series was created by Joshua Safran and was brought to life courtesy of the talented actors on set: Priyanka Chopra (Alex Perish), Jake McLaughlin (Ryan Booth), Josh Hopkins (Liam O’Connor), Aunjanue Ellis (Miranda Shaw) and many other richly developed characters. They help produce a web of secrets that will catch you and kill you with suspense as you wait for the next cliffhanger episode. The only consolation to this entertainment injustice is their ability to coax one’s curiosity into tuning in every Sunday in the hope of real PHOTO BY MSJUNEBUG.COM answers.
Aside from that, the characters part of the appeal of the show as well. Every character has something to hide, but this develops them in a unique way and gives this corrupt FBI facility a different perspective altogether.
Alex Perish was once considered the best agents produced by Quantico, but a fatal betrayal left her standing right in the middle of the worst terrorist attack since 9/11. Wrongly convicted, Perish sets out to clear her name and find the true criminals before they take the lives of anyone else and further tarnish her reputation. If only it were so easy! The real culprit is hidden, and has been hiding since Perish first stepped Answers that really nag at the back of is capable of a façade good enough through the doors of Quantico. Now the mind such as: What kind of terrorist to trick the FBI? Why Alex Perish
So get ready mystery lovers, because Quantico is taking over. Its’ gripping tales of deception and betrayal can encompass a viewer and can leave you itching for episode after episode.
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 19
wact wact
wact
Must-See Christmas Movies By Julia D’Silva
Winter has finally arrived, and there is nothing better than getting your skis out and hitting the slopes, going skating at Nathan Phillips Square with your friends, or just having a plain old snowball fight in your backyard! Okay, there might be something better: cuddling up with a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate (the kind with the marshmallows) and watching a good Christmas movie. Here are some of the best Christmas movies to get you into the holiday spirit: 1. Home Alone Home Alone is one of those movies you can watch over and over again, which is a rare trait among Christmas movies. While most Christmas movies get boring and seem tacky after too many viewings, Home Alone is still fun to watch even if you’ve seen it a hundred times. The shenanigans
that ensue when Kevin McCallister’s parents inadvertently leave him alone on Christmas Eve are hilarious all year round. If you’re going to watch Home Alone, you might as well make it a marathon: its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York is just as good as the first movie. 2. Elf
PHOTO BY POP SUGAR Everyone loves Will Ferrell movies and Elf is definitely one of his best. It’s funny, it’s sweet, and it’s little corny—but what Christmas movie isn’t? Buddy the Elf seems like the role Will Ferrell was born to play, and it is his childish innocence and wellintentioned antics that make this movie so much fun to watch year after year. Even if you don’t like Will Ferrell, you’ll be sure to enjoy the awkward sight that is a 6’3” man dressed up like an elf. Ah, comedy.
3. The Nightmare Before Christmas There is often a bit of confusion surrounding this Tim Burton classic: Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? Although director Henry Selick recently said that The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie, I prefer to think of it as an antiChristmas movie. Not because it hates the holiday, but rather because it is darker and scarier than most familyfriendly Christmas movies. Though PHOTO BY MENTAL FLOSS it is at times creepy and frightening,
wact
The Nightmare Before Christmas provides the perfect contrast between the cheesy sweetness of a normal Christmas movie and the straightup scariness of most Tim Burton/ Halloween movies. 4. The Polar Express This is one of those movies that always leaves you feeling inexplicably sad. The story is cute and the movie has a nice overall message, but it always leaves you longing for the blissful innocence of childhood. Obviously, this is not one to watch if you’re looking for a fun and lighthearted Christmas movie, although it does have some fun moments (Tom Hanks’ ‘Hot Chocolate’ scene, anyone?). The Polar Express is based on a story about a train that picks children up on Christmas Eve and takes them to the North Pole to meet Santa. It’s totally underrated and is a great movie to watch when you’re feeling nostalgic for the Christmases of your childhood.
PHOTO BY IMDB 5. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas Once you get past Jim Carrey’s weird Grinch makeup, this is a cute movie about finding the true meaning of Christmas. During the holiday season, we tend to focus on what material objects we want to receive. How the Grinch Stole Christmas is
a good reminder that being greedy goes against everything this holiday is supposed to stand for. Apart from the moral message, How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a fun, silly film that really embodies the childish joy we feel around Christmastime. Not to mention, “Where Are You Christmas” is still one of the best Christmas songs of all time. 6. HONOURABLE MENTION:
PHOTO BY THE INTERACTIVIST Die Hard Alright, I know what you’re thinking: ‘No way is Die Hard a Christmas movie!’. I can see your point; we don’t usually associate violent action movies with Christmas. However, there is no way to deny that Die Hard is just Home Alone with more explosions and for an adult audience. Think about it: a protagonist left alone on Christmas Eve, attacked by successful criminals. All odds against them, they use their intelligence and resourcefulness to defeat the bad guys. Similar to The Nightmare Before Christmas, Die Hard could be considered a bit of an anti-Christmas movie. It’s far darker and more violent than most Christmas movies. Die Hard is the perfect Christmas movie to watch when you’re getting a little sick of the constant joy and cheer associated with the holiday season.
