THE VOICE
Issue 4
FAREW EL L .
May 2012 Lassyt
BREAKING NEWS: SAC FEST WAS A BLAST!
SAC Fest 2012 By Marthese Grech One of the biggest events organized by the SAC Fest committee for all students took place this month. Yes, that’s right SAC Fest!! This year’s SAC Fest took th th place from the 25 till the 27 of May, in the college grounds and premises. The annual SAC Fest is an awaited event for college students and other guests alike. Apart from re-uniting past and present students, SAC Fest is guaranteed to be a fun-filled event for all the family. The annual event has been taking place for eight years in a row, and it has always been a successful event, with most of the students taking part either in the preparations, or on stage, whilst performing. This year’s SAC Fest included a variety of activities, ranging from musical concerts to sport events and exhibitions. There were several football and handball tournaments for Secondary and Sixth Form students. Apart from this, an
obstacle race and a treasure hunt were held, which will both test the participants’ sense of adventure. Various displays took place throughout all 3 days. These included displays from the Armed Forces, Falconry association and a dog show. Open air concerts took place on all days with many of the participants being past and present student, Red Electrik, Sugar Rush, Water Wings, Broken Leed, the SAC FEST orchestra and Karma Skies amongst others. Last and surely not least, all those Eurovision fans out there, you have not been forgotten! The Eurovision final was also screened on a big screen on Sunday.
Riot Police, Festivals and the Holy Spirit
Eurovision
Message from the Student‟s Council
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Ħbieb, F’dan l-ispazju li għandi ser nitfa’ ħarsti fuq il-Kunsill tal-Istudenti li ili mmexxi minn April flimkien ma’ tliet membri oħra: Kyle Sultana, Rachel Powell u Michaela Zammit. Għalkemm konna bbumbardjati b’diversi kritika disruttiva qabel ma bdejna, ma qtajnix qalbna u għalkemm konna magħfusin biż-żmien, jien u sħabi għarafna t-tajjeb ta’ qabel kif ukoll innuqqasijiet li kien hemm u mingħajr aktar telf ta’ ħin bdejna naħdmu b’motivazzjoni waħda f’moħħna; li nżommu l-interessi tal-istudenti l-ewwel u qabel kollox. Nedejna b’suċċess kompetizzjoni talfotografija bit-tema tas-sempliċita`. Irrebbieħ li kien magħżul minn judge professjonali u indipendenti kien David Grima. Bħala premju David attenda għal serata live tal-Airport Impressions mtella’ mill-Ghaqda Muzikali Beland tażŻejtun fejn kien VIP jiġbed ritratti tasserata. Ir-ritratti kollha tal-parteċipanti kienu esebiti għall-pubbliku fl-Sac Fest. Għat-tmien edizzjoni tal-Sac Fest ilKunsill ħa ħsieb biex jagħti wkoll ilkontribut tiegħu. Bdejna billi tajna donazzjoni mill-fondi tal-Kunsill biex ikunu uzati għal din l-attivita` u kellna wkoll laqghat ta’ brainstorming ma’ Mrs Portanier; il-moħħ wara din l-attivita`. Fuq proposta li ressaqt f’isem il-Kunsill giet organizzata Car Wash b’success b’ghajnuna kbira mill-Crew fejn il-qliegħ mar kollu għall-iskola. Niehu lopportunita nifraħ u ngħid proset kbira lil kull min kien involut f’dan lavveniment; suċċess kolossali ieħor wara dak ta’ Soireé. Proposta oħra li ressaqna dax-xahar u li nltaqgħet tajjeb ħafna millamministrazzjoni kienet rigward seminar li jitratta l-Faqar f’Malta. L-għan prinċipali tagħna huwa li nġibu aktar studenti konxi ta’ din id-disgrazzja soċjali biex verament inkunu ta’ għajnuna għall-formazzjoni tagħkom listudenti. Minħabba ż-żmien limitat li għandna din l-attivita’ hija proġettata għall-bidu tas-sena skolastika li jmiss.
