THE VOICE
Issue 2
February 2012 BREAKING NEWS: SOIRÉE WAS MASSIVE!
His Excellency visits College
By Amber Duivenvoorden
On the 23rd February, St Aloysius College had the pleasure of welcoming His Excellency the President, Dr George Abela. Having visited the primary and secondary schools, Dr Abela was invited to the old school theatre where the sixth form students performed a small part of this year’s Soireé which included the items, ’ Tisbit’, ‘ Karma Skies’ and ‘ Caveman’s tale.’ When everyone was seated and just before the show started, Rector Patrick Magro SJ gave his Excellence a warm and hearty welcome together with a gift on behalf of the entire school.
This was followed by another speech, carried out by the president of school council, Paula Cauchi. As the performance came to an end, his Excellence the president congratulated the people involved in the production of the show for their hard work and sheer enthusiasm, while encouraging us students to try to overcome any obstacle which might cross our path.
SOIREE 2012 IN PICTURES
A TRUE TRANSFORMAT!
EUROSCOLA
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Stop Strasbourg… Rule Europe! By Marthese Grech We had all been waiting very anxiously for the 16th of February to arrive. Why? We were going to Strasbourg, to participate in the event known as Euroscola! Our group consisted of 24 students along with the Sixth Form Chaplain, Fr. Joe Cassar and Ms. Dona Falzon. The event Euroscola is an event which takes place regularly in the European Parliament situated in Strasbourg. We th were attending the session on the 17 of February. For this occasion, students from all over Europe meet up and discuss some issues relevant to all. Each topic was assigned a geometrical shape, in order to avoid any political confusion.
The day started with breakfast in the Parliament Restaurant, where the programme details were explained to all of us. After this, we were taken to the “hemicycle’ where we took the seats of MEP’s. The session at this point, began with a basic introduction of the role of the
EU and its institutions. Following this introduction, all students there were given an opportunity which is not always given to students attending Euroscola; we had the chance to ask questions to an MEP, and this time, it was the Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil who answered these questions. Later on, we met Dr. Busuttil personally and took a group photo with him.
lunch, we rejoined our respective working groups, where we each discussed our topics and came up with a resolution. Each resolution was then discussed and voted on in the Parliament with the other parties. The day then finished with another quiz and the closing ceremony included a kind of dance with each European Flag with the European Anthem being sung at the same time.
Lunch followed, and here we had the opportunity to meet people from other countries, as we had to team up with them to take part in the “Eurogame”. The game is set out in all the languages of the EU, so it is of utmost importance that one communicates with the others. After
All in all, we all gained a lot from this experience as we got to voice our opinions in one of the most important institutions in Europe and the World, but we also made new friends and enjoyed ourselves.
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A TRUE TRANSFORMAT!
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My Final Dedication to Aunty Shelagh by Enya Tanti
I cringed at every pothole the bulky bus' wheels descended into as my spine would in turn shatter into a million pieces. My eyes cycled from right to left whilst trying to make sense of the fast moving objects outside. But I couldn't escape my sub-conscious from tormenting me with flashing images of my late great-aunt, to whom I owe a lot of praise for having raised me up. I was heading back home after attending her wake which took place in my Nan’s house in Derry. Despite several attempts to divert my attention, I was instantaneously flooded with a play-back of how she had been decorated with white carnations and lilies and how a subtle Celtic song was being played in the background. They said that the cause of her death was due to a major stroke. She had been quite active despite her old age and was always involved in numerous charitable organisations. I had often gone to her for advice due to all the experience she had been accumulating regarding the challenges of life. An old man had rung the bell and was being assisted down the bus. I sat deep in my chair whilst I was hoping that he wouldn't just tumble down those steps. Three more stages and it would have been my turn to enter into the gushing wind and slashing rain... I had taken it upon my own shoulders to provide some snacks and drinks for all my family during the wake. Everyone was chatting away but all I could think about was the
corpse that lay on my dining table. We then lined up like dominoes to pay our respect to Aunty Shelagh. I promptly rang the bell and got off the bus. I was still feeling a bit queasy, but deep down I knew that she was looking down at me at that very moment. I sprung home and decided to prepare some typical Irish stew which had been her favourite dish. I shoved some logs in the fire place and put on ''Father Ted''. The frown that was sculptured on my face a couple of minutes ago was now brought to life by my massive smile that appeared to stretch from ear to ear.
THE VOICE: February Edition
Up Next Month…
Editor:
Rachel Powell
Drawn images:
Anthea Galea
Articles written by:
Yanika Borg Jodie Bonnici Amber Duivenvoorden Marthese Grech
Columnists:
Enya Tanti Adrian Micallef
Photographers:
Michela Catania David Grima Rachel Powell
Special Thanks go to the Saint Aloysius’ College Sixth Form Administration, Students’ Council, Kyle Sultana, Imperia Galea, Keith Tanti and Izaak Mifsud
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Coping with the Odds? By Jodie Bonnici
It‟s hard to keep a healthy relationship when you‟re constantly stressed over all the nearing deadline and juggling school, friends and time for yourself. Relationships require sacrifices and that‟s a known fact. The question is how much are both parties willing to give up? And what exactly can they give up? Keeping up with everything in your life is far easier said than done, but that doesn‟t mean it‟s impossible. Before you start freaking out stop to think and try to see what both of you could do to make more time for each other without feeling guilty about all the work you‟re giving up for it. As the old saying goes, don‟t leave for tomorrow what you can do today! Maybe you should stop wasting the few free lessons you have and actually do some of those assignments. It‟s better to get your
As Hail Hits St. Aloysius!
work done during the week so that you can spend your weekend with the people you love. Take some time to consider how much time you‟re wasting on the internet. Wouldn‟t it be better if you could spend that with your girlfriend or boyfriend? It‟s hard to meet during the week if you‟re both from different schools, but if you both have some free time why not meet up a bit during that time at least every few weeks? So you can‟t give up certain commitments like that course you‟re taking, and you can‟t miss out on rehearsals or training, and you can‟t let your studies fall behind. That is something both sides of the relationship have to understand. It requires patience but with some effort you can balance anything you have on the scales of life!