TEEN ANGST AT ITS GREATEST By DonQarlo Bernardino
When you think of classic influential novels, the likes of Charles Dickens or Ernest Hemingway probably come to mind. In terms of actually reading this literature, perhaps titles like To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice or even Moby Dick pop into your head. In my experience, there was always one novel I was curious about: J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. After reading this novel it has become my favourite book, as everyone can relate to this novel; teens especially. The Catcher in the Rye is about the iconic main character of Holden Caulfield. At sixteen Holden is currently enrolled in his fourth high school after failing the VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 20
three previous. He eventually becomes fed up with his roommate and leaves to for Manhattan to visit his family for Christmas. The story might seem a little boring on paper; but trust me it is such a rewarding experience.
The Catcher in the Rye is narrated by Holden and is therefore told in a first person narrative point of view. One thing you need to know before going into this book is that there is barely any plot. The whole book is Holden travelling to Manhattan, meeting various people and coming across different situations. In my opinion, this makes the novel even better. Every time Holden meets someone, it reminds him of something in the past. I absolutely adore this book not only for its writing, but for its themes and study of a teenager going through teen
angst. The Catcher in the Rye is about a teen trying to figure out his place in the world and feel like he matters. Throughout the book Holden is very opinionated and pessimistic; just like me in a way. However, the one thing that summarises Holden is alienation. He takes advantages of his isolation as a way to not interact with others, and to show that he is superior to everyone else. The Catcher in the Rye might sound like a depressing story, but it is still just as relevant to teens today as it was over half a century ago. This book should be read by all teens, as you won’t get the same experience reading it as an adult. We all have that phase when we are trying to understand the world around us, and are afraid of change. This novel is about wanting to be a kid again, and retaining childhood innocence.
Holden is a great character as, whether he likes it or not, he is going through the same unexplainable change that
PHOTO BY HALIAA RTISAN is happening in our own teenage lives. With endless amounts of quotes and funny insights, The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favourite novels of all time. 10/10
wact wact
wact
creative spaces
shows to fall for By Edy Tatomir
episodes of American Horror Story Hotel will return from hiatus after the winter After a summer break, airing Wednesday nights at 10 of relaxation and PM on FX. recreation, it might have been a bit of Scandal a bummer to get back into the rules Who could forget and routine of September. But in every Scandal? For stormcloud there is a silver lining. And in those of you this case it’s Fall TV. Beware of upcoming who are team spoilers. Olivia and Fitz, you’ll love this RETURNING season. This dayold drama from American Horror Story Hotel every previous After the semi disappointing Freak Show season is getting of season four, PHOTO BY it’s own spotlight HUFFINGTONPOST.COM this insanely this time around. disturbing series Olivia (Kerry Washington) and President is back for a fifth Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) are together, season. Set in and exposed. Yes, there are people Hotel Cortez, dying around the world. Yes, there viewers are are much more pressing matters to introduced to address. But in the world of Scandal, the building’s the President’s love life is the only c o n c e r n i n g thing that should be on the headlines. history and Scandal is PHOTO BY frightening currently in winter MOVIEPILOT. COM characters from hiatus and will the first episode. Actors like: Evan Peters, return February Sarah Paulson, Finn Wittrock, and more 11, 2016, airing from previous seasons are also back. Thursdays at 9 One face you sadly won’t see is Jessica p.m. on ABC. Lange. For those of you who don’t know Jessica Lange, she’s the queen How to Get Away of every season and is also the villain. with Murder While she won’t return, we must glad Yes, it’s back. PHOTO BY accepted the amazing Lady Gaga to How to Get Away replace her. Yes, Gaga acts. Quite well, HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM with Murder, actually. Surprised? Yeah, me too. New although losing viewers, is still one to
keep you on the edge of your seat. We continue to follow Annalise Keating and her ‘loyal’ sidekicks after an explosive season premiere. New episodes started September and will return to ABC February 11, 2016 at 10 p.m. NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Quantico