Minn issa bdejna naħsbu ghas-sena ddieħla. Nixtieq naraw canteen aktar haj specjalment fil-ġranet kesħin tax-xitwa. Għaddejjin tahditiet biex inġibu tablesoccer. L-unika ħaga li żżomm lura żżewġ partijiet hija l-biza’ ta’ xi vandalizmu. Għalhekk nixtieq ngħaddi messaġġ ċar biex tkunu ta’ għajnuna f’kull ma nagħmlu billi tkunu responsabbli u maturi biżejjed biex nieħdu ħsieb kull ma jkollna għal ġid tagħna stess. Nħeġġeġ lil kull min għandu xi suġġerimenti u ideat kif ser nagħtu aktar ħajja lil canteen jkellem lili jew lil xi membru tal-Kunsill jew jibghat e-mail fuq sacstudentcouncil@hotmail.com . Grazzi bil-quddiem. Unanimament qbilna li l-problema talWi-Fi tkun fuq quddiem fl-agenda talKunsill u dan ix-xahar stess intbagħtet proposta lil amministrazzjoni fejn anke kkonsultajna ma’ Mr Keith Vassallo. Wara li kienet diskussa bejn lamministrazzjoni wasalna fil-konkluzjoni li għal dawn il-ftit ġimgħat li fadal b’mod immedjat l-ispeed tal-internet jiżdied u eventwalment jkun ftit aktar mit-triplu ta’ dak li kien! Dan kien pass kbir u għandu jkun b’mod temporanju sakemm insibu soluzzjoni għas-sena skolastika li jmiss. Bhalissa qeghdin nahdmu wkoll fuq attivita’ għal wara l-eżamijiet. Bil-ftit riżorsi li għandna u biż-żmien kontra tagħna qegħdin nagħmlu l-almu tagħna biex inkunu ta’ leħen għalikom. Nieħu lopporunita’ nirringrazzja lilkom talappoġġ, lill-shabi tal-kunsill kif ukoll lillamministrazzjoni li s’issa kontra kull ghajdut sibna ko-operazjoni shiha minnha.
Membri tal-Kunsill
Karl Attard
Kyle Sultana
Michaela Zammit
Dejjem Taghkom Karl Attard President
Rachel Powell
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Broken Leed… strongly repaired! By Rachel Powell As the audience loudly cheered, Broken Leed tuned their instruments, brushed up their vocal chords and took their place on stage. The newly formed band made up of Owen Desira (guitarist and singer), Matthew Vella (bassist), Saverio Bianco (saxophonist), Daniel Bonanno (pianist), Ryan Bezzina (drummer) and Francesca Zarb (singer) performed live a blend of dance-pop and rock and roll. Francesca’s powerful pop vocals were shown-off during the performance of ‘Domino’. The landing on the high-notes was impeccable. This together with the energetic performance made the audience go wild as it chanted the catchy chorus. Merit should also be given to Owen Desira whose ‘Johnny B. Goode’ captivated us all. Though ‘Xemx’ fitted perfectly his vocal range one must say that the previous song was performed magnificently. The musicians too played an important role. Space was given for the saxophone, drums and bass to flourish. Timing and rhythm were rehearsed to perfection; all songs were flawless in tonality and execution. I am sure that this will not be the last time that we shall hear of this promising band. The positive feedback given showed that the audience was really engaged in the performance. Well done guys and let’s hope that more performances will follow in the future!
From dust, unto dust By David Grima My winning photograph ‘’From dust, unto dust’’ was shot during a theatrical performance entitled ‘XENOS’ which was performed at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema. This performance was a contemporary one where the audience was seated on the stage itself and surrounded the actors from all sides. The word ‘Xenos’ is Greek for stranger/foreigner and each actor gave his own interpretation of the term, making the performance a personal one even for the audience. BOSCO crew gave me the opportunity to be the event’s photographer. I’m writing this short article, fresh from the amazing experience of photographing one of the best bands in Malta. Apart from the vibe of experiencing Airport Impressions live and their singles such as ‘Elusive’ and ‘Walk with Me’; the wonderful light setup also gave me an opportunity to capture some unique images (some of them can be seen on my flickr page: flickr.com/photos/davidgrima). I would like to take this opportunity to thank the SAC Sixth Form Students' Council for organising the photography competition and for the lovely opportunity to photograph Airport Impressions.