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Interviewing Wonder Girls! How did the name of the band originate? Honestly, no one exactly knows how „Karma Skies‟ came about. We wanted something original and catchy that would describe us perfectly. After a lot of time spent brainstorming and discussing about what our name should be (probably took us more than it actually takes us to put up a song) we settled on 'skies' on Caroline's suggestion. After a few days, Loredana was randomly talking to Odelsie after a rehearsal and she figured we should be called „karma‟. After all it does a lot about how we came about, and there you have it: Karma Skies.
Michela:
1. Vocals: First voice 2. In her own words: "singing like a pro” 3. The diva of the group, Born to be a star
Odelsie:
1. Vocals: Second voice 2. Can make everyone smile with her randomness, never stop to think before she speaks 3. Takes pride in things she loves
Sheryl
1. Guitarist 2. Extremely relaxed 3. Shy and sweet
How would you describe each member of the band? Annalise:
1. Vocals: First voice
2. Recipient of many shorty jokes 3. Started out as relaxed, developed to panicky throughout soiree
Caroline: 1. Amazing pianist
2. Mastermind of mash ups 3. Calms down the group before and after every performance
Loredana:
1. Vocals: Second voice 2. Most determined; moves us forward; mother figure 3. Creates the perfect harmonies in an instant
How often did you rehearse before soiree? All the time for the past three months
How did you feel the moment before stepping on stage? Any lucky charms kept and vocal warming done before the performance? As cheesy as it may sound, having each other is more than enough as a lucky charm however we could not resist doing our lucky dance taken from “Tisbit” and a small prayer. After what happened on Thursday we would all be terrorized with the thought of something going wrong;
the smiles on our faces at the first notes of the piano gave us up.
How do you feel about your performances? Any feedback? We are all very satisfied with all our performances, but most of all proud of each other. In our opinions, we work as a group because we bring out the best in each other. We appreciate all the nice comments and support from the audience, administration and most importantly our friends who always had our backs.
Special
thanks
to:
Friends like Paula Cauchi who believed in us from the very beginning and were never afraid to give constructive criticism, the talented Stephan Zammit for our visuals, Hair and Makeup team especially Imperia Galea and Melanie Sammut who made up our six non-artistic selves into decent persons, administration for guiding us and giving us this opportunity . Finally an enormous thanks goes to Conrad Dimech who welcomed six screeching girls into his studio over and over again and helped us develop into more than we even though we could.
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‘‘An all-girls musical piece’’
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Nobody said it would be Easy, They only said it would be Worth It So some of you may have started your diet and started including some more exercise in their weekly routine. If you have actually done so, you are by now no stranger to the temptation of snacking, eating junk food and procrastinating your exercise. Its OK we are all weak in one way or another but that should not be a source of stress but a tool to find motivation and push forward with your fitness goals. Start by finding a fitness role model. A person with a look you’re striving for. Next, make a set of rules written down, black on white about your diet and activity. Be disciplined with yourself and eat not to
satisfy your craving but to satisfy your long term ambitions!
Here are some guidlines: Drink at least 6 small bottles of water a day to keep hydrated (it sounds like a lot but you should spread it out over a day), have breakfast before leaving home (oats, non-sugary cereal bars, weetabix, skimmed milk), try not to consume carbs after 7 pm, allow yourself just one cheat snack (like a piece of cake) twice a week, try to spread out your meals (don’t eat your lunch at once but divide it into 3) and avoid
fatty foods (e.g. pizza, pastizzi, mortadella, cheese, chips, etc). Like this, you can control your carb intake and still feel satisfied with a full stomach throughout the day! Pro Tip: For guys, use weights to boost your metabolism and build some muscle tone! For girls, use bodyweight exercises and non-machine cardio as a way of having fun and testing yourself whilst burning calories! Always consult the gym instructor and sports supervisors if in need of any assistance at the gym. Yours in fitness, Adrian
CHAPLAINCY If you arrive early at the Sixth Form, join friends to pray at the beginning of the day. Experience the inner strength you can only get from Mass. Mon-Thu starting at 07.15, in the Chapel. You can just
walk in whenever you arrive. You’re always most welcome. EARLY BIRDS
Something good for you – one a day.
Bite-size prayer posted every day throughout Lent on Facebook. Try it. Click on the Facebook link below. https://www.facebook.com/pages/St-Aloysius-Sixth-Form-Chaplaincy/285124254880665
Give what you can afford to share with someone who does not have the basic essentials. Lent is a good time to revive a good practice in our Sixth Form – the Solidarity Collection, held with the collaboration of the Students’ Council.
SHARING
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Issue 2
STAGE CREW
AT WORK
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