Another FBI show. This should be good. All you Blacklist and White Collar fans probably put this together, didn’t you? In all seriousness, it’s not half bad. We start off with a PHOTO BY young FBI agent, TVLINE.COM Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra), found unconscious at the site of the ‘worst terror attack since 9/11.’ Flashbacks show her FBI training at Quantico with the other recruits. The twist? One of those recruits or agents at Quantico is the terrorist and is framing her for treason. Pretty cool, huh? Series premiere was September 27, 2015 on ABC and is in hiatus until further notice. Blood and Oil If you loved Gossip Girl, then you’re going to love the fact that Chace Crawford is in this. Not so fast, though; this is nothing like Gossip Girl. Crawford plays the part of Billy LeFever, as him and his wife Cody LeFever (Rebecca Rittenhouse) look
to cash-in on a North Dakota oil boom, but are quickly get wrapped up in something far bigger than they can handle. As viewers are rapidly disappearing, PHOTO BY HOLLYWOODREPORTER.COM ABC might just cancel Blood and Oil after trimming the episodes for season one down to ten from thirteen. It will be airing Sundays at 9 p.m. after the hiatus. Scream Queens From the creators of American Horror Story and Glee comes Scream Queens. Now, most of you may know this series because of the staggering amount of PHOTO BY familiar faces in COMINGSOON.NET it: Emma Roberts, Nick Jonas, Ariana Grande, Keke Palmer, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, and many more. Scream Queens, with the tagline: Couldn’t You Just Die? is a comedy/ horror show that you’ll either hate or love. If you loved Mean Girls and Pretty Little Liars, I’m fairly sure you’ll love this. Series premiere was September 22, 2015 and after the hiatus will be airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m on FOX.
LIMITLESS EXCEEDS ALL LIMITS By Serena Singh
PHOTO BY THEATLANTIC.COM
Jake McDorman takes on new powers in CBS’ adaptation of the Bradley Cooper bigscreen hit Limitless. Airing new episodes every Tuesday at 10 pm on CBS, the show uses the same brain-boosting ideas of the movie of the same name, and shares many similarities to the box office hit “Lucy.” The series follows a man named Brian Finch (McDorman), a directionless slacker who is still clinging to futile dreams of musical stardom long after his bandmates, friends and
Powered by the mysterious drug, Brian is able to work alongside FBI agents Special Agent Rebecca Harris (Jennifer Carpenter) and Special Agent Boyle (Hill Harper) to solve many different cases.
PHOTO BY IGN.COM families have moved on and accepted him as a lost cause. In the midst of a souldraining temporary job, Brian runs into a former bandmate who slips him a funky clear pill called NZT-48 and mutters something about “neuroenhancers.”
Despite the lackluster enthusiasm for the movie, the Limitless series seems to have been received quite well. It was ranked one of the best shows of the fall season and draws in a high average of 8.5 million viewers. The first season may be almost over, but it is definitely still a show for people to keep their eyes on!
VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 21
wact
Seven Billion By Kayleen Dicuangco I wonder if you’ve realized How many of us there are. For the earth is very plentiful We shouldn’t be that far. Women, men, boys and girls You are one as well. Each and every one of us Unique like seaside shells. We are people Who can see and hear, Think and speak, Cry tears of joy and cheer.
creative spaces creative spaces
Back Again By Nimmy Ayekun The sun’s light is now fragile Against your cold, icy demeanor. You scared autumn away, So soon and so powerfully. But you bring comfort in memories Of Love Of Unity Of Jingle Bells And Christmas smells. Back again Oh Winter, you were missed Ever so dearly.
Physical characteristics Are only to be seen by the eyes. What truly matters Is what the heart supplies.
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK By Kieona George Like the snow you never really know when she’s coming. You only hope that your environment can be enchanted with her presence. Such beauty and complexity lies beneath her pale, smooth exterior. Will you stay here with me? Be a friend? Or will you fly away, In the wisps of the wind. When you desire to be somewhere else? I know I cannot contain you, Or call you mine. You are a snowflake, That reminds me that we all are beautiful. You will melt if I hold on too tightly.
Your fingers and toes, The pigmentation of your skin. Show the whole world The charming way you grin. The freckles on your face and Two eyes that blink and perceive. You shouldn’t feel out of place It’s all about diversity.
I know I have to let you go on, To grace other people and places With your magic.
But please stay a bit longer, I just want to bask in the clarity You present like winter’s icicles. The fun you bring out in me, Like a mound of soft snow Encouraging me to make an angel. The desire to appreciate simply complex beauty, Like the snow that sleeps on top of Spring’s dead children. The consciousness You lead me to face Like the cold nights of winter That force you to stay home and think. I’ll stick my neck out of the safety of My winter jacket So I can try to catch one of your Snowflakes of wisdom. To appreciate you before you leave And have the honour of saying you warmed my heart.
Christmas Day
You are you. You are one in a million, An important part Of the seven billion.