THE VOICE | Issue 4
THE VOICE | Issue 4
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Eurovision: l-ikbar Kunċert Muzikali fl-Ewropa Roberto D’Amato Nhar it-Tlieta 22, il-Ħamis 24 u s-Sibt 26 ta‟ Mejju sar il- Eurovision Song Contest li issa sar parti mill-Kalendarju Ewropej. Kull sena jkun hemm varjazzjonijiet kbar fiddiski li l-pajjizi jibgħatu biex jipprezentawhom. Din is-sena l-Eurovision sar f‟Baku fl-Azerbaijan li, mill-ħafna kummenti li saru, qalu li kien wieħed millisbaħ. L-organizzaturi ppreparaw ħafna biex dan ikun suċċess. L-iktar xogħol urġenti u li taw ħafna saħħa fuqu kien li jibnu arena minħabba li ma kienx hemm. F‟seba‟ xhur, f‟Baku nbniet “The Crystal Hall” li tesa bejn 20,000 sa 30,000 ruħ u li għandha diversi effetti speċjali fejn jidħol dawl u mużika. Din is-sena Malta bgħatet lil Kurt Calleja bid-diska “This Is the Night” li telgħa flimkien mal-band tiegħu. Kurt irnexxielu jisraq il-qlub ta‟ kulħadd permezz talenerġija tiegħu u tal-karattru tal-ġenn li għandu. Permezz ta‟ din l-enerġija tiegħu hu rnexxielu jgħaddi għall-finali tas-Sibt wara li kanta fit-tieni semi-finali nhar ilĦamis 24 ta‟ Mejju. Dan wara li konna ilna
ma ngħaddu mill-2009 bid-diska “What If We” kantata minn Chiara. Kurt irnexxielu jiklassifika fis-seba‟ post dakinhar. Fil-finali Kurt kanta fil-21 post u rnexxielu jikklassifika wkoll fil-21 post b‟41 punt. Kurt u d-delegazzjoni tiegħu rritornat lura Malta nhar it-Tnejn għall-ħabta tal11:30AM. L-iktar diski li kienu msemmija bħala rebbieħa kienu tal-Iżvezja, Russja u Serbja. Il-Eurovision intrebaħ propju minn Loreen li ppreżentat l‟Isvezja bid-diska „Euphoria‟. Loreen ġabet 372 punt, kważi daqs Alexander Rybak li fl-2009 kien rebaħ ilEurovision b‟rekord ta‟ 387 punt. L-Isvezja l-aħħar li rebħu kienu fl-1999 bid-diska „Take me to your Heaven‟. Għalhekk appuntament ieħor għall-Eurovision ieħor huwa nhar l-14,16 u 18 ta‟ Mejju 2013 ġewwa l-Iżvezja! Minjaf forsi s-sena ddieħla nittamaw li jkollna riżultat aħjar minn dis-sena u forsi wkoll ikollna l-ewwel rebħa tagħna!!!
We would like to take the opportunity to thank all our readers. It’s been an amazing year thanks to your contribution and support.
The Voice Team
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Unrequited Love by Amber Duivenvoorden t is commonly known that Unrequited love is love that is not openly reciprocated or understood. As children, some have to endure the sad, frustrating lesson that others may not want to play with them, they may not get invited to a classmate's party and the child who they have a crush on may not like them back. As we grow up, we continue to learn this difficult lesson. We may not get a Valentine's card shoved in our desk from the one person we hoped would send their love or the person that we fancy might not have the vaguest idea of our existence.
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Luxuriating in the sensation of someone special is often considered sensual and love can blind people so the reality of the situation is that unrequited love is one of the worst types of rejection. These moments of unreturned love or lust may be tough; they may feel gut-wrenchingly sad, confusing, bare and lonely. And yet they are a tough reality of togetherness and separateness. Sometimes it's even harder: they may choose to not even talk to you anymore. And yet we can't control what other people decide to do with their lives. Not only can we not control it but sometimes the kindest, most compassionate response is to acknowledge that whatever the other person chose is perhaps best for them at the moment. Maybe they are
not trying to be cruel. Perhaps they know themselves quite well and they've decided that they can't look into your eyes, take your phone calls, or come home to you anymore. There's no doubt about it: unrequited love and lust are hard. Research has shown how different an experience unrequited love is compared to love that's returned. Not that most of us need a scientist to tell them that: if you've loved and loved back, and another time loved and been left in the lurch, you know all too well what the difference is. At the end, we all have someone who will always have a special place in our hearts no matter the circumstances.
Members: Caroline Agius, Karl Attard, Amber Duivenvoorden, Anthea Galea, Shanna Mercieca, Roberto D’Amato, Adrian Micallef, Enya Tanti, Daniel Inguanez, Matthew Cassar, Yanika Borg, Michaela Zammit, Jodie Bonnici, James Mula & Marthese Grech Photographers: David Grima, Michela Catania Editor: Rachel Powell
THE VOICE | Issue 4
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by Matthew Cassar
L
ittle did the Duke and Duchess of York know that their daughter, Elizabeth of York, would embellish the throne as queen of England for 60 years upon her birth in 1926. This year Queen Elizabeth the second leaves her mark on the history of Kings and Queens of the United Kingdom, as she becomes the second longest serving Queen preceded only by Queen Victoria whose reign lasted a staggering 63 years. In the history of Britain only five other Kings and Queens have had the privilege of being
addressed as his or her majesty for 50 or more years and these were Queen Victoria (63 years), King George III (59 years), James VI of Scotland (58 years), Henry III (56 years) and Edward III (50 years). It is for this reason that momentous celebrations are taking place throughout the whole of the United Kingdom as they celebrate 60 years of the highly admired fortieth monarch since William the Conqueror obtained the crown of England.
Up Next Month…
Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee is traditionally held to mark a 75th anniversary but in the case of a monarch it is only the 60th anniversary. It was in the year 1897 that it was decided to bring the diamond jubilee forward to the 60th anniversary coinciding with Queen Victoria’s 60th year in reign thus leading to the first diamond jubilee to be celebrated in UK.
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Riot Police, Festivals and the Holy Spirit by Fr. Joseph Cassar SJ Riot police were carrying young people away from Frankfurt‟s landmark Römerplatz when I arrived there Thursday evening the previous week. I was initially quite surprised to find the main train station completely surrounded by hundreds of officers in riot gear. “We are exercising our constitutional right to sit in the square,” told me a girl whom the police had just carried away and placed outside the cordon. “Why should sitting in the square be so complicated?” I thought. Like other young people I spoke to, she was taking part in Blockupy Frankfurt... four days of protests against an irresponsible financial system that has driven millions of people across Europe to the brink of poverty. Frankfurt‟s banking district is home to the European Central Bank and to the big German banks and financial institutions. Media reports spoke of some anarchists that had been stopped by the police on the highway before they could reach the city. All the protestors I saw – predominantly young people – were peacefully making a powerful statement, one that in Christian terms would be a call to conversion. Truly, we need conversion from greed to sharing. These young people bring hope, I thought.