PHOTO BY NICOLE POWELL
Winter Memories By Lucy Ma The sound of the snow crunching beneath my boots accompanied me home from school one winter afternoon. The distant laughter of children enjoying the snow became louder as I stepped closer to the park. I sighed as I adjusted the heavy textbook in my arms, trying to let it rest in a comfortable position. A sudden force knocked into me, causing my math textbook to hit the ground lined with silver. A little boy looked up at me with a startled expression. "Sorry!" He ran off, and the pom pom on his hat swung back and forth. I picked up my textbook and brushed the snow off its cover. Thank goodness, the pages didn't get wet. It was not so long ago that I was like that little boy, carefree and happy. I smiled to myself at the memory of rolling around in the snow until the sun was merely a red blur on the horizon. Staring at the textbook now weighing me down, I sighed. I would give so much to go back to that time. Maybe I'll get my snow gear on sometime this week and build a snowman, I thought to myself. It'll definitely be fun. VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 22
creative spaces
By Kayleen Dicuangco
By Nimmy Ayekun
Take a peek from the frosty window, Tell me what you see. Are there bright Christmas lights or faces filled with glee?
Children lace their skates. Hunched over winter coats. Push, shuffle. Backwards, Forwards. Around, and Around. They glide across the scratched up ice. Laughing, Joyously Push, shuffle. Backwards, Forwards. Around, and Around. Fall No worries. They get back up again.
Delicate piles of powder-like snow And sidewalks that glisten with ice. Your excitement should start to grow For this is white winter paradise Take another peek at the night sky An atmosphere of happiness and cheer, Where the stars resemble the snowflakes that fall On Christmas day that’s here.
PHOTO BY PATRICK BLICK
creative spaces
creative spaces creative spaces
fun and games
ILLUSTRATIONS & PHOTOGRAPHY By Trisha Aldovino
STUDY BREAK By Kayleen Dicuangco
By Bianca Gomba
By Veronica Iskander VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 23
funand and games fun games
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE By Kayleen Dicuangco
Can you find the five differences between these elves’ selfies? Send a picture of your answers with your name and TA to mwplanet.tumblr.com/submit . The first person to find all five will be announced, and the Mary Ward Planet’s very own Bianca Gomba will vectorize your face!
MARY WARD
By Victoria Castrucci
HOROSCOPES ARIES
creative spaces
That great idea for your quest unit has been burning a hole in your binder for days. While you’re worried it might be too risky, now is the time to consult with your teacher. Get it out into the world, and more importantly into your unit tracker!
GEMINI
Remember how you promised yourself to focus on units, but instead you went out almost every night? Now is the time to put your head down and really get stuff done. Keep in mind you have deadlines to meet!
LEO
Going to class without your friends was a great idea; you managed to solve that tricky question and hand in that unit all in one period! Now is the time to reward yourself; take some time to watch a movie, and eat some ice cream. But don’t spend too much time relaxing, more units are waiting!
LIBRA
You’ve fallen in love with your current unit: hooray! You’ve gone above and beyond what was needed and you were rewarded. You got a great mark and a new idea for a quest unit; consult with your teacher and turn your passions into an exciting assignment!
SCORPIO
Deadlines are fast approaching, and you’re concerned about making them. But don’t stress too much; if you make a plan and focus, you can get everything in on time, and get a great mark too! SAGITTARIUS
VIRGO
You’ve been so focused on fine-tuning those units that you didn’t notice that target date! Make a plan to consult with your teacher and get it in. Remember nothing is ever perfect!
A big project is coming up, and your love of the subject is sure to get you a wonderful mark! But be sure not to get too caught up in your passion. Learning is great, but remember to pull it all together for an amazing presentation! CAPRICORN
You just got your record of achievement from your TA, and realized you have two tests and an ISP this week! Before you start stressing out remember to organize yourself and stay focused on the tasks. A great plan is key!
AQUARIUS
CANCER
You love to plan your time days in advance, but the seminar schedule won’t take your plans into consideration! Try to be flexible with your days in order to get everything done, and attend those seminars. Remember, they’re mandatory!
You’ve been debating about whether or not to join that new club. Remember that clubs are a great way to make a difference in the community and get your voice heard. Plus it’s a great way to meet so many new and exciting people!
PISCES
You’ve been running around helping your friends, but now you should take some time for yourself. Make some tea, and go for a walk to clear your head. But always keep in mind that your have units to do too! VOLUME 21 / ISSUE 1 mwplanet 24
TAURUS
While skipping your TA interview might have seemed like a great idea a few days ago, test authorizations and incomplete tasks have been building up. Make an appointment with your TA and make a plan to complete those tasks!