Katholikentag
Arriving in Mannheim the next morning, it was a different sight. The city was hosting Katholikentag 2012, a festival-
like gathering for German-speaking Catholics that takes place every 2-4 years. Scores of young people in groups or in twos, with their unmistakeable red backpacks, filled the streets. Concerts, prayer gatherings, theatre, discussions, films, talks and food stalls. SAC fest? Somewhat larger, with an estimated attendance of over 60,000 visitors and a special theme: Einen neuen Aufbruch wagen – Daring to make a new start. Going around the main shopping district in the city after having taken part in a panel discussion, I wanted to know what some of the young people staffing the stands thought and why they were there at all. “The Holy Spirit makes the Church young, over and over again,” said a young man. “[That‟s] if we listen to Him...,” added a girl who had greeted me as I approached the stand. I told them I was a Jesuit priest and asked them how they were preparing for Pentecost. The others joined in. “Here we are,” they said. “We‟re from different parts of Germany but we‟re helping our Church to be more like that of Pentecost: to go out of the churches and into the streets, to meet people and invite others to get to know Jesus and join His work in the world. “We are living our Confirmation,” two of them said. “We received Confirmation last year.” They were around 16 years old. I thanked them and wished them God‟s blessing. There‟s hope for the Church, I thought. May 27 – SAC fest, day 3? More importantly, it‟s Pentecost: the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles as Jesus had promised, the birthday of the Church. I can‟t help feeling uneasy that a sociological faith we may have inherited is of scarce relevance as we grow up and begin to face challenges and make decisions. Frequently, I meet young people (and several older ones) who have archived the Holy Spirit together with their Confirmation photos... a childhood or adolescence event that has faded in the background of distant memories. “Come, Holy Spirit,” prays the Church. “Come, Holy Spirit,” is my prayer for you and for me. I am uplifted by the many times I have shared prayer and the Eucharist with many of you in the Sixth Form every Friday and on other occasions, by all your acts of selflessness that have captured my admiration throughout this past year, by what some of you have been sharing with me about how they have really tried to help in their Social Responsibility Programme or even at home. I pray with you and for you, that the Holy Spirit may find more people listening to Him. Looking around me in the Sixth Form and thinking how you can serve now and in the years ahead, there‟s hope for Malta and beyond, I think.
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Springboard By Thomas Bartolo This year the Springboard programme was introduced for the first time ever to St Aloysius College Sixth Form. Springboard, also labeled as the Youth Volunteer Training Programme, was set up with the aim of helping students with regards to their Social Responsibility Programme. This newly formed training programme was jointly developed by INYGO – the Jesuit Youth Network, the Chaplaincy at St Aloysius College Sixth Form and the Chaplaincy at the University of Malta. The training programme included information related to all volunteers in Malta under the age of 18. However, the programme was specifically designed for students giving service through the Social Responsibility Programme of the St Aloysius College Sixth Form. In fact, participation in the Springboard programme contributed 10 hours to the Social Responsibility Programme requirement. The entire training programme consisted of four different training sessions which were held on three separate days and each tackled different aspects of youth volunteering.
The first introductory session involved several points of interest which all centered about the guiding inspiration in voluntary work. A number of young professionals, university graduates and students who have previously experienced volunteering shared their views on the subject along with their varied experiences as volunteers. They also explained more closely how we should go about volunteering ourselves and hence, allowed us to take new insights back to our voluntary work placements. The second and third sessions gave more importance to us students with regards to volunteering and discussed the theme of engaging with beneficiaries. Once again, a number of professional speakers from various fields were present in both sessions in order to help discuss the respective topic with us students. The first session revolved around the different attitudes and tips that may help us in our particular voluntary placement, highlighting the fact that our approach is of utmost importance. The other session involved hands-on workshops in small groups which focused on different volunteering areas of our choice. These activities helped us understand the core principles of volunteering and empowered us as young volunteers with newly acquired skills and strategies.
The fourth and final session brought the training programme to an end by discussing any future orientations. This time however, it was our turn as young volunteers to speak and share our views, based on what we have learnt. As a result, the course was ended with a group work activity, after which the work was given constructive criticism by the professionals present. Therefore, whilst providing us with all the necessary information, the training programme still left us with further food for thought about youth volunteering. Not to mention that a certificate of participation was also issued to each individual as a result of the investment we have gone through. Evidently, Springboard has planted the students with the necessary values needed throughout our youth volunteering experience and has successfully trained us how to fulfill our roles as young volunteers. Therefore, after having experienced Springboard, one may definitely agree that it has achieved its aims as a Youth Volunteer Training Programme. In fact, it would surely serve as an asset if it were to be available for students in the upcoming years.
THE VOICE | Issue 4
Farewell Fr. Joe!